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Joel D, Smith CJ, Veenema AH. Beyond the binary: Characterizing the relationships between sex and neuropeptide receptor binding density measures in the rat brain. Horm Behav 2024; 159:105471. [PMID: 38128247 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105471] [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: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Sex differences exist in numerous parameters of the brain. Yet, sex-related factors are part of a large set of variables that interact to affect many aspects of brain structure and function. This raises questions regarding how to interpret findings of sex differences at the level of single brain measures and the brain as a whole. In the present study, we reanalyzed two datasets consisting of measures of oxytocin, vasopressin V1a, and mu opioid receptor binding densities in multiple brain regions in rats. At the level of single brain measures, we found that sex differences were rarely dimorphic and were largely persistent across estrous stage and parental status but not across age or context. At the level of aggregates of brain measures showing sex differences, we tested whether individual brains are 'mosaics' of female-typical and male-typical measures or are internally consistent, having either only female-typical or only male-typical measures. We found mosaicism for measures showing overlap between females and males. Mosaicism was higher a) with a larger number of measures, b) with smaller effect sizes of the sex difference in these measures, and c) in rats with more diverse life experiences. Together, these results highlight the limitations of the binary framework for interpreting sex effects on the brain and suggest two complementary pathways to studying the contribution of sex to brain function: (1) focusing on measures showing dimorphic and persistent sex differences and (2) exploring the relations between specific brain mosaics and specific endpoints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daphna Joel
- School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
| | - Caroline J Smith
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA.
| | - Alexa H Veenema
- Neurobiology of Social Behavior Laboratory, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA.
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2
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Boisvert C, Talarico R, Gandhi J, Kaluzienski M, Dingwall-Harvey AL, White RR, Sampsel K, Wen SW, Walker M, Muldoon KA, El-Chaâr D. Screening for postpartum depression and risk of suicidality with obstetrical patients: a cross-sectional survey. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2023; 23:635. [PMID: 37667173 PMCID: PMC10478309 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-023-05903-z] [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: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pregnancy is a vulnerable time where the physical and social stress of the COVID-19 pandemic affects psychological health, including postpartum depression (PPD). This study is designed to estimate the prevalence and correlates of PPD and risk of suicidality among individuals who gave birth during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS We surveyed individuals who gave birth at The Ottawa Hospital and were ≥ 20 days postpartum, between March 17 and June 16, 2020. A PPD screen consisted of a score ≥ 13 using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. A score of 1, 2, or 3 on item 10 ("The thought of harming myself has occurred to me") indicates risk of suicidality. If a participant scores greater than ≥ 13 or ≥ 1 on item 10 they were flagged for PPD, the Principal Investigator (DEC) was notified within 24 h of survey completion for a chart review and to assure follow-up. Modified Poisson multivariable regression models were used to identify factors associated with PPD and risk of suicidality using adjusted risk ratios (aRR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). RESULTS Of the 216 respondents, 64 (30%) screened positive for PPD and 17 (8%) screened positive for risk of suicidality. The maternal median age of the total sample was 33 years (IQR: 30-36) and the infant median age at the time of the survey was 76 days (IQR: 66-90). Most participants reported some form of positive coping strategies during the pandemic (97%) (e.g. connecting with friends and family, exercising, getting professional help) and 139 (64%) reported negative coping patterns (e.g. over/under eating, sleep problems). In total, 47 (22%) had pre-pregnancy anxiety and/or depression. Negative coping (aRR:2.90, 95% CI: 1.56-5.37) and pre-existing anxiety/depression (aRR:2.03, 95% CI:1.32-3.11) were associated with PPD. Pre-existing anxiety/depression (aRR:3.16, 95% CI:1.28-7.81) was associated with risk of suicidality. CONCLUSIONS Almost a third of participants in this study screened positive for PPD and 8% for risk of suicidality. Mental health screening and techniques to foster positive coping skills/strategies are important areas to optimize postpartum mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlie Boisvert
- Faculty of Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Robert Talarico
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Jasmine Gandhi
- Faculty of Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Mark Kaluzienski
- Faculty of Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | | | - Ruth Rennicks White
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Kari Sampsel
- Faculty of Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Shi Wu Wen
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Mark Walker
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- International and Global Health Office, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Newborn Care, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Katherine A Muldoon
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada
| | - Darine El-Chaâr
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada.
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Newborn Care, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Canada.
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Vigod SN, Urbach N, Calzavara A, Dennis CL, Gruneir A, Thombs BD, Walker M, Brown HK. Clinical index to quantify the 1-year risk for common postpartum mental disorders at the time of delivery (PMH CAREPLAN): development and internal validation. Br J Psychiatry 2023; 223:422-429. [PMID: 37341030 PMCID: PMC10895501 DOI: 10.1192/bjp.2023.74] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Common postpartum mental health (PMH) disorders such as depression and anxiety are preventable, but determining individual-level risk is difficult. AIMS To create and internally validate a clinical risk index for common PMH disorders. METHOD Using population-based health administrative data in Ontario, Canada, comprising sociodemographic, clinical and health service variables easily collectible from hospital birth records, we developed and internally validated a predictive model for common PMH disorders and converted the final model into a risk index. We developed the model in 75% of the cohort (n = 152 362), validating it in the remaining 25% (n = 75 772). RESULTS The 1-year prevalence of common PMH disorders was 6.0%. Independently associated variables (forming the mnemonic PMH CAREPLAN) that made up the risk index were: (P) prenatal care provider; (M) mental health diagnosis history and medications during pregnancy; (H) psychiatric hospital admissions or emergency department visits; (C) conception type and complications; (A) apprehension of newborn by child services (newborn taken into care); (R) region of maternal origin; (E) extremes of gestational age at birth; (P) primary maternal language; (L) lactation intention; (A) maternal age; (N) number of prenatal visits. In the index (scored 0-39), 1-year common PMH disorder risk ranged from 1.5 to 40.5%. Discrimination (C-statistic) was 0.69 in development and validation samples; the 95% confidence interval of expected risk encompassed observed risk for all scores in development and validation samples, indicating adequate risk index calibration. CONCLUSIONS Individual-level risk of developing a common postpartum mental health disorder can be estimated with data feasibly collectable from birth records. Next steps are external validation and evaluation of various cut-off scores for their utility in guiding postpartum individuals to interventions that reduce their risk of illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone N. Vigod
- Department of Psychiatry, Women's College Hospital and Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; ICES, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Institute for Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Natalie Urbach
- Faculty of Medicine, Queens University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | | | - Cindy-Lee Dennis
- Department of Psychiatry, Women's College Hospital and Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Andrea Gruneir
- Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and Department of Family Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Brett D. Thombs
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychology McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; and Biomedical Ethics Unit, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mark Walker
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hilary K. Brown
- Department of Health & Society, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; and ICES, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Zhou SF, Li SJ, Zhao TS, Liu Y, Li CQ, Cui YH, Li F. Female rats prefer to forage food from males, an effect that is not influenced by stress. Behav Brain Res 2023; 452:114597. [PMID: 37487838 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2023.114597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023]
Abstract
As social beings, animals and humans alike make real life decisions that are often influenced by other members. Most current research has focused on the influence of same-sex peers on individual decision-making, with potential opposite sex effect scarcely explored. Here, we developed a behavioral model to observe food foraging decision-making in female rats under various social situations. We found that female rats preferred to forage food from male over female rats or from the no-rat storage side. Female rats were more likely to forage food from familiar males than from unfamiliar. This opposite-sex preference was not altered by the lure of sweet food, or with estrous cycle, nor under stress conditions. These results suggest that the opposite sex influences food foraging decision-making in female rats. The behavioral model established could facilitate future investigation into the underlying neurobiological mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi-Fen Zhou
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Song-Ji Li
- The International-Joint Lab for Non-invasive Neural Modulation/Key Laboratory for the Brain Research of Henan Province, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, Henan Province, China
| | - Tian-Shu Zhao
- Department of Psychiatry, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, and National Center for Mental Disorders, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Yu Liu
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Chang-Qi Li
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
| | - Yan-Hui Cui
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China.
