Associations Between Parental Mood and Anxiety Psychopathology and Offspring Brain Structure: A Scoping Review

Putative Risk Biomarkers of Bipolar Disorder in At-risk Youth

Bipolar disorder is a highly heritable and functionally impairing disease. The recognition and intervention of BD especially that characterized by early onset remains challenging. Risk biomarkers for predicting BD transition among at-risk youth may improve disease prognosis. We reviewed the more recent clinical studies to find possible pre-diagnostic biomarkers in youth at familial or (and) clinical risk of BD. Here we found that putative biomarkers for predicting conversion to BD include findings from multiple sample sources based on different hypotheses. Putative risk biomarkers shown by perspective studies are higher bipolar polygenetic risk scores, epigenetic alterations, elevated immune parameters, front-limbic system deficits, and brain circuit dysfunction associated with emotion and reward processing. Future studies need to enhance machine learning integration, make clinical detection methods more objective, and improve the quality of cohort studies.

Polygenic risk for depression and anterior and posterior hippocampal volume in children and adolescents

BACKGROUND

Depression has frequently been associated with smaller hippocampal volume. The hippocampus varies in function along its anterior-posterior axis, with the anterior hippocampus more strongly associated with stress and emotion processing. The goals of this study were to examine the associations among parental history of anxiety/depression, polygenic risk scores for depression (PGS-DEP), and anterior and posterior hippocampal volumes in children and adolescents. To examine specificity to PGS-DEP, we examined associations of educational attainment polygenic scores (PGS-EA) with anterior and posterior hippocampal volume.

METHODS

Participants were 350 3- to 21-year-olds (46 % female). PGS-DEP and PGS-EA were computed based on recent, large-scale genome-wide association studies. High-resolution, T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data were acquired, and a semi-automated approach was used to segment the hippocampus into anterior and posterior subregions.

RESULTS

Children and adolescents with higher polygenic risk for depression were more likely to have a parent with a history of anxiety/depression. Higher polygenic risk for depression was significantly associated with smaller anterior but not posterior hippocampal volume. PGS-EA was not associated with anterior or posterior hippocampal volumes.

LIMITATIONS

Participants in these analyses were all of European ancestry.

CONCLUSIONS

Polygenic risk for depression may lead to smaller anterior but not posterior hippocampal volume in children and adolescents, and there may be specificity of these effects to PGS-DEP rather than PGS-EA. These findings may inform the earlier identification of those in need of support and the design of more effective, personalized treatment strategies.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

none.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

None.

The impact of early life stress and schizophrenia on motor and cognitive functioning: an experimental study

Background

Early life stress (ELS) and parental psychopathology, such as schizophrenia (SZ), have been associated with altered neurobiological and behavioral outcomes later in life. Previous studies have investigated the effects of ELS and parental SZ on various aspects of behavior, however, we have studied the combined effects of these stressors and how they interact, as individuals in real-life situations may experience multiple stressors simultaneously.

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of ELS and schizophrenia on locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior, exploratory tendencies, and spatial memory in Sprague Dawley (SD) rats.

Methods

Male and female SD pups were randomly assigned to eight groups: control, ELS, schizophrenia, and ELS + schizophrenia. ELS was induced by prenatal stress (maternal stress) and maternal separation (MS) during the first 2 weeks of life, while SZ was induced by subcutaneous administration of ketamine. Behavioral tests included an open field test (OFT) for motor abilities and a Morris water maze (MWM) for cognitive abilities. ANOVA and post hoc Tukey tests were utilized to analyze the data.

Results

Our results show that ELS and parental psychopathology had enduring effects on SZ symptoms, particularly psychomotor retardation (p < 0.05). The OFT revealed increased anxiety-like behavior in the ELS group (p = 0.023) and the parental psychopathology group (p = 0.017) compared to controls. The combined ELS and parental psychopathology group exhibited the highest anxiety-like behavior (p = 0.006). The MWM analysis indicated impaired spatial memory in the ELS group (p = 0.012) and the combined ELS and parental psychopathology group (p = 0.003) compared to controls. Significantly, the exposure to ELS resulted in a decrease in the population of glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive (GFAP+) astrocytes. However, this effect was reversed by positive parental mental health.

Conclusion

Our findings highlight the interactive effects of ELS and parental psychopathology on anxiety-like behavior and spatial memory in rats. ELS was linked to increased anxiety-like behavior, while SZ was associated with anhedonia-like behavior. Positive parenting augments neuroplasticity, synaptic function, and overall cognitive capacities.

Associations between parental depression and anxiety symptom severity and their Offspring's cortical thickness and subcortical volume

Depression and anxiety are associated with grey matter changes in subcortical regions in adults and adolescents. Parent psychopathology is associated with offspring brain structure, but it's unclear whether altered brain structure in children is associated with severity of parental depression and anxiety symptoms. We examined 123 youth (Mean age = 13.64; 62% female) with no clinically significant history of depression or anxiety and one parent diagnosed with current or past depressive or anxiety disorders. Parents completed the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview to assess diagnostic status and the Beck Depression Inventory-II, and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 to assess current symptom severity. Youth underwent T1 weighted structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans. Bivariate analyses revealed higher parental depressive severity was not significantly associated with offspring grey matter. Parental anxiety severity was significantly associated with less left global surface area. When controlling for offspring age, sex and intracranial volume (ICV), offspring right surface area was negatively associated with parental depressive severity at a trend level. In previously depressed parents, greater parental depressive severity was significantly associated with offspring decreased left and right surface area. There were no significant associations between parental anxiety severity in previously depressed parents and offspring subcortical or cortical brain regions. These results highlight associations between parental depressive symptom severity and offspring brain structure and suggest that even within an already high-risk group of adolescents, there may be altered cortical surface area depending on parent symptom severity. This may help identify youth most at risk for developing a mood disorder and could help further early intervention and identification efforts.

