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Gilman JM, Kaur J, Tervo-Clemmens B, Potter K, Sanzo BT, Schuster RM, Bjork JM, Evins AE, Roffman JL, Lee PH. Associations between behavioral and self-reported impulsivity, brain structure, and genetic influences in middle childhood. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2024; 67:101389. [PMID: 38749217 PMCID: PMC11112269 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2024.101389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Impulsivity undergoes a normative developmental trajectory from childhood to adulthood and is thought to be driven by maturation of brain structure. However, few large-scale studies have assessed associations between impulsivity, brain structure, and genetic susceptibility in children. In 9112 children ages 9-10 from the ABCD study, we explored relationships among impulsivity (UPPS-P impulsive behavior scale; delay discounting), brain structure (cortical thickness (CT), cortical volume (CV), and cortical area (CA)), and polygenic scores for externalizing behavior (PGSEXT). Both higher UPPS-P total scores and more severe delay-discounting had widespread, low-magnitude associations with smaller CA in frontal and temporal regions. No associations were seen between impulsivity and CV or CT. Additionally, higher PGSEXT was associated with both higher UPPS-P scores and with smaller CA and CV in frontal and temporal regions, but in non-overlapping cortical regions, underscoring the complex interplay between genetics and brain structure in influencing impulsivity. These findings indicate that, within large-scale population data, CA is significantly yet weakly associated with each of these impulsivity measures and with polygenic risk for externalizing behaviors, but in distinct brain regions. Future work should longitudinally assess these associations through adolescence, and examine associated functional outcomes, such as future substance use and psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodi M Gilman
- Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; MGH/HST Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
| | - Jasmeen Kaur
- Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brenden Tervo-Clemmens
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Science, Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain, Institute for Translational Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, USA
| | - Kevin Potter
- Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brandon T Sanzo
- Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MA, USA
| | - Randi M Schuster
- Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - James M Bjork
- Institute for Drug and Alcohol Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, VA, USA
| | - A Eden Evins
- Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Joshua L Roffman
- Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; MGH/HST Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA
| | - Phil H Lee
- Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Department of Psychiatry, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MA, USA
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Li Q, Lv X, Qian Q, Liao K, Du X. Neuroticism polygenic risk predicts conversion from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease by impairing inferior parietal surface area. Hum Brain Mapp 2024; 45:e26709. [PMID: 38746977 PMCID: PMC11094517 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2023] [Revised: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The high prevalence of conversion from amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) to Alzheimer's disease (AD) makes early prevention of AD extremely critical. Neuroticism, a heritable personality trait associated with mental health, has been considered a risk factor for conversion from aMCI to AD. However, whether the neuroticism genetic risk could predict the conversion of aMCI and its underlying neural mechanisms is unclear. Neuroticism polygenic risk score (N-PRS) was calculated in 278 aMCI patients with qualified genomic and neuroimaging data from ADNI. After 1-year follow-up, N-PRS in patients of aMCI-converted group was significantly greater than those in aMCI-stable group. Logistic and Cox survival regression revealed that N-PRS could significantly predict the early-stage conversion risk from aMCI to AD. These results were well replicated in an internal dataset and an independent external dataset of 933 aMCI patients from the UK Biobank. One sample Mendelian randomization analyses confirmed a potentially causal association from higher N-PRS to lower inferior parietal surface area to higher conversion risk of aMCI patients. These analyses indicated that neuroticism genetic risk may increase the conversion risk from aMCI to AD by impairing the inferior parietal structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qiaojun Li
- College of Information EngineeringTianjin University of CommerceTianjinChina
| | - Xingping Lv
- College of SciencesTianjin University of CommerceTianjinChina
| | - Qian Qian
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional ImagingTianjin Medical University General HospitalTianjinChina
| | - Kun Liao
- College of SciencesTianjin University of CommerceTianjinChina
| | - Xin Du
- Department of Radiology and Tianjin Key Laboratory of Functional ImagingTianjin Medical University General HospitalTianjinChina
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Huang H, Cheng S, Yang X, Liu L, Cheng B, Meng P, Pan C, Wen Y, Jia Y, Liu H, Zhang F. Dissecting the Association between Gut Microbiota and Brain Structure Change Rate: A Two-Sample Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study. Nutrients 2023; 15:4227. [PMID: 37836511 PMCID: PMC10574136 DOI: 10.3390/nu15194227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The connection between the gut microbiota and brain structure changes is still unclear. We conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) study to examine the bidirectional causality between the gut microbiota (211 taxa, including 131 genera, 35 families, 20 orders, 16 classes and 9 phyla; N = 18,340 individuals) and age-independent/dependent longitudinal changes in brain structure across the lifespan (N = 15,640 individuals aged 4~99 years). We identified causal associations between the gut microbiota and age-independent/dependent longitudinal changes in brain structure, such as family Peptostreptococcaceae with age-independent longitudinal changes of cortical gray matter (GM) volume and genus Faecalibacterium with age-independent average cortical thickness and cortical GM volume. Taking age-independent longitudinal changes in brain structure across the lifespan as exposures, there were causal relationships between the surface area and genus Lachnospiraceae. Our findings may serve as fundamentals for further research on the genetic mechanisms and biological treatment of complex traits and diseases associated with the gut microbiota and the brain structure change rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huimei Huang
- Department of Nephrology, Xi’an Children’s Hospital, The Affiliated Children’s Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710003, China
| | - Shiqiang Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China; (S.C.); (X.Y.); (L.L.); (B.C.); (P.M.); (C.P.); (Y.W.); (Y.J.); (H.L.)