| | - Fang Li
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China.
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Mianji F, Kirmayer LJ. "Women as Troublemakers": The Hard Sociopolitical Context of Soft Bipolar Disorder in Iran. Cult Med Psychiatry 2022; 46:864-888. [PMID: 34410585 DOI: 10.1007/s11013-021-09743-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Gender differences in the prevalence of psychiatric disorders, with higher prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders among women, have been the focus of much debate. In Iran, the adoption of the construct of Bipolar Spectrum Disorder (BSD) and of the concept of "soft bipolarity" has been associated with a large gender difference in rates of diagnosis. This paper discusses the gendered meanings of the diagnosis of BSD in Iran. In this qualitative study, we conducted 25 in-depth semi-structured interviews with prominent psychiatrists and university professors (7 female and 18 male) at six different universities in Iran and 37 in-depth semi-structured interviews with patients (23 female and 14 male, 18-55 years of age) who had received bipolar spectrum disorder diagnosis and treatment, excluding Bipolar I. Findings suggest that the high rate of diagnosis of bipolar spectrum disorder (i.e., subthreshold or soft bipolar disorder) among women in Iran is influenced by gender, sociocultural, political, and economic factors, as well as the diagnostic practices of biomedical psychiatry. The dominant biological psychiatry system in Iran has led many psychiatrists to frame sociopolitically and culturally rooted forms of distress in terms of biomedical categories like soft bipolarity and to limit their interventions to medication. This bioreductionist approach silences the voices of vulnerable groups, including those of women, and marginalizes discussions of problematic institutional and social power. To understand the preference for biomedical explanations, we need to consider not only the economic interests at play in the remaking of human identity in terms of biological being and the globalization of biological psychiatry, but also the resistance to addressing the sociocultural, political, and economic determinants of women's mental suffering in particular contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fahimeh Mianji
- Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
- Culture and Mental Health Research Unit, Institute of Community and Family Psychiatry, 4333 Chemin de la Côte Ste-Catherine, Montreal, QC, H3T 1E4, Canada.
| | - Laurence J Kirmayer
- Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- Culture and Mental Health Research Unit, Institute of Community and Family Psychiatry, 4333 Chemin de la Côte Ste-Catherine, Montreal, QC, H3T 1E4, Canada
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6
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Vigod SN, Ray JG, Cohen E, Wilton AS, Saunders NR, Barker LC, Berard A, Dennis CL, Holloway AC, Morrison K, Oberlander TF, Hanley G, Tu K, Brown HK. Maternal Schizophrenia and the Risk of a Childhood Chronic Condition. Schizophr Bull 2022; 48:1252-1262. [PMID: 35900007 PMCID: PMC9673258 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbac091] [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] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS Maternal schizophrenia heightens the risk for certain perinatal complications, yet it is not known to what degree future childhood chronic health conditions (Childhood-CC) might arise. STUDY DESIGN This population-based cohort study using health administrative data from Ontario, Canada (1995-2018) compared 5066 children of mothers with schizophrenia to 25 324 children of mothers without schizophrenia, propensity-matched on birth-year, maternal age, parity, immigrant status, income, region of residence, and maternal medical and psychiatric conditions other than schizophrenia. Cox proportional hazard models generated hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for incident Childhood-CCs, and all-cause mortality, up to age 19 years. STUDY RESULTS Six hundred and fifty-six children exposed to maternal schizophrenia developed a Childhood-CC (20.5/1000 person-years) vs. 2872 unexposed children (17.1/1000 person-years)-an HR of 1.18, 95% CI 1.08-1.28. Corresponding rates were 3.3 vs. 1.9/1000 person-years (1.77, 1.44-2.18) for mental health Childhood-CC, and 18.0 vs. 15.7/1000 person-years (1.13, 1.04-1.24) for non-mental health Childhood-CC. All-cause mortality rates were 1.2 vs. 0.8/1000 person-years (1.34, 0.96-1.89). Risk for children exposed to maternal schizophrenia was similar whether or not children were discharged to social service care. From age 1 year, risk was greater for children whose mothers were diagnosed with schizophrenia prior to pregnancy than for children whose mothers were diagnosed with schizophrenia postnatally. CONCLUSIONS A child exposed to maternal schizophrenia is at elevated risk of chronic health conditions including mental and physical subtypes. Future research should examine what explains the increased risk particularly for physical health conditions, and what preventive and treatment efforts are needed for these children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone N Vigod
- To whom correspondence should be addressed; Department of Psychiatry, Women’s College Hospital, 76 Grenville Street, Toronto, ON, Canada; tel: 416-323-6400, ext. 4080, e-mail:
| | - Joel G Ray
- Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Toronto, ON, Canada,ICES, Toronto, ON, Canada,St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada,Department of Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Eyal Cohen
- Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Toronto, ON, Canada,ICES, Toronto, ON, Canada,Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada,Department of Pediatrics, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - Natasha R Saunders
- Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Toronto, ON, Canada,ICES, Toronto, ON, Canada,Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Children, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada,Department of Pediatrics, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Lucy C Barker
- Women’s College Hospital and Women’s College Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada,Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada,Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Toronto, ON, Canada,ICES, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Anick Berard
- Universite de Montreal, Faculty of Pharmacy, Montreal, QC, Canada,CHU Ste-Justine, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Cindy-Lee Dennis
- Women’s College Hospital and Women’s College Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada,Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada,Lawrence S. BloombergFaculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Alison C Holloway
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | | | - Tim F Oberlander
- Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Gillian Hanley
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Karen Tu
- Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Toronto, ON, Canada,Department of Family and Community Medicine, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, North York General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital Family Health Team-UHN, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Hilary K Brown
- Women’s College Hospital and Women’s College Research Institute, Toronto, ON, Canada,Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada,Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Toronto, ON, Canada,ICES, Toronto, ON, Canada,Department of Health and Society, University of Toronto, Scarborough, Toronto, ON, Canada
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7
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Vigod SN, Brown HK, Huang A, Fung K, Barker LC, Hussain-Shamsy N, Wright E, Dennis CL, Grigoriadis S, Gozdyra P, Corsi D, Walker M, Moineddin R. Postpartum mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic: a population-based, repeated cross-sectional study. CMAJ 2021; 193:E835-E843. [PMID: 34099467 PMCID: PMC8203259 DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.210151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND: It is unclear whether the clinical burden of postpartum mental illness has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to compare physician visit rates for postpartum mental illness in Ontario, Canada, during the pandemic with rates expected based on prepandemic patterns. METHODS: In this population-based, repeated cross-sectional study using linked health administrative databases in Ontario, Canada, we used negative binomial regression to model expected visit rates per 1000 postpartum people for March–November 2020 based on prepandemic data (January 2016–February 2020). We compared observed visit rates to expected visit rates for each month of the pandemic period, generating absolute rate differences, incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The primary outcome was a visit to a primary care physician or a psychiatrist for any mental disorder. We stratified analyses by maternal sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS: In March 2020, the visit rate was 43.5/1000, with a rate difference of 3.11/1000 (95% CI 1.25–4.89) and an IRR of 1.08 (95% CI 1.03–1.13) compared with the expected rate. In April, the rate difference (10.9/1000, 95% CI 9.14–12.6) and IRR (1.30, 95% CI 1.24–1.36) were higher; this level was generally sustained through November 2020. From April–November, we observed elevated visit rates across provider types and for diagnoses of anxiety, depressive and alcohol or substance use disorders. Observed increases from expected visit rates were greater for people 0–90 days postpartum compared with 91–365 days postpartum; increases were small among people living in low-income neighbourhoods. Public health units in the northern areas of the province did not see sustained elevations in visit rates after July; southern health units had elevated rates through to November. INTERPRETATION: Increased visits for mental health conditions among postpartum people during the first 9 months of the COVID-19 pandemic suggest an increased need for effective and accessible mental health care for this population as the pandemic progresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone N Vigod
