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Anderson C, Potts L. The Cultural and Religious Complexities of Amish-Focused Mental Health Conditions Research: Insights from an Exhaustive Narrative Review and Case Study of Counseling Controversies. Ment Health Relig Cult 2024; 26:908-924. [PMID: 38698810 PMCID: PMC11065431 DOI: 10.1080/13674676.2023.2216146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Mental health conditions research often relies on reductionist cultural assumptions about the population studied and instruments validated from majority populations. In exhaustively reviewing the limited body of Amish mental health conditions research, we find that studies are well-executed by methodological protocols but that findings are inconsistent or limited in generalizability, instrument validity remains contested, and study investigation into Amish cultural and religious dynamics is limited. A case study from a sizeable Amish community in Ohio illustrates how various ideologies-notably old Amish religious theology, the scientific-psychological, and the Evangelical Protestant-have generated population-internal controversies among the Amish over defining and treating mental health conditions, suggesting that mental health conditions research and diagnosis of ethnic religious adherents should better account for internal cultural-religious dynamics. In order to make some assertions about how Amish culture and religion impacts mental health conditions, future research should include pre-study investigations into the targeted population's cultural and religious dynamics, consist of more nuanced case reports from therapists and psychiatrists, and include replication studies at different times and places, with deliberate attention to contextual factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cory Anderson
- Population Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, USA
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Anderson C, Potts L. Research Trends in Amish Population Health, a Growing Literature about a Growing Rural Population. JOURNAL OF RURAL SOCIAL SCIENCES 2021; 36:6. [PMID: 34367718 PMCID: PMC8341032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The Amish are an endogamous rural population experiencing rapid growth; consequently, they have attracted the attention of population health researchers and service providers. With approximately one quarter of all Amish studies publications now devoted to population health (n=246), the time is ripe to review research trends. Using bibliometric measures, we map the genealogy, influence, and configuration of Amish health publications. Amish population health research has (1) a health culture-focused core with clusters representing social science and health practice, (2) peripheral clusters addressing health conditions-mental, physical, and injury/safety-and (3) several clusters straddling both. We identify fruitful interdisciplinary studies and recommend researchers investigating health culture and conditions seek ways to integrate their research agendas. This article represents a pivot-point for Amish population health research, for it provides a first-ever bibliometric mapping, allowing researchers to more easily locate their work within the literature and identify opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations.
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Akram F, Gragnoli C, Raheja UK, Snitker S, Lowry CA, Sterns-Yoder KA, Hoisington AJ, Brenner LA, Saunders E, Stiller JW, Ryan KA, Rohan KJ, Mitchell BD, Postolache TT. Seasonal affective disorder and seasonal changes in weight and sleep duration are inversely associated with plasma adiponectin levels. J Psychiatr Res 2020; 122:97-104. [PMID: 31981963 PMCID: PMC7024547 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2019.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2019] [Revised: 12/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Overlapping pathways between mood and metabolic regulation have increasingly been reported. Although impaired regulation of adiponectin, a major metabolism-regulating hormone, has been implicated in major depressive disorder, its role in seasonal changes in mood and seasonal affective disorder-winter type (SAD), a disorder characterized by onset of mood impairment and metabolic dysregulation (e.g., carbohydrate craving and weight gain) in fall/winter and spontaneous alleviation in spring/summer, has not been previously studied. We studied a convenience sample of 636 Old Order Amish (mean (± SD), 53.6 (±14.8) years; 50.1% males), a population with self-imposed restriction on network electric light at home, and low prevalence of total SAD (t-SAD = syndromal + subsyndromal). We calculated the global seasonality score (GSS), estimated SAD and subsyndromal-SAD after obtaining Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaires (SPAQs), and measured overnight fasting plasma adiponectin levels. We then tested associations between plasma adiponectin levels and GSS, t-SAD, winter-summer difference in self-reported sleep duration, and self-reported seasonal weight change, by using analysis of co-variance (ANCOVA) and linear regression analysis after adjusting for age, gender, and BMI. Participants with t-SAD (N = 14; 2.2%) had significantly lower plasma adiponectin levels (mean ± SEM, 8.76 ± 1.56 μg/mL) than those without t-SAD (mean ± SEM, 11.93 ± 0.22 μg/mL) (p = 0.035). In addition, there was significant negative association between adiponectin levels and winter-summer difference in self-reported sleep duration (p = 0.025) and between adiponectin levels and self-reported seasonal change in weight (p = 0.006). There was no significant association between GSS and adiponectin levels (p = 0.88). To our knowledge, this is the first study testing the association of SAD with adiponectin levels. Replication and extension of our findings longitudinally and, then, interventionally, may implicate low adiponectin as a novel target for therapeutic intervention in SAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faisal Akram