| | - Xuena Yang
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China; (S.C.); (X.Y.); (L.L.); (B.C.); (P.M.); (C.P.); (Y.W.); (Y.J.); (H.L.)
| | - Li Liu
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China; (S.C.); (X.Y.); (L.L.); (B.C.); (P.M.); (C.P.); (Y.W.); (Y.J.); (H.L.)
| | - Bolun Cheng
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China; (S.C.); (X.Y.); (L.L.); (B.C.); (P.M.); (C.P.); (Y.W.); (Y.J.); (H.L.)
| | - Peilin Meng
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China; (S.C.); (X.Y.); (L.L.); (B.C.); (P.M.); (C.P.); (Y.W.); (Y.J.); (H.L.)
| | - Chuyu Pan
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China; (S.C.); (X.Y.); (L.L.); (B.C.); (P.M.); (C.P.); (Y.W.); (Y.J.); (H.L.)
| | - Yan Wen
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China; (S.C.); (X.Y.); (L.L.); (B.C.); (P.M.); (C.P.); (Y.W.); (Y.J.); (H.L.)
| | - Yumeng Jia
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China; (S.C.); (X.Y.); (L.L.); (B.C.); (P.M.); (C.P.); (Y.W.); (Y.J.); (H.L.)
| | - Huan Liu
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China; (S.C.); (X.Y.); (L.L.); (B.C.); (P.M.); (C.P.); (Y.W.); (Y.J.); (H.L.)
| | - Feng Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Trace Elements and Endemic Diseases of National Health and Family Planning Commission, School of Public Health, Health Science Center, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710061, China; (S.C.); (X.Y.); (L.L.); (B.C.); (P.M.); (C.P.); (Y.W.); (Y.J.); (H.L.)
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Burt CH. Polygenic scores for social science: Clarification, consensus, and controversy. Behav Brain Sci 2023; 46:e232. [PMID: 37694994 PMCID: PMC10723835 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x23000845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
In this response, I focus on clarifying my arguments, highlighting consensus, and addressing competing views about the utility of polygenic scores (PGSs) for social science. I also discuss an assortment of expansions to my arguments and suggest alternative approaches. I conclude by reiterating the need for caution and appropriate scientific skepticism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Callie H Burt
- Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology, Center for Research on Interpersonal Violence (CRIV), Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA ; www.callieburt.org
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Alexander N, Illius S, Feyerabend D, Wacker J, Liszkowski U. Don't miss the chance to reap the fruits of recent advances in behavioral genetics. Behav Brain Sci 2023; 46:e208. [PMID: 37694995 DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x22002497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
In her target article, Burt revives a by now ancient debate on nature and nurture, and the ways to measure, disentangle, and ultimately trust one or the other of these forces. Unfortunately, she largely dismisses recent advances in behavior genetics and its huge potential in contributing to a better prediction and understanding of complex traits in social sciences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Alexander
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany. ; UKGM Gießen/Marburg-Team
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Sabrina Illius
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Human Sciences, Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- ICAN Institute for Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Dennis Feyerabend
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Wacker
- Department of Differential Psychology and Psychological Assessment, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany ; https://www.koku.uni-hamburg.de/en/koku-team/liszkowski.html
| | - Ulf Liszkowski
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
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6
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Bell TR, Beck A, Gillespie NA, Reynolds CA, Elman JA, Williams ME, Gustavson DE, Lyons MJ, Neale MC, Kremen WS, Franz CE. A Traitlike Dimension of Subjective Memory Concern Over 30 Years Among Adult Male Twins. JAMA Psychiatry 2023; 80:718-727. [PMID: 37163244 PMCID: PMC10173101 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2023.1004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Importance Subjective memory concern has long been considered a state-related indicator of impending cognitive decline or dementia. The possibility that subjective memory concern may itself be a heritable trait is largely ignored, yet such an association would substantially confound its use in clinical or research settings. Objective To assess the heritability and traitlike dimensions of subjective memory concern and its clinical correlates. Design, Setting, and Participants This longitudinal twin cohort study was conducted from 1967 to 2019 among male adults with a mean (SD) age of 37.75 (2.52) years to follow-up at mean ages of 56.15 (2.72), 61.50 (2.43), and 67.35 (2.57) years (hereafter, 38, 56, 62, and 67 years, respectively) in the Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging. The study included a national community-dwelling sample with health, education, and lifestyle characteristics comparable to a general sample of US men in this age cohort. Participants were monozygotic and dizygotic twins randomly recruited from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry. Data were analyzed from May 2021 to December 2022. Main Outcomes and Measures Measures included subjective memory concern at 4 time points; objective memory, depressive symptoms, and anxiety at the last 3 time points; negative emotionality (trait neuroticism) at age 56 years; polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for neuroticism, depression, and Alzheimer disease; APOE genotype; and parental history of dementia. Primary outcomes were heritability and correlations between subjective