The effect of nicotine dependence on the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder: Results from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC)

Identification of Critical Signature in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Using Bioinformatics Analysis and in Vitro Analyses

BACKGROUND

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex psychiatric condition that emerges following exposure to trauma and significantly affects daily functioning. Current research is focused on identifying effective treatments for PTSD. Advances in bioinformatics provide opportunities to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of PTSD.

METHODS

RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) datasets were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using GEO2R. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was employed to examine gene correlation patterns. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed for functional annotation and enrichment analysis, respectively. The MCODE plugin in Cytoscape software was utilized to analyze the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Anxiety and depression in a mice stress model were assessed using the open-field test (OFT), elevated plus maze test (EPMT), and forced swimming test (FST). Real-time quantitative PCR (qRT-PCR) was conducted to validate key genes in stress-exposed models.

RESULTS

A total of 157 common upregulated DEGs and 53 common downregulated DEGs were identified in the amygdala (AMY) and the hippocampus (HIP). Notably enriched pathways included neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway, nicotine addiction, and dopaminergic synapse. The PPI network identified four hub genes, with key pathways associated with nicotine addiction and dopaminergic synapse. qRT-PCR validation confirmed that the expression trends of these four genes were consistent with microarray data. Behavioral tests (OFT, EMPT, and FST) revealed significant changes.

CONCLUSION

This study utilized bioinformatics and in vitro experiments to identify genes and pathways potentially crucial for PTSD development. Key genes were validated in a mouse model, providing insights into potential target genes for PTSD treatment.

Unhealthy behaviors associated with mental health disorders: a systematic comparative review of diet quality, sedentary behavior, and cannabis and tobacco use

Background

There are well-established literatures documenting the associations between mental disorders and unhealthy behaviors such as poor diet quality, sedentary behavior, and cannabis and tobacco use. Few studies have attempted to understand the respective findings in light of each other, however.

Objective

The purpose of this review was to assemble comparable data for each behavior-disorder association and assess the associations in terms of their overall strength. The review aimed to include a representative, but not exhaustive, range of studies that would allow for explorative comparisons.

Methods

Eligible studies were identified via Pubmed searches and citation searching, restricted to publications no older than 2015 written in English. To obtain comparable data, only studies that reported findings as odds ratios were included, and risk of bias related to study samples, behavioral measurement disparities, and control variables was assessed via sensitivity analyses. Findings for each disorder were compared on the basis of different measures of central tendency.

Results

From 3,682 records, 294 studies were included. The review found evidence of associations between each of the four unhealthy behaviors and psychosis, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while personality disorder was only investigated in relation to cannabis and tobacco use. In overall comparison, the associations were generally of similar strength, and only the association between cannabis use and personality disorder was exceptional in terms of being significantly stronger than its counterparts across disorders and across behaviors. Analyses of bias risk identified some influence from behavioral measurement disparities and lack of adequate statistical control, but findings were generally robust across a range of sensitivity analyses.

Conclusion

This explorative and comparative review found that poor diet quality, sedentary behavior, and cannabis and tobacco use are about equally strongly associated with a range of different mental disorders. Given the general nature of these associations, we should probably understand them to reflect a general and shared etiology. However, the findings in this review should be regarded as tentative until confirmed by more comprehensive investigations.