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Hori H, Fukushima H, Nagayoshi T, Ishikawa R, Zhuo M, Yoshida F, Kunugi H, Okamoto K, Kim Y, Kida S. Fear memory regulation by the cAMP signaling pathway as an index of reexperiencing symptoms in posttraumatic stress disorder. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02453-4. [PMID: 38409596 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02453-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/28/2024]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder associated with traumatic memory, yet its etiology remains unclear. Reexperiencing symptoms are specific to PTSD compared to other anxiety-related disorders. Importantly, reexperiencing can be mimicked by retrieval-related events of fear memory in animal models of traumatic memory. Recent studies revealed candidate PTSD-associated genes that were related to the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling pathway. Here, we demonstrate the tight linkage between facilitated cAMP signaling and PTSD by analyzing loss- and gain-of-cAMP signaling effects on fear memory in mice and the transcriptomes of fear memory-activated mice and female PTSD patients with reexperiencing symptoms. Pharmacological and optogenetic upregulation or downregulation of cAMP signaling transduction enhanced or impaired, respectively, the retrieval and subsequent maintenance of fear memory in mice. In line with these observations, integrative mouse and human transcriptome analysis revealed the reduced mRNA expression of phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B), an enzyme that degrades cAMP, in the peripheral blood of PTSD patients showing more severe reexperiencing symptoms and the mouse hippocampus after fear memory retrieval. Importantly, more severe reexperiencing symptoms and lower PDE4B mRNA levels were correlated with decreased DNA methylation of a locus within PDE4B, suggesting the involvement of methylation in the mechanism of PTSD. These findings raise the possibility that the facilitation of cAMP signaling mediating the downregulation of PDE4B expression enhances traumatic memory, thereby playing a key role in the reexperiencing symptoms of PTSD patients as a functional index of these symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroaki Hori
- Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan.
| | - Hotaka Fukushima
- Department of Bioscience, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, 156-8502, Japan
| | - Taikai Nagayoshi
- Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Rie Ishikawa
- Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan
| | - Min Zhuo
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Fuyuko Yoshida
- Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan
- Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, 187-8502, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kunugi
- Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, 187-8502, Japan
- Department of Psychiatry, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, 173-8605, Japan
| | - Kenichi Okamoto
- Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 1 King's College Circle, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yoshiharu Kim
- Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, 187-8553, Japan.
| | - Satoshi Kida
- Graduate School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, 113-8657, Japan.
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2
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Swart PC, Du Plessis M, Rust C, Womersley JS, van den Heuvel LL, Seedat S, Hemmings SMJ. Identifying genetic loci that are associated with changes in gene expression in PTSD in a South African cohort. J Neurochem 2023; 166:705-719. [PMID: 37522158 PMCID: PMC10953375 DOI: 10.1111/jnc.15919] [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: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
The molecular mechanisms underlying posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are yet to be fully elucidated, especially in underrepresented population groups. Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) are DNA sequence variants that influence gene expression, in a local (cis-) or distal (trans-) manner, and subsequently impact cellular, tissue, and system physiology. This study aims to identify genetic loci associated with gene expression changes in a South African PTSD cohort. Genome-wide genotype and RNA-sequencing data were obtained from 32 trauma-exposed controls and 35 PTSD cases of mixed-ancestry, as part of the SHARED ROOTS project. The first approach utilised 108 937 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (MAF > 10%) and 11 312 genes with Matrix eQTL to map potential eQTLs, while controlling for covariates as appropriate. The second analysis was focused on 5638 SNPs related to a previously calculated PTSD polygenic risk score for this cohort. SNP-gene pairs were considered eQTLs if they surpassed Bonferroni correction and had a false discovery rate <0.05. We did not identify eQTLs that significantly influenced gene expression in a PTSD-dependent manner. However, several known cis-eQTLs, independent of PTSD diagnosis, were observed. rs8521 (C > T) was associated with TAGLN and SIDT2 expression, and rs11085906 (C > T) was associated with ZNF333 expression. This exploratory study provides insight into the molecular mechanisms associated with PTSD in a non-European, admixed sample population. This study was limited by the cross-sectional design and insufficient statistical power. Overall, this study should encourage further multi-omics approaches towards investigating PTSD in diverse populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia C. Swart
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health SciencesStellenbosch UniversityCape TownSouth Africa
- South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders UnitCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Morne Du Plessis
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health SciencesStellenbosch UniversityCape TownSouth Africa
- South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders UnitCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Carlien Rust
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health SciencesStellenbosch UniversityCape TownSouth Africa
- South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders UnitCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Jacqueline S. Womersley
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health SciencesStellenbosch UniversityCape TownSouth Africa
- South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders UnitCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Leigh L. van den Heuvel
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health SciencesStellenbosch UniversityCape TownSouth Africa
- South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders UnitCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Soraya Seedat
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health SciencesStellenbosch UniversityCape TownSouth Africa
- South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders UnitCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Sian M. J. Hemmings
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine and Health SciencesStellenbosch UniversityCape TownSouth Africa
- South African Medical Research Council/Stellenbosch University Genomics of Brain Disorders UnitCape TownSouth Africa
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3
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Kumsta R, Zang JCS, Hummel EM, Müller S, Moser DA, Herpertz S, Kessler H. Treatment-associated mRNA co-expression changes in monocytes of patients with posttraumatic stress disorder. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1181321. [PMID: 37426106 PMCID: PMC10326517 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1181321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023] Open
Abstract
PTSD is a prevalent mental disorder that results from exposure to extreme and stressful life events and comes at high costs for both the individual and society. Therapeutic treatment presents the best way to deal with PTSD-the mechanisms underlying change after treatment, however, remain poorly understood. While stress and immune associated gene expression changes have been associated with PTSD development, studies investigating treatment effects at the molecular level so far tended to focus on DNA methylation. Here we use gene-network analysis on whole-transcriptome RNA-Seq data isolated from CD14+ monocytes of female PTSD patients (N = 51) to study pre-treatment signatures of therapy response and therapy-related changes at the level of gene expression. Patients who exhibited significant symptom improvement after therapy showed higher baseline expression in two modules involved in inflammatory processes (including notable examples IL1R2 and FKBP5) and blood coagulation. After therapy, expression of an inflammatory module was increased, and expression of a wound healing module was decreased. This supports findings reporting an association between PTSD and dysregulations of the inflammatory and the hemostatic system and mark both as potentially treatment sensitive.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Kumsta
- Department of Genetic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences, Laboratory for Stress and Gene-Environment Interplay, University of Luxemburg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxemburg
| | - Johannes C. S. Zang
- Department of Genetic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Elisabeth M. Hummel
- Department of Genetic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Svenja Müller
- Department of Genetic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Dirk A. Moser
- Department of Genetic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Stephan Herpertz
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, LWL-University Hospital Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
| | - Henrik Kessler
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, LWL-University Hospital Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, Germany
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Fulda Hospital, University Medicine Marburg Campus Fulda, Fulda, Germany
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4
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Waszczuk MA, Kuan PF, Yang X, Miao J, Kotov R, Luft BJ. Discovery and replication of blood-based proteomic signature of PTSD in 9/11 responders. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:8. [PMID: 36631443 PMCID: PMC9834302 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02302-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Proteomics provides an opportunity to develop biomarkers for the early detection and monitoring of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, research to date has been limited by small sample sizes and a lack of replication. This study performed Olink Proseek Multiplex Platform profiling of 81 proteins involved in neurological processes in 936 responders to the 9/11 disaster (mean age at blood draw = 55.41 years (SD = 7.93), 94.1% white, all men). Bivariate correlations and elastic net regressions were used in a discovery subsample to identify concurrent associations between PTSD symptom severity and the profiled proteins, and to create a multiprotein composite score. In hold-out subsamples, nine bivariate associations between PTSD symptoms and differentially expressed proteins were replicated: SKR3, NCAN, BCAN, MSR1, PVR, TNFRSF21, DRAXIN, CLM6, and SCARB2 (|r| = 0.08-0.17, p < 0.05). There were three replicated bivariate associations between lifetime PTSD diagnosis and differentially expressed proteins: SKR3, SIGLEC, and CPM (OR = 1.38-1.50, p < 0.05). The multiprotein composite score retained 38 proteins, including 10/11 proteins that replicated in bivariate tests. The composite score was significantly associated with PTSD symptom severity (β = 0.27, p < 0.001) and PTSD diagnosis (OR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.17-2.19, p = 0.003) in the hold-out subsample. Overall, these findings suggest that PTSD is characterized by altered expression of several proteins implicated in neurological processes. Replicated associations with TNFRSF21, CLM6, and PVR support the neuroinflammatory signature of PTSD. The multiprotein composite score substantially increased associations with PTSD symptom severity over individual proteins. If generalizable to other populations, the current findings may inform the development of PTSD biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika A Waszczuk
- Department of Psychology, Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, North Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Pei-Fen Kuan
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Xiaohua Yang
- Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Jiaju Miao
- Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Roman Kotov
- Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Benjamin J Luft
- Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
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5
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Codagnone MG, Kara N, Ratsika A, Levone BR, van de Wouw M, Tan LA, Cunningham JI, Sanchez C, Cryan JF, O'Leary OF. Inhibition of FKBP51 induces stress resilience and alters hippocampal neurogenesis. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:4928-4938. [PMID: 36104438 PMCID: PMC9763121 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01755-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Stress-related psychiatric disorders such as depression are among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Considering that many individuals fail to respond to currently available antidepressant drugs, there is a need for antidepressants with novel mechanisms. Polymorphisms in the gene encoding FK506-binding protein 51 (FKBP51), a co-chaperone of the glucocorticoid receptor, have been linked to susceptibility to stress-related psychiatric disorders. Whether this protein can be targeted for their treatment remains largely unexplored. The aim of this work was to investigate whether inhibition of FKBP51 with SAFit2, a novel selective inhibitor, promotes hippocampal neuron outgrowth and neurogenesis in vitro and stress resilience in vivo in a mouse model of chronic psychosocial stress. Primary hippocampal neuronal cultures or hippocampal neural progenitor cells (NPCs) were treated with SAFit2 and neuronal differentiation and cell proliferation were analyzed. Male C57BL/6 mice were administered SAFit2 while concurrently undergoing a chronic stress paradigm comprising of intermittent social defeat and overcrowding, and anxiety and depressive -related behaviors were evaluated. SAFit2 increased neurite outgrowth and number of branch points to a greater extent than brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in primary hippocampal neuronal cultures. SAFit2 increased hippocampal NPC neurogenesis and increased neurite complexity and length of these differentiated neurons. In vivo, chronic SAFit2 administration prevented stress-induced social avoidance, decreased anxiety in the novelty-induced hypophagia test, and prevented stress-induced anxiety in the open field but did not alter adult hippocampal neurogenesis in stressed animals. These data warrant further exploration of inhibition of FKBP51 as a strategy to treat stress-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin G Codagnone
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Instituto de Biología Celular y Neurociencia "de Robertis" IBCN (UBA-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Nirit Kara
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Anna Ratsika
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Brunno Rocha Levone
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Marcel van de Wouw
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | | | | | | | - John F Cryan
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
| | - Olivia F O'Leary
- Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
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6
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Swanberg KM, Campos L, Abdallah CG, Juchem C. Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder-Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. CHRONIC STRESS (THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF.) 2022; 6:24705470221128004. [PMID: 36237981 PMCID: PMC9551353 DOI: 10.1177/24705470221128004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
A stressor-related disorder wherein traumatic experience precipitates protracted
disruptions to mood and cognition, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is
associated with wide-ranging abnormalities across the body. While various
methods have investigated these deviations, only proton magnetic resonance
spectroscopy (1H MRS) enables noninvasive measurement of
small-molecule metabolites in the living human. 1H MRS has
correspondingly been employed to test hypotheses about the composition and
function of multiple brain regions putatively involved in PTSD. Here we
systematically review methodological considerations and reported findings, both
positive and negative, of the current 1H-MRS literature in PTSD
(N = 32 studies) to communicate the brain regional metabolite alterations
heretofore observed, providing random-effects model meta-analyses for those most
extensively studied. Our review suggests significant PTSD-associated decreases
in N-acetyl aspartate in bilateral hippocampus and anterior cingulate cortex
with less evident effect in other metabolites and regions. Model heterogeneities
diverged widely by analysis (I2 < 0.01% to 90.1%) and suggested
regional dependence on quantification reference (creatine or otherwise). While
observed variabilities in methods and reported findings suggest that
1H-MRS explorations of PTSD could benefit from methodological
standardization, informing this standardization by quantitative assessment of
the existing literature is currently hampered by its small size and limited
scope.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelley M. Swanberg
- Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Columbia
University Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied
Science, New York, NY, USA
- Kelley M. Swanberg, Department of
Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University Fu Foundation School of Engineering
and Applied Science, 351 Engineering Terrace, 1210 Amsterdam Avenue, New York,
NY 10027, USA.