memory concern and other measures. Results The sample included 1555 male adults examined at age 38 years, 520 at age 56 years (due to late introduction of subjective memory concern questions), 1199 at age 62 years, and 1192 at age 67 years. Phenotypically, subjective memory concerns were relatively stable over time. At age 56 years, subjective memory concern had larger correlations with depressive symptoms (r, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.21 to 0.42), anxiety (r, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.18 to 0.51), and neuroticism (r, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.26 to 0.41) than with objective memory (r, -0.24; 95% CI, -0.33 to -0.13). Phenotypic results were similar at ages 62 and 67 years. A best-fitting autoregressive twin model indicated that genetic influences on subjective memory concern accumulated and persisted over time (h2 = 0.26-0.34 from age 38-67 years). At age 56 years, genetic influences for subjective memory concern were moderately correlated with genetic influences for anxiety (r, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.18 to 0.51), negative emotionality (r, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.44-0.57), and depressive symptoms (r, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.10 to 0.29) as well as objective memory (r, -0.22; 95% CI, -0.30 to -0.14). Similar genetic correlations were seen at ages 62 and 67 years. The neuroticism PRS was associated with subjective memory concern at age 38 years (r, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.03. to 0.18) and age 67 years (r, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.16). Subjective memory concern was not associated with any Alzheimer disease risk measures. Conclusions and Relevance This cohort study found stable genetic influences underlying subjective memory concern dating back to age 38 years. Subjective memory concern had larger correlations with affect-related measures than with memory-related measures. Improving the utility of subjective memory concern as an indicator of impending cognitive decline and dementia may depend on isolating its statelike component from its traitlike component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler R. Bell
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla
| | - Asad Beck
- Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Washington, Seattle
| | - Nathan A. Gillespie
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond
| | | | - Jeremy A. Elman
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla
| | - McKenna E. Williams
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla
- Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego State University/University of California, San Diego
| | | | - Michael J. Lyons
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Michael C. Neale
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond
| | - William S. Kremen
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla
| | - Carol E. Franz
- Center for Behavior Genetics of Aging, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla
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Plachti A, Baaré WFC, Johansen LB, Thompson WK, Siebner HR, Madsen KS. Stability of associations between neuroticism and microstructural asymmetry of the cingulum during late childhood and adolescence: Insights from a longitudinal study with up to 11 waves. Hum Brain Mapp 2023; 44:1548-1564. [PMID: 36426846 PMCID: PMC9921236 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Adolescence is characterized by significant brain development and marks a period of the life span with an increased incidence of mood disorders, especially in females. The risk of developing mood disorders is also higher in individuals scoring high on neuroticism, a personality trait characterized by a tendency to experience negative and anxious emotions. We previously found in a cross-sectional study that neuroticism is associated with microstructural left-right asymmetry of the fronto-limbic white matter involved in emotional processing, with opposite effects in female and male adolescents. We now have extended this work collecting longitudinal data in 76 typically developing children and adolescents aged 7-18 years, including repeated MRI sampling up to 11 times. This enabled us, for the first time, to address the critical question, whether the association between neuroticism and frontal-limbic white matter asymmetry changes or remains stable across late childhood and adolescence. Neuroticism was assessed up to four times and showed good intraindividual stability and did not significantly change with age. Conforming our cross-sectional results, females scoring high on neuroticism displayed increased left-right cingulum fractional anisotropy (FA), while males showed decreased left-right cingulum FA asymmetry. Despite ongoing age-related increases in FA in cingulum, the association between neuroticism and cingulum FA asymmetry was already expressed in females in late childhood and remained stable across adolescence. In males, the association appeared to become more prominent during adolescence. Future longitudinal studies need to cover an earlier age span to elucidate the time point at which the relationship between neuroticism and cingulum FA asymmetry arises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Plachti
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - William F C Baaré
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Louise Baruël Johansen
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Wesley K Thompson
- Department of Radiology and Division of Biostatistics, Population Neuroscience and Genetics Lab, University of California San Diego, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, California, USA
| | - Hartwig R Siebner
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Neurology, Copenhagen University Hospital - Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Institute for Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kathrine Skak Madsen
