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Ohi K, Fujikane D, Takai K, Kuramitsu A, Muto Y, Sugiyama S, Shioiri T. Epigenetic signatures of social anxiety, panic disorders and stress experiences: Insights from genome-wide DNA methylation risk scores. Psychiatry Res 2024; 337:115984. [PMID: 38820651 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115984] [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: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) and panic disorder (PD) are prevalent anxiety disorders characterized by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Both disorders share overlapping features and often coexist, despite displaying distinct characteristics. Childhood life adversity, overall stressful life events, and genetic factors contribute to the development of these disorders. DNA methylation, an epigenetic modification, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of these diseases. In this study, we investigated whether whole-genome DNA methylation risk scores (MRSs) for SAD risk, severity of social anxiety, childhood life adversity, PD risk, and overall stressful life events were associated with SAD or PD case‒control status. Preliminary epigenome-wide association studies (EWASs) for SAD risk, severity of social anxiety, and childhood life adversity were conducted in 66 SAD individuals and 77 healthy controls (HCs). Similarly, EWASs for PD risk and overall stressful life events were performed in 182 PD individuals and 81 HCs. MRSs were calculated from these EWASs. MRSs derived from the EWASs of SAD risk and severity of social anxiety were greater in PD patients than in HCs. Additionally, MRSs derived from the EWASs of overall stressful life events, particularly in PD individuals, were lower in SAD individuals than in HCs. In contrast, MRSs for childhood life adversity or PD risk were not significantly associated with PD or SAD case‒control status. These findings highlight the epigenetic features shared in both disorders and the distinctive epigenetic features related to social avoidance in SAD patients, helping to elucidate the epigenetic basis of these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazutaka Ohi
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan; Department of General Internal Medicine, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan.
| | - Daisuke Fujikane
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Kentaro Takai
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Ayumi Kuramitsu
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Yukimasa Muto
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Shunsuke Sugiyama
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Toshiki Shioiri
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
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Hettema JM, van den Oord EJCG, Zhao M, Xie LY, Copeland WE, Penninx BWJH, Aberg KA, Clark SL. Methylome-wide association study of anxiety disorders. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:3484-3492. [PMID: 37542162 PMCID: PMC10838347 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-02205-w] [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: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 07/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
Anxiety Disorders (ANX) such as panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and phobias, are highly prevalent conditions that are moderately heritable. Evidence suggests that DNA methylation may play a role, as it is involved in critical adaptations to changing environments. Applying an enrichment-based sequencing approach covering nearly 28 million autosomal CpG sites, we conducted a methylome-wide association study (MWAS) of lifetime ANX in 1132 participants (618 cases/514 controls) from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety. Using epigenomic deconvolution, we performed MWAS for the main cell types in blood: granulocytes, T-cells, B-cells and monocytes. Cell-type specific analyses identified 280 and 82 methylome-wide significant associations (q-value < 0.1) in monocytes and granulocytes, respectively. Our top finding in monocytes was located in ZNF823 on chromosome 19 (p = 1.38 × 10-10) previously associated with schizophrenia. We observed significant overlap (p < 1 × 10-06) with the same direction of effect in monocytes (210 sites), T-cells (135 sites), and B-cells (727 sites) between this Discovery MWAS signal and a comparable replication dataset from the Great Smoky Mountains Study (N = 433). Overlapping Discovery-Replication MWAS signal was enriched for findings from published GWAS of ANX, major depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. In monocytes, two specific sites in the FZR1 gene showed significant replication after Bonferroni correction with an additional 15 nominally replicated sites in monocytes and 4 in T-cells. FZR1 regulates neurogenesis in the hippocampus, and its knockout leads to impairments in associative fear memory and long-term potentiation in mice. In the largest and most extensive methylome-wide study of ANX, we identified replicable methylation sites located in genes of potential relevance for brain mechanisms of psychiatric conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Hettema
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Edwin J C G van den Oord
- Center for Biomarker Research and Precision Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Min Zhao
- Center for Biomarker Research and Precision Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Lin Y Xie
- Center for Biomarker Research and Precision Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | | | - Brenda W J H Penninx