| | - Leonardo Campos
- Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Columbia
University Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied
Science, New York, NY, USA
| | - Chadi G. Abdallah
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of
Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- Clinical Neuroscience Division, Department of Veterans Affairs
National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Veterans Affairs Connecticut
Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences,
Baylor College
of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Christoph Juchem
- Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Columbia
University Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied
Science, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Radiology, Columbia University College of Physicians and
Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
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7
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Singh V, Kumar A, Gupta S. Mental Health Prevention and Promotion-A Narrative Review. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:898009. [PMID: 35958637 PMCID: PMC9360426 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.898009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Extant literature has established the effectiveness of various mental health promotion and prevention strategies, including novel interventions. However, comprehensive literature encompassing all these aspects and challenges and opportunities in implementing such interventions in different settings is still lacking. Therefore, in the current review, we aimed to synthesize existing literature on various mental health promotion and prevention interventions and their effectiveness. Additionally, we intend to highlight various novel approaches to mental health care and their implications across different resource settings and provide future directions. The review highlights the (1) concept of preventive psychiatry, including various mental health promotions and prevention approaches, (2) current level of evidence of various mental health preventive interventions, including the novel interventions, and (3) challenges and opportunities in implementing concepts of preventive psychiatry and related interventions across the settings. Although preventive psychiatry is a well-known concept, it is a poorly utilized public health strategy to address the population's mental health needs. It has wide-ranging implications for the wellbeing of society and individuals, including those suffering from chronic medical problems. The researchers and policymakers are increasingly realizing the potential of preventive psychiatry; however, its implementation is poor in low-resource settings. Utilizing novel interventions, such as mobile-and-internet-based interventions and blended and stepped-care models of care can address the vast mental health need of the population. Additionally, it provides mental health services in a less-stigmatizing and easily accessible, and flexible manner. Furthermore, employing decision support systems/algorithms for patient management and personalized care and utilizing the digital platform for the non-specialists' training in mental health care are valuable additions to the existing mental health support system. However, more research concerning this is required worldwide, especially in the low-and-middle-income countries.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Snehil Gupta
- Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences Bhopal, Bhopal, India
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8
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Long non-coding RNA LINC00926 regulates WNT10B signaling pathway thereby altering inflammatory gene expression in PTSD. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:200. [PMID: 35551428 PMCID: PMC9098154 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-01971-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which frequently occurs in the aftermath of a psychologically traumatic event is characterized by heightened inflammation. People with PTSD also suffer from a number of comorbid clinical and behavioral disorders that are related to chronic inflammation. Thus, understanding the mechanisms of enhanced inflammation in PTSD can provide insights into the relationship between PTSD and associated comorbid disorders. In the current study, we investigated the role of large intervening non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) in the regulation of inflammation in people diagnosed with PTSD. We observed that WNT ligand, WNT10B, was upregulated in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of PTSD patients. This observation was associated with higher H3K4me3 signals around WNT10B promotor in PTSD patients compared to those without PTSD. Increased H3K4me3 resulted from LINC00926, which we found to be upregulated in the PTSD sample, bringing in histone methyltransferase, MLL1, onto WNT10B promotor leading to the introduction of H3K4 trimethylation. The addition of recombinant human WNT10B to pre-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) led to increased expression of inflammatory genes such as IFNG and IL17A, suggesting that WNT10B is involved in their upregulation. Together, our data suggested that LINC00926 interacts physically with MLL1 and thereby controls the expression of IFNG and IL17A. This is the first time a long non-coding RNA is shown to regulate the expression of WNT10B and consequently inflammation. This observation has high relevance to our understanding of disease mechanisms of PTSD and comorbidities associated with PTSD.
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9
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Metabolomics analysis of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in World Trade Center responders. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:174. [PMID: 35484105 PMCID: PMC9050707 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-01940-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Metabolomics has yielded promising insights into the pathophysiology of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The current study expands understanding of the systems-level effects of metabolites by using global metabolomics and complex lipid profiling in plasma samples from 124 World Trade Center responders (56 PTSD, 68 control) on 1628 metabolites. Differential metabolomics analysis identified hexosylceramide HCER(26:1) associated with PTSD at FDR < 0.1. The multi-metabolite composite score achieved an AUC of 0.839 for PTSD versus unaffected control classification. Independent component analysis identified three metabolomic modules significantly associated with PTSD. These modules were significantly enriched in bile acid metabolism, fatty acid metabolism and pregnenolone steroids, which are involved in innate immunity, inflammatory process and neuronal excitability, respectively. Integrative analysis of metabolomics and our prior proteomics datasets on subsample of 96 responders identified seven proteomic modules significantly correlated with metabolic modules. Overall, our findings shed light on the molecular alterations and identify metabolomic-proteomic signatures associated with PTSD by using machine learning and network approaches to enhance understanding of the pathways implicated in PTSD. If present results are confirmed in follow-up studies, they may inform development of novel treatments.
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10
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Marchese S, Cancelmo L, Diab O, Cahn L, Aaronson C, Daskalakis NP, Schaffer J, Horn SR, Johnson JS, Schechter C, Desarnaud F, Bierer LM, Makotkine I, Flory JD, Crane M, Moline JM, Udasin IG, Harrison DJ, Roussos P, Charney DS, Koenen KC, Southwick SM, Yehuda R, Pietrzak RH, Huckins LM, Feder A. Altered gene expression and PTSD symptom dimensions in World Trade Center responders. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:2225-2246. [PMID: 35177824 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01457-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Despite experiencing a significant trauma, only a subset of World Trade Center (WTC) rescue and recovery workers developed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Identification of biomarkers is critical to the development of targeted interventions for treating disaster responders and potentially preventing the development of PTSD in this population. Analysis of gene expression from these individuals can help in identifying biomarkers of PTSD. We established a well-phenotyped sample of 371 WTC responders, recruited from a longitudinal WTC responder cohort using stratified random sampling, by obtaining blood, self-reported and clinical interview data. Using bulk RNA-sequencing from whole blood, we examined the association between gene expression and WTC-related PTSD symptom severity on (i) highest lifetime Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) score, (ii) past-month CAPS score, and (iii) PTSD symptom dimensions using a 5-factor model of re-experiencing, avoidance, emotional numbing, dysphoric arousal and anxious arousal symptoms. We corrected for sex, age, genotype-derived principal components and surrogate variables. Finally, we performed a meta-analysis with existing PTSD studies (total N = 1016), using case/control status as the predictor and correcting for these variables. We identified 66 genes significantly associated with total highest lifetime CAPS score (FDR-corrected p < 0.05), and 31 genes associated with total past-month CAPS score. Our more granular analyses of PTSD symptom dimensions identified additional genes that did not reach statistical significance in our analyses with total CAPS scores. In particular, we identified 82 genes significantly associated with lifetime anxious arousal symptoms. Several genes significantly associated with multiple PTSD symptom dimensions and total lifetime CAPS score (SERPINA1, RPS6KA1, and STAT3) have been previously associated with PTSD. Geneset enrichment of these findings has identified pathways significant in metabolism, immune signaling, other psychiatric disorders, neurological signaling, and cellular structure. Our meta-analysis revealed 10 genes that reached genome-wide significance, all of which were downregulated in cases compared to controls (CIRBP, TMSB10, FCGRT, CLIC1, RPS6KB2, HNRNPUL1, ALDOA, NACA, ZNF429 and COPE). Additionally, cellular deconvolution highlighted an enrichment in CD4 T cells and eosinophils in responders with PTSD compared to controls. The distinction in significant genes between total lifetime CAPS score and the anxious arousal symptom dimension of PTSD highlights a potential biological difference in the mechanism underlying the heterogeneity of the PTSD phenotype. Future studies should be clear about methods used to analyze PTSD status, as phenotypes based on PTSD symptom dimensions may yield different gene sets than combined CAPS score analysis. Potential biomarkers implicated from our meta-analysis may help improve therapeutic target development for PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelby Marchese
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Leo Cancelmo
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Olivia Diab
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Leah Cahn
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Cindy Aaronson
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Nikolaos P Daskalakis
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Jamie Schaffer
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Sarah R Horn
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Jessica S Johnson
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Clyde Schechter
- Department of Family and Social Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Frank Desarnaud
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Linda M Bierer
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Iouri Makotkine
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Janine D Flory
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Michael Crane
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jacqueline M Moline
- Department of Occupational Medicine, Epidemiology and Prevention, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Great Neck, NY, USA
| | - Iris G Udasin
- Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, School of Public Health, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Denise J Harrison
- Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Panos Roussos
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers, James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 14068, USA
| | - Dennis S Charney
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Karestan C Koenen
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit (PNGU), Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Steven M Southwick
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.,Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Rachel Yehuda
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Robert H Pietrzak
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.,Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Laura M Huckins
- Pamela Sklar Division of Psychiatric Genomics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA. .,Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA. .,Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA. .,Icahn Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA. .,Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Centers, James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Bronx, NY, 14068, USA. .,Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
| | - Adriana Feder
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, 10029, USA.
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11
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Daskalakis NP, Meijer OC, Ronald de Kloet E. Mineralocorticoid receptor and glucocorticoid receptor work alone and together in cell-type-specific manner: Implications for resilience prediction and targeted therapy. Neurobiol Stress 2022; 18:100455. [PMID: 35601687 PMCID: PMC9118500 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2022] [Revised: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
‘You can't roll the clock back and reverse the effects of experiences' Bruce McEwen used to say when explaining how allostasis labels the adaptive process. Here we will for once roll the clock back to the times that the science of the glucocorticoid hormone was honored with a Nobel prize and highlight the discovery of their receptors in the hippocampus as inroad to its current status as master regulator in control of stress coping and adaptation. Glucocorticoids operate in concert with numerous neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, and other hormones with the aim to facilitate processing of information in the neurocircuitry of stress, from anticipation and perception of a novel experience to behavioral adaptation and memory storage. This action, exerted by the glucocorticoids, is guided by two complementary receptor systems, mineralocorticoid receptors (MR) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR), that need to be balanced for a healthy stress response pattern. Here we discuss the cellular, neuroendocrine, and behavioral studies underlying the MR:GR balance concept, highlight the relevance of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) -axis patterns and note the limited understanding yet of sexual dimorphism in glucocorticoid actions. We conclude with the prospect that (i) genetically and epigenetically regulated receptor variants dictate cell-type-specific transcriptome signatures of stress-related neuropsychiatric symptoms and (ii) selective receptor modulators are becoming available for more targeted treatment. These two new developments may help to ‘restart the clock’ with the prospect to support resilience.
