1
|
Carozza S, Holmes J, Akarca D, Astle DE. Global topology of human connectome is insensitive to early life environments - A prospective longitudinal study of the general population. Dev Sci 2024:e13490. [PMID: 38494672 DOI: 10.1111/desc.13490] [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: 05/02/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
The widely acknowledged detrimental impact of early adversity on child development has driven efforts to understand the underlying mechanisms that may mediate these effects within the developing brain. Recent efforts have begun to move beyond associating adversity with the morphology of individual brain regions towards determining if and how adversity might shape their interconnectivity. However, whether adversity effects a global shift in the organisation of whole-brain networks remains unclear. In this study, we assessed this possibility using parental questionnaire and diffusion imaging data from The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC, N = 913), a prospective longitudinal study spanning more than 20 years. We tested whether a wide range of adversities-including experiences of abuse, domestic violence, physical and emotional cruelty, poverty, neglect, and parental separation-measured by questionnaire within the first seven years of life were significantly associated with the tractography-derived connectome in young adulthood. We tested this across multiple measures of organisation and using a computational model that simulated the wiring economy of the brain. We found no significant relationships between early exposure to any form of adversity and the global organisation of the structural connectome in young adulthood. We did detect local differences in the medial prefrontal cortex, as well as an association between weaker brain wiring constraints and greater externalising behaviour in adolescence. Our results indicate that further efforts are necessary to delimit the magnitude and functional implications of adversity-related differences in connectomic organization. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Diverse prospective measures of the early-life environment do not predict the organisation of the DTI tractography-derived connectome in young adulthood Wiring economy of the connectome is weakly associated with externalising in adolescence, but not internalising or cognitive ability Further work is needed to establish the scope and significance of global adversity-related differences in the structural connectome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Carozza
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joni Holmes
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Danyal Akarca
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Duncan E Astle
- MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Constantinides C, Baltramonaityte V, Caramaschi D, Han LKM, Lancaster TM, Zammit S, Freeman TP, Walton E. Assessing the association between global structural brain age and polygenic risk for schizophrenia in early adulthood: A recall-by-genotype study. Cortex 2024; 172:1-13. [PMID: 38154374 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.11.015] [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: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Neuroimaging studies consistently show advanced brain age in schizophrenia, suggesting that brain structure is often 'older' than expected at a given chronological age. Whether advanced brain age is linked to genetic liability for schizophrenia remains unclear. In this pre-registered secondary data analysis, we utilised a recall-by-genotype approach applied to a population-based subsample from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children to assess brain age differences between young adults aged 21-24 years with relatively high (n = 96) and low (n = 93) polygenic risk for schizophrenia (SCZ-PRS). A global index of brain age (or brain-predicted age) was estimated using a publicly available machine learning model previously trained on a combination of region-wise gray-matter measures, including cortical thickness, surface area and subcortical volumes derived from T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. We found no difference in mean brain-PAD (the difference between brain-predicted age and chronological age) between the high- and low-SCZ-PRS groups, controlling for the effects of sex and age at time of scanning (b = -.21; 95% CI -2.00, 1.58; p = .82; Cohen's d = -.034; partial R2 = .00029). These findings do not support an association between SCZ-PRS and brain-PAD based on global age-related structural brain patterns, suggesting that brain age may not be a vulnerability marker of common genetic risk for SCZ. Future studies with larger samples and multimodal brain age measures could further investigate global or localised effects of SCZ-PRS.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Doretta Caramaschi
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, UK
| | - Laura K M Han
- Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; Orygen, Parkville, Australia
| | | | - Stanley Zammit
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK; Centre for Academic Mental Health, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Tom P Freeman