- Danish Research Centre for Magnetic Resonance, Centre for Functional and Diagnostic Imaging and Research, Copenhagen University Hospital - Amager and Hvidovre, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Radiography, Department of Technology, University College Copenhagen, Denmark
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Luo Q, Chen J, Li Y, Lin X, Yu H, Lin X, Wu H, Peng H. Cortical thickness and curvature abnormalities in patients with major depressive disorder with childhood maltreatment: Neural markers of vulnerability? Asian J Psychiatr 2023; 80:103396. [PMID: 36508912 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2022.103396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Childhood maltreatment has been related to various disadvantageous lifetime outcomes. However, the brain structural alterations that occur in major depressive disorder (MDD) patients with childhood maltreatment are incompletely investigated. METHODS We extensively explored the cortical abnormalities including cortical volume, surface area, thickness, sulcal depth, and curvature in maltreated MDD patients. Twoway ANOVA was performed to distinguish the effects of childhood maltreatment and depression on structural abnormalities. Partial correlation analysis was performed to explore the relationship between childhood maltreatment and cortical abnormalities. Moreover, we plotted the receiver operating characteristic curve to examine whether the observed cortical abnormalities could be used as neuro biomarkers to identify maltreated MDD patients. RESULTS We reach the following findings: (i) relative to MDD without childhood maltreatment, MDD patients with childhood maltreatment existed increased cortical curvature in inferior frontal gyrus; (ii) compared to HC without childhood maltreatment, decreased cortical thickness was observed in anterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex in MDD patients with childhood maltreatment; (iii) we confirmed the inseparable relationship between cortical curvature alterations in inferior frontal gyrus as well as childhood maltreatment; (iv) cortical curvature abnormality in inferior frontal gyrus could be applied as neural biomarker for clinical identification of MDD patients with childhood maltreatment. CONCLUSIONS Childhood maltreatment have a significant effects on cortical thickness and curvature abnormalities involved in inferior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex, constituting the vulnerability to depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qianyi Luo
- Department of Clinical Psychology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510370, China
| | - Juran Chen
- Department of Clinical Psychology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510370, China
| | - Yuhong Li
- Department of Clinical Psychology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510370, China
| | - Xinyi Lin
- Department of Clinical Psychology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510370, China
| | - Huiwen Yu
- Department of Clinical Psychology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510370, China
| | - Xiaohui Lin
- Department of Clinical Psychology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510370, China
| | - Huawang Wu
- Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510370, China; Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Translational Medicine of Mental Disorders, Guangzhou 510370, China.
| | - Hongjun Peng
- Department of Clinical Psychology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510370, China; Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Translational Medicine of Mental Disorders, Guangzhou 510370, China.
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9
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Fowler CH, Gaffrey MS. Reduced cortical surface area globally and in reward-related cortex is associated with elevated depressive symptoms in preschoolers. J Affect Disord 2022; 319:286-293. [PMID: 36162658 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.09.075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Elevated depressive symptoms in early childhood strongly predict depression onset in youth. Nevertheless, little is known about the neural correlates of these symptoms, information that is key for understanding the early development of depression. As a result, the present study conducted a novel investigation of the association between cortical structure and depressive symptoms in preschoolers. METHODS Forty-six preschool age children (Mage = 5.90, SD = 0.75), some (N = 15) at high risk for depression, participated in the study. Data included parent-report of child depressive symptoms and measures of child whole brain and regional cortical structure acquired via 3T MRI. RESULTS After adjustment for maternal depression, socio-economic status, child age, child sex, and intracranial volume, reduced total cortical surface area and reduced surface area of the lateral orbitofrontal cortex were associated with elevated depressive symptoms. Cortical thickness was not associated with depressive symptoms. LIMITATIONS The present data are cross-sectional, limiting any causal interpretations. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that reduced cortical surface area, rather than thickness, is a neural correlate of depressive symptoms in preschoolers. Findings highlight the importance of surface area in reward processing regions (i.e., lateral orbitofrontal cortex) in particular. The present results provide novel insight into early emerging associations between brain structure and features of depression in young children and underscore early childhood as an important developmental period for understanding depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina H Fowler
- Duke University, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Durham, NC 27708, United States of America.
