Multi-omic characterization of brain changes in the vascular endothelial growth factor family during aging and Alzheimer's disease

The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling family has been implicated in neuroprotection and clinical progression in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previous work in postmortem human dorsolateral prefrontal cortex demonstrated that higher transcript levels of VEGFB, PGF, FLT1, and FLT4 are associated with AD dementia, worse cognitive outcomes, and higher AD neuropathology. To expand prior work, we leveraged bulk RNA sequencing data, single nucleus RNA (snRNA) sequencing, and both tandem mass tag and selected reaction monitoring mass spectrometry proteomic measures from the post-mortem brain. Outcomes included AD diagnosis, cognition, and AD neuropathology. We replicated previously reported VEGFB and FLT1 results, whereby higher expression was associated with worse outcomes, and snRNA results suggest microglia, oligodendrocytes, and endothelia may play a central role in these associations. Additionally, FLT4 and NRP2 expression were associated with better cognitive outcomes. This study provides a comprehensive molecular picture of the VEGF signaling family in cognitive aging and AD and critical insight towards the biomarker and therapeutic potential of VEGF family members in AD.

RNASE6 is a novel modifier of APOE-ε4 effects on cognition

Apolipoprotein E4 (APOE-ε4), the strongest common genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), contributes to worse cognition in older adults. However, many APOE-ε4 carriers remain cognitively normal throughout life, suggesting that neuroprotective factors may be present in these individuals. In this study, we leverage whole-blood RNA sequencing (RNAseq) from 324 older adults to identify genetic modifiers of APOE-ε4 effects on cognition. Expression of RNASE6 interacted with APOE-ε4 status (p = 4.35 × 10^-8) whereby higher RNASE6 expression was associated with worse memory at baseline among APOE-ε4 carriers. This interaction was replicated using RNAseq data from the prefrontal cortex in an independent dataset (N = 535; p = 0.002), suggesting the peripheral effect of RNASE6 is also present in brain tissue. RNASE6 encodes an antimicrobial peptide involved in innate immune response and has been previously observed in a gene co-expression network module with other AD-related inflammatory genes, including TREM2 and MS4A. Together, these data implicate neuroinflammation in cognitive decline, and suggest that innate immune signaling may be detectable in blood and confer differential susceptibility to AD depending on APOE-ε4.

Sex differences in the genetic architecture of cognitive resilience to Alzheimer's disease

Approximately 30% of elderly adults are cognitively unimpaired at time of death despite the presence of Alzheimer's disease neuropathology at autopsy. Studying individuals who are resilient to the cognitive consequences of Alzheimer's disease neuropathology may uncover novel therapeutic targets to treat Alzheimer's disease. It is well established that there are sex differences in response to Alzheimer's disease pathology, and growing evidence suggests that genetic factors may contribute to these differences. Taken together, we sought to elucidate sex-specific genetic drivers of resilience. We extended our recent large scale genomic analysis of resilience in which we harmonized cognitive data across four cohorts of cognitive ageing, in vivo amyloid PET across two cohorts, and autopsy measures of amyloid neuritic plaque burden across two cohorts. These data were leveraged to build robust, continuous resilience phenotypes. With these phenotypes, we performed sex-stratified [n (males) = 2093, n (females) = 2931] and sex-interaction [n (both sexes) = 5024] genome-wide association studies (GWAS), gene and pathway-based tests, and genetic correlation analyses to clarify the variants, genes and molecular pathways that relate to resilience in a sex-specific manner. Estimated among cognitively normal individuals of both sexes, resilience was 20-25% heritable, and when estimated in either sex among cognitively normal individuals, resilience was 15-44% heritable. In our GWAS, we identified a female-specific locus on chromosome 10 [rs827389, β (females) = 0.08, P (females) = 5.76 × 10-09, β (males) = -0.01, P(males) = 0.70, β (interaction) = 0.09, P (interaction) = 1.01 × 10-04] in which the minor allele was associated with higher resilience scores among females. This locus is located within chromatin loops that interact with promoters of genes involved in RNA processing, including GATA3. Finally, our genetic correlation analyses revealed shared genetic architecture between resilience phenotypes and other complex traits, including a female-specific association with frontotemporal dementia and male-specific associations with heart rate variability traits. We also observed opposing associations between sexes for multiple sclerosis, such that more resilient females had a lower genetic susceptibility to multiple sclerosis, and more resilient males had a higher genetic susceptibility to multiple sclerosis. Overall, we identified sex differences in the genetic architecture of resilience, identified a female-specific resilience locus and highlighted numerous sex-specific molecular pathways that may underly resilience to Alzheimer's disease pathology. This study illustrates the need to conduct sex-aware genomic analyses to identify novel targets that are unidentified in sex-agnostic models. Our findings support the theory that the most successful treatment for an individual with Alzheimer's disease may be personalized based on their biological sex and genetic context.