Resting state functional connectivity as a marker of internalizing disorder onset in high-risk youth

While research has linked alterations in functional connectivity of the default mode (DMN), cognitive control (CCN), and salience networks (SN) to depression and anxiety, little research has examined whether these alterations may be premorbid vulnerabilities. This study examined resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) of the CCN, DMN, and SN as markers of risk for developing an onset of a depressive or anxiety disorder in adolescents at high familial risk for these disorders. At baseline, 135 participants aged 11-17 completed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, measures of internalizing symptoms, and diagnostic interviews to assess history of depressive and anxiety disorders. Diagnostic assessments were completed again at 9- or 18-month follow-up for 112 participants. At baseline, increased CCN connectivity to areas of the visual network, and decreased connectivity between the left SN and the precentral gyrus, predicted an increased likelihood of a new onset at follow-up. Increased connectivity between the right SN and postcentral gyrus at baseline predicted first episode onsets at follow-up. Altered connectivity between these regions may represent a risk factor for developing a clinically significant onset of an internalizing disorder. Results may have implications for understanding the neural bases of internalizing disorders for early identification and prevention efforts.

Structural and Functional Brain Alterations in Populations with Familial Risk for Depression: A Narrative Review

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After completing this activity, practitioners will be better able to:• Discuss the association between brain alterations and vulnerability or resilience to MDD in people with familial risk• Define how structural and functional brain alterations associated with vulnerability or resilience could lead to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of MDD.

AIM

Familial history is associated with an increased risk for major depressive disorder (MDD). Despite the increased risk, some members of the familial high-risk population remain healthy, that is, resilient. Defining the structural and functional brain alterations associated with vulnerability or resilience could lead to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of MDD. This study aimed to review the current literature and discuss the association between brain alterations and vulnerability or resilience to MDD in people with familial risk.

METHODS

A literature search on MRI studies investigating structural and functional alterations in populations at familial risk for MDD was performed using the PubMed and SCOPUS databases. The search was conducted through June 13, 2022.

RESULTS

We reviewed and summarized the data of 72 articles (25 structural MRI, 35 functional MRI, 10 resting-state fMRI, one structural/functional MRI combined, and one structural/functional/resting-state fMRI combined). These findings suggested that resilience in high-risk individuals is related to the amygdala structure, frontal lobe activity, and functional connectivity between the amygdala and multiple frontal regions.

CONCLUSION

Resilient and vulnerable individuals exhibit structural and functional differences in multiple frontal and limbic regions. However, further systematic longitudinal research incorporating environmental factors is required to validate the current findings.

Generational synaptic functions of GABAA receptor β3 subunit deteriorations in an animal model of social deficit

BACKGROUND

Disruption of normal brain development is implicated in numerous psychiatric disorders with neurodevelopmental origins, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Widespread abnormalities in brain structure and functions caused by dysregulations of neurodevelopmental processes has been recently shown to exert adverse effects across generations. An imbalance between excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) transmission is the putative hypothesis of ASD pathogenesis, supporting by the specific implications of inhibitory γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic system in autistic individuals and animal models of ASD. However, the contribution of GABAergic system in the neuropathophysiology across generations of ASD is still unknown. Here, we uncover profound alterations in the expression and function of GABA_A receptors (GABA_ARs) in the amygdala across generations of the VPA-induced animal model of ASD.

METHODS

The F2 generation was produced by mating an F1 VPA-induced male offspring with naïve females after a single injection of VPA on embryonic day (E12.5) in F0. Autism-like behaviors were assessed by animal behavior tests. Expression and functional properties of GABA_ARs and related proteins were examined by using western blotting and electrophysiological techniques.

RESULTS

Social deficit, repetitive behavior, and emotional comorbidities were demonstrated across two generations of the VPA-induced offspring. Decreased synaptic GABA_AR and gephyrin levels, and inhibitory transmission were found in the amygdala from two generations of the VPA-induced offspring with greater reductions in the F2 generation. Weaker association of gephyrin with GABA_AR was shown in the F2 generation than the F1 generation. Moreover, dysregulated NMDA-induced enhancements of gephyrin and GABA_AR at the synapse in the VPA-induced offspring was worsened in the F2 generation than the F1 generation. Elevated glutamatergic modifications were additionally shown across generations of the VPA-induced offspring without generation difference.

CONCLUSIONS

Taken together, these findings revealed the E/I synaptic abnormalities in the amygdala from two generations of the VPA-induced offspring with GABAergic deteriorations in the F2 generation, suggesting a potential therapeutic role of the GABAergic system to generational pathophysiology of ASD.