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12
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DeepBiomarker: Identifying Important Lab Tests from Electronic Medical Records for the Prediction of Suicide-Related Events among PTSD Patients. J Pers Med 2022; 12:jpm12040524. [PMID: 35455640 PMCID: PMC9025406 DOI: 10.3390/jpm12040524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying patients with high risk of suicide is critical for suicide prevention. We examined lab tests together with medication use and diagnosis from electronic medical records (EMR) data for prediction of suicide-related events (SREs; suicidal ideations, attempts and deaths) in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients, a population with a high risk of suicide. We developed DeepBiomarker, a deep-learning model through augmenting the data, including lab tests, and integrating contribution analysis for key factor identification. We applied DeepBiomarker to analyze EMR data of 38,807 PTSD patients from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Our model predicted whether a patient would have an SRE within the following 3 months with an area under curve score of 0.930. Through contribution analysis, we identified important lab tests for suicide prediction. These identified factors imply that the regulation of the immune system, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, and gut microbiome were involved in shaping the pathophysiological pathways promoting depression and suicidal risks in PTSD patients. Our results showed that abnormal lab tests combined with medication use and diagnosis could facilitate predicting SRE risk. Moreover, this may imply beneficial effects for suicide prevention by treating comorbidities associated with these biomarkers.
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13
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Busbee PB, Bam M, Yang X, Abdulla OA, Zhou J, Ginsberg JPJ, Aiello AE, Uddin M, Nagarkatti M, Nagarkatti PS. Dysregulated TP53 Among PTSD Patients Leads to Downregulation of miRNA let-7a and Promotes an Inflammatory Th17 Phenotype. Front Immunol 2022; 12:815840. [PMID: 35058939 PMCID: PMC8763839 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.815840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder and patients diagnosed with PTSD often express other comorbid health issues, particularly autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. Our previous reports investigating peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from PTSD patients showed that these patients exhibit an increased inflammatory T helper (Th) cell phenotype and widespread downregulation of microRNAs (miRNAs), key molecules involved in post-transcriptional gene regulation. A combination of analyzing prior datasets on gene and miRNA expression of PBMCs from PTSD and Control samples, as well as experiments using primary PBMCs collected from human PTSD and Controls blood, was used to evaluate TP53 expression, DNA methylation, and miRNA modulation on Th17 development. In the current report, we note several downregulated miRNAs were linked to tumor protein 53 (TP53), also known as p53. Expression data from PBMCs revealed that compared to Controls, PTSD patients exhibited decreased TP53 which correlated with an increased inflammatory Th17 phenotype. Decreased expression of TP53 in the PTSD population was shown to be associated with an increase in DNA methylation in the TP53 promotor region. Lastly, the most significantly downregulated TP53-associated miRNA, let-7a, was shown to negatively regulate Th17 T cells. Let-7a modulation in activated CD4+ T cells was shown to influence Th17 development and function, via alterations in IL-6 and IL-17 production, respectively. Collectively, these studies reveal that PTSD patients could be susceptible to inflammation by epigenetic dysregulation of TP53, which alters the miRNA profile to favor a proinflammatory Th17 phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip B Busbee
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Marpe Bam
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Xiaoming Yang
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Osama A Abdulla
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Juhua Zhou
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Jay Paul Jack Ginsberg
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States.,Departments of Psychophysiology, Clinical Psychology, and Research Office, Saybrook University, Pasadena, CA, United States
| | - Allison E Aiello
- Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina (UNC) Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Mcgavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, United States
| | - Monica Uddin
- Genomics Program, University of South Florida College of Public Health, Tampa, FL, United States
| | - Mitzi Nagarkatti
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
| | - Prakash S Nagarkatti
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States
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14
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Hoke A, Chakraborty N, Gautam A, Hammamieh R, Jett M. Acute and Delayed Effects of Stress Eliciting Post-Traumatic Stress-Like Disorder Differentially Alters Fecal Microbiota Composition in a Male Mouse Model. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:810815. [PMID: 35300376 PMCID: PMC8921487 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.810815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The association between the shift in fecal resident microbiome and social conflicts with long-term consequences on psychological plasticity, such as the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is yet to be comprehended. We developed an aggressor-exposed (Agg-E) social stress (SS) mouse model to mimic warzone-like conflicts, where random life-threatening interactions took place between naïve intruder mice and aggressive resident mice. Gradually these Agg-E mice developed distinct characteristics simulating PTSD-like aspects, whereas the control mice not exposed to Agg-E SS demonstrated distinct phenotypes. To further investigate the role of Agg-E SS on the resident microbiome, 16S rRNA gene sequencing was assayed using fecal samples collected at pre-, during, and post-SS time points. A time agonist shift in the fecal microbial composition of Agg-E mice in contrast to its controls suggested a persistent impact of Agg-E SS on resident microbiota. At the taxonomic level, Agg-E SS caused a significant shift in the time-resolved ratios of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes abundance. Furthermore, Agg-E SS caused diverging shifts in the relative abundances of Verrucomicrobia and Actinobacteria. An in silico estimation of genomic potential identified a potentially perturbed cluster of bioenergetic networks, which became increasingly enriched with time since the termination of Agg-E SS. Supported by a growing number of studies, our results indicated the roles of the microbiome in a wide range of phenotypes that could mimic the comorbidities of PTSD, which would be directly influenced by energy deficiency. Together, the present work suggested the fecal microbiome as a potential tool to manage long-term effects of social conflicts, including the management of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison Hoke
- Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE), Oak Ridge, TN, United States
- Medical Readiness Systems Biology Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience Research (CMPN), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Nabarun Chakraborty
- Medical Readiness Systems Biology Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience Research (CMPN), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Nabarun Chakraborty, ; Aarti Gautam,
| | - Aarti Gautam
- Medical Readiness Systems Biology Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience Research (CMPN), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, MD, United States
- *Correspondence: Nabarun Chakraborty, ; Aarti Gautam,
| | - Rasha Hammamieh
- Medical Readiness Systems Biology Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience Research (CMPN), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | - Marti Jett
- Medical Readiness Systems Biology Branch, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience Research (CMPN), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR), Silver Spring, MD, United States
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15
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Abstract
ABSTRACT Inflammatory phenomena are found in many psychiatric disorders-notably, depression, schizophrenia, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Inflammation has been linked to severity and treatment resistance, and may both contribute to, and result from, the pathophysiology of some psychiatric illnesses. Emerging research suggests that inflammation may contribute to symptom domains of reward, motor processing, and threat reactivity across different psychiatric diagnoses. Reward-processing deficits contribute to motivational impairments in depression and schizophrenia, and motor-processing deficits contribute to psychomotor slowing in both depression and schizophrenia. A number of experimental models and clinical trials suggest that inflammation produces deficits in reward and motor processing through common pathways connecting the cortex and the striatum, which includes the nucleus accumbens, caudate nucleus, and putamen.The observed effects of inflammation on psychiatric disorders may cut across traditional conceptualizations of psychiatric diagnoses. Further study may lead to targeted immunomodulating treatments that address difficult-to-treat symptoms in a number of psychiatric disorders. In this review, we use a Research Domain Criteria framework to discuss proposed mechanisms for inflammation and its effects on the domains of reward processing, psychomotor slowing, and threat reactivity. We also discuss data that support contributing roles of metabolic dysregulation and sex differences on the behavioral outcomes of inflammation. Finally, we discuss ways that future studies can help disentangle this complex topic to yield fruitful results that will help advance the field of psychoneuroimmunology.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Thylur
- From the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University
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16
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Lori A, Schultebraucks K, Galatzer-Levy I, Daskalakis NP, Katrinli S, Smith AK, Myers AJ, Richholt R, Huentelman M, Guffanti G, Wuchty S, Gould F, Harvey PD, Nemeroff CB, Jovanovic T, Gerasimov ES, Maples-Keller JL, Stevens JS, Michopoulos V, Rothbaum BO, Wingo AP, Ressler KJ. Transcriptome-wide association study of post-trauma symptom trajectories identified GRIN3B as a potential biomarker for PTSD development. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1811-1820. [PMID: 34188182 PMCID: PMC8357796 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01073-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Biomarkers that predict symptom trajectories after trauma can facilitate early detection or intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and may also advance our understanding of its biology. Here, we aimed to identify trajectory-based biomarkers using blood transcriptomes collected in the immediate aftermath of trauma exposure. Participants were recruited from an Emergency Department in the immediate aftermath of trauma exposure and assessed for PTSD symptoms at baseline, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. Three empirical symptom trajectories (chronic-PTSD, remitting, and resilient) were identified in 377 individuals based on longitudinal symptoms across four data points (1, 3, 6, and 12 months), using latent growth mixture modeling. Blood transcriptomes were examined for association with longitudinal symptom trajectories, followed by expression quantitative trait locus analysis. GRIN3B and AMOTL1 blood mRNA levels were associated with chronic vs. resilient post-trauma symptom trajectories at a transcriptome-wide significant level (N = 153, FDR-corrected p value = 0.0063 and 0.0253, respectively). We identified four genetic variants that regulate mRNA blood expression levels of GRIN3B. Among these, GRIN3B rs10401454 was associated with PTSD in an independent dataset (N = 3521, p = 0.04). Examination of the BrainCloud and GTEx databases revealed that rs10401454 was associated with brain mRNA expression levels of GRIN3B. While further replication and validation studies are needed, our data suggest that GRIN3B, a glutamate ionotropic receptor NMDA type subunit-3B, may be involved in the manifestation of PTSD. In addition, the blood mRNA level of GRIN3B may be a promising early biomarker for the PTSD manifestation and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana Lori
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Katharina Schultebraucks
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Data Science Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Isaac Galatzer-Levy
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nikolaos P Daskalakis
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Seyma Katrinli
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Alicia K Smith
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Amanda J Myers
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Ryan Richholt
- Neurogenomics Division and Center for Rare Childhood Disorders, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Matthew Huentelman
- Neurogenomics Division and Center for Rare Childhood Disorders, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ, USA
| | - Guia Guffanti
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Stefan Wuchty
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
- Institute of Data Science and Computing, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Felicia Gould
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Philip D Harvey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
| | | | - Tanja Jovanovic
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
| | | | | | - Jennifer S Stevens
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Vasiliki Michopoulos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Barbara O Rothbaum
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Aliza P Wingo
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Division of Mental Health, Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, GA, USA.
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
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17
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CPEB3-dowregulated Nr3c1 mRNA translation confers resilience to developing posttraumatic stress disorder-like behavior in fear-conditioned mice. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:1669-1679. [PMID: 33941859 PMCID: PMC8280193 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01017-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Susceptibility or resilience to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) depends on one's ability to appropriately adjust synaptic plasticity for coping with the traumatic experience. Activity-regulated mRNA translation synthesizes plasticity-related proteins to support long-term synaptic changes and memory. Hence, cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding protein 3-knockout (CPEB3-KO) mice, showing dysregulated translation-associated synaptic rigidity, may be susceptible to PTSD-like behavior. Here, using a context-dependent auditory fear conditioning and extinction paradigm, we found that CPEB3-KO mice exhibited traumatic intensity-dependent PTSD-like fear memory. A genome-wide screen of CPEB3-bound transcripts revealed that Nr3c1, encoding glucocorticoid receptor (GR), was translationally suppressed by CPEB3. Thus, CPEB3-KO neurons with elevated GR expression exhibited increased corticosterone-induced calcium influx and decreased mRNA and protein levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf). Moreover, the reduced expression of BDNF was associated with increased GR level during fear extinction in CPEB3-KO hippocampi. Intracerebroventricular delivery of BDNF before extinction training mitigated spontaneous fear intrusion in CPEB3-KO mice during extinction recall. Analysis of two GEO datasets revealed decreased transcriptomic expression of CPEB3 but not NR3C1 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of humans with PTSD. Collectively, this study reveals that CPEB3, as a potential PTSD-risk gene, downregulates Nr3c1 translation to maintain proper GR-BDNF signaling for fear extinction.
