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Pedersen ML, Alnæs D, van der Meer D, Fernandez-Cabello S, Berthet P, Dahl A, Kjelkenes R, Schwarz E, Thompson WK, Barch DM, Andreassen OA, Westlye LT. Computational Modeling of the n-Back Task in the ABCD Study: Associations of Drift Diffusion Model Parameters to Polygenic Scores of Mental Disorders and Cardiometabolic Diseases. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY. COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2023; 8:290-299. [PMID: 35427796 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/31/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive dysfunction is common in mental disorders and represents a potential risk factor in childhood. The nature and extent of associations between childhood cognitive function and polygenic risk for mental disorders is unclear. We applied computational modeling to gain insight into mechanistic processes underlying decision making and working memory in childhood and their associations with polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for mental disorders and comorbid cardiometabolic diseases. METHODS We used the drift diffusion model to infer latent computational processes underlying decision making and working memory during the n-back task in 3707 children ages 9 to 10 years from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Single nucleotide polymorphism-based heritability was estimated for cognitive phenotypes, including computational parameters, aggregated n-back task performance, and neurocognitive assessments. PRSs were calculated for Alzheimer's disease, bipolar disorder, coronary artery disease (CAD), major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and type 2 diabetes. RESULTS Heritability estimates of cognitive phenotypes ranged from 12% to 38%. Bayesian mixed models revealed that slower accumulation of evidence was associated with higher PRSs for CAD and schizophrenia. Longer nondecision time was associated with higher PRSs for Alzheimer's disease and lower PRSs for CAD. Narrower decision threshold was associated with higher PRSs for CAD. Load-dependent effects on nondecision time and decision threshold were associated with PRSs for Alzheimer's disease and CAD, respectively. Aggregated neurocognitive test scores were not associated with PRSs for any of the mental or cardiometabolic phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS We identified distinct associations between computational cognitive processes and genetic risk for mental illness and cardiometabolic disease, which could represent childhood cognitive risk factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mads L Pedersen
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Dag Alnæs
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Bjørknes College, Institute of Psychology, Oslo, Norway
| | - Dennis van der Meer
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Sara Fernandez-Cabello
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Pierre Berthet
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Andreas Dahl
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Rikka Kjelkenes
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Emanuel Schwarz
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Wesley K Thompson
- Division of Biostatistics and Department of Radiology, Population Neuroscience and Genetics Laboratory, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Deanna M Barch
- Departments of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Psychiatry, and Radiology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Ole A Andreassen
- KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Lars T Westlye
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Colbert SM, Keller MC, Agrawal A, Johnson EC. Exploring the Relationships Between Autozygosity, Educational Attainment, and Cognitive Ability in a Contemporary, Trans-Ancestral American Sample. Behav Genet 2022; 52:315-323. [PMID: 36169746 PMCID: PMC10658661 DOI: 10.1007/s10519-022-10113-y] [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: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have found significant associations between estimated autozygosity - the proportion of an individual's genome contained in homozygous segments due to distant inbreeding - and multiple traits, including educational attainment (EA) and cognitive ability. In one study, estimated autozygosity showed a stronger association with parental EA than the subject's own EA. This was likely driven by parental EA's association with mobility: more educated parents tended to migrate further from their hometown, and because of the strong correlation between ancestry and geography in the Netherlands, these individuals chose partners farther from their ancestry and therefore more different from them genetically. We examined the associations between estimated autozygosity, cognitive ability, and parental EA in a contemporary sub-sample of adolescents from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study℠ (ABCD Study®) (analytic N = 6,504). We found a negative association between autozygosity and child cognitive ability consistent with previous studies, while the associations between autozygosity and parental EA were in the expected direction of effect (with greater levels of autozygosity being associated with lower EA) but the effect sizes were significantly weaker than those estimated in previous work. We also found a lower mean level of autozygosity in the ABCD sample compared to previous autozygosity studies, which may reflect overall decreasing levels of autozygosity over generations. Variation in spousal similarities in ancestral background in the ABCD study compared to other studies may explain the pattern of associations between estimated autozygosity, EA, and cognitive ability in the current study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Mc Colbert