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,Saint Elizabeths Hospital, DC Department of Behavioral Health, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Claudia Gragnoli
- Division of Endocrinology, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA,Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA,Molecular Biology Laboratory, Bios Biotech Multi-Diagnostic Health Center, Rome, Italy
| | - Uttam K. Raheja
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,Saint Elizabeths Hospital, DC Department of Behavioral Health, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Soren Snitker
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,Amish Research Clinic of the University of Maryland, Lancaster, PA, USA
| | - Christopher A. Lowry
- Veterans Health Administration, Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center (RMRVAMC), Aurora, CO, USA,Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA,Military and Veteran Microbiome: Consortium for Research and Education (MVM-CoRE), Aurora, CO, USA,Department of Integrative Physiology and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Kelly A. Sterns-Yoder
- Veterans Health Administration, Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center (RMRVAMC), Aurora, CO, USA,Military and Veteran Microbiome: Consortium for Research and Education (MVM-CoRE), Aurora, CO, USA,Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Andrew J. Hoisington
- Military and Veteran Microbiome: Consortium for Research and Education (MVM-CoRE), Aurora, CO, USA,Department of Systems Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, USA
| | - Lisa A. Brenner
- Veterans Health Administration, Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center (RMRVAMC), Aurora, CO, USA,Military and Veteran Microbiome: Consortium for Research and Education (MVM-CoRE), Aurora, CO, USA,Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA,Departments of Psychiatry & Neurology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Erika Saunders
- Department of Psychiatry, Penn State University, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - John W. Stiller
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,Saint Elizabeths Hospital, DC Department of Behavioral Health, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Kathleen A. Ryan
- Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,Geriatrics Research and Education Clinical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA,Baltimore Veterans Administration Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kelly J. Rohan
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
| | - Braxton D. Mitchell
- Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,Geriatrics Research and Education Clinical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA,Baltimore Veterans Administration Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Teodor T. Postolache
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,Saint Elizabeths Hospital, DC Department of Behavioral Health, Washington, DC, USA,Veterans Health Administration, Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center (RMRVAMC), Aurora, CO, USA,Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
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Akram F, Jennings TB, Stiller JW, Lowry CA, Postolache TT. Mood Worsening on Days with High Pollen Counts is associated with a Summer Pattern of Seasonality. Pteridines 2019; 30:133-141. [PMID: 31631951 PMCID: PMC6800045 DOI: 10.1515/pteridines-2019-0016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Summer/spring-type seasonal affective disorder (S-SAD) is the less common subtype of seasonal affective disorder and evidence regarding potential triggers of S-SAD is scarce. Recent reports support association of airborne-pollen with seasonal exacerbation of depression (mood seasonality) and timing of suicidal behavior. Therefore, we hypothesized that Old Order Amish (OOA) with summer/spring pattern of seasonality (abbreviated as summer pattern) and S-SAD will have significant mood worsening on high pollen days. Methods: A seasonal pattern of mood worsening and SAD parameters were estimated using Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). Age- and gender-adjusted ANCOVAs and post hoc analyses were conducted to compare mood worsening on days with high pollen counts between summer-pattern vs no-summer-pattern of mood worsening, S-SAD vs no-S-SAD, winter-pattern vs no-winter-pattern of mood worsening, and W-SAD vs no-W-SAD groups. Results: The prevalence of S-SAD was 0.4%, while 4.5% of individuals had a summer pattern of mood seasonality. A statistically significant difference for mood worsening on high pollen days was observed between summer-pattern vs no-summer-pattern of mood worsening (p = 0.006). The significant association between S-SAD vs no-SAD groups (p = 0.032) for mood worsening on high pollen days did not withstand Bonferroni adjustment for multiple comparisons. No significant association was found for winter-pattern vs no-winter-pattern of mood worsening (p = 0.61) and for W-SAD vs no-W-SAD (p = 0.19) groups. Conclusion: Our results are consistent with previous studies implicating links between aeroallergen exposure and summer pattern of seasonality, but not the winter pattern of seasonality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faisal Akram
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Tyler B Jennings
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - John W Stiller