- Women's College Research Institute (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright), Women's College Hospital; Department of Psychiatry (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright, Grigoriadis), Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; ICES Central (Vigod, Brown, Huang, Fung, Barker, Gozdyra, Moineddin); Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Hussain-Shamsy, Moineddin), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Department of Health and Society (Brown), University of Toronto Scarborough; Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (Dennis), University of Toronto; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Grigoriadis), Toronto, Ont.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Corsi, Walker), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Family & Community Medicine (Moineddin), Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.
| | - Hilary K Brown
- Women's College Research Institute (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright), Women's College Hospital; Department of Psychiatry (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright, Grigoriadis), Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; ICES Central (Vigod, Brown, Huang, Fung, Barker, Gozdyra, Moineddin); Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Hussain-Shamsy, Moineddin), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Department of Health and Society (Brown), University of Toronto Scarborough; Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (Dennis), University of Toronto; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Grigoriadis), Toronto, Ont.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Corsi, Walker), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Family & Community Medicine (Moineddin), Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Anjie Huang
- Women's College Research Institute (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright), Women's College Hospital; Department of Psychiatry (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright, Grigoriadis), Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; ICES Central (Vigod, Brown, Huang, Fung, Barker, Gozdyra, Moineddin); Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Hussain-Shamsy, Moineddin), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Department of Health and Society (Brown), University of Toronto Scarborough; Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (Dennis), University of Toronto; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Grigoriadis), Toronto, Ont.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Corsi, Walker), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Family & Community Medicine (Moineddin), Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Kinwah Fung
- Women's College Research Institute (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright), Women's College Hospital; Department of Psychiatry (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright, Grigoriadis), Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; ICES Central (Vigod, Brown, Huang, Fung, Barker, Gozdyra, Moineddin); Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Hussain-Shamsy, Moineddin), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Department of Health and Society (Brown), University of Toronto Scarborough; Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (Dennis), University of Toronto; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Grigoriadis), Toronto, Ont.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Corsi, Walker), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Family & Community Medicine (Moineddin), Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Lucy C Barker
- Women's College Research Institute (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright), Women's College Hospital; Department of Psychiatry (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright, Grigoriadis), Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; ICES Central (Vigod, Brown, Huang, Fung, Barker, Gozdyra, Moineddin); Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Hussain-Shamsy, Moineddin), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Department of Health and Society (Brown), University of Toronto Scarborough; Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (Dennis), University of Toronto; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Grigoriadis), Toronto, Ont.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Corsi, Walker), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Family & Community Medicine (Moineddin), Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Neesha Hussain-Shamsy
- Women's College Research Institute (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright), Women's College Hospital; Department of Psychiatry (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright, Grigoriadis), Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; ICES Central (Vigod, Brown, Huang, Fung, Barker, Gozdyra, Moineddin); Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Hussain-Shamsy, Moineddin), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Department of Health and Society (Brown), University of Toronto Scarborough; Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (Dennis), University of Toronto; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Grigoriadis), Toronto, Ont.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Corsi, Walker), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Family & Community Medicine (Moineddin), Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Elisabeth Wright
- Women's College Research Institute (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright), Women's College Hospital; Department of Psychiatry (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright, Grigoriadis), Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; ICES Central (Vigod, Brown, Huang, Fung, Barker, Gozdyra, Moineddin); Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Hussain-Shamsy, Moineddin), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Department of Health and Society (Brown), University of Toronto Scarborough; Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (Dennis), University of Toronto; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Grigoriadis), Toronto, Ont.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Corsi, Walker), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Family & Community Medicine (Moineddin), Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Cindy-Lee Dennis
- Women's College Research Institute (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright), Women's College Hospital; Department of Psychiatry (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright, Grigoriadis), Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; ICES Central (Vigod, Brown, Huang, Fung, Barker, Gozdyra, Moineddin); Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Hussain-Shamsy, Moineddin), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Department of Health and Society (Brown), University of Toronto Scarborough; Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (Dennis), University of Toronto; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Grigoriadis), Toronto, Ont.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Corsi, Walker), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Family & Community Medicine (Moineddin), Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Sophie Grigoriadis
- Women's College Research Institute (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright), Women's College Hospital; Department of Psychiatry (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright, Grigoriadis), Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; ICES Central (Vigod, Brown, Huang, Fung, Barker, Gozdyra, Moineddin); Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Hussain-Shamsy, Moineddin), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Department of Health and Society (Brown), University of Toronto Scarborough; Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (Dennis), University of Toronto; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Grigoriadis), Toronto, Ont.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Corsi, Walker), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Family & Community Medicine (Moineddin), Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Peter Gozdyra