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Matthew C Keller
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
- Institute for Behavioral Genetics, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Arpana Agrawal
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Emma C Johnson
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
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Mapping normative trajectories of cognitive function and its relation to psychopathology symptoms and genetic risk in youth. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY GLOBAL OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 3:255-263. [PMID: 37124356 PMCID: PMC10140446 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2022.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Adolescence hosts a sharp increase in the incidence of mental disorders. The prodromal phases are often characterized by cognitive deficits that predate disease onset by several years. Characterization of cognitive performance in relation to normative trajectories may have value for early risk assessment and monitoring. Methods Youth aged 8 to 21 years (N = 6481) from the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort were included. Performance scores from a computerized neurocognitive battery were decomposed using principal component analysis, yielding a general cognitive score. Items reflecting various aspects of psychopathology from self-report questionnaires and collateral caregiver information were decomposed using independent component analysis, providing individual domain scores. Using normative modeling and Bayesian statistics, we estimated normative trajectories of cognitive function and tested for associations between cognitive deviance and psychopathological domain scores. In addition, we tested for associations with polygenic scores for mental and behavioral disorders often involving cognition, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and Alzheimer's disease. Results More negative normative cognitive deviations were associated with higher general psychopathology burden and domains reflecting positive and prodromal psychosis, attention problems, norm-violating behavior, and anxiety. In addition, better performance was associated with higher joint burden of depression, suicidal ideation, and negative psychosis symptoms. The analyses revealed no evidence for associations with polygenic scores. Conclusions Our results show that cognitive performance is associated with general and specific domains of psychopathology in youth. These findings support the close links between cognition and psychopathology in youth and highlight the potential of normative modeling for early risk assessment.
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O'Connell KS, Sønderby IE, Frei O, van der Meer D, Athanasiu L, Smeland OB, Alnæs D, Kaufmann T, Westlye LT, Steen VM, Andreassen OA, Hughes T, Djurovic S. Association between complement component 4A expression, cognitive performance and brain imaging measures in UK Biobank. Psychol Med 2021; 52:1-11. [PMID: 33653435 PMCID: PMC9772918 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291721000179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. BACKGROUND Altered expression of the complement component C4A gene is a known risk factor for schizophrenia. Further, predicted brain C4A expression has also been associated with memory function highlighting that altered C4A expression in the brain may be relevant for cognitive and behavioral traits. METHODS We obtained genetic information and performance measures on seven cognitive tasks for up to 329 773 individuals from the UK Biobank, as well as brain imaging data for a subset of 33 003 participants. Direct genotypes for variants (n = 3213) within the major histocompatibility complex region were used to impute C4 structural variation, from which predicted expression of the C4A and C4B genes in human brain tissue were predicted. We investigated if predicted brain C4A or C4B expression were associated with cognitive performance and brain imaging measures using linear regression analyses. RESULTS We identified significant negative associations between predicted C4A expression and performance on select cognitive tests, and significant associations with MRI-based cortical thickness and surface area in select regions. Finally, we observed significant inconsistent partial mediation of the effects of predicted C4A expression on cognitive performance, by specific brain structure measures. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that the C4 risk locus is associated with the central endophenotypes of cognitive performance and brain morphology, even when considered independently of other genetic risk factors and in individuals without mental or neurological disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin S. O'Connell
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ida E. Sønderby
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Oleksandr Frei
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Dennis van der Meer
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Lavinia Athanasiu
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Olav B. Smeland
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Dag Alnæs
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Tobias Kaufmann
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Lars T. Westlye
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Vidar M. Steen
- NORMENT, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Dr Einar Martens' Research Group for Biological Psychiatry, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Ole A. Andreassen
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Timothy Hughes
- NORMENT, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, & Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Srdjan Djurovic
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- NORMENT, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