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18
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Garrett ME, Qin XJ, Mehta D, Dennis MF, Marx CE, Grant GA, Stein MB, Kimbrel NA, Beckham JC, Hauser MA, Ashley-Koch AE. Gene Expression Analysis in Three Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Cohorts Implicates Inflammation and Innate Immunity Pathways and Uncovers Shared Genetic Risk With Major Depressive Disorder. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:678548. [PMID: 34393704 PMCID: PMC8358297 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.678548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a complex psychiatric disorder that can develop following exposure to traumatic events. The Psychiatric Genomics Consortium PTSD group (PGC-PTSD) has collected over 20,000 multi-ethnic PTSD cases and controls and has identified both genetic and epigenetic factors associated with PTSD risk. To further investigate biological correlates of PTSD risk, we examined three PGC-PTSD cohorts comprising 977 subjects to identify differentially expressed genes among PTSD cases and controls. Whole blood gene expression was quantified with the HumanHT-12 v4 Expression BeadChip for 726 OEF/OIF veterans from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), 155 samples from the Injury and Traumatic Stress (INTRuST) Clinical Consortium, and 96 Australian Vietnam War veterans. Differential gene expression analysis was performed in each cohort separately followed by meta-analysis. In the largest cohort, we performed co-expression analysis to identify modules of genes that are associated with PTSD and MDD. We then conducted expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis and assessed the presence of eQTL interactions involving PTSD and major depressive disorder (MDD). Finally, we utilized PTSD and MDD GWAS summary statistics to identify regions that colocalize with eQTLs. Although not surpassing correction for multiple testing, the most differentially expressed genes in meta-analysis were interleukin-1 beta (IL1B), a pro-inflammatory cytokine previously associated with PTSD, and integrin-linked kinase (ILK), which is highly expressed in brain and can rescue dysregulated hippocampal neurogenesis and memory deficits. Pathway analysis revealed enrichment of toll-like receptor (TLR) and interleukin-1 receptor genes, which are integral to cellular innate immune response. Co-expression analysis identified four modules of genes associated with PTSD, two of which are also associated with MDD, demonstrating common biological pathways underlying the two conditions. Lastly, we identified four genes (UBA7, HLA-F, HSPA1B, and RERE) with high probability of a shared causal eQTL variant with PTSD and/or MDD GWAS variants, thereby providing a potential mechanism by which the GWAS variant contributes to disease risk. In summary, we provide additional evidence for genes and pathways previously reported and identified plausible novel candidates for PTSD. These data provide further insight into genetic factors and pathways involved in PTSD, as well as potential regions of pleiotropy between PTSD and MDD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie E Garrett
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Xue Jun Qin
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Divya Mehta
- Queensland University of Technology, Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health, Faculty of Health, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia
| | - Michelle F Dennis
- Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, NC, United States.,VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Christine E Marx
- Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, NC, United States.,VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Gerald A Grant
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | | | | | | | | | - Murray B Stein
- Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States.,Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States.,VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Nathan A Kimbrel
- Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, NC, United States.,VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Jean C Beckham
- Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, NC, United States.,VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center, Durham, NC United States.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Michael A Hauser
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Allison E Ashley-Koch
- Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
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19
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Integration of peripheral transcriptomics, genomics, and interactomics following trauma identifies causal genes for symptoms of post-traumatic stress and major depression. Mol Psychiatry 2021; 26:3077-3092. [PMID: 33963278 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01084-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating syndrome with substantial morbidity and mortality that occurs in the aftermath of trauma. Symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD) are also a frequent consequence of trauma exposure. Identifying novel risk markers in the immediate aftermath of trauma is a critical step for the identification of novel biological targets to understand mechanisms of pathophysiology and prevention, as well as the determination of patients most at risk who may benefit from immediate intervention. Our study utilizes a novel approach to computationally integrate blood-based transcriptomics, genomics, and interactomics to understand the development of risk vs. resilience in the months following trauma exposure. In a two-site longitudinal, observational prospective study, we assessed over 10,000 individuals and enrolled >700 subjects in the immediate aftermath of trauma (average 5.3 h post-trauma (range 0.5-12 h)) in the Grady Memorial Hospital (Atlanta) and Jackson Memorial Hospital (Miami) emergency departments. RNA expression data and 6-month follow-up data were available for 366 individuals, while genotype, transcriptome, and phenotype data were available for 297 patients. To maximize our power and understanding of genes and pathways that predict risk vs. resilience, we utilized a set-cover approach to capture fluctuations of gene expression of PTSD or depression-converting patients and non-converting trauma-exposed controls to find representative sets of disease-relevant dysregulated genes. We annotated such genes with their corresponding expression quantitative trait loci and applied a variant of a current flow algorithm to identify genes that potentially were causal for the observed dysregulation of disease genes involved in the development of depression and PTSD symptoms after trauma exposure. We obtained a final list of 11 driver causal genes related to MDD symptoms, 13 genes for PTSD symptoms, and 22 genes in PTSD and/or MDD. We observed that these individual or combined disorders shared ESR1, RUNX1, PPARA, and WWOX as driver causal genes, while other genes appeared to be causal driver in the PTSD only or MDD only cases. A number of these identified causal pathways have been previously implicated in the biology or genetics of PTSD and MDD, as well as in preclinical models of amygdala function and fear regulation. Our work provides a promising set of initial pathways that may underlie causal mechanisms in the development of PTSD or MDD in the aftermath of trauma.
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Tamman AJF, Wendt FR, Pathak GA, Krystal JH, Montalvo-Ortiz JL, Southwick SM, Sippel LM, Gelernter J, Polimanti R, Pietrzak RH. Attachment Style Moderates Polygenic Risk for Posttraumatic Stress in United States Military Veterans: Results From the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study. Biol Psychiatry 2021; 89:878-887. [PMID: 33276944 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.09.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Revised: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A polygenic risk score (PRS) derived from genome-wide association studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may inform risk for this disorder. To date, however, no known study has examined whether social environmental factors such as attachment style may moderate the relation between PRS and PTSD. METHODS We evaluated main and interactive effects of PRS and attachment style on PTSD symptoms in a nationally representative sample of trauma-exposed European-American U.S. military veterans (N = 2030). PRS was derived from a genome-wide association study of PTSD re-experiencing symptoms (N = 146,660) in the Million Veteran Program cohort. Using one-sample Mendelian randomization with data from the UK Biobank (N = 115,099), we evaluated the effects of re-experiencing PRS and attachment style on PTSD symptoms. RESULTS Higher re-experiencing PRS and secure attachment style were independently associated with PTSD symptoms. A significant PRS-by-attachment style interaction was also observed (β = -.11, p = .006), with a positive association between re-experiencing PRS and PTSD symptoms observed only among veterans with an insecure attachment style. One-sample Mendelian randomization analyses suggested that the association between PTSD symptoms and attachment style is bidirectional. PRS enrichment analyses revealed a significant interaction between attachment style and a variant mapping to the IGSF11 gene (rs151177743, p = 2.1 × 10-7), which is implicated in regulating excitatory synaptic transmission and plasticity. CONCLUSIONS Attachment style may moderate polygenic risk for PTSD symptoms, and a novel locus implicated in synaptic transmission and plasticity may serve as a possible biological mediator of this association. These findings may help inform interpersonally oriented treatments for PTSD for individuals with high polygenic risk for this disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Frank R Wendt
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Gita A Pathak
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - John H Krystal
- Clinical Neurosciences Division, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, New Haven, Connecticut; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | | | - Steven M Southwick
- Clinical Neurosciences Division, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, New Haven, Connecticut; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Lauren M Sippel
- Executive Division, National Center for PTSD, White River Junction, Vermont; Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire
| | - Joel Gelernter
- Clinical Neurosciences Division, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, New Haven, Connecticut; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Renato Polimanti
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Robert H Pietrzak
- Clinical Neurosciences Division, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, New Haven, Connecticut; Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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21
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Bountress KE, Vladimirov V, McMichael G, Taylor ZN, Hardiman G, Chung D, Adams ZW, Danielson CK, Amstadter AB. Gene Expression Differences Between Young Adults Based on Trauma History and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:581093. [PMID: 33897478 PMCID: PMC8060466 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.581093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: The purpose of this study was to identify gene expression differences associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma exposure (TE) in a three-group study design comprised of those with and without trauma exposure and PTSD. Methods: We conducted gene expression and gene network analyses in a sample (n = 45) composed of female subjects of European Ancestry (EA) with PTSD, TE without PTSD, and controls. Results: We identified 283 genes differentially expressed between PTSD-TE groups. In an independent sample of Veterans (n = 78) a small minority of these genes were also differentially expressed. We identified 7 gene network modules significantly associated with PTSD and TE (Bonferroni corrected p ≤ 0.05), which at a false discovery rate (FDR) of q ≤ 0.2, were significantly enriched for biological pathways involved in focal adhesion, neuroactive ligand receptor interaction, and immune related processes among others. Conclusions: This study uses gene network analyses to identify significant gene modules associated with PTSD, TE, and controls. On an individual gene level, we identified a large number of differentially expressed genes between PTSD-TE groups, a minority of which were also differentially expressed in the independent sample. We also demonstrate a lack of network module preservation between PTSD and TE, suggesting that the molecular signature of PTSD and trauma are likely independent of each other. Our results provide a basis for the identification of likely disease pathways and biomarkers involved in the etiology of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaitlin E. Bountress
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatry and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Vladimir Vladimirov
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, College of Medicine Texas A&M University, Richmond, VA, United States
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Gowon McMichael
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatry and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Z. Nathan Taylor
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatry and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Gary Hardiman
- Institute for Global Food Security, Queens University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Dongjun Chung
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Zachary W. Adams
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, United States
| | - Carla Kmett Danielson
- National Crime Victim Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Ananda B. Amstadter
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatry and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Richmond, VA, United States
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22
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Moni MA, Lin PI, Quinn JMW, Eapen V. COVID-19 patient transcriptomic and genomic profiling reveals comorbidity interactions with psychiatric disorders. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:160. [PMID: 33723208 PMCID: PMC7957287 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-01151-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Revised: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychiatric symptoms are seen in some COVID-19 patients, as direct or indirect sequelae, but it is unclear whether SARS-CoV-2 infection interacts with underlying neuronal or psychiatric susceptibilities. Such interactions might arise from COVID-19 immune responses, from infection of neurons themselves or may reflect social-psychological causes. To clarify this we sought the key gene expression pathways altered in COVID-19 also affected in bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and schizophrenia, since this may identify pathways of interaction that could be treatment targets. We performed large scale comparisons of whole transcriptome data and immune factor transcript data in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from COVID-19 patients and patients with psychiatric disorders. We also analysed genome-wide association study (GWAS) data for symptomatic COVID-19 patients, comparing GWAS and whole-genome sequence data from patients with bipolar disorder, PTSD and schizophrenia patients. These studies revealed altered signalling and ontology pathways shared by COVID-19 patients and the three psychiatric disorders. Finally, co-expression and network analyses identified gene clusters common to the conditions. COVID-19 patients had peripheral blood immune system profiles that overlapped with those of patients with psychiatric conditions. From the pathways identified, PTSD profiles were the most highly correlated with COVID-19, perhaps consistent with stress-immune system interactions seen in PTSD. We also revealed common inflammatory pathways that may exacerbate psychiatric disorders, which may support the usage of anti-inflammatory medications in these patients. It also highlights the potential clinical application of multi-level dataset studies in difficult-to-treat psychiatric disorders in this COVID-19 pandemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad Ali Moni
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Ping-I Lin
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
- South Western Sydney Area Health Service, Sydney, NSW, 2170, Australia
| | - Julian M W Quinn
- The Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Healthy Ageing Theme, Darlinghurst, NSW, 2010, Australia
- Division of Surgery and Anesthesia, Royal North Shore Hospital SERT Institute, St Leonards, NSW, 2065, Australia
| | - Valsamma Eapen
- Faculty of Medicine, School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
- South Western Sydney Area Health Service, Sydney, NSW, 2170, Australia.