- Department of Psychiatry, VU University Medical Center / GGZ inGeest, Amsterdam, 1081 HV, the Netherlands
| | - Karolina A Aberg
- Center for Biomarker Research and Precision Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA
| | - Shaunna L Clark
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
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Abi-Dargham A, Moeller SJ, Ali F, DeLorenzo C, Domschke K, Horga G, Jutla A, Kotov R, Paulus MP, Rubio JM, Sanacora G, Veenstra-VanderWeele J, Krystal JH. Candidate biomarkers in psychiatric disorders: state of the field. World Psychiatry 2023; 22:236-262. [PMID: 37159365 PMCID: PMC10168176 DOI: 10.1002/wps.21078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The field of psychiatry is hampered by a lack of robust, reliable and valid biomarkers that can aid in objectively diagnosing patients and providing individualized treatment recommendations. Here we review and critically evaluate the evidence for the most promising biomarkers in the psychiatric neuroscience literature for autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder, major depression and bipolar disorder, and substance use disorders. Candidate biomarkers reviewed include various neuroimaging, genetic, molecular and peripheral assays, for the purposes of determining susceptibility or presence of illness, and predicting treatment response or safety. This review highlights a critical gap in the biomarker validation process. An enormous societal investment over the past 50 years has identified numerous candidate biomarkers. However, to date, the overwhelming majority of these measures have not been proven sufficiently reliable, valid and useful to be adopted clinically. It is time to consider whether strategic investments might break this impasse, focusing on a limited number of promising candidates to advance through a process of definitive testing for a specific indication. Some promising candidates for definitive testing include the N170 signal, an event-related brain potential measured using electroencephalography, for subgroup identification within autism spectrum disorder; striatal resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measures, such as the striatal connectivity index (SCI) and the functional striatal abnormalities (FSA) index, for prediction of treatment response in schizophrenia; error-related negativity (ERN), an electrophysiological index, for prediction of first onset of generalized anxiety disorder, and resting-state and structural brain connectomic measures for prediction of treatment response in social anxiety disorder. Alternate forms of classification may be useful for conceptualizing and testing potential biomarkers. Collaborative efforts allowing the inclusion of biosystems beyond genetics and neuroimaging are needed, and online remote acquisition of selected measures in a naturalistic setting using mobile health tools may significantly advance the field. Setting specific benchmarks for well-defined target application, along with development of appropriate funding and partnership mechanisms, would also be crucial. Finally, it should never be forgotten that, for a biomarker to be actionable, it will need to be clinically predictive at the individual level and viable in clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anissa Abi-Dargham
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Scott J Moeller
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Farzana Ali
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Christine DeLorenzo
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Katharina Domschke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Centre for Basics in Neuromodulation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Guillermo Horga
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Amandeep Jutla
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - Roman Kotov
- Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | | | - Jose M Rubio
- Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra-Northwell, Hempstead, NY, USA
- Feinstein Institute for Medical Research - Northwell, Manhasset, NY, USA
- Zucker Hillside Hospital - Northwell Health, Glen Oaks, NY, USA
| | - Gerard Sanacora
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
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Kim HJ, Bang M, Park CI, Lee SH. Altered DNA Methylation of the Serotonin Transporter Gene Associated with Early Life Stress and White Matter Microalterations in Korean Patients with Panic Disorder. Neuropsychobiology 2023; 82:210-219. [PMID: 37231896 DOI: 10.1159/000530313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Changes in the DNA methylation of 5-HTTLPR are associated with the pathophysiology of panic disorder (PD). This study was conducted to investigate the association between stressful life events and the level of 5-HTTLPR methylation in patients with PD. We also examined whether these factors were associated with white matter alterations in psychological trauma-related regions. METHODS The participants comprised 232 patients with PD and 93 healthy adults of Korean descent. DNA methylation levels of five cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites in the 5-HTTLPR region were analyzed. Voxel-wise statistical analysis of diffusion tensor imaging data was performed within the trauma-related regions. RESULTS PD patients showed significantly lower levels of the DNA methylation at 5-HTTLPR 5 CpG sites than healthy controls. In patients with PD, the DNA methylation levels at 5-HTTLPR 5 CpG sites showed significant negative association with the parental separation-related psychological distress, and positive correlations with the fractional anisotropy values of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) which might be related to trait anxiety. CONCLUSION Early life stress was significantly associated with DNA methylation levels at 5-HTTLPR related to the decreased white matter integrity in the SLF region in PD. Decreased white matter connectivity in the SLF might be related to trait anxiety and is vital to the pathophysiology of PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyun-Ju Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Minji Bang