Exploring common genetic contributors to neuroprotection from amyloid pathology

Preclinical Alzheimer's disease describes some individuals who harbour Alzheimer's pathologies but are asymptomatic. For this study, we hypothesized that genetic variation may help protect some individuals from Alzheimer's-related neurodegeneration. We therefore conducted a genome-wide association study using 5 891 064 common variants to assess whether genetic variation modifies the association between baseline beta-amyloid, as measured by both cerebrospinal fluid and positron emission tomography, and neurodegeneration defined using MRI measures of hippocampal volume. We combined and jointly analysed genotype, biomarker and neuroimaging data from non-Hispanic white individuals who were enrolled in four longitudinal ageing studies (n = 1065). Using regression models, we examined the interaction between common genetic variants (Minor Allele Frequency >0.01), including APOE-ɛ4 and APOE-ɛ2, and baseline cerebrospinal levels of amyloid (CSF Aβ42) on baseline hippocampal volume and the longitudinal rate of hippocampal atrophy. For targeted replication of top findings, we analysed an independent dataset (n = 808) where amyloid burden was assessed by Pittsburgh Compound B ([11C]-PiB) positron emission tomography. In this study, we found that APOE-ɛ4 modified the association between baseline CSF Aβ42 and hippocampal volume such that APOE-ɛ4 carriers showed more rapid atrophy, particularly in the presence of enhanced amyloidosis. We also identified a novel locus on chromosome 3 that interacted with baseline CSF Aβ42. Minor allele carriers of rs62263260, an expression quantitative trait locus for the SEMA5B gene (P = 1.46 × 10-8; 3:122675327) had more rapid neurodegeneration when amyloid burden was high and slower neurodegeneration when amyloid was low. The rs62263260 × amyloid interaction on longitudinal change in hippocampal volume was replicated in an independent dataset (P = 0.0112) where amyloid burden was assessed by positron emission tomography. In addition to supporting the established interaction between APOE and amyloid on neurodegeneration, our study identifies a novel locus that modifies the association between beta-amyloid and hippocampal atrophy. Annotation results may implicate SEMA5B, a gene involved in synaptic pruning and axonal guidance, as a high-quality candidate for functional confirmation and future mechanistic analysis.

Modular Synthesis of Peptide-Based Single- and Multimodal Targeted Molecular Imaging Agents

A practical, modular synthesis of targeted molecular imaging agents (TMIAs) containing near-infrared dyes for optical molecular imaging (OMI) or chelated metals for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and single-photon emission correlation tomography (SPECT) or positron emission tomography (PET) has been developed. In the method, imaging modules are formed early in the synthesis by attaching imaging agents to the side chain of protected lysines. These modules may be assembled to provide a given set of single- or dual-modal imaging agents, which may be conjugated in the last steps of the synthesis under mild conditions to linkers and targeting groups. A key discovery was the ability of a metal such as gadolinium, useful in MRI, to serve as a protecting group for the chelator, 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA). It was further discovered that two lanthanide metals, La and Ce, can double as protecting groups and placeholder metals, which may be transmetalated under mild conditions by metals used for PET in the final step. The modular method enabled the synthesis of discrete targeted probes with two of the same or different dyes, two same or different metals, or mixtures of dyes and metals. The approach was exemplified by the synthesis of single- or dual-modal imaging modules for MRI-OMI, PET-OMI, and PET-MRI, followed by conjugation to the integrin-seeking peptide, c(RGDyK). For Gd modules, their efficacy for MRI was verified by measuring the NMR spin-lattice relaxivity. To validate functional imaging of TMIAs, dual-modal agents containing Cy5.5 were shown to target A549 cancer cells by confocal fluorescence microscopy.