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Christopher A Lowry
- Department of Integrative Physiology, Center for Neuroscience, and Center for Microbial Exploration, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, USA; Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Veterans Health Administration, Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center (RMRVAMC), Aurora, CO, 80045, USA; Military and Veteran Microbiome: Consortium for Research and Education (MVM-CoRE), Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Teodor T Postolache
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA; Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Psychiatry Residency Training Program, Washington, DC, 20032, USA; Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA; Veterans Health Administration, Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center (RMRVAMC), Aurora, CO, 80045, USA; Amish Research Clinic of the University of Maryland, Lancaster, PA, 17602, USA
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Mohyuddin H, Georgiou P, Wadhawan A, Daue ML, Brenner LA, Gragnoli C, Saunders EFH, Fuchs D, Lowry CA, Postolache TT. Seasonality of blood neopterin levels in the Old Order Amish. Pteridines 2017; 28:163-176. [PMID: 29657362 DOI: 10.1515/pterid-2017-0020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Seasonal changes in non-human animals and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in humans are associated with immune activation in winter relative to summer. We intended to measure seasonal variation in neopterin, a marker of cellular immunity, and its interactions with gender and seasonality of mood. We studied 320 Amish from Lancaster, PA, USA (men = 128; 40%) with an average age [Standard deviation (SD)] of 56.7 (13.9) years. Blood neopterin level was measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Seasonality was measured with Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). Statistical analysis included analysis of covariance (ANCOVAs) and multivariate linear regression. We also investigated interactions of seasonal differences in neopterin with gender, seasonality scores and estimation of SAD diagnosis. We found a significantly higher neopterin level in winter than in summer (p = 0.006). There were no significant gender or seasonality interactions. Our study confirmed the hypothesized higher neopterin level in winter. A cross sectional design was our major limitation. If this finding will be replicated by longitudinal studies in multiple groups, neopterin could be used to monitor immune status across seasons in demographically diverse samples, even if heterogeneous in gender distribution, and degree of seasonality of mood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hira Mohyuddin
- Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Polymnia Georgiou
- Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Abhishek Wadhawan
- Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; and Saint Elizabeths' Hospital, Psychiatry Residency Training Program, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Melanie L Daue
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Program for Personalized and Genomic Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; and Geriatrics Research and Education Clinical Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lisa A Brenner
- Departments of Psychiatry, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Neurology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA; Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 19, Denver, CO, USA; and Military and Veteran Microbiome Consortium for Research and Education (MVM-CoRE), Denver, CO, USA
| | - Claudia Gragnoli
- Division of Endocrinology, Translational Medicine, Department of Medicine, Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA; and Molecular Biology Laboratory, Bios Biotech Multi Diagnostic Health Center, Rome, Italy
| | - Erika F H Saunders
- Department of Psychiatry, Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Dietmar Fuchs
- Division of Biological Chemistry, Biocenter, Innsbruck Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Christopher A Lowry
- Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 19, Denver, CO, USA; Military and Veteran Microbiome Consortium for Research and Education (MVM-CoRE), Denver, CO, USA; Department of Integrative Physiology and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA; and Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Center for Neuroscience, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Teodor T Postolache
- Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 19, Military and Veteran Microbiome Consortium for Research and Education (MVM-CoRE), Denver, CO, USA; and Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 5, VA Capitol Health Care Network, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Zhang L, Evans DS, Raheja UK, Stephens SH, Stiller JW, Reeves G, Johnson M, Ryan KA, Weizel N, Vaswani D, McLain H, Shuldiner AR, Mitchell BD, Hsueh WC, Snitker S, Postolache TT. Chronotype and seasonality: morningness is associated with lower seasonal mood and behavior changes in the Old Order Amish. J Affect Disord 2015; 174:209-14. [PMID: 25527990 PMCID: PMC4356625 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2014.11.