- Addiction and Mental Health Group (AIM), Department of Psychology, University of Bath, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Luo M, Walton E, Neumann A, Thio CHL, Felix JF, van IJzendoorn MH, Pappa I, Cecil CAM. DNA methylation at birth and lateral ventricular volume in childhood: a neuroimaging epigenetics study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2024; 65:77-90. [PMID: 37469193 PMCID: PMC10953396 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13866] [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: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/21/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Lateral ventricular volume (LVV) enlargement has been repeatedly linked to schizophrenia; yet, what biological factors shape LVV during early development remain unclear. DNA methylation (DNAm), an essential process for neurodevelopment that is altered in schizophrenia, is a key molecular system of interest. METHODS In this study, we conducted the first epigenome-wide association study of neonatal DNAm in cord blood with LVV in childhood (measured using T1-weighted brain scans at 10 years), based on data from a large population-based birth cohort, the Generation R Study (N = 840). Employing both probe-level and methylation profile score (MPS) approaches, we further examined whether epigenetic modifications identified at birth in cord blood are: (a) also observed cross-sectionally in childhood using peripheral blood DNAm at age of 10 years (Generation R, N = 370) and (b) prospectively associated with LVV measured in young adulthood in an all-male sample from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC, N = 114). RESULTS At birth, DNAm levels at four CpGs (annotated to potassium channel tetramerization domain containing 3, KCTD3; SHH signaling and ciliogenesis regulator, SDCCAG8; glutaredoxin, GLRX) prospectively associated with childhood LVV after genome-wide correction; these genes have been implicated in brain development and psychiatric traits including schizophrenia. An MPS capturing a broader epigenetic profile of LVV - but not individual top hits - showed significant cross-sectional associations with LVV in childhood in Generation R and prospectively associated with LVV in early adulthood within ALSPAC. CONCLUSIONS This study finds suggestive evidence that DNAm at birth prospectively associates with LVV at different life stages, albeit with small effect sizes. The prediction of MPS on LVV in a childhood sample and an independent male adult sample further underscores the stability and reproducibility of DNAm as a potential marker for LVV. Future studies with larger samples and comparable time points across development are needed to further elucidate how DNAm associates with this clinically relevant brain structure and risk for neuropsychiatric disorders, and what factors explain the identified DNAm profile of LVV at birth.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mannan Luo
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child StudiesErasmus University RotterdamRotterdamThe Netherlands
- Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MCUniversity Medical Center RotterdamRotterdamThe Netherlands
| | | | - Alexander Neumann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MCUniversity Medical Center RotterdamRotterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Chris H. L. Thio
- Department of EpidemiologyUniversity Medical Center Groningen, University of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Janine F. Felix
- Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MCUniversity Medical Center RotterdamRotterdamThe Netherlands
- Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MCUniversity Medical Center RotterdamRotterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Marinus H. van IJzendoorn
- Department of Psychology, Education and Child StudiesErasmus University RotterdamRotterdamThe Netherlands
- Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, Faculty of Brain Sciences, UCLUniversity of LondonLondonUK
| | - Irene Pappa
- Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MCUniversity Medical Center RotterdamRotterdamThe Netherlands
- Clinical Child and Family StudiesVrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdamThe Netherlands
| | - Charlotte A. M. Cecil
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/Psychology, Erasmus MCUniversity Medical Center RotterdamRotterdamThe Netherlands
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MCUniversity Medical Center RotterdamRotterdamThe Netherlands
- Molecular Epidemiology, Department of Biomedical Data SciencesLeiden University Medical CenterLeidenThe Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Korologou-Linden R, Schuurmans IK, Cecil CAM, White T, Banaschewski T, Bokde ALW, Desrivières S, Grigis A, Garavan H, Gowland P, Heinz A, Brühl R, Martinot JL, Martinot MLP, Artiges E, Nees F, Orfanos DP, Paus T, Poustka L, Holz N, Fröhner JH, Smolka M, Walter H, Winterer J, Whelan R, Schumann G, Howe LD, Ben-Shlomo Y, Davies NM, Anderson EL. The bidirectional effects between cognitive ability and brain morphology: A life course Mendelian randomization analysis. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.11.17.23297145. [PMID: 38014064 PMCID: PMC10680890 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.17.23297145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Introduction Little is understood about the dynamic interplay between brain morphology and cognitive ability across the life course. Additionally, most existing research has focused on global morphology measures such as estimated total intracranial volume, mean thickness, and total surface area. Methods Mendelian randomization was used to estimate the bidirectional effects between cognitive ability, global and regional measures of cortical thickness and surface area, estimated total intracranial volume, total white matter, and the volume of subcortical structures (N=37,864). Analyses were stratified for developmental periods (childhood, early adulthood, mid-to-late adulthood; age range: 8-81 years). Results The earliest effects were observed in childhood and early adulthood in the frontoparietal lobes. A bidirectional relationship was identified between higher cognitive ability, larger estimated total intracranial volume (childhood, mid-to-late adulthood) and total surface area (all life stages). A thicker posterior cingulate cortex and a larger surface area in the caudal middle frontal cortex and temporal pole were associated with greater cognitive ability. Contrary, a thicker temporal pole was associated with lower cognitive ability. Discussion Stable effects of cognitive ability on brain morphology across the life course suggests that childhood is potentially an important window for intervention.