Inclusion of African American/Black adults in a pilot brain proteomics study of Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) disproportionately affects certain racial and ethnic subgroups, such as African American/Black and Hispanic adults. Genetic, comorbid, and socioeconomic risk factors contribute to this disparity; however, the molecular contributions have been largely unexplored. Herein, we conducted a pilot proteomics study of postmortem brains from African American/Black and non-Hispanic White adults neuropathologically diagnosed with AD compared to closely-matched cognitively normal individuals. Examination of hippocampus, inferior parietal lobule, and globus pallidus regions using quantitative proteomics resulted in 568 differentially-expressed proteins in AD. These proteins were consistent with the literature and included glial fibrillary acidic protein, peroxiredoxin-1, and annexin A5. In addition, 351 novel proteins in AD were identified, which could partially be due to cohort diversity. From linear regression analyses, we identified 185 proteins with significant race x diagnosis interactions across various brain regions. These differences generally were reflective of differential expression of proteins in AD that occurred in only a single racial/ethnic group. Overall, this pilot study suggests that disease understanding can be furthered by including diversity in racial/ethnic groups; however, this must be done on a larger scale.

Association Between Common Variants in RBFOX1, an RNA-Binding Protein, and Brain Amyloidosis in Early and Preclinical Alzheimer Disease

Importance

Genetic studies of Alzheimer disease have focused on the clinical or pathologic diagnosis as the primary outcome, but little is known about the genetic basis of the preclinical phase of the disease.

Objective

To examine the underlying genetic basis for brain amyloidosis in the preclinical phase of Alzheimer disease.

Design, Setting, and Participants

In the first stage of this genetic association study, a meta-analysis was conducted using genetic and imaging data acquired from 6 multicenter cohort studies of healthy older individuals between 1994 and 2019: the Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer Disease Study, the Berkeley Aging Cohort Study, the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimer's Prevention, the Biomarkers of Cognitive Decline Among Normal Individuals cohort, the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, and the Alzheimer Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, which included Alzheimer disease and mild cognitive impairment. The second stage was designed to validate genetic observations using pathologic and clinical data from the Religious Orders Study and Rush Memory and Aging Project. Participants older than 50 years with amyloid positron emission tomographic (PET) imaging data and DNA from the 6 cohorts were included. The largest cohort, the Anti-Amyloid Treatment in Asymptomatic Alzheimer Disease Study (n = 3154), was the PET screening cohort used for a secondary prevention trial designed to slow cognitive decline associated with brain amyloidosis. Six smaller, longitudinal cohort studies (n = 1160) provided additional amyloid PET imaging data with existing genetic data. The present study was conducted from March 29, 2019, to February 19, 2020.

Main Outcomes and Measures

A genome-wide association study of PET imaging amyloid levels.

Results

From the 4314 analyzed participants (age, 52-96 years; 2478 participants [57%] were women), a novel locus for amyloidosis was noted within RBFOX1 (β = 0.61, P = 3 × 10-9) in addition to APOE. The RBFOX1 protein localized around plaques, and reduced expression of RBFOX1 was correlated with higher amyloid-β burden (β = -0.008, P = .002) and worse cognition (β = 0.007, P = .006) during life in the Religious Orders Study and Rush Memory and Aging Project cohort.

Conclusions and Relevance

RBFOX1 encodes a neuronal RNA-binding protein known to be expressed in neuronal tissues and may play a role in neuronal development. The findings of this study suggest that RBFOX1 is a novel locus that may be involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer disease.

Cross-Species Analyses Identify Dlgap2 as a Regulator of Age-Related Cognitive Decline and Alzheimer's Dementia

Genetic mechanisms underlying age-related cognitive decline and dementia remain poorly understood. Here, we take advantage of the Diversity Outbred mouse population to utilize quantitative trait loci mapping and identify Dlgap2 as a positional candidate responsible for modifying working memory decline. To evaluate the translational relevance of this finding, we utilize longitudinal cognitive measures from human patients, RNA expression from post-mortem brain tissue, data from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of Alzheimer's dementia (AD), and GWAS results in African Americans. We find an association between Dlgap2 and AD phenotypes at the variant, gene and protein expression, and methylation levels. Lower cortical DLGAP2 expression is observed in AD and is associated with more plaques and tangles at autopsy and faster cognitive decline. Results will inform future studies aimed at investigating the cross-species role of Dlgap2 in regulating cognitive decline and highlight the benefit of using genetically diverse mice to prioritize novel candidates.