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Chun Il Park
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Hyuk Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, CHA Bundang Medical Center, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
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Caldiroli A, Capuzzi E, Affaticati LM, Surace T, Di Forti CL, Dakanalis A, Clerici M, Buoli M. Candidate Biological Markers for Social Anxiety Disorder: A Systematic Review. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:835. [PMID: 36614278 PMCID: PMC9821596 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2022] [Revised: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a common psychiatric condition associated with a high risk of psychiatric comorbidity and impaired social/occupational functioning when not promptly treated. The identification of biological markers may facilitate the diagnostic process, leading to an early and proper treatment. Our aim was to systematically review the available literature about potential biomarkers for SAD. A search in the main online repositories (PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, PsychInfo, etc.) was performed. Of the 662 records screened, 61 were included. Results concerning cortisol, neuropeptides and inflammatory/immunological/neurotrophic markers remain inconsistent. Preliminary evidence emerged about the role of chromosome 16 and the endomannosidase gene, as well as of epigenetic factors, in increasing vulnerability to SAD. Neuroimaging findings revealed an altered connectivity of different cerebral areas in SAD patients and amygdala activation under social threat. Some parameters such as salivary alpha amylase levels, changes in antioxidant defenses, increased gaze avoidance and QT dispersion seem to be associated with SAD and may represent promising biomarkers of this condition. However, the preliminary positive correlations have been poorly replicated. Further studies on larger samples and investigating the same biomarkers are needed to identify more specific biological markers for SAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Caldiroli
- Department of Mental Health and Addiction, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Via G.B. Pergolesi 33, 20900 Monza, Italy; (E.C.); (T.S.); (M.C.)
| | - Enrico Capuzzi
- Department of Mental Health and Addiction, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Via G.B. Pergolesi 33, 20900 Monza, Italy; (E.C.); (T.S.); (M.C.)
| | - Letizia M. Affaticati
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano Bicocca, Via Cadore 38, 20900 Monza, Italy; (L.M.A.); (C.L.D.F.); (A.D.)
| | - Teresa Surace
- Department of Mental Health and Addiction, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Via G.B. Pergolesi 33, 20900 Monza, Italy; (E.C.); (T.S.); (M.C.)
| | - Carla L. Di Forti
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano Bicocca, Via Cadore 38, 20900 Monza, Italy; (L.M.A.); (C.L.D.F.); (A.D.)
| | - Antonios Dakanalis
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano Bicocca, Via Cadore 38, 20900 Monza, Italy; (L.M.A.); (C.L.D.F.); (A.D.)
| | - Massimo Clerici
- Department of Mental Health and Addiction, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Via G.B. Pergolesi 33, 20900 Monza, Italy; (E.C.); (T.S.); (M.C.)
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano Bicocca, Via Cadore 38, 20900 Monza, Italy; (L.M.A.); (C.L.D.F.); (A.D.)
| | - Massimiliano Buoli
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Via Festa del Perdono 7, 20122 Milan, Italy;
- Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Via F. Sforza 35, 20122 Milan, Italy
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Wu T, Liu R, Zhang L, Rifky M, Sui W, Zhu Q, Zhang J, Yin J, Zhang M. Dietary intervention in depression - a review. Food Funct 2022; 13:12475-12486. [PMID: 36408608 DOI: 10.1039/d2fo02795j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Depression is a mental illness that affects the normal lives of over 300 million people. Unfortunately, about 30% to 40% of patients do not adequately respond to pharmacotherapy and other therapies. This review focuses on exploring the relationship between dietary nutrition and depression, aiming to find safer and efficient ingredients to alleviate depression. Diet can affect depression in numerous ways. These pathways include the regulation of tryptophan metabolism, inflammation, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, microbe-gut-brain axis, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and epigenetics. Furthermore, probiotics, micronutrients, and other active substances exhibit significant antidepressant effects by regulating the above pathways. These provide insights for developing antidepressant foods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Food Biotechnology Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China.
| | - Ran Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Food Biotechnology Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China.
