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Cariola LA, Sheeber LB, Allen N, Bilalpur M, Bird T, Hinduja S, Morency LP, Cohn JF. Language use in depressed and non-depressed mothers and their adolescent offspring. J Affect Disord 2024; 366:290-299. [PMID: 39187178 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2024] [Accepted: 08/23/2024] [Indexed: 08/28/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Approximately 10% of mothers experience depression each year, which increases risk for depression in offspring. Currently no research has analysed the linguistic features of depressed mothers and their adolescent offspring during dyadic interactions. We examined the extent to which linguistic features of mothers' and adolescents' speech during dyadic interactional tasks could discriminate depressed from non-depressed mothers. METHODS Computer-assisted linguistic analysis (Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count; LIWC) was applied to transcripts of low-income mother-adolescent dyads (N = 151) performing a lab-based problem-solving interaction task. One-way multivariate analyses were conducted to determine linguistic features hypothesized to be related to maternal depressive status that significantly differed in frequency between depressed and non-depressed mothers and higher and lower risk offspring. Logistic regression analyses were performed to classify between dyads belonging to the two groups. RESULTS The results showed that linguistic features in mothers' and their adolescent offsprings' speech during problem-solving interactions discriminated between maternal depression status. Many, but not all effects, were consistent with those identified in previous research using primarily written text, highlighting the validity and reliability of language behaviour associated with depressive symptomatology across lab-based and natural environmental contexts. LIMITATIONS Our analyses do not enable to ascertain how mothers' language behaviour may have influenced their offspring's communication patterns. We also cannot say how or whether these findings generalize to other contexts or populations. CONCLUSION The findings extend the existing literature on linguistic features of depression by indicating that mothers' depression is associated with linguistic behaviour during mother-adolescent interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura A Cariola
- Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | | | - Nicholas Allen
- Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, USA
| | - Maneesh Bilalpur
- Intelligent Systems Program, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA
| | - Timothy Bird
- Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | | | - Jeffrey F Cohn
- Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Deliberate.AI, NY, USA
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Cánepa ET, Berardino BG. Epigenetic mechanisms linking early-life adversities and mental health. Biochem J 2024; 481:615-642. [PMID: 38722301 DOI: 10.1042/bcj20230306] [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: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/24/2024] [Indexed: 05/15/2024]
Abstract
Early-life adversities, whether prenatal or postnatal exposure, have been linked to adverse mental health outcomes later in life increasing the risk of several psychiatric disorders. Research on its neurobiological consequences demonstrated an association between exposure to adversities and persistent alterations in the structure, function, and connectivity of the brain. Consistent evidence supports the idea that regulation of gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms are involved in embedding the impact of early-life experiences in the genome and mediate between social environments and later behavioral phenotypes. In addition, studies from rodent models and humans suggest that these experiences and the acquired risk factors can be transmitted through epigenetic mechanisms to offspring and the following generations potentially contributing to a cycle of disease or disease risk. However, one of the important aspects of epigenetic mechanisms, unlike genetic sequences that are fixed and unchangeable, is that although the epigenetic markings are long-lasting, they are nevertheless potentially reversible. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms involved in the mental health consequences derived from early-life exposure to malnutrition, maltreatment and poverty, adversities with huge and pervasive impact on mental health. We also discuss the evidence about transgenerational epigenetic inheritance in mammals and experimental data suggesting that suitable social and pharmacological interventions could reverse adverse epigenetic modifications induced by early-life negative social experiences. In this regard, these studies must be accompanied by efforts to determine the causes that promote these adversities and that result in health inequity in the population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo T Cánepa
- Laboratorio de Neuroepigenética y Adversidades Tempranas, Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires and IQUIBICEN, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Bruno G Berardino
- Laboratorio de Neuroepigenética y Adversidades Tempranas, Departamento de Química Biológica, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires and IQUIBICEN, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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3