- Women's College Research Institute (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright), Women's College Hospital; Department of Psychiatry (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright, Grigoriadis), Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; ICES Central (Vigod, Brown, Huang, Fung, Barker, Gozdyra, Moineddin); Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Hussain-Shamsy, Moineddin), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Department of Health and Society (Brown), University of Toronto Scarborough; Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (Dennis), University of Toronto; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Grigoriadis), Toronto, Ont.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Corsi, Walker), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Family & Community Medicine (Moineddin), Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Daniel Corsi
- Women's College Research Institute (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright), Women's College Hospital; Department of Psychiatry (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright, Grigoriadis), Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; ICES Central (Vigod, Brown, Huang, Fung, Barker, Gozdyra, Moineddin); Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Hussain-Shamsy, Moineddin), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Department of Health and Society (Brown), University of Toronto Scarborough; Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (Dennis), University of Toronto; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Grigoriadis), Toronto, Ont.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Corsi, Walker), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Family & Community Medicine (Moineddin), Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Mark Walker
- Women's College Research Institute (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright), Women's College Hospital; Department of Psychiatry (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright, Grigoriadis), Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; ICES Central (Vigod, Brown, Huang, Fung, Barker, Gozdyra, Moineddin); Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Hussain-Shamsy, Moineddin), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Department of Health and Society (Brown), University of Toronto Scarborough; Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (Dennis), University of Toronto; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Grigoriadis), Toronto, Ont.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Corsi, Walker), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Family & Community Medicine (Moineddin), Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
| | - Rahim Moineddin
- Women's College Research Institute (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright), Women's College Hospital; Department of Psychiatry (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Wright, Grigoriadis), Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto; ICES Central (Vigod, Brown, Huang, Fung, Barker, Gozdyra, Moineddin); Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Vigod, Brown, Barker, Hussain-Shamsy, Moineddin), Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; Department of Health and Society (Brown), University of Toronto Scarborough; Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing (Dennis), University of Toronto; Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (Grigoriadis), Toronto, Ont.; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Corsi, Walker), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Family & Community Medicine (Moineddin), Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont
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8
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Mizock L, Brubaker M. Themes in the Experience of Gender Among Women With Serious Mental Health Illnesses. REHABILITATION COUNSELING BULLETIN 2020. [DOI: 10.1177/0034355220949684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The focus of this article is on women with mental health illness and themes pertaining to issues of gender in their mental health experiences and in their treatment by peers and family. Grounded theory methodology was utilized in the data analysis of semi-structured interviews with 20 women with mental health illness. Findings revealed several themes related to gender in the experiences of women with mental health illness. These themes include male leverage, gendered emotions, weight worries, caretaker demands, friendship barriers, higher expectations, and double standard of violence. Implications for rehabilitation counseling will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Mizock
- Fielding Graduate University, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
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9
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Kettunen P, Hintikka J. Psychosocial risk factors and treatment of new onset and recurrent depression during the post-partum period. Nord J Psychiatry 2017; 71:355-361. [PMID: 28290763 DOI: 10.1080/08039488.2017.1300324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND When developing maternity care services, it is important to know how psychosocial factors affect the course of post-partum depression (PPD), and how depressed mothers are treated. AIMS The aim of this study is to assess how adverse childhood experiences, poor present support and violence, and low socioeconomic status (SES) associate with PPD, specifically in new onset and recurrent post-partum depression. The second aim is to assess the treatment received for PPD. METHODS This is a cross-sectional study. The study group comprises 104 mothers with a current episode of PPD, and a control group of 104 mothers without an episode. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders was used for data collection. Psychosocial risk factors, treatment issues, and the course of depression were assessed with a structured self-report questionnaire. RESULTS In age-adjusted multivariate analyses, adverse childhood experiences, a low level of present support in close relationships, and a poor SES were associated significantly with PPD. Childhood adversity was associated with both new onset and recurrent depression. Nevertheless, a low level of support and a poor SES were also associated with recurrent depression. A quarter of mothers with a major depressive episode in the post-partum period attended psychiatric services. In mothers with new onset depression, the proportion was only 5%. CONCLUSIONS There is an urgent need to develop the diagnostics of depression in maternity care services. An awareness of psychosocial risk factors might help in this. More depressed mothers should be referred to psychiatric services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pirjo Kettunen
- a Department of General Hospital Psychiatry , North Karelia Central Hospital , Joensuu , Finland
| | - Jukka Hintikka
- b Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences , University of Tampere , Tampere , Finland.,c Department of Psychiatry , Päijät Häme Central Hospital , Lahti , Finland
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10
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Waters RP, Rivalan M, Bangasser DA, Deussing JM, Ising M, Wood SK, Holsboer F, Summers CH. Evidence for the role of corticotropin-releasing factor in major depressive disorder. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 58:63-78. [PMID: 26271720 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2014] [Revised: 06/24/2015] [Accepted: 07/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a devastating disease affecting over 300 million people worldwide, and costing an estimated 380 billion Euros in lost productivity and health care in the European Union alone. Although a wealth of research has been directed toward understanding and treating MDD, still no therapy has proved to be consistently and reliably effective in interrupting the symptoms of this disease. Recent clinical and preclinical studies, using genetic screening and transgenic rodents, respectively, suggest a major role of the CRF1 gene, and the central expression of CRF1 receptor protein in determining an individual's risk of developing MDD. This gene is widely expressed in brain tissue, and regulates an organism's immediate and long-term responses to social and environmental stressors, which are primary contributors to MDD. This review presents the current state of knowledge on CRF physiology, and how it may influence the occurrence of symptoms associated with MDD. Additionally, this review presents findings from multiple laboratories that were presented as part of a symposium on this topic at the annual 2014 meeting of the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society (IBNS). The ideas and data presented in this review demonstrate the great progress that has been made over the past few decades in our understanding of MDD, and provide a pathway forward toward developing novel treatments and detection methods for this disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - J M Deussing
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - M Ising
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - S K Wood
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Columbia, SC, USA
| | - F Holsboer
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany; HMNC GmbH, Munich, Germany
| | - Cliff H Summers
- University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA; Sanford School of Medicine, Vermillion, SD, USA.