| | - Ling Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Food Biotechnology Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China.
| | - Mohamed Rifky
- Eastern University of Sri Lanka, Chenkalady 999011, Sri Lanka
| | - Wenjie Sui
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Food Biotechnology Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China.
| | - Qiaomei Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Food Biotechnology Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China.
| | - Jiaojiao Zhang
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona 60100, Italy
| | - Jinjin Yin
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Food Biotechnology Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China.
| | - Min Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Food Biotechnology Engineering Research Center of Ministry of Education, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China. .,Tianjin Agricultural University, and China-Russia Agricultural Processing Joint Laboratory, Tianjin Agricultural University, Tianjin 300392, China.
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Schrott R, Song A, Ladd-Acosta C. Epigenetics as a Biomarker for Early-Life Environmental Exposure. Curr Environ Health Rep 2022; 9:604-624. [PMID: 35907133 DOI: 10.1007/s40572-022-00373-5] [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] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW There is interest in evaluating the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) which emphasizes the role of prenatal and early-life environments on non-communicable health outcomes throughout the life course. The ability to rigorously assess and identify early-life risk factors for later health outcomes, including those with childhood onset, in large population samples is often limited due to measurement challenges such as impractical costs associated with prospective studies with a long follow-up duration, short half-lives for some environmental toxicants, and lack of biomarkers that capture inter-individual differences in biologic response to external environments. RECENT FINDINGS Epigenomic patterns, and DNA methylation in particular, have emerged as a potential objective biomarker to address some of these study design and exposure measurement challenges. In this article, we summarize the literature to date on epigenetic changes associated with specific prenatal and early-life exposure domains as well as exposure mixtures in human observational studies and their biomarker potential. Additionally, we highlight evidence for other types of epigenetic patterns to serve as exposure biomarkers. Evidence strongly supports epigenomic biomarkers of exposure that are detectable across the lifespan and across a range of exposure domains. Current and future areas of research in this field seek to expand these lines of evidence to other environmental exposures, to determine their specificity, and to develop predictive algorithms and methylation scores that can be used to evaluate early-life risk factors for health outcomes across the life span.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Schrott
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ashley Song
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Christine Ladd-Acosta
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
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Guo L, Ni Z, Wei G, Cheng W, Huang X, Yue W. Epigenome-wide DNA methylation analysis of whole blood cells derived from patients with GAD and OCD in the Chinese Han population. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:465. [PMID: 36344488 PMCID: PMC9640561 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02236-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) had high comorbidity and affected more than 44 million people around the world leading to a huge burden on health and economy. Here, we conducted an epigenome-wide DNA methylation study employing 93 patients with GAD, 65 patients with OCD, and 302 health controls, to explore epigenetic alterations associated with the onset and differences of GAD and OCD. We identified multiple differentially methylated positions (DMPs) and regions (DMRs): three DMP genes included RIOK3 (cg21515243, p = 8.00 × 10-10), DNASE2 (cg09379601, p = 1.10 × 10-9), and PSMB4 (cg01334186, p = 3.70 × 10-7) and two DMR genes USP6NL (p = 4.50 × 10-4) and CPLX1 (p = 6.95 × 10-4) were associated with the onset of GAD and OCD; three DMPs genes included LDLRAP1 (cg21400344, p = 4.40 × 10-12), ACIN1 (cg23712970, p = 2.98×10-11), and SCRT1 (cg25472897, p = 5.60 × 10-11) and three DMR genes WDR19 (p = 3.39 × 10-3), SYCP1 (p = 6.41 × 10-3), and FAM172A (p = 5.74 × 10-3) were associated with the differences between GAD and OCD. Investigation of epigenetic age and chronological age revealed a different epigenetic development trajectory of GAD and OCD. Conclusively, our findings which yielded robust models may aid in distinguishing patients from healthy controls (AUC = 0.90-0.99) or classifying patients with GAD and OCD (AUC = 0.89-0.99), and may power the precision medicine for them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangkun Guo
- grid.459847.30000 0004 1798 0615Institute of Mental Health, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, 100191 China ,grid.459847.30000 0004 1798 0615National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing, 100191 China ,grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health, & Research Unit of Diagnosis and Treatment of Mood Cognitive Disorder, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100191 China
| | - Zhaojun Ni
- grid.459847.30000 0004 1798 0615Institute of Mental Health, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, 100191 China ,grid.459847.30000 0004 1798 0615National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing, 100191 China ,grid.506261.60000 0001 0706 7839NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health, & Research Unit of Diagnosis and Treatment of Mood Cognitive Disorder, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100191 China
| | - Guiming Wei
- Department of Neurology, Shandong Daizhuang Hospital, 272051 Jining, Shandong China
| | - Weiqiu Cheng
- grid.5510.10000 0004 1936 8921NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Xuebing Huang
- Institute of Mental Health, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, 100191, China. .,National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing, 100191, China. .,NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health, & Research Unit of Diagnosis and Treatment of Mood Cognitive Disorder, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100191, China.