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Kocevska D, Trajanoska K, Mulder RH, Koopman-Verhoeff ME, Luik AI, Tiemeier H, van Someren EJW. Are some children genetically predisposed to poor sleep? A polygenic risk study in the general population. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2024; 65:710-719. [PMID: 37936537 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13899] [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: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Twin studies show moderate heritability of sleep traits: 40% for insomnia symptoms and 46% for sleep duration. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified genetic variants involved in insomnia and sleep duration in adults, but it is unknown whether these variants affect sleep during early development. We assessed whether polygenic risk scores for insomnia (PRS-I) and sleep duration (PRS-SD) affect sleep throughout early childhood to adolescence. METHODS We included 2,458 children of European ancestry (51% girls). Insomnia-related items of the Child Behavior Checklist were reported by mothers at child's age 1.5, 3, and 6 years. At 10-15 years, the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children and actigraphy were assessed in a subsample (N = 975). Standardized PRS-I and PRS-SD (higher scores indicate genetic susceptibility for insomnia and longer sleep duration, respectively) were computed at multiple p-value thresholds based on largest GWAS to date. RESULTS Children with higher PRS-I had more insomnia-related sleep problems between 1.5 and 15 years (BPRS-I < 0.001 = .09, 95% CI: 0.05; 0.14). PRS-SD was not associated with mother-reported sleep problems. A higher PRS-SD was in turn associated with longer actigraphically estimated sleep duration (BPRS-SD < 5e08 = .05, 95% CI: 0.001; 0.09) and more wake after sleep onset (BPRS-SD < 0.005 = .25, 95% CI: 0.04; 0.47) at 10-15 years, but these associations did not survive multiple testing correction. CONCLUSIONS Children who are genetically predisposed to insomnia have more insomnia-like sleep problems, whereas those who are genetically predisposed to longer sleep have longer sleep duration, but are also more awake during the night in adolescence. This indicates that polygenic risk for sleep traits, based on GWAS in adults, affects sleep already in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Desana Kocevska
- Department of Sleep and Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Generation R Study, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Katerina Trajanoska
- Department of Internal Medicine, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rosa H Mulder
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Generation R Study, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - M Elisabeth Koopman-Verhoeff
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Generation R Study, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Annemarie I Luik
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Henning Tiemeier
- The Department of Social and Behavioral Science, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eus J W van Someren
- Department of Sleep and Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute and Amsterdam Neuroscience Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Integrative Neurophysiology, Center for Neurogenomics and Cognitive Research, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Scherff AD, Feldmann L, Piechaczek C, Pehl V, Wagenbüchler P, Wermuth I, Ghotbi N, Allgaier AK, Freisleder FJ, Beins EC, Forstner AJ, Nöthen MM, Czamara D, Rex-Haffner M, Ising M, Binder E, Greimel E, Schulte-Körne G. Cohort profile: BioMD-Y (biopsychosocial factors of major depression in youth) - a biobank study on the molecular genetics and environmental factors of depression in children and adolescents in Munich. BMJ Open 2024; 14:e074925. [PMID: 38485175 PMCID: PMC10941147 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-074925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE BioMD-Y is a comprehensive biobank study of children and adolescents with major depression (MD) and their healthy peers in Germany, collecting a host of both biological and psychosocial information from the participants and their parents with the aim of exploring genetic and environmental risk and protective factors for MD in children and adolescents. PARTICIPANTS Children and adolescents aged 8-18 years are recruited to either the clinical case group (MD, diagnosis of MD disorder) or the typically developing control group (absence of any psychiatric condition). FINDINGS TO DATE To date, four publications on both genetic and environmental risk and resilience factors (including FKBP5, glucocorticoid receptor activation, polygenic risk scores, psychosocial and sociodemographic risk and resilience factors) have been published based on the BioMD-Y sample. FUTURE PLANS Data collection is currently scheduled to continue into 2026. Research questions will be further addressed using available measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aline Doreen Scherff
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Lisa Feldmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Charlotte Piechaczek
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Verena Pehl
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Petra Wagenbüchler
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Inga Wermuth
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Neda Ghotbi
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Antje-Kathrin Allgaier
- Department of Human Sciences, Institute of Psychology, University of the Bundeswehr Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Eva C Beins
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Andreas J Forstner
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Markus M Nöthen
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Darina Czamara
- Department Genes and Environment, Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Monika Rex-Haffner
- Department Genes and Environment, Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Marcus Ising
- Max-Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Elisabeth Binder
- Department Genes and Environment, Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
| | - Ellen Greimel
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Gerd Schulte-Körne
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