Genetic variants and functional pathways associated with resilience to Alzheimer's disease

Approximately 30% of older adults exhibit the neuropathological features of Alzheimer's disease without signs of cognitive impairment. Yet, little is known about the genetic factors that allow these potentially resilient individuals to remain cognitively unimpaired in the face of substantial neuropathology. We performed a large, genome-wide association study (GWAS) of two previously validated metrics of cognitive resilience quantified using a latent variable modelling approach and representing better-than-predicted cognitive performance for a given level of neuropathology. Data were harmonized across 5108 participants from a clinical trial of Alzheimer's disease and three longitudinal cohort studies of cognitive ageing. All analyses were run across all participants and repeated restricting the sample to individuals with unimpaired cognition to identify variants at the earliest stages of disease. As expected, all resilience metrics were genetically correlated with cognitive performance and education attainment traits (P-values < 2.5 × 10-20), and we observed novel correlations with neuropsychiatric conditions (P-values < 7.9 × 10-4). Notably, neither resilience metric was genetically correlated with clinical Alzheimer's disease (P-values > 0.42) nor associated with APOE (P-values > 0.13). In single variant analyses, we observed a genome-wide significant locus among participants with unimpaired cognition on chromosome 18 upstream of ATP8B1 (index single nucleotide polymorphism rs2571244, minor allele frequency = 0.08, P = 2.3 × 10-8). The top variant at this locus (rs2571244) was significantly associated with methylation in prefrontal cortex tissue at multiple CpG sites, including one just upstream of ATPB81 (cg19596477; P = 2 × 10-13). Overall, this comprehensive genetic analysis of resilience implicates a putative role of vascular risk, metabolism, and mental health in protection from the cognitive consequences of neuropathology, while also providing evidence for a novel resilience gene along the bile acid metabolism pathway. Furthermore, the genetic architecture of resilience appears to be distinct from that of clinical Alzheimer's disease, suggesting that a shift in focus to molecular contributors to resilience may identify novel pathways for therapeutic targets.

Pentamethine sulfobenzoindocyanine dyes with low net charge states and high photostability

A series of Cy5.5 dye analogs and targeted probes with net charges varied from -3 to 0 were synthesized by an optimized method, followed by comparing their spectral and photostability properties in saturated solutions of air, oxygen, and argon. The Cy5.5 analogs with reduced charge were relatively stable when irridated at their excitation maxima, with a trend of higher stability with lower net charge states. The photostability of dyes was markedly lower in pure oxygen and higher in inert argon relative to ambient atmospheric conditions. The stability of c(RGDyK) conjugates as models of targeted molecular imaging agents mirrored these results and demonstrated the practical utility of the new family of Cy5.5 fluorophores.

Telomere length associations with cognition depend on Alzheimer's disease biomarkers

Introduction

While telomere shortening, a marker of cellular aging, may impact the progression of age-related neurodegenerative diseases, its association with cognition is unclear, particularly in the context of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology.

Methods

Telomere, cognitive, and CSF data from 482 participants in the AD Neuroimaging Initiative (148 cognitively normal, 283 mild cognitive impairment, 51 AD) was leveraged to assess telomere length associations with cognition (measured by memory and executive function) and interactions with CSF amyloid-β, tau, and APOE -ε4. Secondary analyses assessed brain volume and thickness outcomes.

Results

Longer telomeres at baseline were associated with faster executive function decline. Amyloid-β and tau interacted with telomere length on cognition, with longer telomeres related to faster decline among biomarker-positive individuals.

Discussion

Telomere associations with cognition shift with AD progression, with longer telomeres related to worse outcomes as pathology increases, highlighting the need for further investigation of telomere length along the AD neuropathological cascade.

Beyond Suction-Feeding Fishes: Identifying New Approaches to Performance Integration During Prey Capture in Aquatic Vertebrates

Organisms are composed of hierarchically arranged component parts that must work together to successfully achieve whole organism functions. In addition to integration among individual parts, some ecological demands require functional systems to work together in a type of inter-system performance integration. While performance can be measured by the ability to successfully accomplish ecologically relevant tasks, integration across performance traits can provide a deeper understanding of how these traits allow an organism to survive. The ability to move and the ability to consume food are essential to life, but during prey capture these two functions are typically integrated. Suction-feeding fishes have been used as a model of these interactions, but it is unclear how other ecologically relevant scenarios might reduce or change integration. To stimulate further research into these ideas, we highlight three contexts with the potential to result in changes in integration and underlying performance traits: (1) behavioral flexibility in aquatic feeding modes for capturing alternative prey types, (2) changes in the physical demands imposed by prey capture across environments, and (3) secondary adaptation for suction prey capture behaviors. These examples provide a broad scope of potential drivers of integration that are relevant to selection pressures experienced across vertebrate evolution. To demonstrate how these ideas can be applied and stimulate hypotheses, we provide observations from preliminary analyses of locally adapted populations of Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) capturing prey using suction and biting feeding strategies and an Atlantic mudskipper (Periophthalmus barbarus) capturing prey above and below water. We also include a re-analysis of published data from two species of secondarily aquatic cetaceans, beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) and Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens), to examine the potential for secondary adaptation to affect integration in suction prey capture behaviors. Each of these examples support the broad importance of integration between locomotor and feeding performance but outline new ways that these relationships can be important when suction demands are reduced or altered. Future work in these areas will yield promising insights into vertebrate evolution and we hope to encourage further discussion on possible avenues of research on functional integration during prey capture.