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11
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Kosten TA, Nielsen DA. Litter and sex effects on maternal behavior and DNA methylation of the Nr3c1 exon 17 promoter gene in hippocampus and cerebellum. Int J Dev Neurosci 2014; 36:5-12. [PMID: 24721039 PMCID: PMC4101021 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2014.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2014] [Revised: 03/28/2014] [Accepted: 03/28/2014] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Early life events can alter gene expression through DNA methylation. The methylation status of the exon 17 promoter of the glucocorticoid receptor (Nr3c1 gene) in hippocampus associates with frequency of pup licking. Much of this work was conducted with male rats. Because dams more frequently lick male pups, this may contribute to sex differences in phenotypes through DNA methylation. Modifying litter gender composition (LGC), in which offspring of single-sex litters are compared to mixed-sex litters, alters maternal behavior. Previously, we demonstrated that LGC and sex affected pup licking times as well as anxiety and hippocampal DNA methylation of the Nr3c1 exon 17 promoter gene in adolescence. Now, we expand upon this work by examining effects in cerebellum and measuring mRNA levels. We also re-assessed DNA methylation in hippocampus using pyrosequencing and re-analyzed pup licking with the more commonly used frequency measure. Litters, culled to 8 pups on postnatal day 1 (PN1), were assigned to one of three conditions: all male (n = 10), all female (n = 12), or half of each sex (n = 20). Licking was rated on PN4, 7, and 10. On PN35, hippocampal and cerebellar samples were obtained. Single-sex males were licked the least and mixed-sex males, the most. Hippocampal Nr3c1 mRNA levels were lowest in mixed females with no LGC or Sex effects in DNA methylation. Cerebellar DNA methylation levels were lowest in mixed males with no effect on mRNA levels. Maternal pup licking associated with DNA methylation of the Nr3c1 exon 17 promoter gene in cerebellum and with hippocampal mRNA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Therese A Kosten
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine and Michael E DeBakey Veteran's Affairs Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030, United States.
| | - David A Nielsen
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine and Michael E DeBakey Veteran's Affairs Medical Center, Houston, TX 77030, United States
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12
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Sexually dimorphic patterns of neural activity in response to juvenile social subjugation. Behav Brain Res 2013; 256:464-71. [PMID: 24004849 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2013.08.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2013] [Revised: 08/20/2013] [Accepted: 08/24/2013] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
After experiencing juvenile social subjugation (JSS), adult female rats display more severe depression- and anxiety-like behaviors than adult males, suggesting that JSS is encoded in a sex-specific manner. To test this hypothesis, prepubertal rats (P28-33) were subjected to 10 aggressive acts in ≤10 min from an aggressive adult male, a 10 min encounter with a non-aggressive adult male, or to 10 min in an empty, clean cage (handled control) and were sacrificed one hour later. We then used unbiased stereology to estimate the total number and proportion of neurons immunoreactive for the immediate early gene product Fos bilaterally in the basolateral amygdala (BLA), the anterior and posterior subdivisions of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, and the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). Overall, females' Fos responses were less selective than males'. The BLA in males displayed a selective Fos response to the non-aggressive male, whereas no such selectivity occurred in the BLA of females. Additionally, there were more neurons overall in the left BLA than the right and this lateralization was specific to males. The principal subdivision of the BST (BSTpr) in males responded selectively to JSS, whereas the BSTpr in females responded to both the non-aggressive and aggressive males. We also found that the regional volume and neuron number of the BSTpr is greater in males than in females. Finally, the PVN in males was, like the BLA, selective for the non-aggressive male, whereas none of the experiences elicited a selective response in females. The greater selectivity for non-threatening stimuli in males in three stress-responsive brain regions may be a clue as to why males are less susceptible to the anxiogenic effects of JSS.
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13
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Kidd SA, Virdee G, Krupa T, Burnham D, Hemingway D, Margolin I, Patterson M, Zabkiewicz D. The role of gender in housing for individuals with severe mental illness: a qualitative study of the Canadian service context. BMJ Open 2013; 3:e002914. [PMID: 23794544 PMCID: PMC3669714 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2013-002914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2013] [Revised: 04/17/2013] [Accepted: 04/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study was undertaken to examine the role of gender as it relates to access to housing among individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) in Canada. DESIGN An exploratory, qualitative approach was used to assess the perspectives of Canadian housing experts. The focus of inquiry was on the role of gender and associated intersections (eg, ethnicity) in pathways to housing access and housing needs for individuals with SMI. SETTING A purposeful sampling strategy was undertaken to access respondents across all Canadian geographic regions, with diversity across settings (urban and rural) and service sectors (hospital based and community based). PARTICIPANTS -29 individuals (6 men and 23 women) considered to be experts in a housing service context as it pertains to SMI were recruited. On average, participants had worked for 15 years in services that specialised in the support and delivery of housing services to people with SMI. MEASURES Semistructured interviews with participants focused on the role gender plays in access to housing in their specific context. Barriers and facilitators were examined as were intersections with other relevant factors, such as ethnicity, poverty and parenthood. Quantitative ratings of housing accessibility as a function of gender were also collected. RESULTS Participants across geographic contexts described a lack of shelter facilities for women, leading to a reliance on exploitative circumstances. Other findings included a compounding of discrimination for ethnic minority women, the unique resource problems faced in rural contexts, and the difficulties that attend access to shelter and housing for parents with SMI. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that, along with a generally poor availability of housing stock for individuals with SMI, access problems are compounded by a lack of attention to the unique needs and illness trajectories that attend gender.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean A Kidd
- Department of Psychiatry, Toronto Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Gursharan Virdee
- Schizophrenia Division, Toronto Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Terry Krupa
- Department of Rehabilitation Science, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Dawn Hemingway
- Social Work, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Indrani Margolin
- Social Work, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michelle Patterson
- Department of Health Sciences, Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health & Addiction, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Denise Zabkiewicz
- Department of Health Sciences, Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health & Addiction, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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14
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Dennis CL, Vigod S. The Relationship Between Postpartum Depression, Domestic Violence, Childhood Violence, and Substance Use. Violence Against Women 2013; 19:503-17. [DOI: 10.1177/1077801213487057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the contribution of interpersonal violence and substance use to the prediction of postpartum depressive symptomatology. A community-based sample of 634 women in British Columbia, Canada was screened for interpersonal violence and substance use using the Antenatal Psychosocial Health Assessment (ALPHA) form. Of these women, 497 (78%) subsequently completed questionnaires at 8 weeks postpartum to assess for depressive symptomatology using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). A predictive model for postpartum depressive symptomatology (EPDS > 9) was developed using regression analysis. Findings suggest that women who experience past or current interpersonal violence or personal or partner substance use problems should be considered for targeted screening for postpartum depression (PPD).