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Elam KK, Su J, Kutzner J, Trevino A. Individual Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms Within Racially-Ethnically Diverse Youth: Associations with Polygenic Risk for Depression and Substance Use Intent and Perceived Harm. Behav Genet 2024; 54:86-100. [PMID: 38097814 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-023-10167-6] [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: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
There are distinct individual trajectories of depressive symptoms across adolescence which are most often differentiated into low, moderate/stable, and high/increasing groups. Research has found genetic predisposition for depression associated with trajectories characterized by greater depressive symptoms. However, the majority of this research has been conducted in White youth. Moreover, a separate literature indicates that trajectories with elevated depressive symptoms can result in substance use. It is critical to identify depressive symptom trajectories, genetic predictors, and substance use outcomes in diverse samples in early adolescence to understand distinct processes and convey equitable benefits from research. Using data from the Adolescent Cognitive Brain Development Study (ABCD), we examined parent-reported depressive symptom trajectories within Black/African American (AA, n = 1783), White/European American (EA, n = 6179), and Hispanic/Latinx (LX, n = 2410) youth across four annual assessments in early adolescence (age 9-10 to 12-13). We examined racially/ethnically aligned polygenic scores (Dep-PGS) as predictors of trajectories as well as substance use intent and perceived substance use harm as outcomes at age 12-13. Differential trajectories were found in AA, EA, and LX youth but low and high trajectories were represented within each group. In EA youth, greater Dep-PGS were broadly associated with membership in trajectories with greater depressive symptoms. Genetic effects were not significant in AA and LX youth. In AA youth, membership in the low trajectory was associated with greater substance use intent. In EA youth, membership in trajectories with higher depressive symptoms was associated with greater substance use intent and less perceived harm. There were no associations between trajectories and substance use intent and perceived harm in LX youth. These findings indicate that there are distinct depressive symptom trajectories in AA, EA, and LX youth, accompanied by unique associations with genetic predisposition for depressive symptoms and substance use outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kit K Elam
- Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, 1025 E. 7th St., Suite 116, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA.
| | - Jinni Su
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Phoenix, USA
| | - Jodi Kutzner
- Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, 1025 E. 7th St., Suite 116, Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
| | - Angel Trevino
- Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Phoenix, USA
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Johnson D, Letchumanan V, Thum CC, Thurairajasingam S, Lee LH. A Microbial-Based Approach to Mental Health: The Potential of Probiotics in the Treatment of Depression. Nutrients 2023; 15:nu15061382. [PMID: 36986112 PMCID: PMC10053794 DOI: 10.3390/nu15061382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Probiotics are currently the subject of intensive research pursuits and also represent a multi-billion-dollar global industry given their vast potential to improve human health. In addition, mental health represents a key domain of healthcare, which currently has limited, adverse-effect prone treatment options, and probiotics may hold the potential to be a novel, customizable treatment for depression. Clinical depression is a common, potentially debilitating condition that may be amenable to a precision psychiatry-based approach utilizing probiotics. Although our understanding has not yet reached a sufficient level, this could be a therapeutic approach that can be tailored for specific individuals with their own unique set of characteristics and health issues. Scientifically, the use of probiotics as a treatment for depression has a valid basis rooted in the microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA) mechanisms, which play a role in the pathophysiology of depression. In theory, probiotics appear to be ideal as adjunct therapeutics for major depressive disorder (MDD) and as stand-alone therapeutics for mild MDD and may potentially revolutionize the treatment of depressive disorders. Although there is a wide range of probiotics and an almost limitless range of therapeutic combinations, this review aims to narrow the focus to the most widely commercialized and studied strains, namely Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, and to bring together the arguments for their usage in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Clinicians, scientists, and industrialists are critical stakeholders in exploring this groundbreaking concept.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dinyadarshini Johnson
- Novel Bacteria and Drug Discovery Research Group (NBDD), Microbiome and Bioresource Research Strength (MBRS), Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway 47500, Malaysia
| | - Vengadesh Letchumanan
- Novel Bacteria and Drug Discovery Research Group (NBDD), Microbiome and Bioresource Research Strength (MBRS), Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway 47500, Malaysia
- Pathogen Resistome Virulome and Diagnostic Research Group (PathRiD), Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway 47500, Malaysia
| | - Chern Choong Thum
- Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah, Persiaran Mardi-UPM, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
| | - Sivakumar Thurairajasingam
- Clinical School Johor Bahru, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Johor Bahru 80100, Malaysia
- Correspondence: (S.T.); or (L.-H.L.)