| | - Michael S Gaffrey
- Duke University, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience, Durham, NC 27708, United States of America
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10
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Jamshidi J, Park HRP, Montalto A, Fullerton JM, Gatt JM. Wellbeing and brain structure: A comprehensive phenotypic and genetic study of image-derived phenotypes in the UK Biobank. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:5180-5193. [PMID: 35765890 PMCID: PMC9812238 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Wellbeing, an important component of mental health, is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Previous association studies between brain structure and wellbeing have typically focused on volumetric measures and employed small cohorts. Using the UK Biobank Resource, we explored the relationships between wellbeing and brain morphometrics (volume, thickness and surface area) at both phenotypic and genetic levels. The sample comprised 38,982 participants with neuroimaging and wellbeing phenotype data, of which 19,234 had genotypes from which wellbeing polygenic scores (PGS) were calculated. We examined the association of wellbeing phenotype and PGS with all brain regions (including cortical, subcortical, brainstem and cerebellar regions) using multiple linear models, including (1) basic neuroimaging covariates and (2) additional demographic factors that may synergistically impact wellbeing and its neural correlates. Genetic correlations between genomic variants influencing wellbeing and brain structure were also investigated. Small but significant associations between wellbeing and volumes of several cerebellar structures (β = 0.015-0.029, PFDR = 0.007-3.8 × 10-9 ), brainstem, nucleus accumbens and caudate were found. Cortical associations with wellbeing included volume of right lateral occipital, thickness of bilateral lateral occipital and cuneus, and surface area of left superior parietal, supramarginal and pre-/post-central regions. Wellbeing-PGS was associated with cerebellar volumes and supramarginal surface area. Small mediation effects of wellbeing phenotype and PGS on right VIIIb cerebellum were evident. No genetic correlation was found between wellbeing and brain morphometric measures. We provide a comprehensive overview of wellbeing-related brain morphometric variation. Notably, small effect sizes reflect the multifaceted nature of this concept.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javad Jamshidi
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Haeme R P Park
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Arthur Montalto
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Janice M Fullerton
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Justine M Gatt
- Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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11
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Abstract
BACKGROUND A number of recent investigations have focused on the neurobiology of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). However, there have been few reviews of this literature with no detailed model proposed. We therefore undertook a systematic review of these investigations, aiming to map the available evidence and investigate whether it is possible to formulate a detailed model of the neurobiology of OCPD. METHODS OCPD can be considered from both categorical and dimensional perspectives. An electronic search was therefore conducted using terms that would address not only OCPD as a category, but also related constructs, such as perfectionism, that would capture research on neuropsychology, neuroimaging, neurochemistry, and neurogenetics. RESULTS A total of 1059 articles were retrieved, with 87 ultimately selected for abstract screening, resulting in a final selection of 49 articles focusing on neurobiological investigations relevant to OCPD. Impaired executive function and cognitive inflexibility are common neuropsychological traits in this condition, and suggest that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and OCPD may lie on a continuum. However, neuroimaging studies in OCPD indicate the involvement of specific neurocircuitry, including the precuneus and amygdala, and so suggest that OCD and OCPD may have important differences. Although OCPD has a heritable component, we found no well-powered genetic studies of OCPD. CONCLUSION Although knowledge in this area has advanced, there are insufficient data on which to base a comprehensive model of the neurobiology of OCPD. Given the clinical importance of OCPD, further work to understand the mechanisms that underpin this condition is warranted.
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12
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Nenadić I, Meller T, Schmitt S, Stein F, Brosch K, Mosebach J, Ettinger U, Grant P, Meinert S, Opel N, Lemke H, Fingas S, Förster K, Hahn T, Jansen A, Andlauer TFM, Forstner AJ, Heilmann-Heimbach S, Hall ASM, Awasthi S, Ripke S, Witt SH, Rietschel M, Müller-Myhsok B, Nöthen MM, Dannlowski U, Krug A, Streit F, Kircher T. Polygenic risk for schizophrenia and schizotypal traits in non-clinical subjects. Psychol Med 2022; 52:1069-1079. [PMID: 32758327 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291720002822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schizotypy is a putative risk phenotype for psychosis liability, but the overlap of its genetic architecture with schizophrenia is poorly understood. METHODS We tested the hypothesis that dimensions of schizotypy (assessed with the SPQ-B) are associated with a polygenic risk score (PRS) for schizophrenia in a sample of 623 psychiatrically healthy, non-clinical subjects from the FOR2107 multi-centre study and a second sample of 1133 blood donors. RESULTS We did not find correlations of schizophrenia PRS with either overall SPQ or specific dimension scores, nor with adjusted schizotypy scores derived from the SPQ (addressing inter-scale variance). Also, PRS for affective disorders (bipolar disorder and major depression) were not significantly associated with schizotypy. CONCLUSIONS This important negative finding demonstrates that despite the hypothesised continuum of schizotypy and schizophrenia, schizotypy might share less genetic risk with schizophrenia than previously assumed (and possibly less compared to psychotic-like experiences).