| | - Weihua Yue
- Institute of Mental Health, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, 100191, China. .,National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing, 100191, China. .,NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health, & Research Unit of Diagnosis and Treatment of Mood Cognitive Disorder, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100191, China. .,PKU-IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China. .,Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, 102206, China.
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9
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León I, Herrero Roldán S, Rodrigo MJ, López Rodríguez M, Fisher J, Mitchell C, Lage-Castellanos A. The shared mother-child epigenetic signature of neglect is related to maternal adverse events. Front Physiol 2022; 13:966740. [PMID: 36091392 PMCID: PMC9448913 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.966740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of DNA methylation have revealed the biological mechanisms by which life adversity confers risk for later physical and mental health problems. What remains unknown is the “biologically embedding” of maternal adverse experiences resulting in maladaptive parenting and whether these epigenetic effects are transmitted to the next generation. This study focuses on neglectful mothering indexed by a severe disregard for the basic and psychological needs of the child. Using the Illumina Human Methylation EPIC BeadChip in saliva samples, we identified genes with differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in those mothers with (n = 51), versus those without (n = 87), neglectful behavior that present similar DMRs patterns in their children being neglected versus non-neglected (n = 40 vs. 75). Mothers reported the emotional intensity of adverse life events. After covariate adjustment and multiple testing corrections, we identified 69 DMRs in the mother epigenome and 42 DMRs in the child epigenome that were simultaneously above the α = 0.01 threshold. The common set of nine DMRs contained genes related to childhood adversity, neonatal and infant diabetes, child neurobehavioral development and other health problems such as obesity, hypertension, cancer, posttraumatic stress, and the Alzheimer’s disease; four of the genes were associated with maternal life adversity. Identifying a shared epigenetic signature of neglect linked to maternal life adversity is an essential step in breaking the intergenerational transmission of one of the most common forms of childhood maltreatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inmaculada León
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Spain
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Spain
| | - Silvia Herrero Roldán
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Spain
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Spain
- *Correspondence: Silvia Herrero Roldán,
| | - María José Rodrigo
- Instituto Universitario de Neurociencia, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Spain
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de La Laguna, San Cristóbal de la Laguna, Spain
| | - Maykel López Rodríguez
- Department of Pathology and Experimental Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Jonah Fisher
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Abor, MI, United States
| | - Colter Mitchell
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Abor, MI, United States
| | - Agustín Lage-Castellanos
- Department of NeuroInformatics, Cuban Center for Neuroscience, Havana, Cuba
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
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10
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Schiele MA, Lipovsek J, Schlosser P, Soutschek M, Schratt G, Zaudig M, Berberich G, Köttgen A, Domschke K. Epigenome-wide DNA methylation in obsessive-compulsive disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:221. [PMID: 35650177 PMCID: PMC9160220 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-01996-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In adult patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), altered DNA methylation has been discerned in several candidate genes, while DNA methylation on an epigenome-wide level has been investigated in only one Chinese study so far. Here, an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) was performed in a sample of 76 OCD patients of European ancestry (37 women, age ± SD: 33.51 ± 10.92 years) and 76 sex- and age-matched healthy controls for the first time using