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2014] [Accepted: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Several studies documented that lower scores on the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) are associated with a higher global seasonality of mood (GSS). As for the Modern Man artificial lighting predominantly extends evening activity and exposure to light, and as evening bright light phase is known to delay circadian rhythms, this chronic exposure could potentially lead to both lower Morningness as well as higher GSS. The aim of the study was to investigate if the MEQ-GSS relationship holds in the Old Order Amish of Lancaster County, PA, a population that does not use network electrical light. METHODS 489 Old Order Amish adults (47.6% women), with average (SD) age of 49.7 (14.2) years, completed both the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) for the assessment of GSS, and MEQ. Associations between GSS scores and MEQ scores were analyzed using linear models, accounting for age, gender and relatedness by including the relationship matrix in the model as a random effect. RESULTS GSS was inversely associated with MEQ scores (p=0.006, adjusted). LIMITATIONS include a potential recall bias associated with self-report questionnaires and no actual light exposure measurements. CONCLUSION We confirmed the previously reported inverse association between MEQ scores and lower seasonality of mood, for the first time in a population that does not use home network electrical lighting. This result suggests that the association is not a byproduct of exposure to network electric light, and calls for additional research to investigate mechanisms by which Morningness is negatively associated with seasonality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Layan Zhang
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine,
Baltimore, MD, USA,Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Psychiatry Residency Training Program,
Washington, DC, USA
| | - Daniel S. Evans
- California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute, San Francisco,
CA, USA
| | - Uttam K. Raheja
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine,
Baltimore, MD, USA,Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Psychiatry Residency Training Program,
Washington, DC, USA
| | - Sarah H. Stephens
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of
Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - John W. Stiller
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine,
Baltimore, MD, USA,Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Psychiatry Residency Training Program,
Washington, DC, USA
| | - Gloria Reeves
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry & University of
Maryland Child and Adolescent Mental Health Innovations Center, University of
Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Mary Johnson
- Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences, University of
Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
| | - Kathleen A Ryan
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of
Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nancy Weizel
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry & University of
Maryland Child and Adolescent Mental Health Innovations Center, University of
Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Dipika Vaswani
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine,
Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hassan McLain
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine,
Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alan R. Shuldiner
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of
Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Braxton D. Mitchell
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of
Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Wen-Chi Hsueh
- Phoenix Epidemiology and Clinical Research Branch, NIDDK, National
Institutes of Health, Phoenix, AZ
| | - Soren Snitker
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of
Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Teodor T. Postolache
- Mood and Anxiety Program, University of Maryland School of Medicine,
Baltimore, MD, USA,VISN 5 Capitol Health Care Network Mental Illness Research Education
and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Baltimore, MD, USA and VISN 19 MIRECC, Denver,
Colorado, USA,Corresponding author at: University of Maryland School
of Medicine, Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, 685 West
Baltimore Street, MSTF Building Room 930, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA., Tel.:
+1 4107062323; fax: +1 4107060751.,
(T.T. Postolache)
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Byrne EM, Raheja U, Stephens SH, Heath AC, Madden PAF, Vaswani D, Nijjar GV, Ryan KA, Youssufi H, Gehrman PR, Shuldiner AR, Martin NG, Montgomery GW, Wray NR, Nelson EC, Mitchell BD, Postolache TT. Seasonality shows evidence for polygenic architecture and genetic correlation with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. J Clin Psychiatry 2015; 76:128-34. [PMID: 25562672 PMCID: PMC4527536 DOI: 10.4088/jcp.14m08981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2014] [Accepted: 08/29/2014] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To test common genetic variants for association with seasonality (seasonal changes in mood and behavior) and to investigate whether there are shared genetic risk factors between psychiatric disorders and seasonality. METHOD Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) were conducted in Australian (between 1988 and 1990 and between 2010 and 2013) and Amish (between May 2010 and December 2011) samples in whom the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) had been administered, and the results were meta-analyzed in a total sample of 4,156 individuals. Genetic risk scores based on results from prior large GWAS studies of bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), and schizophrenia were calculated to test for overlap in risk between psychiatric disorders and seasonality. RESULTS The most significant association was with rs11825064 (P = 1.7 × 10⁻⁶, β = 0.64, standard error = 0.13), an intergenic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) found