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Schultebraucks K, Chang BP. The opportunities and challenges of machine learning in the acute care setting for precision prevention of posttraumatic stress sequelae. Exp Neurol 2021; 336:113526. [PMID: 33157093 PMCID: PMC7856033 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2020.113526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 10/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Personalized medicine is among the most exciting innovations in recent clinical research, offering the opportunity for tailored screening and management at the individual level. Biomarker-enriched clinical trials have shown increased efficiency and informativeness in cancer research due to the selective exclusion of patients unlikely to benefit. In acute stress situations, clinically significant decisions are often made in time-sensitive manners and providers may be pressed to make decisions based on abbreviated clinical assessments. Up to 30% of trauma survivors admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) will develop long-lasting posttraumatic stress psychopathologies. The long-term impact of those survivors with posttraumatic stress sequelae are significant, impacting both long-term psychological and physiological recovery. An accurate prognostic model of who will develop posttraumatic stress symptoms does not exist yet. Additionally, no scalable and cost-effective method that can be easily integrated into routine care exists, even though especially the acute care setting provides a critical window of opportunity for prevention in the so-called golden hours when preventive measures are most effective. In this review, we aim to discuss emerging machine learning (ML) applications that are promising for precisely risk stratification and targeted treatments in the acute care setting. The aim of this narrative review is to present examples of digital health innovations and to discuss the potential of these new approaches for treatment selection and prevention of posttraumatic sequelae in the acute care setting. The application of artificial intelligence-based solutions have already had great success in other areas and are rapidly approaching the field of psychological care as well. New ways of algorithm-based risk predicting, and the use of digital phenotypes provide a high potential for predicting future risk of PTSD in acute care settings and to go new steps in precision psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Schultebraucks
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America; Data Science Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States of America.
| | - Bernard P Chang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, United States of America
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24
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Bam M, Yang X, Busbee BP, Aiello AE, Uddin M, Ginsberg JP, Galea S, Nagarkatti PS, Nagarkatti M. Increased H3K4me3 methylation and decreased miR-7113-5p expression lead to enhanced Wnt/β-catenin signaling in immune cells from PTSD patients leading to inflammatory phenotype. Mol Med 2020; 26:110. [PMID: 33189141 PMCID: PMC7666486 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-020-00238-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder accompanied by chronic peripheral inflammation. What triggers inflammation in PTSD is currently unclear. In the present study, we identified potential defects in signaling pathways in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from individuals with PTSD. METHODS RNAseq (5 samples each for controls and PTSD), ChIPseq (5 samples each) and miRNA array (6 samples each) were used in combination with bioinformatics tools to identify dysregulated genes in PBMCs. Real time qRT-PCR (24 samples each) and in vitro assays were employed to validate our primary findings and hypothesis. RESULTS By RNA-seq analysis of PBMCs, we found that Wnt signaling pathway was upregulated in PTSD when compared to normal controls. Specifically, we found increased expression of WNT10B in the PTSD group when compared to controls. Our findings were confirmed using NCBI's GEO database involving a larger sample size. Additionally, in vitro activation studies revealed that activated but not naïve PBMCs from control individuals expressed more IFNγ in the presence of recombinant WNT10B suggesting that Wnt signaling played a crucial role in exacerbating inflammation. Next, we investigated the mechanism of induction of WNT10B and found that increased expression of WNT10B may result from epigenetic modulation involving downregulation of hsa-miR-7113-5p which targeted WNT10B. Furthermore, we also observed that WNT10B overexpression was linked to higher expression of H3K4me3 histone modification around the promotor of WNT10B. Additionally, knockdown of histone demethylase specific to H3K4me3, using siRNA, led to increased expression of WNT10B providing conclusive evidence that H3K4me3 indeed controlled WNT10B expression. CONCLUSIONS In summary, our data demonstrate for the first time that Wnt signaling pathway is upregulated in PBMCs of PTSD patients resulting from epigenetic changes involving microRNA dysregulation and histone modifications, which in turn may promote the inflammatory phenotype in such cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marpe Bam
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29209, USA
| | - Xiaoming Yang
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29209, USA
- William Jennings Bryan Dorn Veterans Medical Center, 6439 Garners Ferry Road, Columbia, SC, 29209-1639, USA
| | - Brandon P Busbee
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29209, USA
| | - Allison E Aiello
- Department of Epidemiology, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Mcgavran-Greenberg Hall, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-7435, USA
| | - Monica Uddin
- Genomics Program, University of South Florida College of Public Health, 3720 Spectrum Blvd., Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Jay P Ginsberg
- William Jennings Bryan Dorn Veterans Medical Center, 6439 Garners Ferry Road, Columbia, SC, 29209-1639, USA
| | - Sandro Galea
- School of Public Health, Boston University, 715 Albany Street-Talbot 301, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Prakash S Nagarkatti
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29209, USA
| | - Mitzi Nagarkatti
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29209, USA.
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25
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Malgaroli M, Schultebraucks K. Artificial Intelligence and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). EUROPEAN PSYCHOLOGIST 2020. [DOI: 10.1027/1016-9040/a000423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Abstract. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating disease that can occur after experiencing a traumatic event. Despite recent progress in computational research, it has not yet been possible to identify precise and reliable risk factors that enable predictive models of individual risk for posttraumatic stress after trauma. In this overview, we discuss recent advances in the use of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for risk stratification and targeted treatment allocation in the context of stress pathologies and we critically review the benefits and challenges of emerging approaches. The vast heterogeneity in the manifestation and the etiology of PTSD is discussed as one major reason for the need to deploy ML-based computational models to better account for individual differences between patients. Striving for personalized medicine is one of the most important goals of current clinical research and is of great potential for the field of posttraumatic stress research. The use of ML is a promising and necessary approach for reaching more personalized treatments and to make further progress in the field of precision psychiatry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Malgaroli
- Department of Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Katharina Schultebraucks
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Vagelos School of Physicians and Surgeon, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- Data Science Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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26
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Linnstaedt SD, Zannas AS, McLean SA, Koenen KC, Ressler KJ. Literature review and methodological considerations for understanding circulating risk biomarkers following trauma exposure. Mol Psychiatry 2020; 25:1986-1999. [PMID: 31863020 PMCID: PMC7305050 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0636-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2019] [Revised: 11/24/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to traumatic events is common. While many individuals recover following trauma exposure, a substantial subset develop adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae (APNS) such as posttraumatic stress, major depression, and regional or widespread chronic musculoskeletal pain. APNS cause substantial burden to the individual and to society, causing functional impairment and physical disability, risk for suicide, lost workdays, and increased health care costs. Contemporary treatment is limited by an inability to identify individuals at high risk of APNS in the immediate aftermath of trauma, and an inability to identify optimal treatments for individual patients. Our purpose is to provide a comprehensive review describing candidate blood-based biomarkers that may help to identify those at high risk of APNS and/or guide individual intervention decision-making. Such blood-based biomarkers include circulating biological factors such as hormones, proteins, immune molecules, neuropeptides, neurotransmitters, mRNA, and noncoding RNA expression signatures, while we do not review genetic and epigenetic biomarkers due to other recent reviews of this topic. The current state of the literature on circulating risk biomarkers of APNS is summarized, and key considerations and challenges for their discovery and translation are discussed. We also describe the AURORA study, a specific example of current scientific efforts to identify such circulating risk biomarkers and the largest study to date focused on identifying risk and prognostic factors in the aftermath of trauma exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah D Linnstaedt
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Anthony S Zannas
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Departments of Psychiatry and Genetics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Samuel A McLean
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Karestan C Koenen
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kerry J Ressler
- Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Belmont, MA, USA.
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Kuan PF, Clouston S, Yang X, Kotov R, Bromet E, Luft BJ. Molecular linkage between post-traumatic stress disorder and cognitive impairment: a targeted proteomics study of World Trade Center responders. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:269. [PMID: 32753605 PMCID: PMC7403297 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-00958-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Existing work on proteomics has found common biomarkers that are altered in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The current study expands our understanding of these biomarkers by profiling 276 plasma proteins with known involvement in neurobiological processes using the Olink Proseek Multiplex Platform in individuals with both PTSD and MCI compared to either disorder alone and with unaffected controls. Participants were World Trade Center (WTC) responders recruited through the Stony Brook WTC Health Program. PTSD and MCI were measured with the PTSD Checklist (PCL) and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, respectively. Compared with unaffected controls, we identified 16 proteins associated with comorbid PTSD-MCI at P < 0.05 (six at FDR < 0.1), 20 proteins associated with PTSD only (two at FDR < 0.1), and 24 proteins associated with MCI only (one at FDR < 0.1), for a total of 50 proteins. The multiprotein composite score achieved AUCs of 0.84, 0.77, and 0.83 for PTSD-MCI, PTSD only, and MCI only versus unaffected controls, respectively. To our knowledge, the current study is the largest to profile a large set of proteins involved in neurobiological processes. The significant associations across the three case-group analyses suggest that shared biological mechanisms may be involved in the two disorders. If findings from the multiprotein composite score are replicated in independent samples, it has the potential to add a new tool to help classify both PTSD and MCI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Fen Kuan
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Sean Clouston
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Stony Book University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Xiaohua Yang
- Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Roman Kotov
- Department of Psychiatry, Stony Book University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Evelyn Bromet
- Department of Psychiatry, Stony Book University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Benjamin J Luft
- Department of Medicine, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA.
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Sepe RM, Ghiron JHL, Zucchetti I, Caputi L, Tarallo R, Crocetta F, De Santis R, D'Aniello S, Sordino P. The EJC component Magoh in non-vertebrate chordates. Dev Genes Evol 2020; 230:295-304. [PMID: 32632492 DOI: 10.1007/s00427-020-00664-7] [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: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Earliest craniates possess a newly enlarged, elaborated forebrain with new cell types and neuronal networks. A key question in vertebrate evolution is when and how this cerebral expansion took place. The exon-junction complex (EJC) plays an essential role in mRNA processing of all Eukarya. Recently, it has been proposed that the EJC represses recursive RNA splicing in Deuterostomes, with implication in human brain diseases like microcephaly and depression. However, the EJC or EJC subunit contribution to brain development in non-vertebrate Deuterostomes remained unknown. Being interested in the evolution of chordate characters, we focused on the model species, Branchiostoma lanceolatum (Cephalochordata) and Ciona robusta (Tunicata), with the aim to investigate the ancestral and the derived expression state of Magoh orthologous genes. This study identifies that Magoh is part of a conserved syntenic group exclusively in vertebrates and suggests that Magoh has experienced duplication and loss events in mammals. During early development in amphioxus and ascidian, maternal contribution and zygotic expression of Magoh genes in various types of progenitor cells and tissues are consistent with the condition observed in other Bilateria. Later in development, we also show expression of Magoh in the brain of cephalochordate and ascidian larvae. Collectively, these results provide a basis to further define what functional role(s) Magoh exerted during nervous system development and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosa Maria Sepe
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Napoli, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Jung Hee Levialdi Ghiron
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Napoli, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Ivana Zucchetti
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Napoli, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Luigi Caputi
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Napoli, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Raffaella Tarallo
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Napoli, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Fabio Crocetta
- Department of Integrated Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Napoli, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Rosaria De Santis
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Napoli, 80121, Naples, Italy
| | - Salvatore D'Aniello
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Napoli, 80121, Naples, Italy.
| | - Paolo Sordino
- Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn Napoli, 80121, Naples, Italy.