| | - Learn-Han Lee
- Novel Bacteria and Drug Discovery Research Group (NBDD), Microbiome and Bioresource Research Strength (MBRS), Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway 47500, Malaysia
- Pathogen Resistome Virulome and Diagnostic Research Group (PathRiD), Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway 47500, Malaysia
- Correspondence: (S.T.); or (L.-H.L.)
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Dunn EC, Busso DS, Davis KA, Smith AD, Mitchell C, Tiemeier H, Susser ES. Sensitive Periods for the Effect of Child Maltreatment on Psychopathology Symptoms in Adolescence. Complex Psychiatry 2023; 9:145-153. [PMID: 37900909 PMCID: PMC10601948 DOI: 10.1159/000530120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Child maltreatment is among the strongest risk factors for mental disorders. However, little is known about whether there are ages when children may be especially vulnerable to its effects. We sought to identify potential sensitive periods when exposure to the 2 most common types of maltreatment (neglect and harsh physical discipline) had a particularly detrimental effect on youth mental health. Methods Data came from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), a birth cohort oversampled from "fragile families" (n = 3,474). Maltreatment was assessed at 3, 5, and 9 years of age using an adapted version of the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS-PC). Using least angle regression, we examined the relationship between repeated measures of exposure to maltreatment on psychopathology symptoms at age 15 years (Child Behavior Checklist; CBCL/6-18). For comparison, we evaluated the strength of evidence to support the existence of sensitive periods in relation to an accumulation of risk model. Results We identified sensitive periods for harsh physical discipline, whereby psychopathology symptom scores were highest among girls exposed at age 9 years (r2 = 0.67 internalizing symptoms; r2 = 1% externalizing symptoms) and among boys exposed at age 5 years (r2 = 0.41%). However, for neglect, the accumulation of risk model explained more variability in psychopathology symptoms for both boys and girls. Conclusion Child maltreatment may have differential effects based on the child's sex, type of exposure, and the age at which it occurs. These findings provide additional evidence for clinicians assessing the benefits and drawbacks of screening efforts and point toward possible mechanisms driving increased vulnerability to psychopathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin C. Dunn
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Daniel S. Busso
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Kathryn A. Davis
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew D.A.C. Smith
- Applied Statistics Group, University of the West of England at Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Colter Mitchell
- Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Henning Tiemeier
- Department of Child Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Social and Behavioral Science, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ezra S. Susser
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York City, NY, USA
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Dunn EC, Mountain RV, Davis KA, Shaffer I, Smith ADAC, Roubinov DS, Den Besten P, Bidlack FB, Boyce WT. Association Between Measures Derived From Children's Primary Exfoliated Teeth and Psychopathology Symptoms: Results From a Community-Based Study. FRONTIERS IN DENTAL MEDICINE 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fdmed.2022.803364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mental disorders are among the most disabling health conditions globally. However, there remains a lack of valid, reliable, noninvasive, and inexpensive biomarkers to identify (at an early age) people who are at the greatest risk of experiencing a future mental health condition. Exfoliated primary teeth, when used in combination with established and emerging tools (e.g., family history, imaging, genetics, epigenetics), may provide important additional insights about vulnerability to mental illness. Teeth are especially promising because they develop in parallel with the brain and maintain a permanent record of environmental insults occurring during prenatal and perinatal development. Despite their potential, few empirical studies have investigated features of exfoliated teeth in relation to mental health. Here, we used micro-CT imaging to test the hypothesis that measures derived