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Affiliation(s)
- Cindy-Lee Dennis
- Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, Ontario
| | - Simone Vigod
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Women’s College Hospital, Toronto, Ontario
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15
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Bousalham R, Benazzouz B, Hessni AE, Ouichou A, Mesfioui A. Maternal Separation Affects Mothers’ Affective and Reproductive Behaviors as Well as Second Offspring’s Emotionality. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.4236/jbbs.2013.35042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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16
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Verdonk P, Klinge I. Mainstreaming sex and gender analysis in public health genomics. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012; 9:402-10. [PMID: 23164527 DOI: 10.1016/j.genm.2012.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2012] [Revised: 10/15/2012] [Accepted: 10/16/2012] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The integration of genome-based knowledge into public health or public health genomics (PHG) aims to contribute to disease prevention, health promotion, and risk reduction associated with genetic disease susceptibility. Men and women differ, for instance, in susceptibilities for heart disease, obesity, or depression due to biologic (sex) and sociocultural (gender) factors and their interaction. Genome-based knowledge is rapidly increasing, but sex and gender issues are often not explored. OBJECTIVE To explore the implications of a sex and gender analysis for PHG. METHODS We explore genome-based knowledge in relation to sex and gender aspects using depression as an example, gender equality, and the intersection of sex and gender with other social stratifiers such as ethnic background or socioeconomic status. RESULTS We advocate a sex- and gender-sensitive genomics research agenda alongside studies that provide sex-disaggregated data rather than controls based on sex. Such a research agenda is needed to guide research on how genomics is understood and perceived by men and women across groups, and for the equitable and responsible translation of such knowledge into the public health domain. CONCLUSIONS Including sex and gender analysis in PHG research will not only shed more light on phenomena such as diseases with a higher prevalence in either men or women, but will ultimately lead to gendered innovations by way of exploring how gendered and cultural environments increase or safeguard genetic predispositions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Verdonk
- Department of Medical Humanities, VU University Medical Center, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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17
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Jabeen Haleem D. Raphe-Hippocampal Serotonin Neurotransmission In The Sex Related Differences of Adaptation to Stress: Focus on Serotonin-1A Receptor. Curr Neuropharmacol 2012; 9:512-21. [PMID: 22379463 PMCID: PMC3151603 DOI: 10.2174/157015911796558019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2010] [Revised: 05/07/2010] [Accepted: 10/29/2010] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress is the major predisposing and precipitating factor in the onset of depression which is the most significant mental health risk for women. Behavioral studies in animal models show that female sex though less affected by an acute stressor; exposure to repeated stressors induces coping deficits to impair adaptation in them. A decrease in the function of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT; serotonin) in the hippocampus and an increased function of the 5-HT-1A receptor in the raphe nucleus coexist in depression. Pharmacological and neurochemical data are relevant that facilitation of serotonin neurotransmission via hippocampus due to desensitization of somatodendritic 5-HT1A receptors may lead to adaptation to stress. The present article reviews research on sex related differences of raphe-hippocampal serotonin neurotransmission to find a possible answer that may account for the sex differences of adaptation to stress reported in preclinical research and greater incidence of depression in women than men.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darakhshan Jabeen Haleem
- Department of Biochemistry, Neurochemistry and Biochemical Neuropharmacology Research Unit, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
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18
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Athanasopoulos C, Pitychoutis PM, Messari I, Lionis C, Papadopoulou-Daifoti Z. Is drug utilization in Greece sex dependent? A population-based study. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2012; 112:55-62. [PMID: 22759339 DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-7843.2012.00920.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2012] [Accepted: 06/25/2012] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Despite scarce data pertaining to prescription drug sales in Greece, the lack of large-scale epidemiological studies has made it difficult to elaborate on putative differences regarding drug consumption patterns between the two sexes. Herein, we sought to investigate whether sex may have an impact on medication trends of the Greek population. The data reported are part of a survey conducted under the auspices of the National Center for Social Research. Information was collected from 2499 Athenian citizens. Probability of drug use was assessed through Pearson chi-square (χ(2) ) test and logistic regression was implemented to clarify whether sex or other socio-economic and morbidity factors may influence drug utilization. Women consumed more drugs as compared to men. Sex proved to be a differentiating factor influencing the use of analgesic/non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, cardiovascular, anxiolytic and antidepressant drugs, as well as drugs for the treatment of thyroid diseases and osteoporosis. Present results further implicate other socio-economic factors (e.g. education, employment and financial status) in the harnessing of drug use in Greece. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest pharmacoepidemiological study to report that Greek women consume more drugs and present different medication patterns, as compared to men. Further research is considered imperative in order for the awareness of prescribers, policy-makers and the general public on this sensitive matter to be increased.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charalampos Athanasopoulos
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 115027, Greece
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Williams SK, Lauder JM, Johns JM. Prenatal Cocaine Disrupts Serotonin Signaling-Dependent Behaviors: Implications for Sex Differences, Early Stress and Prenatal SSRI Exposure. Curr Neuropharmacol 2011; 9:478-511. [PMID: 22379462 PMCID: PMC3151602 DOI: 10.2174/157015911796557957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2010] [Revised: 12/31/2010] [Accepted: 01/07/2011] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Prenatal cocaine (PC) exposure negatively impacts the developing nervous system, including numerous changes in serotonergic signaling. Cocaine, a competitive antagonist of the serotonin transporter, similar to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), also blocks dopamine and norepinephrine transporters, leaving the direct mechanism through which cocaine disrupts the developing serotonin system unclear. In order to understand the role of the serotonin transporter in cocaine's effect on the serotonergic system, we compare reports concerning PC and prenatal antidepressant exposure and conclude that PC exposure affects many facets of serotonergic signaling (serotonin levels, receptors, transporters) and that these effects differ significantly from what is observed following prenatal SSRI exposure. Alterations in serotonergic signaling are dependent on timing of exposure, test regimens, and sex. Following PC exposure, behavioral disturbances are observed in attention, emotional behavior and stress response, aggression, social behavior, communication, and like changes in serotonergic signaling, these effects depend on sex, age and developmental exposure. Vulnerability to the effects of PC exposure can be mediated by several factors, including allelic variance in serotonergic signaling genes, being male (although fewer studies have investigated female offspring), and experiencing the adverse early environments that are commonly coincident with maternal drug use. Early environmental stress results in disruptions in serotonergic signaling analogous to those observed with PC exposure and these may interact to produce greater behavioral effects observed in children of drug-abusing mothers. We conclude that based on past evidence, future studies should put a greater emphasis on including females and monitoring environmental factors when studying the impact of PC exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah K Williams