on chromosome 11. The evidence for overlap in risk factors was strongest for schizophrenia and seasonality, with the schizophrenia genetic profile scores explaining 3% of the variance in log-transformed global seasonality scores. Bipolar disorder genetic profile scores were also associated with seasonality, although at much weaker levels (minimum P value = 3.4 × 10⁻³), and no evidence for overlap in risk was detected between MDD and seasonality. CONCLUSIONS Common SNPs of large effect most likely do not exist for seasonality in the populations examined. As expected, there were overlapping genetic risk factors for bipolar disorder (but not MDD) with seasonality. Unexpectedly, the risk for schizophrenia and seasonality had the largest overlap, an unprecedented finding that requires replication in other populations and has potential clinical implications considering overlapping cognitive deficits in seasonal affective disorders and schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enda M Byrne
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Brain Institute, Upland Rd, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Uttam Raheja
- Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA,Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Psychiatry Residency Training Program, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Sarah H. Stephens
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Andrew C Heath
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St.Louis, MO, USA
| | - Pamela AF Madden
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St.Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Dipika Vaswani
- Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Gagan V. Nijjar
- Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA,Department of Psychiatry, Kaiser Permanente, Santa Rosa CA
| | - Kathleen A. Ryan
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Hassaan Youssufi
- Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Philip R Gehrman
- Behavioral Sleep Medicine Program, Department of Psychiatry & Penn Sleep Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Alan R Shuldiner
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,Geriatric Research and Education Clinical Center, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nicholas G Martin
- Queensland Institute of Medical Research, 300 Herston Road, Herston, QLD 4029
| | - Grant W Montgomery
- Queensland Institute of Medical Research, 300 Herston Road, Herston, QLD 4029
| | - Naomi R Wray
- The University of Queensland, Queensland Brain Institute, St. Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Elliot C Nelson
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University, St.Louis, MO, USA
| | - Braxton D Mitchell
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,Geriatric Research and Education Clinical Center, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Teodor T Postolache
- Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA,Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Psychiatry Residency Training Program, Washington, DC, USA,Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry & University of Maryland Child and Adolescent Mental Health Innovations Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA,National Center for the Treatment of Phobias, Anxiety and Depression, Washington, DC, USA
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8
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Raheja UK, Stephens SH, Mitchell BD, Rohan KJ, Vaswani D, Balis TG, Nijjar GV, Sleemi A, Pollin TI, Ryan K, Reeves GM, Weitzel N, Morrissey M, Yousufi H, Langenberg P, Shuldiner AR, Postolache TT. Seasonality of mood and behavior in the Old Order Amish. J Affect Disord 2013; 147:112-7. [PMID: 23164460 PMCID: PMC3606685 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2012.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2012] [Accepted: 10/23/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE We examined seasonality and winter seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in the Old Order Amish of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, a unique population that prohibits use of network electric light in their homes. METHODS We estimated SAD using the seasonal pattern assessment questionnaire (SPAQ) in 1306 Amish adults and compared the frequencies of SAD and total SAD (i.e., presence of either SAD or subsyndromal-SAD) between men and women, young and old, and awareness of (ever vs. never heard about) SAD. Heritability of global seasonality score (GSS) was estimated using the maximum likelihood method, including a household effect to capture shared environmental effects. RESULTS The mean (±SD) GSS was 4.36 (±3.38). Prevalence was 0.84% (95% CI: 0.36-1.58) for SAD and 2.59% (95% CI: 1.69-3.73) for total SAD. Heritability of GSS was 0.14±0.06 (SE) (p=0.002) after adjusting for age, gender, and household effects. LIMITATIONS Limitations include likely overestimation of the rates of SAD by SPAQ, possible selection bias and recall bias, and limited generalizability of the study. CONCLUSIONS In the Amish, GSS and SAD prevalence were lower than observed in earlier SPAQ-based studies in other predominantly Caucasian populations. Low heritability of SAD suggests dominant environmental effects. The effects of awareness, age and gender on SAD risk were similar as in previous studies. Identifying factors of resilience to SAD in the face of seasonal changes in the Amish could suggest novel preventative and therapeutic approaches to reduce the impact of SAD in the general population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uttam K Raheja
- Mood and Anxiety Program, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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