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Zillich L, Cetin M, Hummel EM, Poisel E, Fries GR, Frank J, Streit F, Foo JC, Sirignano L, Friske MM, Lenz B, Hoffmann S, Adorjan K, Kiefer F, Bakalkin G, Hansson AC, Lohoff FW, Kärkkäinen O, Kok E, Karhunen PJ, Sutherland GT, Walss-Bass C, Spanagel R, Rietschel M, Moser DA, Witt SH. Biological aging markers in blood and brain tissue indicate age acceleration in alcohol use disorder. ALCOHOL, CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 48:250-259. [PMID: 38276909 PMCID: PMC10922212 DOI: 10.1111/acer.15241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is associated with increased mortality and morbidity risk. A reason for this could be accelerated biological aging, which is strongly influenced by disease processes such as inflammation. As recent studies of AUD show changes in DNA methylation and gene expression in neuroinflammation-related pathways in the brain, biological aging represents a potentially important construct for understanding the adverse effects of substance use disorders. Epigenetic clocks have shown accelerated aging in blood samples from individuals with AUD. However, no systematic evaluation of biological age measures in AUD across different tissues and brain regions has been undertaken. METHODS As markers of biological aging (BioAge markers), we assessed Levine's and Horvath's epigenetic clocks, DNA methylation telomere length (DNAmTL), telomere length (TL), and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) in postmortem brain samples from Brodmann Area 9 (BA9), caudate nucleus, and ventral striatum (N = 63-94), and in whole blood samples (N = 179) of individuals with and without AUD. To evaluate the association between AUD status and BioAge markers, we performed linear regression analyses while adjusting for covariates. RESULTS The majority of BioAge markers were significantly associated with chronological age in all samples. Levine's epigenetic clock and DNAmTL were indicative of accelerated biological aging in AUD in BA9 and whole blood samples, while Horvath's showed the opposite effect in BA9. No significant association of AUD with TL and mtDNAcn was detected. Measured TL and DNAmTL showed only small correlations in blood and none in brain. CONCLUSIONS The present study is the first to simultaneously investigate epigenetic clocks, telomere length, and mtDNAcn in postmortem brain and whole blood samples in individuals with AUD. We found evidence for accelerated biological aging in AUD in blood and brain, as measured by Levine's epigenetic clock, and DNAmTL. Additional studies of different tissues from the same individuals are needed to draw valid conclusions about the congruence of biological aging in blood and brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Zillich
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Section on Clinical Genomics and Experimental Therapeutics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Metin Cetin
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Elisabeth M. Hummel
- Department of Genetic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Eric Poisel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Gabriel R. Fries
- Louis A. Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Josef Frank
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Fabian Streit
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Jerome C. Foo
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Lea Sirignano
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Marion M. Friske
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Bernd Lenz
- Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Sabine Hoffmann
- Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Kristina Adorjan
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Psychiatric Phenomics and Genomics, University Hospital, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Falk Kiefer
- Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Georgy Bakalkin
- Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Anita C. Hansson
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Falk W. Lohoff
- Section on Clinical Genomics and Experimental Therapeutics, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Olli Kärkkäinen
- School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Eloise Kok
- Department of Pathology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland and HUS Diagnostic Center, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Pekka J. Karhunen
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
- Fimlab Laboratories Ltd., Pirkanmaa Hospital District, and Finnish Cardiovascular Research Centre Tampere, Tampere, Finland
| | - Greg T Sutherland
- Charles Perkins Centre and School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Consuelo Walss-Bass
- Louis A. Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Rainer Spanagel
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Marcella Rietschel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Dirk A. Moser
- Department of Genetic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr Universität Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Stephanie H. Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
- Center for Innovative Psychiatric and Psychotherapeutic Research, Biobank, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
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Rothmann LM, Tondo LP, Borelli WV, Esper NB, Portolan ET, Franco AR, Portuguez MW, Ferreira PE, Bittencourt AML, Soder RB, Viola TW, da Costa JC, Grassi-Oliveira R. The cortical thickness of tricenarian cocaine users assembles features of an octogenarian brain. J Neurosci Res 2024; 102:e25287. [PMID: 38284862 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25287] [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: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
It has been suggested that substance use disorders could lead to accelerated biological aging, but only a few neuroimaging studies have investigated this hypothesis so far. In this cross-sectional study, structural neuroimaging was performed to measure cortical thickness (CT) in tricenarian adults with cocaine use disorder (CUD, n1 = 30) and their age-paired controls (YC, n1 = 30), and compare it with octogenarian elder controls (EC, n1 = 20). We found that CT in the right fusiform gyrus was similar between CUD and EC, thinner than the expected values of YC. We also found that regarding CT of the right inferior temporal gyrus, right inferior parietal cortex, and left superior parietal cortex, the CUD group exhibited parameters that fell in between EC and YC groups. Finally, CT of the right pars triangularis bordering with orbitofrontal gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus, and right precentral gyrus were reduced in CUD when contrasted with YC, but those areas were unrelated to CT of EC. Despite the 50-year age gap between our age groups, CT of tricenarian cocaine users assembles features of an octogenarian brain, reinforcing the accelerated aging hypothesis in CUD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Melo Rothmann
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Graduate School of Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Brain Institute (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Medicine and Health Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Lucca Pizzato Tondo
- Brain Institute (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | | | | | - Eduardo Tavares Portolan
- Brain Institute (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Alexandre Rosa Franco
- Center for the Developing Brain, Child Mind Institute, New York, New York, USA
- Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, New York, USA