Patient activation measures in a government homeopathic hospital in India

The American Patient Activation Measure-22 questionnaire (PAM-22) quantifies the knowledge, skills, and confidence essential to manage own health and health care. It is a central concept in chronic illness care models, but studied sparsely in homeopathic hospitals. PAM-22 was translated into Bengali and a cross-sectional study was undertaken in chronically ill 417 patients visiting the outpatient clinic of Mahesh Bhattacharyya Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, India. Response rate was 90.41%. Data were analyzed using Rasch rating scale model with Winsteps. Activation score was 54.7 ± 8.04 or 62.13% of maximum score. PAM scores differed significantly by age, education, income, and health status (P < .05). The items had good data quality fit statistics and good range of difficulty. The construct unidimensionality was confirmed by good model fits for Rasch model and principal component analysis of residuals found no meaning structure. The questionnaire showed acceptable psychometrics. Patient activation was moderate and needs to be improved.

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and digit ratios in a college sample

Diagnosticians recognize three subtypes of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) if there are developmentally inappropriate levels (six or more symptoms) of Hyperactive-Impulsive behavior, or Inattentive behavior, or both (Combined), respectively. ADHD may partly reflect androgen dysfunction, and an arguable proxy for prenatal androgen exposure is the 2D:4D finger ratio set at least as early as week 9 in the fetus; this is lower in men than in women. We examined the relationship between digit ratios and ADHD symptoms representing the three phenotypes: ADHD/Combined as measured by "summarized" (Rasched) scales, i.e., 1) the short version of the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) and a total symptom list derived from the DSM IV, and the subdivided DSM IV into 2) ADHD/Inattentive and 3) ADHD/Hyperactive-Impulsive inventories, in a sample of European-descent college students (135 female, 52 male) not selected for ADHD. All digit ratios were calculated excluding the thumb. There were significant sex differences for the 2D:4D digit ratios of both hands (RH and LH), and between the RH 3D:4D and between the LH 2D:3D ratio. In females, the more masculine the LH 2D:4D ratio, the more the ADHD/Combined symptoms (both WURS and DSM) and the more the ADHD/Inattentive symptoms and ADHD/Hyperactive-Impulsive symptoms. More masculine ratios also correlated between the total WURS and RH 2D:3D, RH 2D:4D, and LH 2D:3D; and between the inattentive DSM symptoms and LH 2D:5D, and between the ADHD/Hyperactive and Impulsive symptoms and RH 3D:4D.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and fluctuating asymmetry in another college sample

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) represents a developmental lag that may be reflected in fluctuating asymmetry (FA), i.e., differences from perfect symmetry in traits that display bilateral symmetry. Burton et al. (2003 Am. J. Hum. Biol. 15:601-619) found a statistical trend for FA to increase (as dermatoglyphic index or as total index) as the behavioral measure for AD/HDness (Rasch logit values derived from the Wender Utah Rating Scale, or WURS) increased in males but not in females. The objective here was to do a similar study in an independently collected sample of college students (n = 222; 61 male, 161 female) not selected for AD/HD, looking at FA vs. symptoms for AD/HD based on Rasch versions of responses to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM IV) (Barkley and Murphy 1998 Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, New York: Guilford Press, p. 95-96) and the more comparable shortened WURS. FAs were lowest for body and ear height, and highest for eye width and nose width, and ranged from 0.01 +/- 0.001 (mean +/- SE) for foot and ankle widths to 0.13 +/- 0.01 in eye and nose widths for both sexes; the sexes did not differ significantly. Males displayed higher AD/HD symptom rates overall. There was a significant correlation between body FA and the WURS measure in females after Bonferroni correction (P = 0.002, r(2) = 0.058). Thus, AD/HD symptoms levels increased with an increase in body FA in female college students not selected for AD/HD.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) and fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in a college sample: an exploratory study