Collapse
|
5
|
Matsudaira I, Yamaguchi R, Taki Y. Transmit Radiant Individuality to Offspring (TRIO) study: investigating intergenerational transmission effects on brain development. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1150973. [PMID: 37840799 PMCID: PMC10568142 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1150973] [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: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Intergenerational transmission is a crucial aspect of human development. Although prior studies have demonstrated the continuity of psychopathology and maladaptive upbringing environments between parents and offspring, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain unclear. We have begun a novel neuroimaging research project, the Transmit Radiant Individuality to Offspring (TRIO) study, which focuses on biological parent-offspring trios. The participants of the TRIO study were Japanese parent-offspring trios consisting of offspring aged 10-40 and their biological mother and father. Structural and functional brain images of all participants were acquired using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Saliva samples were collected for DNA analysis. We obtained psychosocial information, such as intelligence, mental health problems, personality traits, and experiences during the developmental period from each parent and offspring in the same manner as much as possible. By April 2023, we completed data acquisition from 174 trios consisting of fathers, mothers, and offspring. The target sample size was 310 trios. However, we plan to conduct genetic and epigenetic analyses, and the sample size is expected to be expanded further while developing this project into a multi-site collaborative study in the future. The TRIO study can challenge the elucidation of the mechanism of intergenerational transmission effects on human development by collecting diverse information from parents and offspring at the molecular, neural, and behavioral levels. Our study provides interdisciplinary insights into how individuals' lives are involved in the construction of the lives of their descendants in the subsequent generation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Izumi Matsudaira
- Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
- Smart-Aging Research Center, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Ryo Yamaguchi
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Taki
- Smart-Aging Research Center, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Harrison JR, Foley SF, Baker E, Bracher-Smith M, Holmans P, Stergiakouli E, Linden DEJ, Caseras X, Jones DK, Escott-Price V. Pathway-specific polygenic scores for Alzheimer's disease are associated with changes in brain structure in younger and older adults. Brain Commun 2023; 5:fcad229. [PMID: 37744023 PMCID: PMC10517196 DOI: 10.1093/braincomms/fcad229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies have identified multiple Alzheimer's disease risk loci with small effect sizes. Polygenic risk scores, which aggregate these variants, are associated with grey matter structural changes. However, genome-wide scores do not allow mechanistic interpretations. The present study explored associations between disease pathway-specific scores and grey matter structure in younger and older adults. Data from two separate population cohorts were used as follows: the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, mean age 19.8, and UK Biobank, mean age 64.4 (combined n = 18 689). Alzheimer's polygenic risk scores were computed using the largest genome-wide association study of clinically assessed Alzheimer's to date. Relationships between subcortical volumes and cortical thickness, pathway-specific scores and genome-wide scores were examined. Increased pathway-specific scores were associated with reduced cortical thickness in both the younger and older cohorts. For example, the reverse cholesterol transport pathway score showed evidence of association with lower left middle temporal cortex thickness in the younger Avon participants (P = 0.034; beta = -0.013, CI -0.025, -0.001) and in the older UK Biobank participants (P = 0.019; beta = -0.003, CI -0.005, -4.56 × 10-4). Pathway scores were associated with smaller subcortical volumes, such as smaller hippocampal volume, in UK Biobank older adults. There was also evidence of positive association between subcortical volumes in Avon younger adults. For example, the tau protein-binding pathway score was negatively associated with left hippocampal volume in UK Biobank (P = 8.35 × 10-05; beta = -11.392, CI -17.066, -5.718) and positively associated with hippocampal volume in the Avon study (P = 0.040; beta = 51.952, CI 2.445, 101.460). The immune response score had a distinct pattern of association, being only associated with reduced thickness in the right posterior cingulate in older and younger adults (P = 0.011; beta = -0.003, CI -0.005, -0.001 in UK Biobank; P = 0.034; beta = -0.016, CI -0.031, -0.001 in the Avon study). The immune response score was associated with smaller subcortical volumes in the older adults, but not younger adults. The disease pathway scores showed greater evidence of association with imaging phenotypes than the genome-wide score. This suggests that pathway-specific polygenic methods may allow progress towards a mechanistic understanding of structural changes linked to polygenic risk in pre-clinical Alzheimer's disease. Pathway-specific profiling could further define pathophysiology in individuals, moving towards precision medicine in Alzheimer's disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Judith R Harrison
- Institute of Neuroscience, Biomedical Research Building, Campus for Ageing and Vitality, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5PL, UK
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Sonya F Foley
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Emily Baker
- Dementia Research Institute & MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Matthew Bracher-Smith
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Peter Holmans
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Evie Stergiakouli
- Bristol Population Health Science Institute, Bristol University, Oakfield House, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Oakfield House, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UK
| | - David E J Linden
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, PO Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Xavier Caseras
- MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| | - Derek K Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
- Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University, 5/215 Spring St, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
| | - Valentina Escott-Price
- Dementia Research Institute & MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, UK