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Kaczkurkin AN, Moore TM, Sotiras A, Xia CH, Shinohara RT, Satterthwaite TD. Approaches to Defining Common and Dissociable Neurobiological Deficits Associated With Psychopathology in Youth. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 88:51-62. [PMID: 32087950 PMCID: PMC7305976 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Psychiatric disorders show high rates of comorbidity and nonspecificity of presenting clinical symptoms, while demonstrating substantial heterogeneity within diagnostic categories. Notably, many of these psychiatric disorders first manifest in youth. We review progress and next steps in efforts to parse heterogeneity in psychiatric symptoms in youths by identifying abnormalities within neural circuits. To address this fundamental challenge in psychiatry, a number of methods have been proposed. We provide an overview of these methods, broadly organized into dimensional versus categorical approaches and single-view versus multiview approaches. Dimensional approaches including factor analysis and canonical correlation analysis aim to capture dimensional associations between psychopathology and brain measures across a continuous spectrum from health to disease. In contrast, categorical approaches, such as clustering and community detection, aim to identify subtypes of individuals within a class of symptoms or brain features. We highlight several studies that apply these methods to samples of youths and discuss issues to consider when using these approaches. Finally, we end by highlighting avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tyler M Moore
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Aristeidis Sotiras
- Department of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri; Institute for Informatics, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Cedric Huchuan Xia
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Russell T Shinohara
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Theodore D Satterthwaite
- Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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Sumner JA, Nishimi KM, Koenen KC, Roberts AL, Kubzansky LD. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Inflammation: Untangling Issues of Bidirectionality. Biol Psychiatry 2020; 87:885-897. [PMID: 31932029 PMCID: PMC7211139 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Revised: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has increasingly been linked to heightened systemic inflammation. It matters whether this association is causal (and either bidirectional or unidirectional) or correlational. Investigators have hypothesized that chronic systemic low-grade inflammation may contribute to greater risk of developing PTSD after experiencing trauma and/or serve as a mechanism linking PTSD to adverse physical health outcomes. However, if the PTSD-inflammation relation is correlational, it may not warrant further research aimed at understanding inflammation as a PTSD risk factor or as a pathway linking PTSD with poor health. In this review, we first assess the longitudinal evidence related to PTSD and inflammation to understand more clearly the directionality and causal nature of this relation. Overall, few longitudinal studies rigorously assess the direction of the PTSD-inflammation relation. Some of the evidence indicates that elevated inflammation assessed pretrauma or in the acute aftermath of trauma increases risk for developing PTSD. Fewer studies evaluate the influence of PTSD on subsequent inflammation levels, and findings are mixed. Sample characteristics and study designs, and also the type of inflammation-related measure, vary widely across studies. Based on current evidence, we then recommend several statistical and study design approaches that may help untangle issues of bidirectionality and aid in determining the direction of causality between PTSD and inflammation. Last, we conclude with future research directions and consider potential implications for interventions or treatment approaches based on this growing body of literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A. Sumner
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA,Correspondence to: Jennifer A. Sumner, University of California, Los Angeles, Department of Psychology, 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA 90095. Telephone: 1 (310) 794-9860;
| | - Kristen M. Nishimi
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Karestan C. Koenen
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrea L. Roberts
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Laura D. Kubzansky
- Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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Shalev I, Hastings WJ, Etzel L, Israel S, Russell MA, Hendrick KA, Zinobile M, Siegel SR. Investigating the impact of early-life adversity on physiological, immune, and gene expression responses to acute stress: A pilot feasibility study. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0221310. [PMID: 32243432 PMCID: PMC7122782 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0221310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Exposure to early-life adversity (ELA) can result in long-term changes to physiological systems, which predispose individuals to negative health outcomes. This biological embedding of stress-responsive systems may operate via dysregulation of physiological resources in response to common stressors. The present pilot study outlines a novel experimental design to test how young adults' exposure to ELA influences neuroendocrine and inflammatory responses to acute stress. MATERIALS AND METHODS Participants were 12 males (mean age = 21.25), half of whom endorsed at least three significant adverse events up to age 18 years ('ELA group'), and half who confirmed zero ('controls'). Using a randomized within-subjects, between-groups experimental design, we induced acute psychosocial stress (Trier Social Stress Test, TSST), and included a no-stress control condition one week apart. During these sessions, we obtained repeated measurements of physiological reactivity, gene expression of the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), and plasma levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8 and TNFα) over a 4-hour window post-test. RESULTS In this pilot study, the ELA group evinced higher cortisol response and blunted NR3C1 gene expression in response to the TSST compared with controls, while no differences were observed in the no-stress condition. For pro-inflammatory cytokines, only IL-6 increased significantly in response to the TSST, with no differences between the two groups. CONCLUSION Overall, this pilot feasibility study provides a framework to investigate the biological embedding of early-adversity via dysregulation across physiological and genomic systems in response to acute psychosocial stress. ELA may program such systems in a maladaptive manner more likely to manifest during times of duress, predisposing individuals to the negative health consequences of everyday stressors. Future studies with larger sample size including both males and females are needed to replicate and expand upon these preliminary findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Idan Shalev
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Waylon J. Hastings
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Laura Etzel
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Salomon Israel
- Department of Psychology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
- Scheinfeld Center of Human Genetics for the Social Sciences, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Michael A. Russell
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Kelsie A. Hendrick
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Megan Zinobile
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
| | - Sue Rutherford Siegel
- Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States of America
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32
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Mehta D, Miller O, Bruenig D, David G, Shakespeare-Finch J. A Systematic Review of DNA Methylation and Gene Expression Studies in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Posttraumatic Growth, and Resilience. J Trauma Stress 2020; 33:171-180. [PMID: 31951051 DOI: 10.1002/jts.22472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Revised: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 07/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Most people will experience a traumatic event within their lifetime. One commonly recognized response to trauma exposure is posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The biological underpinnings of PTSD, including epigenetic mechanisms of DNA methylation and gene expression, have been studied intensively. However, psychological posttrauma responses vary widely and can include positive outcomes, such as posttraumatic growth (PTG) and, more commonly, resilience. The aim of this systematic review was to summarize the current DNA methylation and gene expression data with respect to three potential posttrauma responses: PTSD, PTG, and resilience. A literature search identified 486 studies, 51 of which were deemed eligible for inclusion (total N = 10,633). All included studies examined PTSD and consistently implicated DNA methylation and gene expression changes in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and inflammatory genes. Ten studies acknowledged resilience as a posttrauma response, but only two studies examined epigenetics and gene expression using a scale to measure resilience. Low resilience was associated with gene expression patterns in immune and dopamine genes, and high resilience was associated with a blunted inflammatory response. No studies examined epigenetic or gene expression changes associated with PTG. These findings highlight a focus on pathogenic research, which has failed to adequately acknowledge and measure positive posttrauma outcomes of PTG and resilience. Future research should examine DNA methylation and gene expression changes associated with PTG and resilience in addition to PTSD in order to gain a more comprehensive picture of an individual's well-being following exposure to trauma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Divya Mehta
- School of Psychology and Counselling and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Australia
| | - Olivia Miller
- School of Psychology and Counselling and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Australia
| | - Dagmar Bruenig
- School of Psychology and Counselling and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Australia
| | - Georgina David
- School of Psychology and Counselling and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Australia
| | - Jane Shakespeare-Finch
- School of Psychology and Counselling and Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Australia
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Balamuth F, Alpern ER, Kan M, Shumyatcher M, Hayes K, Lautenbach E, Himes BE. Gene Expression Profiles in Children With Suspected Sepsis. Ann Emerg Med 2020; 75:744-754. [PMID: 31983492 DOI: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2019.09.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVE Sepsis recognition is a clinical challenge in children. We aim to determine whether peripheral blood gene expression profiles are associated with pathogen type and sepsis severity in children with suspected sepsis. METHODS This was a prospective pilot observational study in a tertiary pediatric emergency department with a convenience sample of children enrolled. Participants were older than 56 days and younger than 18 years, had suspected sepsis, and had not received broad-spectrum antibiotics in the previous 4 hours. Primary outcome was source pathogen, defined as confirmed bacterial source from sterile body fluid or confirmed viral source. Secondary outcome was sepsis severity, defined as maximum therapy required for shock reversal in the first 3 hospital days. We drew peripheral blood for ribonucleic acid isolation at the sepsis protocol activation, obtained gene expression measures with the GeneChip Human Gene 2.0 ST Array, and conducted differential expression analysis. RESULTS We collected ribonucleic acid samples from a convenience sample of 122 children with suspected sepsis and 12 healthy controls. We compared the 66 children (54%) with confirmed bacterial or viral infection and found 558 differentially expressed genes, many related to interferon signaling or viral immunity. We did not find statistically significant gene expression differences in patients according to sepsis severity. CONCLUSION The study demonstrates feasibility of evaluating gene expression profiling data in children evaluated for sepsis in the pediatric emergency department setting. Our results suggest that gene expression profiling may facilitate identification of source pathogen in children with suspected sepsis, which could ultimately lead to improved tailoring of sepsis treatment and antimicrobial stewardship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fran Balamuth
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA; Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA.
| | - Elizabeth R Alpern
- Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern School of Medicine, Division of Emergency Medicine, and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Mengyuan Kan
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Maya Shumyatcher
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Katie Hayes
- Division of Emergency Medicine, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Ebbing Lautenbach
- Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA; Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Blanca E Himes
- Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
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Hori H, Yoshida F, Itoh M, Lin M, Niwa M, Ino K, Imai R, Ogawa S, Matsui M, Kamo T, Kunugi H, Kim Y. Proinflammatory status-stratified blood transcriptome profiling of civilian women with PTSD. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2020; 111:104491. [PMID: 31698278 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.104491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 10/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Etiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains largely unknown. Studies have shown that a significant subset of patients with PTSD exhibit increased inflammation, suggesting that the understanding of this disorder could be facilitated by classifying these patients by inflammatory status. Here we performed a microarray-based blood transcriptome analysis on proinflammatory status-stratified Japanese civilian women with PTSD most of whom developed the disorder after experiencing interpersonal violence. By utilizing our previously identified cut-off serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) level that approximately corresponded to the median IL-6 level of our PTSD patients, we classified patients into those with high IL-6 levels and those with normal IL-6 levels (n = 16 for each). Transcriptome profiles of these 2 groups were compared with the profile of 16 age-matched healthy control women. Differentially expressed genes between high IL-6 patients and controls showed significant enrichment in a number of gene ontology terms and pathways primarily involved in immune/inflammatory responses, and their protein-protein interaction network was significantly enriched. In contrast, differentially expressed genes between normal IL-6 patients and controls showed significant enrichment in several gene ontology terms related to ion transport and neural function. The microarray data were confirmed by reverse transcription quantitative PCR. These findings illustrate the heterogeneous molecular mechanisms of PTSD within this relatively homogeneous sample in terms of sex, trauma type, and ethnicity, suggesting that peripheral proinflammatory status such as IL-6 levels could be a useful subtyping marker for this disorder. With further research, it is hoped that our findings will be translated into personalized medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroaki Hori
- Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Fuyuko Yoshida
- Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mariko Itoh
- Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mingming Lin
- Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Madoka Niwa
- Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keiko Ino
- Department of Psychiatry and Cognitive-Behavioral Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Risa Imai
- Department of Psychiatry and Cognitive-Behavioral Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Sei Ogawa
- Department of Psychiatry and Cognitive-Behavioral Medicine, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya, Japan
| | - Mie Matsui
- Department of Clinical Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Liberal Arts and Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Toshiko Kamo
- Wakamatsu-cho Mental and Skin Clinic, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Kunugi
- Department of Mental Disorder Research, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoshiharu Kim
- Department of Behavioral Medicine, National Institute of Mental Health, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Tokyo, Japan
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Newville J, Maxwell JR, Kitase Y, Robinson S, Jantzie LL. Perinatal Opioid Exposure Primes the Peripheral Immune System Toward Hyperreactivity. Front Pediatr 2020; 8:272. [PMID: 32670993 PMCID: PMC7332770 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2020.00272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The increased incidence of opioid use during pregnancy warrants investigation to reveal the impact of opioid exposure on the developing fetus. Exposure during critical periods of development could have enduring consequences for affected individuals. Particularly, evidence is mounting that developmental injury can result in immune priming, whereby subsequent immune activation elicits an exaggerated immune response. This maladaptive hypersensitivity to immune challenge perpetuates dysregulated inflammatory signaling and poor health outcomes. Utilizing an established preclinical rat model of perinatal methadone exposure, we sought to investigate the consequences of developmental opioid exposure on in vitro activation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). We hypothesize that PBMCs from methadone-exposed rats would exhibit abnormal chemokine and cytokine expression at baseline, with exaggerated chemokine and cytokine production following immune stimulation compared to saline-exposed controls. On postnatal day (P) 7, pup PMBCs were isolated and cultured, pooling three pups per n. Following 3 and 24 h, the supernatant from cultured PMBCs was collected and assessed for inflammatory cytokine and chemokine expression at baseline or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation using multiplex electrochemiluminescence. Following 3 and 24 h, baseline production of proinflammatory chemokine and cytokine levels were significantly increased in methadone PBMCs (p < 0.0001). Stimulation with LPS for 3 h resulted in increased tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 (CXCL1) expression by 3.5-fold in PBMCs from methadone-exposed PBMCs compared to PBMCs from saline-exposed controls (p < 0.0001). Peripheral blood mononuclear cell hyperreactivity was still apparent at 24 h of LPS stimulation, evidenced by significantly increased TNF-α, CXCL1, interleukin 6 (IL-6), and IL-10 production by methadone PMBCs compared to saline control PBMCs (p < 0.0001). Together, we provide evidence of increased production of proinflammatory molecules from methadone PBMCs at baseline, in addition to sustained hyperreactivity relative to saline-exposed controls. Exaggerated peripheral immune responses exacerbate inflammatory signaling, with subsequent consequences on many organ systems throughout the body, such as the developing nervous system. Enhanced understanding of these inflammatory mechanisms will allow for appropriate therapeutic development for infants who were exposed to opioids during development. Furthermore, these data highlight the utility of this in vitro PBMC assay technique for future biomarker development to guide specific treatment for patients exposed to opioids during gestation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessie Newville
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Jessie R Maxwell
- Department of Neurosciences, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, United States.,Departments of Pediatrics, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, United States
| | - Yuma Kitase
- Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Shenandoah Robinson
- Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Lauren L Jantzie
- Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.,Department of Neurology, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Towards precision medicine for stress disorders: diagnostic biomarkers and targeted drugs. Mol Psychiatry 2020; 25:918-938. [PMID: 30862937 PMCID: PMC7192849 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0370-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2018] [Revised: 01/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The biological fingerprint of environmental adversity may be key to understanding health and disease, as it encompasses the damage induced as well as the compensatory reactions of the organism. Metabolic and hormonal changes may be an informative but incomplete window into the underlying biology. We endeavored to identify objective blood gene expression biomarkers for psychological stress, a subjective sensation with biological roots. To quantify the stress perception at a particular moment in time, we used a simple visual analog scale for life stress in psychiatric patients, a high-risk group. Then, using a stepwise discovery, prioritization, validation, and testing in independent cohort design, we were successful in identifying gene expression biomarkers that were predictive of high-stress states and of future psychiatric hospitalizations related to stress, more so when personalized by gender and diagnosis. One of the top biomarkers that survived discovery, prioritization, validation, and testing was FKBP5, a well-known gene involved in stress response, which serves as a de facto reassuring positive control. We also compared our biomarker findings with telomere length (TL), another well-established biological marker of psychological stress and show that newly identified predictive biomarkers such as NUB1, APOL3, MAD1L1, or NKTR are comparable or better state or trait predictors of stress than TL or FKBP5. Over half of the top predictive biomarkers for stress also had prior evidence of involvement in suicide, and the majority of them had evidence in other psychiatric disorders, providing a molecular underpinning for the effects of stress in those disorders. Some of the biomarkers are targets of existing drugs, of potential utility in patient stratification, and pharmacogenomics approaches. Based on our studies and analyses, the biomarkers with the best overall convergent functional evidence (CFE) for involvement in stress were FKBP5, DDX6, B2M, LAIR1, RTN4, and NUB1. Moreover, the biomarker gene expression signatures yielded leads for possible new drug candidates and natural compounds upon bioinformatics drug repurposing analyses, such as calcium folinate and betulin. Our work may lead to improved diagnosis and treatment for stress disorders such as PTSD, that result in decreased quality of life and adverse outcomes, including addictions, violence, and suicide.