Departures from normal development can be partly assessed by measuring fluctuating asymmetry (FA), that is, differences from perfect symmetry in traits that display bilateral symmetry. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), one of the most common psychiatric conditions, is diagnosed if there are developmentally inappropriate levels of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. The objective here is to measure whether AD/HD behaviors positively correlate with FA in head, hands, and fingerprints of a sample of college students (n = 176, 57 male, 119 female) not selected for AD/HD. FA was measured as the absolute value of the difference between right and left sides divided by group mean trait size. Average FAs (mean, SE) were lowest for finger lengths (e.g., male, 3rd, 0.011 +/- 0.001; female, 3rd, 0.012 +/- 0.001) and highest for digit ridge counts (e.g., male, 5th, 0.075 +/- 0.007; female, 2nd, 0.069 +/- 0.005). Average FAs were similar between the sexes and only one facial measure and the facial index (summed FAs) differed significantly between the sexes (F > M). The scores for measures of the adult AD/HD behavioral assessment instrument, the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) were high overall in this sample and males exhibited higher rates of symptoms than females. A Rasch measurement model analysis of individual responses to the WURS produced a true interval score for each person that is a measure of individual "AD/HDness." FA indices were then regressed on Rasch scores. A univariate analysis of all the variables demonstrated a significant interaction of sex. Hand, Dermatoglyphic, Face, and Total Indices were then regressed by sex on the Rasch values of "AD/HDness." Only in males was there a trend for the Dermatoglyphic Index (F(1,55) = 3.627, P = 0.062) and Total Index (F(1,55) = 3.811, P = 0.056) to increase as AD/HDness increases.

Psychosocial and demographic correlates of temporomandibular disorders and related symptoms: an assessment of community and clinical findings

This study investigated the factor structure and relative prevalence of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptoms, in relation to demographic and psychosocial variables in a community sample. Two empirically distinct clusters of TMD symptoms were identified. Similar to reports of TMD clinic patients, more symptoms were reported by females than males and the greatest symptom prevalence was found in subjects between the ages of 30 and 49 years. Further, the number of symptoms reported was significantly and linearly related to scores on depression and repression-sensitization scales. These relationships, however, were similar for both sets of symptom composites even though one composite is clearly identifiable as the core TMD symptoms and the second composite consists of peripheral symptoms. Since the two symptom composites share some common variance, the relationship between demographic and psychosocial characteristics and the number of composite I and composite II symptoms was examined while controlling for the presence of symptoms from the other composite. When controlling for the presence of composite II symptoms, the correlations between psychosocial and demographic characteristics and composite I symptoms are small. When the presence of composite I symptoms is controlled there is little change in the magnitude of the correlations between psychosocial and demographic characteristics and composite II symptoms. It is concluded that the psychosocial profile described in clinical research is actually more characteristic of individuals with pain/dysfunction symptoms other than the classic TMD symptoms and that the relationship between core TMD symptoms (composite I) is largely spurious. It is suggested that this psychosocial profile of TMD patients may have developed through associating certain psychosocial characteristics with TMD while such characteristics are actually present in TMD clinic patients because of the covariation of the two symptom composites in individuals seeking treatment in TMD clinics.

Correspondence between subjective report of temporomandibular disorder symptoms and clinical findings

Correspondence between subjective reports of temporomandibular disorder symptoms and clinical findings was examined in 65 volunteers. Significant relationships showed that the greater the number of reported symptoms, the greater the likelihood that positive signs would be found during examination. The symptom survey questionnaires served as a valid method for screening patients for temporomandibular disorder-related signs.

Trends in attitudes toward abortion: 1972-1976

Trends in attitudes toward abortion are examined over the 1972-1976 period. While an overall tendency of more liberal attitudes is noted, important differences over time are apparent by gender, education, occupational prestige, and religiosity.

The dimensionality of body-cathexis

In an exploratory examination of the dimensionality of body perception in terms of satisfaction with body aspects, a principal components analysis was performed on data from 226 male and female college students. Results indicate that the complex of body aspects can be discussed in terms of a relatively small number of dimensions. The variable content of the factors is interpreted as suggesting the perceptual grouping of body aspects, and in this regard the similarities and differences between males and females are discussed and related to previous research on body-cathexis.