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Nenadić
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University and University Hospital Marburg, UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Tina Meller
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University and University Hospital Marburg, UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Simon Schmitt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University and University Hospital Marburg, UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Frederike Stein
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University and University Hospital Marburg, UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Brosch
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University and University Hospital Marburg, UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Johannes Mosebach
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University and University Hospital Marburg, UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
| | - Ulrich Ettinger
- Department of Psychology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Kaiser-Karl-Ring 9, 53111 Bonn, Germany
| | - Phillip Grant
- Psychology School, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences, Marienburgstr. 6, 60528 Frankfurt, Germany
- Faculty of Life Science Engineering, Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences, Giessen, Germany
| | - Susanne Meinert
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Nils Opel
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Hannah Lemke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Stella Fingas
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Katharina Förster
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Tim Hahn
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Andreas Jansen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University and University Hospital Marburg, UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Till F M Andlauer
- Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Andreas J Forstner
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
- Centre for Human Genetics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Baldingerstraße, 35033 Marburg, Germany
| | - Stefanie Heilmann-Heimbach
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Alisha S M Hall
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Swapnil Awasthi
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephan Ripke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité - Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany
- Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston MA 02114, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge MA 02142, USA
| | - Stephanie H Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Marcella Rietschel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Bertram Müller-Myhsok
- Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany
- Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Feodor-Lynen-Str. 17, 81377 Munich, Germany
- Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Crown St., Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
| | - Markus M Nöthen
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Udo Dannlowski
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Axel Krug
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University and University Hospital Marburg, UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
| | - Fabian Streit
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
| | - Tilo Kircher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University and University Hospital Marburg, UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany
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13
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Dispositional Negative Emotionality in Childhood and Adolescence Predicts Structural Variation in the Amygdala and Caudal Anterior Cingulate During Early Adulthood: Theoretically and Empirically Based Tests. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2021; 49:1275-1288. [PMID: 33871795 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-021-00811-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Substantial evidence implicates the amygdala and related structures in the processing of negative emotions. Furthermore, neuroimaging evidence suggests that variations in amygdala volumes are related to trait-like individual differences in neuroticism/negative emotionality, although many questions remain about the nature of such associations. We conducted planned tests of the directional prediction that dispositional negative emotionality measured at 10-17 years using parent and youth ratings on the Child and Adolescent Dispositions Scale (CADS) would predict larger volumes of the amygdala in adulthood and conducted exploratory tests of associations with other regions implicated in emotion processing. Participants were 433 twins strategically selected for neuroimaging during wave 2 from wave 1 of the Tennessee Twins Study (TTS) by oversampling on internalizing and/or externalizing psychopathology risk. Controlling for age, sex, race-ethnicity, handedness, scanner, and total brain volume, youth-rated negative emotionality positively predicted bilateral amygdala volumes after correction for multiple testing. Each unit difference of one standard deviation (SD) in negative emotionality was associated with a .12 SD unit difference in larger volumes of both amygdalae. Parent-rated negative emotionality predicted greater thickness of the left caudal/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (β = 0.28). Associations of brain structure with negative emotionality were not moderated by sex. These results are striking because dispositions assessed at 10-17 years of age were predictive of grey matter volumes measured 12-13 years later in adulthood. Future longitudinal studies should examine the timing of amygdala/cingulate associations with dispositional negative emotionality to determine when these associations emerge during development.