- Curriculum in Neurobiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jean M Lauder
- Curriculum in Neurobiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Josephine M Johns
- Curriculum in Neurobiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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20
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Brand S, Kirov R. Sleep and its importance in adolescence and in common adolescent somatic and psychiatric conditions. Int J Gen Med 2011; 4:425-42. [PMID: 21731894 PMCID: PMC3119585 DOI: 10.2147/ijgm.s11557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2011] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Restoring sleep is strongly associated with a better physical, cognitive, and psychological well-being. By contrast, poor or disordered sleep is related to impairment of cognitive and psychological functioning and worsened physical health. These associations are well documented not only in adults but also in children and adolescents. Importantly, adolescence is hallmarked by dramatic maturational changes in sleep and its neurobiological regulation, hormonal status, and many psychosocial and physical processes. Thus, the role of sleep in mental and physical health during adolescence and in adolescent patients is complex. However, it has so far received little attention. This review first presents contemporary views about the complex neurobiology of sleep and its functions with important implications for adolescence. Second, existing complex relationships between common adolescent somatic/organic, sleep-related, and psychiatric disorders and certain sleep alterations are discussed. It is concluded that poor or altered sleep in adolescent patients may trigger and maintain many psychiatric and physical disorders or combinations of these conditions, which presumably hinder recovery and may cross into later stages of life. Therefore, timely diagnosis and management of sleep problems appear critical for growth and development in adolescent patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serge Brand
- Depression and Sleep Research Unit, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Lindstedt F, Lonsdorf TB, Schalling M, Kosek E, Ingvar M. Perception of thermal pain and the thermal grill illusion is associated with polymorphisms in the serotonin transporter gene. PLoS One 2011; 6:e17752. [PMID: 21423614 PMCID: PMC3057988 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0017752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2010] [Accepted: 02/13/2011] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim The main aim of this study was to assess if the perception of thermal pain thresholds is associated with genetically inferred levels of expression of the 5-HT transporter (5-HTT). Additionally, the perception of the so-called thermal grill illusion (TGI) was assessed. Forty-four healthy individuals (27 females, 17 males) were selected a-priori based on their 5-HTTLPR/rs25531 (‘tri-allelic 5-HTTLPR’) genotype, with inferred high or low 5-HTT expression. Thresholds for heat- and cold-pain were determined along with the sensory and affective dimensions of the TGI. Results Thresholds to heat- and cold-pain correlated strongly (rho = −0.58, p<0.001). Individuals in the low 5-HTT-expressing group were significantly less sensitive to heat-pain (p = 0.02) and cold-pain (p = 0.03), compared to the high-expressing group. A significant gender-by-genotype interaction also emerged for cold-pain perception (p = 0.02); low 5-HTT-expressing females were less sensitive. The TGI was rated as significantly more unpleasant (affective-motivational dimension) than painful (sensory-discriminatory dimension), (p<0.001). Females in the low 5-HTT expressing group rated the TGI as significantly less unpleasant than high 5-HTT expressing females (p<0.05), with no such differences among men. Conclusion/Significance We demonstrate an association between inferred low 5-HTT expression and elevated thresholds to thermal pain in healthy non-depressed individuals. Despite the fact that reduced 5-HTT expression is a risk factor for chronic pain we found it to be related to hypoalgesia for threshold thermal pain. Low 5-HTT expression is, however, also a risk factor for depression where thermal insensitivity is often seen. Our results may thus contribute to a better understanding of the molecular underpinnings of such paradoxical hypoalgesia. The results point to a differential regulation of thermoafferent-information along the neuraxis on the basis of 5-HTT expression and gender. The TGI, suggested to rely on the central integration of thermoafferent-information, may prove a valuable tool in probing the affective-motivational dimension of these putative mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fredrik Lindstedt
- Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Stockholm Brain Institute, Department of Clinical Neuroscience Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Andermann L. Culture and the social construction of gender: mapping the intersection with mental health. Int Rev Psychiatry 2011; 22:501-12. [PMID: 21047162 DOI: 10.3109/09540261.2010.506184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
The social construction of gender is an important concept for better understanding the determinants of mental health in women and men. Going beyond physical and physiological differences and the traditional biomedical approach, interdisciplinary study of the complex factors related to culture and society, power and politics is necessary to be able to find solutions to situations of disparity in mental health, related to both prevalence of disorders, availability and response to treatment. Gender inequality continues to be a source of suffering for many women around the world, and this can lead to adverse mental health outcomes. This review focuses on developments in the literature on culture, gender and mental health over the past decade, focusing on themes around the social construction of gender, mental health and the media, a look at cultural competence through a gender lens, gender and the body, providing some examples of the intersection between mental health and gender in low-income countries as well as the more developed world, and the impact of migration and resettlement on mental health. At the clinical level, using a bio-psycho-social-spiritual model that can integrate and negotiate between both traditional and biomedical perspectives is necessary, combined with use of a cultural formulation that takes gender identity into account. Research involving both qualitative and quantitative perspectives, and in many cases an ethnographic framework, is essential in tackling these global issues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Andermann