the Illumina MethylationEPIC BeadChip. After quality control, nine epigenome-wide significant quantitative trait methylation sites (QTMs) and 21 suggestive hits were discerned in the final sample of 68 patients and 68 controls. The top hit (cg24159721) and four other significant QTMs (cg11894324, cg01070250, cg11330075, cg15174812) map to the region of the microRNA 12136 gene (MIR12136). Two additional significant CpG sites (cg05740793, cg20450977) are located in the flanking region of the MT-RNR2 (humanin) like 8 gene (MT-RNRL8), while two further QTMs (cg16267121, cg15890734) map to the regions of the MT-RNR2 (humanin) like 3 (MT-RNRL3) and MT-RNR2 (humanin) like 2 (MT-RNRL2) genes. Provided replication of the present findings in larger samples, the identified QTMs might provide more biological insight into the pathogenesis of OCD and thereby could in the future serve as peripheral epigenetic markers of OCD risk with the potential to inform targeted preventive and therapeutic efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam A. Schiele
- grid.5963.9Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 5, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jan Lipovsek
- grid.5963.9Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 5, 79104 Freiburg, Germany ,grid.7708.80000 0000 9428 7911Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Straße 49, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Pascal Schlosser
- grid.7708.80000 0000 9428 7911Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Straße 49, 79106 Freiburg, Germany ,grid.21107.350000 0001 2171 9311Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD USA
| | - Michael Soutschek
- grid.5801.c0000 0001 2156 2780ETH Zurich–D-HEST, Institute for Neuroscience, Systems Neuroscience, Building Y17 L48, Winterthurerstraße 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Gerhard Schratt
- grid.5801.c0000 0001 2156 2780ETH Zurich–D-HEST, Institute for Neuroscience, Systems Neuroscience, Building Y17 L48, Winterthurerstraße 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Zaudig
- Psychosomatic Hospital Windach, Schützenstraße 100, 86949 Windach, Germany
| | - Götz Berberich
- Psychosomatic Hospital Windach, Schützenstraße 100, 86949 Windach, Germany
| | - Anna Köttgen
- grid.7708.80000 0000 9428 7911Institute of Genetic Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine and Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Hugstetter Straße 49, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Domschke
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Hauptstraße 5, 79104, Freiburg, Germany. .,Center for Basics in NeuroModulation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Breisacher Straße 64, 79106, Freiburg, Germany.
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11
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Sun S, Sheridan M, Tyrka A, Donofry SD, Erickson K, Loucks E. Addressing the biological embedding of early life adversities (ELA) among adults through mindfulness: Proposed mechanisms and review of converging evidence. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 134:104526. [PMID: 34998833 PMCID: PMC8844271 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Early life adversities (ELA) are prevalent and have a profound and adverse impact across the lifespan, including on age-related health outcomes, yet interventions to remediate its adverse impact are scarce. This paper presents evidence for mindfulness training to reduce the elevated mental and physical health risks linked to ELA among adults by targeting biological mechanisms of ELA leading to these adverse health outcomes. We first provide a brief overview of ELA, its adverse health impacts, and mechanisms that might be responsible. Next, we review converging evidence that demonstrates that mindfulness training influences key biological pathways involved in ELA-linked negative health consequences, including (a) brain networks involved in self-regulation, (b) immunity and inflammation, (c) telomere biology, and (d) epigenetic modifications. Further, we review preliminary evidence from mindfulness-based trials that focused on populations impacted by ELA. We discuss limitations of this review and provide recommendations for future research. If effective, a mindfulness-based approach could be an important public health strategy for remediating the adverse mental and physical health consequences of ELA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shufang Sun
- Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, United States; Mindfulness Center at Brown University, United States.