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14
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Liu X, Lai H, Li J, Becker B, Zhao Y, Cheng B, Wang S. Gray matter structures associated with neuroticism: A meta-analysis of whole-brain voxel-based morphometry studies. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:2706-2721. [PMID: 33704850 PMCID: PMC8127153 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuroticism is major higher-order personality trait and has been robustly associated with mental and physical health outcomes. Although a growing body of studies have identified neurostructural markers of neuroticism, the results remained highly inconsistent. To characterize robust associations between neuroticism and variations in gray matter (GM) structures, the present meta-analysis investigated the concurrence across voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies using the anisotropic effect size signed differential mapping (AES-SDM). A total of 13 studies comprising 2,278 healthy subjects (1,275 females, 29.20 ± 14.17 years old) were included. Our analysis revealed that neuroticism was consistently associated with the GM structure of a cluster spanning the bilateral dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and extending to the adjacent medial prefrontal cortex (dACC/mPFC). Meta-regression analyses indicated that the neuroticism-GM associations were not confounded by age and gender. Overall, our study is the first whole-brain meta-analysis exploring the brain structural correlates of neuroticism, and the findings may have implications for the intervention of high-neuroticism individuals, who are at risk of mental disorders, by targeting the dACC/mPFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiqin Liu
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.,State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Han Lai
- Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jingguang Li
- College of Teacher Education, Dali University, Dali, China
| | - Benjamin Becker
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Yajun Zhao
- School of Education and Psychology, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, China
| | - Bochao Cheng
- Department of Radiology, West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Song Wang
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.,Huaxi MR Research Center (HMRRC), Department of Radiology, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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15
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Association Between Genetic Risk for Type 2 Diabetes and Structural Brain Connectivity in Major Depressive Disorder. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2021; 7:333-340. [PMID: 33684623 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Major depressive disorder (MDD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) are known to share clinical comorbidity and to have genetic overlap. Besides their shared genetics, both diseases seem to be associated with alterations in brain structural connectivity and impaired cognitive performance, but little is known about the mechanisms by which genetic risk of T2D might affect brain structure and function and if they do, how these effects could contribute to the disease course of MDD. METHODS This study explores the association of polygenic risk for T2D with structural brain connectome topology and cognitive performance in 434 nondiabetic patients with MDD and 539 healthy control subjects. RESULTS Polygenic risk score for T2D across MDD patients and healthy control subjects was found to be associated with reduced global fractional anisotropy, a marker of white matter microstructure, an effect found to be predominantly present in MDD-related fronto-temporo-parietal connections. A mediation analysis further suggests that this fractional anisotropy variation may mediate the association between polygenic risk score and cognitive performance. CONCLUSIONS Our findings provide preliminary evidence of a polygenic risk for T2D to be linked to brain structural connectivity and cognition in patients with MDD and healthy control subjects, even in the absence of a direct T2D diagnosis. This suggests an effect of T2D genetic risk on white matter integrity, which may mediate an association of genetic risk for diabetes and cognitive impairments.
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16
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Baranger DAA, Few LR, Sheinbein DH, Agrawal A, Oltmanns TF, Knodt AR, Barch DM, Hariri AR, Bogdan R. Borderline Personality Traits Are Not Correlated With Brain Structure in Two Large Samples. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2020; 5:669-677. [PMID: 32312691 PMCID: PMC7360105 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/15/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Borderline personality disorder is associated with severe psychiatric presentations and has been linked to variability in brain structure. Dimensional models of borderline personality traits (BPTs) have become influential; however, associations between BPTs and brain structure remain poorly understood. METHODS We tested whether BPTs are associated with regional cortical thickness, cortical surface area, and subcortical volumes (n = 152 brain structure metrics) in data from the Duke Neurogenetics Study (n = 1299) and Human Connectome Project (n = 1099). Positive control analyses tested whether BPTs are associated with related behaviors (e.g., suicidal thoughts and behaviors, psychiatric diagnoses) and experiences (e.g., adverse childhood experiences). RESULTS While BPTs were robustly associated with all positive control measures, they were not significantly associated with any brain structure metrics in the Duke Neurogenetics Study or Human Connectome Project, or in a meta-analysis of both samples. The strongest findings from the meta-analysis showed a positive association between BPTs and volumes of the left ventral diencephalon and thalamus (p values < .005 uncorrected, p values > .1 false discovery rate-corrected). Contrasting high and low BPT decile groups (n = 552) revealed no false discovery rate-significant associations with brain structure. CONCLUSIONS We find replicable evidence that BPTs are not associated with brain structure despite being correlated with independent behavioral measures. Prior reports linking brain morphology to borderline personality disorder may be driven by factors other than traits (e.g., severe presentations, comorbid conditions, severe childhood adversity, or medication) or reflect false positives. The etiology or consequences of BPTs may not be attributable to brain structure measured via magnetic resonance imaging. Future studies of BPTs will require much larger sample sizes to detect these very small effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A A Baranger
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
| | - Lauren R Few
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Daniel H Sheinbein
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Arpana Agrawal
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Thomas F Oltmanns
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Annchen R Knodt
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Ahmad R Hariri
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Ryan Bogdan
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.