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Multi-omic biomarker identification and validation for diagnosing warzone-related post-traumatic stress disorder. Mol Psychiatry 2020; 25:3337-3349. [PMID: 31501510 PMCID: PMC7714692 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0496-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Revised: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) impacts many veterans and active duty soldiers, but diagnosis can be problematic due to biases in self-disclosure of symptoms, stigma within military populations, and limitations identifying those at risk. Prior studies suggest that PTSD may be a systemic illness, affecting not just the brain, but the entire body. Therefore, disease signals likely span multiple biological domains, including genes, proteins, cells, tissues, and organism-level physiological changes. Identification of these signals could aid in diagnostics, treatment decision-making, and risk evaluation. In the search for PTSD diagnostic biomarkers, we ascertained over one million molecular, cellular, physiological, and clinical features from three cohorts of male veterans. In a discovery cohort of 83 warzone-related PTSD cases and 82 warzone-exposed controls, we identified a set of 343 candidate biomarkers. These candidate biomarkers were selected from an integrated approach using (1) data-driven methods, including Support Vector Machine with Recursive Feature Elimination and other standard or published methodologies, and (2) hypothesis-driven approaches, using previous genetic studies for polygenic risk, or other PTSD-related literature. After reassessment of ~30% of these participants, we refined this set of markers from 343 to 28, based on their performance and ability to track changes in phenotype over time. The final diagnostic panel of 28 features was validated in an independent cohort (26 cases, 26 controls) with good performance (AUC = 0.80, 81% accuracy, 85% sensitivity, and 77% specificity). The identification and validation of this diverse diagnostic panel represents a powerful and novel approach to improve accuracy and reduce bias in diagnosing combat-related PTSD.
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38
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Ren Y, Ay A, Gerke TA, Kahveci T. Identification of jointly correlated gene sets. J Bioinform Comput Biol 2019; 16:1840019. [PMID: 30419787 DOI: 10.1142/s021972001840019x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Associations between expressions of genes play a key role in deciphering their functions. Correlation score between pairs of genes is often utilized to associate two genes. However, the relationship between genes is often more complex; multiple genes might collaborate to control the transcription of a gene. In this paper, we introduce the problem of searching pairs of genes, which collectively correlate with another gene. This problem is computationally much harder than the classical problem of identifying pairwise gene associations. Exhaustive search is infeasible for transcriptomic datasets also; since for [Formula: see text] genes, there are [Formula: see text] possible gene combinations. Our method builds three filters to avoid computing the association for a large fraction of the gene combinations, which do not produce high correlation. Our experiments on a synthetic dataset and a prostate cancer dataset demonstrate that our method produces accurate results at the transcriptome level in practical time. Moreover, our method identifies biologically novel results which classical pairwise gene association studies are unlikely to discover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanfang Ren
- * Department of Computer and Information Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Ahmet Ay
- † Departments of Biology and Mathematics, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY 13346, USA
| | | | - Tamer Kahveci
- * Department of Computer and Information Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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Yu S, Chen C, Pan Y, Kurz MC, Datner E, Hendry PL, Velilla MA, Lewandowski C, Pearson C, Domeier R, McLean SA, Linnstaedt SD. Genes known to escape X chromosome inactivation predict co-morbid chronic musculoskeletal pain and posttraumatic stress symptom development in women following trauma exposure. Am J Med Genet B Neuropsychiatr Genet 2019; 180:415-427. [PMID: 30537437 PMCID: PMC7138464 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.b.32706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2018] [Revised: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 11/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Co-morbid chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMSP) and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are frequent sequelae of motor vehicle collision, are associated with greater disability than either outcome alone, and are more prevalent in women than men. In the current study we assessed for evidence that gene transcripts originating from the X chromosome contribute to sex differences in vulnerability to CMSP and PTSS after motor vehicle collision. Nested samples were drawn from a longitudinal study of African American individuals, and CMSP (0-10 numeric rating scale) and PTSS (impact of events scale, revised) outcomes were assessed 6 months following motor vehicle collision. Blood RNA were sequenced (n = 101) and the relationship between X chromosome mRNA expression levels and co-morbid CMSP and PTSS outcomes was evaluated using logistic regression analyses. A disproportionate number of peritraumatic X chromosome mRNA predicting CMSP and PTSS in women were genes previously found to escape X chromosome inactivation (11/40, z = -2.9, p = .004). Secondary analyses assessing gene ontology relationships between these genes identified an enrichment in genes known to influence neuronal plasticity. Further, the relationship of expression of two critical regulators of X chromosome inactivation, X-inactive specific transcript (XIST) and Yin Yang 1 (YY1), was different in women developing CMSP and PTSS. Together, these data suggest that X chromosome genes that escape inactivation may contribute to sex differences in vulnerability to CMSP and PTSS after motor vehicle collision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Yu
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Constance Chen
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Yue Pan
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Michael C. Kurz
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - Elizabeth Datner
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA
| | - Phyllis L. Hendry
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL
| | | | | | - Claire Pearson
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Detroit Receiving, Detroit, MI
| | - Robert Domeier
- Department of Emergency Medicine, St Joseph Mercy Health System, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Samuel A. McLean
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- Department of Emergency Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Sarah D. Linnstaedt
- Institute for Trauma Recovery, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
- Department of Anesthesiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
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Niraula A, Witcher KG, Sheridan JF, Godbout JP. Interleukin-6 Induced by Social Stress Promotes a Unique Transcriptional Signature in the Monocytes That Facilitate Anxiety. Biol Psychiatry 2019; 85:679-689. [PMID: 30447911 PMCID: PMC6440848 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.09.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Revised: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is elevated in circulation with chronic stress and may contribute to neurobehavioral complications. We have reported that repeated social defeat stress in mice caused recruitment of proinflammatory monocytes to the brain and triggered the onset of anxiety-like behavior. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the role of IL-6 signaling in the peripheral immune response, neuroinflammation, and anxiety following stress. METHODS Wild-type and IL-6 knockout mice were subjected to repeated social defeat, and immune and behavioral parameters were determined 14 hours later. RESULTS Although monocyte release and recruitment to the brain during stress were maintained in the IL-6 knockout mice, anxiety and social avoidance were prevented. NanoString analysis of fluorescence-activated cell-sorted blood monocytes (CD11b+/Ly6Chi) and brain monocytes (CD11b+/CD45hi) revealed a unique pattern of immune-related gene expression that was dependent on stress and IL-6. For instance, blood monocytes after stress had a transcriptional signature and immune profile consistent with priming, which was attenuated in monocytes from IL-6 knockout stress mice. Moreover, the monocytes recruited to the brain and associated with the development of anxiety had a transcriptional signature (enhanced IL-1β, CD14, Mmp9, Myd88, Ager, and Stat3) that was dependent on IL-6. CONCLUSIONS Here, we show the effects of IL-6 on the transcriptional signature of monocytes in circulation and brain after stress. Overall, robust increases in IL-6 after stress induced a primed profile in monocytes that were recruited to the brain and propagated IL-1-mediated inflammation and anxiety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anzela Niraula
- Division of Biosciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - Kristina G Witcher
- Division of Biosciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
| | - John F Sheridan
- Division of Biosciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
| | - Jonathan P Godbout
- Division of Biosciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Repair, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.