from exfoliated primary incisors associated with psychopathology symptoms in a community-based sample of children (n = 37). We found that enamel volume (β = −0.77, 95% CI, −1.35 to −0.18, P = 0.01) had large negative associations with internalizing symptoms, and enamel mineral density (β = 0.77, 95% CI, 0.18–1.35, P = 0.01) had large positive associations with internalizing behavioral symptoms, even after stringent control for multiple testing. Pulp volume (β = −0.50, 95% CI, −0.90 to −0.09, P = 0.02) had a moderately-large negative association with externalizing behavioral symptoms, though these associations did not survive multiple testing correction. These results support the ongoing investigation of teeth as potential novel biomarkers of mental health risk.
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Akingbuwa WA, Hammerschlag AR, Bartels M, Middeldorp CM. Systematic Review: Molecular Studies of Common Genetic Variation in Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Disorders. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2022; 61:227-242. [PMID: 33932494 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2021.03.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2020] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE A systematic review of studies using molecular genetics and statistical approaches to investigate the role of common genetic variation in the development, persistence, and comorbidity of childhood psychiatric traits was conducted. METHOD A literature review was performed using the PubMed database, following PRISMA guidelines. There were 131 studies meeting inclusion criteria, having investigated at least one type of childhood-onset or childhood-measured psychiatric disorder or trait with the aim of identifying trait-associated common genetic variants, estimating the contribution of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to the amount of variance explained (SNP-based heritability), investigating genetic overlap between psychiatric traits, or investigating whether the stability in traits or the association with adult traits is explained by genetic factors. RESULTS The first robustly associated genetic variants have started to be identified for childhood psychiatric traits. There were substantial contributions of common genetic variants to many traits, with variation in single nucleotide polymorphism heritability estimates depending on age and raters. Moreover, genetic variants also appeared to explain comorbidity as well as stability across a range of psychiatric traits in childhood and across the life span. CONCLUSION Common genetic variation plays a substantial role in childhood psychiatric traits. Increased sample sizes will lead to increased power to identify genetic variants and to understand genetic architecture, which will ultimately be beneficial to targeted and prevention strategies. This can be achieved by harmonizing phenotype measurements, as is already proposed by large international consortia and by including the collection of genetic material in every study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wonuola A Akingbuwa
- Ms. Akingbuwa, Dr. Hammerschlag, and Profs. Bartels and Middeldorp are with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Ms. Akingbuwa, Dr. Hammerschlag, and Prof. Bartels are also with Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Anke R Hammerschlag
- Ms. Akingbuwa, Dr. Hammerschlag, and Profs. Bartels and Middeldorp are with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Ms. Akingbuwa, Dr. Hammerschlag, and Prof. Bartels are also with Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Dr. Hammerschlag and Prof. Middeldorp are also with the Child Health Research Centre, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Meike Bartels
- Ms. Akingbuwa, Dr. Hammerschlag, and Profs. Bartels and Middeldorp are with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Ms. Akingbuwa, Dr. Hammerschlag, and Prof. Bartels are also with Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Christel M Middeldorp
- Ms. Akingbuwa, Dr. Hammerschlag, and Profs. Bartels and Middeldorp are with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Dr. Hammerschlag and Prof. Middeldorp are also with the Child Health Research Centre, the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Prof. Middeldorp is also with the Child and Youth Mental Health Service, Children's Health Queensland Hospital and Health Services, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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