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17
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Evidence for a sex-specific contribution of polygenic load for anorexia nervosa to body weight and prefrontal brain structure in nonclinical individuals. Neuropsychopharmacology 2019; 44:2212-2219. [PMID: 31284291 PMCID: PMC6898345 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0461-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Revised: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Genetic predisposition and brain structural abnormalities have been shown to be involved in the biological underpinnings of anorexia nervosa (AN). Prefrontal brain regions are suggested to contribute through behavioral inhibition mechanisms to body weight. However, it is unknown if and to which extent biological correlates for AN might be present in individuals without clinical AN symptomatology. We therefore investigated the contribution of polygenic load for AN on body weight and prefrontal brain structure in a sample of n = 380 nonclinical individuals. A polygenic score (PGS) reflecting the individual genetic load for the trait of anorexia nervosa was calculated. Structural MRI data were acquired and preprocessed using the cortical parcellation stream of FreeSurfer. We observed a significant PGS × sex interaction effect on body mass index (BMI), which was driven by a negative correlation between PGS and BMI in female participants. Imaging analyses revealed significant interaction effects of sex × PGS on surface area of the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), the pars orbitalis (PO), the rostral middle frontal gyrus (RMF) and the pars triangularis (PT) of the left frontal cortex. The interaction effects were driven by positive correlations between PGS and prefrontal surface areas in female participants and negative correlations in male participants. We furthermore found sex-specific associations between BMI and left RMF surface area as well as between BMI and left PO and left RMF thickness. Our findings demonstrate a sex-specific association between polygenic load for AN, BMI, and prefrontal brain structure in nonclinical individuals. Hence, this study identifies structural abnormalities associated with polygenic load for AN and BMI in brain regions deeply involved in behavioral inhibition and impulse regulation as candidate brain regions for future research.
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18
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Goltermann J, Redlich R, Dohm K, Zaremba D, Repple J, Kaehler C, Grotegerd D, Förster K, Meinert S, Enneking V, Schlaghecken E, Fleischer L, Hahn T, Kugel H, Jansen A, Krug A, Brosch K, Nenadic I, Schmitt S, Stein F, Meller T, Yüksel D, Fischer E, Rietschel M, Witt SH, Forstner AJ, Nöthen MM, Kircher T, Thalamuthu A, Baune BT, Dannlowski U, Opel N. Apolipoprotein E Homozygous ε4 Allele Status: A Deteriorating Effect on Visuospatial Working Memory and Global Brain Structure. Front Neurol 2019; 10:552. [PMID: 31191441 PMCID: PMC6545528 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2019.00552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Theoretical background: The Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 genotype is known to be one of the strongest single-gene predictors for Alzheimer disease, which is characterized by widespread brain structural degeneration progressing along with cognitive impairment. The ε4 allele status has been associated with brain structural alterations and lower cognitive ability in non-demented subjects. However, it remains unclear to what extent the visuospatial cognitive domain is affected, from what age onward changes are detectable and if alterations may interact with cognitive deficits in major depressive disorder (MDD). The current work investigated the effect of APOE ε4 homozygosity on visuospatial working memory (vWM) capacity, and on hippocampal morphometry. Furthermore, potential moderating roles of age and MDD were assessed. Methods: A sample of n = 31 homozygous ε4 carriers was contrasted with n = 31 non-ε4 carriers in a cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of non-demented, young to mid-age participants (mean age = 34.47; SD = 13.48; 51.6% female). Among them were n = 12 homozygous ε4 carriers and n = 12 non-ε4 carriers suffering from MDD (39%). VWM was assessed using the Corsi block-tapping task. Region of interest analyses of hippocampal gray matter density and volume were conducted using voxel-based morphometry (CAT12), and Freesurfer, respectively. Results: Homozygous ε4 carriers showed significantly lower Corsi span capacity than non-ε4 carriers did, and Corsi span capacity was associated with higher gray matter density of the hippocampus. APOE group differences in hippocampal volume could be detected but were no longer present when controlling for total intracranial volume. Hippocampal gray matter density did not differ between APOE groups. We did not find any interaction effects of age and MDD diagnosis on hippocampal morphometry. Conclusion: Our results point toward a negative association of homozygous ε4 allele status with vWM capacity already during mid-adulthood, which emerges independently of MDD diagnosis and age. APOE genotype seems to be associated with global brain structural rather than hippocampus specific alterations in young- to mid-age participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janik Goltermann
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Ronny Redlich
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Katharina Dohm
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Dario Zaremba
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Jonathan Repple
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Claas Kaehler
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | | | - Susanne Meinert
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Verena Enneking
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Lara Fleischer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Tim Hahn
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Harald Kugel
- Institute of Clinical Radiology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Andreas Jansen
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,Core-Facility BrainImaging, Faculty of Medicine, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Axel Krug
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Brosch
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Igor Nenadic
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Simon Schmitt
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Frederike Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Tina Meller
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Dilara Yüksel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Elena Fischer
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Marcella Rietschel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Stephanie H Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Andreas J Forstner
- School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.,Centre for Human Genetics, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Markus M Nöthen
- School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Tilo Kircher
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Anbupalam Thalamuthu
- Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Bernhard T Baune
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry, Melbourne Medical School, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.,The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia
| | - Udo Dannlowski
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Nils Opel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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