- Department of Psychiatric, Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Mirna Wetters Portuguez
- Brain Institute (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Medicine and Health Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Pedro Eugênio Ferreira
- Brain Institute (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | | | - Ricardo Bernardi Soder
- Brain Institute (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Thiago Wendt Viola
- Brain Institute (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Medicine and Health Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Jaderson Costa da Costa
- Brain Institute (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Medicine and Health Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Grassi-Oliveira
- Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Clinical Medicine, Graduate School of Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Brain Institute (BraIns), Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- Graduate Program in Medicine and Health Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
- School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
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Lo JO, D’Mello RJ, Watch L, Schust DJ, Murphy SK. An epigenetic synopsis of parental substance use. Epigenomics 2023; 15:453-473. [PMID: 37282544 PMCID: PMC10308258 DOI: 10.2217/epi-2023-0064] [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: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The rate of substance use is rising, especially among reproductive-age individuals. Emerging evidence suggests that paternal pre-conception and maternal prenatal substance use may alter offspring epigenetic regulation (changes to gene expression without modifying DNA) and outcomes later in life, including neurodevelopment and mental health. However, relatively little is known due to the complexities and limitations of existing studies, making causal interpretations challenging. This review examines the contributions and influence of parental substance use on the gametes and potential transmissibility to the offspring's epigenome as possible areas to target public health warnings and healthcare provider counseling of individuals or couples in the pre-conception and prenatal periods to ultimately mitigate short- and long-term offspring morbidity and mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie O Lo
- Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Rahul J D’Mello
- Division of Reproductive & Developmental Sciences, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA; Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Maternal Fetal Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA
| | - Lester Watch
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Danny J Schust
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Division of Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Susan K Murphy
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA
- Division of Reproductive Sciences, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27701, USA; Division of Environmental Sciences & Policy, Duke Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, 27710, USA
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Poisel E, Zillich L, Streit F, Frank J, Friske MM, Foo JC, Mechawar N, Turecki G, Hansson AC, Nöthen MM, Rietschel M, Spanagel R, Witt SH. DNA methylation in cocaine use disorder-An epigenome-wide approach in the human prefrontal cortex. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1075250. [PMID: 36865068 PMCID: PMC9970996 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1075250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cocaine use disorder (CUD) is characterized by a loss of control over cocaine intake and is associated with structural, functional, and molecular alterations in the human brain. At the molecular level, epigenetic alterations are hypothesized to contribute to the higher-level functional and structural brain changes observed in CUD. Most evidence of cocaine-associated epigenetic changes comes from animal studies while only a few studies have been performed using human tissue. METHODS We investigated epigenome-wide DNA methylation (DNAm) signatures of CUD in human post-mortem brain tissue of Brodmann area 9 (BA9). A total of N = 42 BA9 brain samples were obtained from N = 21 individuals with CUD and N = 21 individuals without a CUD diagnosis. We performed an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) and analyzed CUD-associated differentially methylated regions (DMRs). To assess the functional role of CUD-associated differential methylation, we performed Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analyses and characterized co-methylation networks using a weighted correlation network analysis. We further investigated epigenetic age in CUD using epigenetic clocks for the assessment of biological age. RESULTS While no cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) site was associated with CUD at epigenome-wide significance in BA9, we detected a total of 20 CUD-associated DMRs. After annotation of DMRs to genes, we identified Neuropeptide FF Receptor 2 (NPFFR2) and Kalirin RhoGEF Kinase (KALRN) for which a previous role in the behavioral response to cocaine in rodents is known. Three of the four identified CUD-associated co-methylation modules were functionally related to neurotransmission and neuroplasticity. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks derived from module hub genes revealed several addiction-related genes as highly connected nodes such as Calcium Voltage-Gated Channel Subunit Alpha1 C (CACNA1C), Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 3 Group C Member 1 (NR3C1), and Jun Proto-Oncogene, AP-1 Transcription Factor Subunit (JUN). In BA9, we observed a trend toward epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) in individuals with CUD remaining stable even after adjustment for covariates. CONCLUSION Results from our study highlight that CUD is associated with epigenome-wide differences in DNAm levels in BA9 particularly related to synaptic signaling and neuroplasticity. This supports findings from previous studies that report on the strong impact of cocaine on neurocircuits in the human prefrontal cortex (PFC). Further studies are needed to follow up on the role of epigenetic alterations in CUD focusing on the integration of epigenetic signatures with transcriptomic and proteomic data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Poisel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Lea Zillich
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Fabian Streit
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Josef Frank
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Marion M Friske
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Jerome C Foo
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Naguib Mechawar
- McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Gustavo Turecki
- McGill Group for Suicide Studies, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Anita C Hansson
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Markus M Nöthen
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, School of Medicine and University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Marcella Rietschel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Rainer Spanagel
- Institute of Psychopharmacology, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Stephanie H Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany.,Center for Innovative Psychiatric and Psychotherapeutic Research, Biobank, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
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