| | - Margaret Sheridan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Audrey Tyrka
- Initiative on Stress, Trauma, and Resilience, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University Alpert Medical School
| | | | - Kirk Erickson
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA,Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA,Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Eric Loucks
- Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health,Mindfulness Center at Brown University
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12
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Wiegand A, Munk MHJ, Drohm S, Fallgatter AJ, MacIsaac JL, Kobor MS, Nieratschker V, Kreifelts B. Neural correlates of attentional control in social anxiety disorder: the impact of early-life adversity and DNA methylation. J Psychiatry Neurosci 2021; 46:E663-E674. [PMID: 34916236 PMCID: PMC8687622 DOI: 10.1503/jpn.210064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social anxiety disorder is characterized by intense fear and avoidance of social interactions and scrutiny by others. Although alterations in attentional control seem to play a central role in the psychopathology of social anxiety disorder, the neural underpinnings in prefrontal brain regions have not yet been fully clarified. METHODS The present study used functional MRI in participants (age 18-50 yr) with social anxiety disorder (n = 42, 31 female) and without (n = 58, 33 female). It investigated the interrelation of the effects of social anxiety disorder and early-life adversity (a main environmental risk factor of social anxiety disorder) on brain activity during an attentional control task. We applied DNA methylation analysis to determine whether epigenetic modulation in the gene encoding the glucocorticoid receptor, NR3C1, might play a mediating role in this process. RESULTS We identified 2 brain regions in the left and medial prefrontal cortex that exhibited an interaction effect of social anxiety disorder and early-life adversity. In participants with low levels of early-life adversity, neural activity in response to disorder-related stimuli was increased in association with social anxiety disorder. In participants with high levels of early-life adversity, neural activity was increased only in participants without social anxiety disorder. NR3C1 DNA methylation partly mediated the effect of social anxiety disorder on brain activity as a function of early-life adversity. LIMITATIONS The absence of behavioural correlates associated with social anxiety disorder limited functional interpretation of the results. CONCLUSION These findings demonstrate that the neurobiological processes that underlie social anxiety disorder might be fundamentally different depending on experiences of early-life adversity. Long-lasting effects of early-life adversity might be encoded in NR3C1 DNA methylation and entail alterations in social anxiety disorder-related activity patterns in the neural network of attentional control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariane Wiegand
- From the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Tübingen Center for Mental Health, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany (Wiegand, Munk, Drohm, Fallgatter, Nieratschker, Kreifelts); the International Max Planck Research School for Cognitive and Systems Neuroscience, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany (Wiegand); the Department of Biology, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany (Munk); the Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia-BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC (MacIsaac, Kobor); and the Werner Reichardt Centre for Integrative Neuroscience, Tübingen, Germany (Nieratschker)
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13
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Bozack AK, Rifas-Shiman SL, Coull BA, Baccarelli AA, Wright RO, Amarasiriwardena C, Gold DR, Oken E, Hivert MF, Cardenas A. Prenatal metal exposure, cord blood DNA methylation and persistence in childhood: an epigenome-wide association study of 12 metals. Clin Epigenetics 2021; 13:208. [PMID: 34798907 PMCID: PMC8605513 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-021-01198-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Prenatal exposure to essential and non-essential metals impacts birth and child health, including fetal growth and neurodevelopment. DNA methylation (DNAm) may be involved in pathways linking prenatal metal exposure and health. In the Project Viva cohort, we analyzed the extent to which metals (As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cs, Cu, Hg, Mg, Mn, Pb, Se, and Zn) measured in maternal erythrocytes were associated with differentially methylated positions (DMPs) and regions (DMRs) in cord blood and tested if associations persisted in blood collected in mid-childhood. We measured metal concentrations in first-trimester maternal erythrocytes, and DNAm in cord blood (N = 361) and mid-childhood blood (N = 333, 6–10 years) with the Illumina HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. For each metal individually, we tested for DMPs using linear models (considered significant at FDR < 0.05), and for DMRs using comb-p (Sidak p < 0.05). Covariates included biologically relevant variables and estimated cell-type composition. We also performed sex-stratified analyses. Results Pb was associated with decreased methylation of cg20608990 (CASP8) (FDR = 0.04), and Mn was associated with increased methylation of cg02042823 (A2BP1) in cord blood (FDR = 9.73 × 10–6). Both associations remained significant but attenuated in blood DNAm collected at mid-childhood (p < 0.01). Two and nine Mn-associated DMPs were identified in male and female infants, respectively (FDR < 0.05), with two and six persisting in mid-childhood (p < 0.05). All metals except Ba and Pb were associated with ≥ 1 DMR among all infants (Sidak p < 0.05). Overlapping DMRs annotated to genes in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region were identified for Cr, Cs, Cu, Hg, Mg, and Mn. Conclusions Prenatal metal exposure is associated with DNAm, including DMRs annotated to genes involved in neurodevelopment. Future research is needed to determine if DNAm partially explains the relationship between prenatal metal exposures and health outcomes. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13148-021-01198-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne K Bozack
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, 2121 Berkeley Way, Room 5302, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Sheryl L Rifas-Shiman
- Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brent A Coull
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrea A Baccarelli
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Robert O Wright