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Song L, Zhou Z, Meng J, Zhu X, Wang K, Wei D, Qiu J. Rostral middle frontal gyrus thickness mediates the relationship between genetic risk and neuroticism trait. Psychophysiology 2020; 58:e13728. [PMID: 33226147 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2020] [Revised: 10/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Neuroticism is a robust personality trait associated with multiple mental disorders. Heretofore, research on the relationship among genes, brain, and behavior to explore individual differences in neuroticism is scarce. Hence, in this study (N = 630), genetic data, self-reported neuroticism, and brain structural data were combined to explore whether the cortical thickness (CT) of brain regions mediated the relationship between the polygenic risk score (PRS) of neuroticism and NEO neuroticism (NEO-N), and the enrichment analysis was performed to reveal the underlying mechanism of their relationship. Results showed that the PRSs were significantly associated with NEO-N scores (p < .05). The CT of left rostral middle frontal gyrus was negatively related to the best PRS in PRSice (PRSbest ) or the PRS at 0.05 threshold (PRS0.05 ) (corrected p < .05), which was also found to mediate the association between the PRS and NEO-N (PRSbest : ab = .012, p < .05; PRS0.05 : ab = .012, p < .05). Enrichment analysis revealed that these genes were mainly involved in biological adhesion, cell adhesion, neuron part, and synapse part, which were associated with the abnormal thickness of frontal cortex. By integrating genetic, brain imaging, and behavioral data, our research initially revealed the neurogenetic underpinnings of neuroticism, which is helpful for understanding individual differences in neuroticism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Song
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China.,Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), Chongqing, China
| | - Zheyi Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China.,Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), Chongqing, China
| | - Jie Meng
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China.,Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), Chongqing, China
| | - Xingxing Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China.,Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), Chongqing, China
| | - Kangcheng Wang
- School of psychology, Shandong Normal University, Shandong, China
| | - Dongtao Wei
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China.,Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), Chongqing, China
| | - Jiang Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality (SWU), Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China.,Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University (SWU), Chongqing, China.,Southwest University Branch, Collaborative Innovation Center of Assessment Toward Basic Education Quality at Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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Mallet J, Le Strat Y, Dubertret C, Gorwood P. Polygenic Risk Scores Shed Light on the Relationship between Schizophrenia and Cognitive Functioning: Review and Meta-Analysis. J Clin Med 2020; 9:E341. [PMID: 31991840 PMCID: PMC7074036 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9020341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2019] [Revised: 01/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a multifactorial disease associated with widespread cognitive impairment. Although cognitive deficits are one of the factors most strongly associated with functional impairment in schizophrenia (SZ), current treatment strategies hardly tackle these impairments. To develop more efficient treatment strategies in patients, a better understanding of their pathogenesis is needed. Recent progress in genetics, driven by large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and the use of polygenic risk scores (PRS), has provided new insights about the genetic architecture of complex human traits, including cognition and SZ. Here, we review the recent findings examining the genetic links between SZ and cognitive functions in population-based samples as well as in participants with SZ. The performed meta-analysis showed a negative correlation between the polygenetic risk score of schizophrenia and global cognition (p < 0.001) when the samples rely on general and healthy participants, while no significant correlation was detected when the three studies devoted to schizophrenia patients were meta-analysed (p > 0.05). Our review and meta-analysis therefore argues against universal pleiotropy for schizophrenia alleles and cognition, since cognition in SZ patients would be underpinned by the same genetic factors than in the general population, and substantially independent of common variant liability to the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmina Mallet
- APHP; Department of Psychiatry, Universitary Hospital Louis Mourier, 92700 Colombes, France; (Y.L.S.); (C.D.)
- Université de Paris, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, F-75014 Paris, France
| | - Yann Le Strat
- APHP; Department of Psychiatry, Universitary Hospital Louis Mourier, 92700 Colombes, France; (Y.L.S.); (C.D.)
- Université de Paris, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, F-75014 Paris, France
| | - Caroline Dubertret
- APHP; Department of Psychiatry, Universitary Hospital Louis Mourier, 92700 Colombes, France; (Y.L.S.); (C.D.)
- Université de Paris, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, F-75014 Paris, France
| | - Philip Gorwood
- Université de Paris, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience of Paris (IPNP), INSERM U1266, F-75014 Paris, France
- GHU Paris Psychiatrie et Neurosciences, Hôpital Sainte Anne, F-75014 Paris, France
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