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Dimitriadis SI, Perry G, Lancaster TM, Tansey KE, Singh KD, Holmans P, Pocklington A, Davey Smith G, Zammit S, Hall J, O’Donovan MC, Owen MJ, Jones DK, Linden DE. Genetic risk for schizophrenia is associated with increased proportion of indirect connections in brain networks revealed by a semi-metric analysis: evidence from population sample stratified for polygenic risk. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:2997-3011. [PMID: 35830871 PMCID: PMC10016061 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac256] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Research studies based on tractography have revealed a prominent reduction of asymmetry in some key white-matter tracts in schizophrenia (SCZ). However, we know little about the influence of common genetic risk factors for SCZ on the efficiency of routing on structural brain networks (SBNs). Here, we use a novel recall-by-genotype approach, where we sample young adults from a population-based cohort (ALSPAC:N genotyped = 8,365) based on their burden of common SCZ risk alleles as defined by polygenic risk score (PRS). We compared 181 individuals at extremes of low (N = 91) or high (N = 90) SCZ-PRS under a robust diffusion MRI-based graph theoretical SBN framework. We applied a semi-metric analysis revealing higher SMR values for the high SCZ-PRS group compared with the low SCZ-PRS group in the left hemisphere. Furthermore, a hemispheric asymmetry index showed a higher leftward preponderance of indirect connections for the high SCZ-PRS group compared with the low SCZ-PRS group (PFDR < 0.05). These findings might indicate less efficient structural connectivity in the higher genetic risk group. This is the first study in a population-based sample that reveals differences in the efficiency of SBNs associated with common genetic risk variants for SCZ.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S I Dimitriadis
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHI), College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
- Neuroinformatics Group, School of Psychology, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - G Perry
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - T M Lancaster
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHI), College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
- Department of Psychology, Bath University, Claverton Down BA2 7AY, Bath, Wales, UK
| | - K E Tansey
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU), University of Bristol, Queens Road BS8 1QU, Bristol, Wales, UK
| | - K D Singh
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - P Holmans
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - A Pocklington
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - G Davey Smith
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU), University of Bristol, Queens Road BS8 1QU, Bristol, Wales, UK
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, 1-5 Whiteladies Road BS8 1NU, Bristol, Wales, UK
| | - S Zammit
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, 1-5 Whiteladies Road BS8 1NU, Bristol, Wales, UK
| | - J Hall
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHI), College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - M C O’Donovan
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHI), College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - M J Owen
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHI), College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - D K Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
| | - D E Linden
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHI), College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Maindy Road CF24 4HQ, Cardiff, Wales, UK
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, 1-5 Whiteladies Road BS8 1NU, Bristol, Wales, UK
- School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40 UNS40 6229 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Mirza-Davies A, Foley S, Caseras X, Baker E, Holmans P, Escott-Price V, Jones DK, Harrison JR, Messaritaki E. The impact of genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease on the structural brain networks of young adults. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:987677. [PMID: 36532292 PMCID: PMC9748570 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.987677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction We investigated the structural brain networks of 562 young adults in relation to polygenic risk for Alzheimer's disease, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and genotype data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Methods Diffusion MRI data were used to perform whole-brain tractography and generate structural brain networks for the whole-brain connectome, and for the default mode, limbic and visual subnetworks. The mean clustering coefficient, mean betweenness centrality, characteristic path length, global efficiency and mean nodal strength were calculated for these networks, for each participant. The connectivity of the rich-club, feeder and local connections was also calculated. Polygenic risk scores (PRS), estimating each participant's genetic risk, were calculated at genome-wide level and for nine specific disease pathways. Correlations were calculated between the PRS and (a) the graph theoretical metrics of the structural networks and (b) the rich-club, feeder and local connectivity of the whole-brain networks. Results In the visual subnetwork, the mean nodal strength was negatively correlated with the genome-wide PRS (r = -0.19, p = 1.4 × 10-3), the mean betweenness centrality was positively correlated with the plasma lipoprotein particle assembly PRS (r = 0.16, p = 5.5 × 10-3), and the mean clustering coefficient was negatively correlated with the tau-protein binding PRS (r = -0.16, p = 0.016). In the default mode network, the mean nodal strength was negatively correlated with the genome-wide PRS (r = -0.14, p = 0.044). The rich-club and feeder connectivities were negatively correlated with the genome-wide PRS (r = -0.16, p = 0.035; r = -0.15, p = 0.036). Discussion We identified small reductions in brain connectivity in young adults at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in later life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Mirza-Davies
- School of Medicine, University Hospital Wales, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Sonya Foley
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Xavier Caseras
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Emily Baker
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Holmans
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Valentina Escott-Price
- Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- UK Dementia Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Derek K. Jones
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Judith R. Harrison
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Institute for Translational and Clinical Research, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Eirini Messaritaki
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- BRAIN Biomedical Research Unit, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|