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health and Institute for Exposomic Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, New York City, USA
| | - Chitra Amarasiriwardena
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health and Institute for Exposomic Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, NY, New York City, USA
| | - Diane R Gold
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Emily Oken
- Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marie-France Hivert
- Division of Chronic Disease Research Across the Lifecourse, Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA.,Diabetes Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andres Cardenas
- Division of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, 2121 Berkeley Way, Room 5302, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA. .,Center for Computational Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
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14
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Thumfart KM, Jawaid A, Bright K, Flachsmann M, Mansuy IM. Epigenetics of childhood trauma: Long term sequelae and potential for treatment. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 132:1049-1066. [PMID: 34742726 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.10.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Revised: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Childhood trauma (CT) can have persistent effects on the brain and is one of the major risk factors for neuropsychiatric diseases in adulthood. Recent advances in the field of epigenetics suggest that epigenetic factors such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, as well as regulatory processes involving non-coding RNA are associated with the long-term sequelae of CT. This narrative review summarizes current knowledge on the epigenetic basis of CT and describes studies in animal models and human subjects examining how the epigenome and transcriptome are modified by CT in the brain. It discusses psychological and pharmacological interventions that can counteract epigenetic changes induced by CT and the need to establish longitudinal assessment after CT for developing more effective diagnostics and treatment strategies based on epigenetic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina M Thumfart
- Laboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Research Institute, University of Zürich and Institute for Neuroscience of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Ali Jawaid
- Laboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Research Institute, University of Zürich and Institute for Neuroscience of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland; Laboratory for Translational Research in Neuropsychiatric Disorders (TREND), BRAINCITY: Center of Excellence for Neural Plasticity and Brain Disorders, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Ludwika Pasteura 3, Warsaw, 02-093, Poland
| | - Kristina Bright
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marc Flachsmann
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Isabelle M Mansuy
- Laboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Research Institute, University of Zürich and Institute for Neuroscience of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057, Zürich, Switzerland.
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15
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Su X, Li W, Lv L, Li X, Yang J, Luo XJ, Liu J. Transcriptome-Wide Association Study Provides Insights Into the Genetic Component of Gene Expression in Anxiety. Front Genet 2021; 12:740134. [PMID: 34650599 PMCID: PMC8505959 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.740134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Anxiety disorders are common mental disorders that often result in disability. Recently, large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified several novel risk variants and loci for anxiety disorders (or anxiety traits). Nevertheless, how the reported risk variants confer risk of anxiety remains unknown. To identify genes whose cis-regulated expression levels are associated with risk of anxiety traits, we conducted a transcriptome-wide association study (TWAS) by integrating genome-wide associations from a large-scale GWAS (N = 175,163) (which evaluated anxiety traits based on Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2-item scale (GAD-2) score) and brain expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) data (from the PsychENCODE and GTEx). We identified 19 and 17 transcriptome-wide significant (TWS) genes in the PsychENCODE and GTEx, respectively. Intriguingly, 10 genes showed significant associations with anxiety in both datasets, strongly suggesting that genetic risk variants may confer risk of anxiety traits by regulating the expression of these genes. Top TWS genes included RNF123, KANSL1-AS1, GLYCTK, CRHR1, DND1P1, MAPT and ARHGAP27. Of note, 25 TWS genes were not implicated in the original GWAS. Our TWAS identified 26 risk genes whose cis-regulated expression were significantly associated with anxiety, providing important insights into the genetic component of gene expression in anxiety disorders/traits and new clues for future drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Su
- Henan Mental Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Lab of Biological Psychiatry, International Joint Research Laboratory for Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Henan, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Wenqiang Li
- Henan Mental Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Lab of Biological Psychiatry, International Joint Research Laboratory for Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Henan, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Luxian Lv
- Henan Mental Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China.,Henan Key Lab of Biological Psychiatry, International Joint Research Laboratory for Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Henan, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Xiaoyan Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Jinfeng Yang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.,Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Xiong-Jian Luo
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.,Kunming College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.,Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China.,KIZ-CUHK Joint Laboratory of Bioresources and Molecular Research in Common Diseases, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
| | - Jiewei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Animal Models and Human Disease Mechanisms of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Yunnan Province, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China
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