- Department of Psychiatry, Culture, Community and Health Studies, University of Toronto, 600 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Mourlon V, Naudon L, Giros B, Crumeyrolle-Arias M, Daugé V. Early stress leads to effects on estrous cycle and differential responses to stress. Physiol Behav 2011; 102:304-10. [DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2010.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2009] [Revised: 10/28/2010] [Accepted: 11/01/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Hao Y, Huang W, Nielsen DA, Kosten TA. Litter gender composition and sex affect maternal behavior and DNA methylation levels of the oprm1 gene in rat offspring. Front Psychiatry 2011; 2:21. [PMID: 21629839 PMCID: PMC3098712 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2011.00021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2011] [Accepted: 04/12/2011] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The mu-opioid receptor is encoded by the Oprm1 gene and contributes to mother-infant behaviors. Rodent dams lick male pups more than female pups in the anogenital region. This behavior is linked to stress responsivity in the offspring that may be mediated by epigenetic changes. We hypothesized that maternal behavior may affect DNA methylation levels of the Oprm1 gene and show sex differences. To further explore sex differences in mother-pup behaviors and DNA methylation levels, we altered the litter gender composition (LGC) of rats. Litters were culled to eight all male, all female, or four male/four female pups on postnatal (PN) day 1. On PN4, 7, and 10, a dam was placed in a test cage with a pup for a 10-min period. Latency to pup contact was determined as were times spent licking the anogenital and other body regions of the pup. Frequencies of other behaviors were tabulated. On PN35, samples from various brain regions were obtained. DNA methylation at specific CpG sites in the Oprm1 promoter region were measured by direct sequencing of bisulfite-treated DNA. LGC and sex interacted with day for latency to pup contact. Latencies were longest on PN4 for single-sex males and on PN10 for single-sex females. Dams licked male pups more than female pups in both the anogenital and other body areas. Sex differences were seen in other behaviors. LGC altered DNA methylation at specific CpG's of Oprm1 in hippocampus with higher levels in single-sex rats. In nucleus accumbens, single-sex males showed hypermethylation levels, a trend seen in caudate-putamen. Results confirm and extend sex differences in maternal care with modest LGC effects. That both LGC and sex have enduring effects on DNA methylation of the Oprm1 gene in brain regions associated with addiction, stress regulation, motivation, and cognition may suggest one factor that contributes to gender differences in these behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanli Hao
- Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, TX, USA
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Pitychoutis PM, Tsitsilonis OE, Papadopoulou-Daifoti Z. Antidepressant pharmacotherapy: focus on sex differences in neuroimmunopharmacological crossroads. FUTURE NEUROLOGY 2010. [DOI: 10.2217/fnl.10.28] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Major depression is a stress-related disorder that shows a clear female preponderance. Sex differences in antidepressant response have been documented in both the clinical and experimental settings. It is of interest that antidepressant drugs exert critical immunotropic influences, mediated by direct and/or compensatory routes; these effects are not completely understood but comprise a matter of intensive investigation. Even though human studies have found only a few sex-related differences in the immunotropic effects of antidepressants, recent experimental evidence in the chronic mild stress model of depression points towards a sexually dimorphic neuroimmune playground in view of chronic antidepressant treatment. Herein, we provide a concise review regarding the effects of antidepressant pharmacotherapy on neuroimmune manifestations by concentrating on intriguing sex differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pothitos M Pitychoutis
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias Str., Goudi, 115 27, Athens, Greece
| | - Ourania E Tsitsilonis
- Department of Animal & Human Physiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, 15784, Ilissia, Athens, Greece
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW The association between endocrine and neuropsychiatric disorders was established long ago, with solid evidence. According to a multidimensional model of mental disorders, one can conceptualize sex and gender-related endocrinological dysfunctions as a cluster of risk factors included in the biological determinants of those disorders. RECENT FINDINGS Gender and sexual dimorphism in brain functions and pathways may have a main impact and synergistic effects on health differences in both men and women. To explain these differences, hormonal reactivity to stress, sex hormones and gene-environment interactions are among the most researched mechanisms. SUMMARY In this paper, we review updated data on sex and gender differences in stress reactivity, concerning the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, endocrinological dysfunction and vulnerability to major psychiatric disorders, in a stress-diathesis approach. Mainly schizophrenia and affective disorders are discussed, according to recent investigation, in terms of early determinants of stress reactivity, the interplay of genetic expression and gender role, their responsibility in biological modulation and their hypothetical contribution to explain gender differences in prevalence and clinical aspects of mental disorders.
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Qureshi IA, Mehler MF. Genetic and epigenetic underpinnings of sex differences in the brain and in neurological and psychiatric disease susceptibility. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2010; 186:77-95. [PMID: 21094887 PMCID: PMC4465286 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-444-53630-3.00006-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
There are numerous examples of sex differences in brain and behavior and in susceptibility to a broad range of brain diseases. For example, gene expression is sexually dimorphic during brain development, adult life, and aging. These differences are orchestrated by the interplay between genetic, hormonal, and environmental influences. However, the molecular mechanisms that underpin these differences have not been fully elucidated. Because recent studies have highlighted the key roles played by epigenetic processes in regulating gene expression and mediating brain form and function, this chapter reviews emerging evidence that shows how epigenetic mechanisms including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and chromatin remodeling, and non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are responsible for promoting sexual dimorphism in the brain. Differential profiles of DNA methylation and histone modifications are found in dimorphic brain regions such as the hypothalamus as a result of sex hormone exposure during developmental critical periods. The elaboration of specific epigenetic marks is also linked with regulating sex hormone signaling pathways later in life. Furthermore, the expression and function of epigenetic factors such as the methyl-CpG-binding protein, MeCP2, and the histone-modifying enzymes, UTX and UTY, are sexually dimorphic in the brain. ncRNAs are also implicated in promoting sex differences. For example, X inactivation-specific transcript (XIST) is a long ncRNA that mediates X chromosome inactivation, a seminal developmental process that is particularly important in brain. These observations imply that understanding epigenetic mechanisms, which regulate dimorphic gene expression and function, is necessary for developing a more comprehensive view of sex differences in brain. These emerging findings also suggest that epigenetic mechanisms are, in part, responsible for the differential susceptibility between males and females that is characteristic of a spectrum of neurological and psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irfan A. Qureshi
- Rosyln and Leslie Goldstein Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Institute for Brain Disorders and Neural Regeneration, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Departments of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Rose F. Kennedy Center for Research on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Mark F. Mehler
- Rosyln and Leslie Goldstein Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Institute for Brain Disorders and Neural Regeneration, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Departments of Neurology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
- Rose F. Kennedy Center for Research on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
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