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Bolton JL, Short AK, Simeone KA, Daglian J, Baram TZ. Programming of Stress-Sensitive Neurons and Circuits by Early-Life Experiences. Front Behav Neurosci 2019; 13:30. [PMID: 30833892 PMCID: PMC6387907 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Early-life experiences influence brain structure and function long-term, contributing to resilience or vulnerability to stress and stress-related disorders. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms by which early-life experiences program specific brain cells and circuits to shape life-long cognitive and emotional functions is crucial. We identify the population of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)-expressing neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) as a key, early target of early-life experiences. Adverse experiences increase excitatory neurotransmission onto PVN CRH cells, whereas optimal experiences, such as augmented and predictable maternal care, reduce the number and function of glutamatergic inputs onto this cell population. Altered synaptic neurotransmission is sufficient to initiate large-scale, enduring epigenetic re-programming within CRH-expressing neurons, associated with stress resilience and additional cognitive and emotional outcomes. Thus, the mechanisms by which early-life experiences influence the brain provide tractable targets for intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Bolton
- Departments of Pediatrics, Anatomy/Neurobiology, Neurology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Annabel Katherine Short
- Departments of Pediatrics, Anatomy/Neurobiology, Neurology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Kristina A Simeone
- Departments of Pediatrics, Anatomy/Neurobiology, Neurology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Jennifer Daglian
- Departments of Pediatrics, Anatomy/Neurobiology, Neurology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Tallie Z Baram
- Departments of Pediatrics, Anatomy/Neurobiology, Neurology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
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Using Next-Generation Sequencing Transcriptomics To Determine Markers of Post-traumatic Symptoms: Preliminary Findings from a Post-deployment Cohort of Soldiers. G3-GENES GENOMES GENETICS 2019; 9:463-471. [PMID: 30622122 PMCID: PMC6385974 DOI: 10.1534/g3.118.200516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder is a concerning psychobehavioral disorder thought to emerge from the complex interaction between genetic and environmental factors. For soldiers exposed to combat, the risk of developing this disorder is twofold and diagnosis is often late, when much sequela has set in. To be able to identify and diagnose in advance those at “risk” of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, would greatly taper the gap between late sequelae and treatment. Therefore, this study sought to determine whether the transcriptome can be used to track the development of post-traumatic stress disorder in this unique and susceptible cohort of individuals. Gene expression levels in peripheral blood samples from 85 Canadian infantry soldiers (n = 58 participants negative for symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and n = 27 participants with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder) following return from deployment to Afghanistan were determined using RNA sequencing technology. Count-based gene expression quantification, normalization and differential analysis (with thorough correction for confounders) revealed genes associated to PTSD; LRP8 and GOLM1. These preliminary results provide a proof-of-principle for the diagnostic utility of blood-based gene expression profiles for tracking symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in soldiers returning from tour. It is also the first to report transcriptome-wide expression profiles alongside a post-traumatic symptom checklist.
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Cell type-specific gene expression patterns associated with posttraumatic stress disorder in World Trade Center responders. Transl Psychiatry 2019; 9:1. [PMID: 30664621 PMCID: PMC6341096 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-018-0355-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 95] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a chronic disorder resulting from severe trauma, has been linked to immunologic dysregulation. Gene expression profiling has emerged as a promising tool for understanding the pathophysiology of PTSD. However, to date, all but one gene expression study was based on whole blood or unsorted peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC), a complex tissue consisting of several populations of cells. The objective of this study was to utilize RNA sequencing to simultaneously profile the gene expression of four immune cell subpopulations (CD4T, CD8T, B cells, and monocytes) in 39 World Trade Center responders (20 with and 19 without PTSD) to determine which immune subsets play a role in the transcriptomic changes found in whole blood. Transcriptome-wide analyses identified cell-specific and shared differentially expressed genes across the four cell types. FKBP5 and PI4KAP1 genes were consistently upregulated across all cell types. Notably, REST and SEPT4, genes linked to neurodegeneration, were among the top differentially expressed genes in monocytes. Pathway analyses identified differentially expressed gene sets involved in mast cell activation and regulation in CD4T, interferon-beta production in CD8T, and neutrophil-related gene sets in monocytes. These findings suggest that gene expression indicative of immune dysregulation is common across several immune cell populations in PTSD. Furthermore, given notable differences between cell subpopulations in gene expression associated with PTSD, the results also indicate that it may be valuable to analyze different cell populations separately. Monocytes may constitute a key cell type to target in research on gene expression profile of PTSD.
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Golub Y, Schildbach EM, Touma C, Kratz O, Moll GH, von Hörsten S, Canneva F. Role of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis modulation in the stress-resilient phenotype of DPP4-deficient rats. Behav Brain Res 2019; 356:243-249. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2018.08.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2018] [Revised: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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Young DA, Inslicht SS, Metzler TJ, Neylan TC, Ross JA. The effects of early trauma and the FKBP5 gene on PTSD and the HPA axis in a clinical sample of Gulf War veterans. Psychiatry Res 2018; 270:961-966. [PMID: 29576410 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.03.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Revised: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 03/11/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Previous research indicates that interactions between FKBP5 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and child abuse are associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adulthood. We examined the relationship between the T-allele of the rs1360780 FKBP5 SNP and child abuse on PTSD and the HPA axis in a clinical sample of Gulf War veterans. Genotyping was completed on 266 veterans and 174 veterans additionally participated in a low dose dexamethasone suppression test (DST). The CAPS was used to determine PTSD status and the THQ was used to determine child abuse operationalized as either childhood physical or sexual abuse. Hierarchical regression models were used to assess FKBP5 × child abuse interactions on PTSD, basal cortisol levels, and post DST cortisol levels. The FKBP5 risk allele and child abuse were separately associated with PTSD diagnosis. The risk allele was also associated with significantly lower cortisol levels at baseline. However, no significant FKBP5 × child abuse interaction on PTSD diagnosis, basal cortisol levels, or greater cortisol suppression was observed. Our results suggest that FKBP5 may be a viable biomarker for PTSD. Nonetheless, further work will be required to reconcile our findings with previous reports of an FKBP5 × child abuse interaction on posttraumatic stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitri A Young
- Department of Mental Health, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 4150 Clement St. Bldg. 8., San Francisco, CA 94121, USA; School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, 401 Parnassus Ave. San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
| | - Sabra S Inslicht
- Department of Mental Health, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 4150 Clement St. Bldg. 8., San Francisco, CA 94121, USA; School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, 401 Parnassus Ave. San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Thomas J Metzler
- School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, 401 Parnassus Ave. San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Thomas C Neylan
- Department of Mental Health, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 4150 Clement St. Bldg. 8., San Francisco, CA 94121, USA; School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, 401 Parnassus Ave. San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
| | - Jessica A Ross
- Department of Mental Health, San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 4150 Clement St. Bldg. 8., San Francisco, CA 94121, USA
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION Depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are two complex and debilitating psychiatric disorders that result in poor life and destructive behaviors against self and others. Currently, diagnosis is based on subjective rather than objective determinations leading to misdiagnose and ineffective treatments. Advances in novel neurobiological methods have allowed assessment of promising biomarkers to diagnose depression and PTSD, which offers a new means of appropriately treating patients. Areas covered: Biomarkers discovery in blood represents a fundamental tool to predict, diagnose, and monitor treatment efficacy in depression and PTSD. The potential role of altered HPA axis, epigenetics, NPY, BDNF, neurosteroid biosynthesis, the endocannabinoid system, and their function as biomarkers for mood disorders is discussed. Insofar, we propose the identification of a biomarker axis to univocally identify and discriminate disorders with large comorbidity and symptoms overlap, so as to provide a base of support for development of targeted treatments. We also weigh in on the feasibility of a future blood test for early diagnosis. Expert commentary: Potential biomarkers have already been assessed in patients' blood and need to be further validated through multisite large clinical trial stratification. Another challenge is to assess the relation among several interdependent biomarkers to form an axis that identifies a specific disorder and secures the best-individualized treatment. The future of blood-based tests for PTSD and depression is not only on the horizon but, possibly, already around the corner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario Aspesi
- a The Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry , University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago , IL , USA
| | - Graziano Pinna
- a The Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry , University of Illinois at Chicago , Chicago , IL , USA
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A Functional riboSNitch in the 3' Untranslated Region of FKBP5 Alters MicroRNA-320a Binding Efficiency and Mediates Vulnerability to Chronic Post-Traumatic Pain. J Neurosci 2018; 38:8407-8420. [PMID: 30150364 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3458-17.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2017] [Revised: 07/11/2018] [Accepted: 07/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that common variants of the gene coding for FK506-binding protein 51 (FKBP5), a critical regulator of glucocorticoid sensitivity, affect vulnerability to stress-related disorders. In a previous report, FKBP5 rs1360780 was identified as a functional variant because of its effect on gene methylation. Here we report evidence for a novel functional FKBP5 allele, rs3800373. This study assessed the association between rs3800373 and post-traumatic chronic pain in 1607 women and men from two ethnically diverse human cohorts. The molecular mechanism through which rs3800373 affects adverse outcomes was established via in silico, in vivo, and in vitro analyses. The rs3800373 minor allele predicted worse adverse outcomes after trauma exposure, such that individuals with the minor (risk) allele developed more severe post-traumatic chronic musculoskeletal pain. Among these individuals, peritraumatic circulating FKBP5 expression levels increased as cortisol and glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1) mRNA levels increased, consistent with increased glucocorticoid resistance. Bioinformatic, in vitro, and mutational analyses indicate that the rs3800373 minor allele reduces the binding of a stress- and pain-associated microRNA, miR-320a, to FKBP5 via altering the FKBP5 mRNA 3'UTR secondary structure (i.e., is a riboSNitch). This results in relatively greater FKBP5 translation, unchecked by miR-320a. Overall, these results identify an important gene-miRNA interaction influencing chronic pain risk in vulnerable individuals and suggest that exogenous methods to achieve targeted reduction in poststress FKBP5 mRNA expression may constitute useful therapeutic strategies.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT FKBP5 is a critical regulator of the stress response. Previous studies have shown that dysregulation of the expression of this gene plays a role in the pathogenesis of chronic pain development as well as a number of comorbid neuropsychiatric disorders. In the current study, we identified a functional allele (rs3800373) in the 3'UTR of FKBP5 that influences vulnerability to chronic post-traumatic pain in two ethnic cohorts. Using multiple complementary experimental approaches, we show that the FKBP5 rs3800373 minor allele alters the secondary structure of FKBP5 mRNA, decreasing the binding of a stress- and pain-associated microRNA, miR-320a. This results in relatively greater FKBP5 translation, unchecked by miR-320a, increasing glucocorticoid resistance and increasing vulnerability to post-traumatic pain.
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Okhovatian F, Rezaei Tavirani M, Rostami-Nejad M, Rezaei Tavirani S. Protein-Protein Interaction Network Analysis Revealed a New Prospective of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Galen Med J 2018; 7:e1137. [PMID: 34466439 PMCID: PMC8344167 DOI: 10.22086/gmj.v0i0.1137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2018] [Revised: 03/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is known by a number of mental disorders, including recurring memories of trauma, mental appalling, and escaping of sign that make them recall the trauma in question. Clinical interviews serve as the main diagnostic tool for PTSD. With respect to treatment, either pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy or a combination of both is used as a therapeutic method for PTSD. In this study, a number of crucial genes related to PTSD, which can be considered as biomarker candidates, were represented. Materials and Methods The genes related to PTSD were extracted from the STRING database and organized in a protein-protein interaction network with the help of Cytoscape software version 3.6.0. The network was analyzed, and the important genes were introduced based on central indices. The biological processes related to the crucial genes were enriched via gene ontology using ClueGO. Results From a total of 100 genes, 63 genes were extracted that formed the main connected component, and of these, 12 crucial genes-POMC, BDNF, FOS, NR3C1, CRH, IL6, NPS, HTR1A, NPY, CREB1, CRHR1, and TAC1-were introduced. Biological processes were classified into the regulation of corticosterone, regulation of behavior, response to fungus, multicellular organism response to stress, and associative learning. Conclusion The introduced 12 crucial genes can be used as a biomarker panel related to PTSD and can be considered as a diagnostic reagent or drug target; however, more investigations are needed to use these genes as biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farshad Okhovatian
- Physiotherapy Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mostafa Rezaei Tavirani
- Proteomics Research Center, Faculty of Paramedical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Mohammad Rostami-Nejad
- Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sina Rezaei Tavirani
- Proteomics Research Center, Faculty of Paramedical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
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Nievergelt CM, Ashley-Koch AE, Dalvie S, Hauser MA, Morey RA, Smith AK, Uddin M. Genomic Approaches to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: The Psychiatric Genomic Consortium Initiative. Biol Psychiatry 2018; 83:831-839. [PMID: 29555185 PMCID: PMC5915904 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2018.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2017] [Revised: 12/18/2017] [Accepted: 01/18/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after exposure to a traumatic event is a highly prevalent psychiatric disorder. Heritability estimates from twin studies as well as from recent molecular data (single nucleotide polymorphism-based heritability) indicate moderate to high heritability, yet robust genetic variants for PTSD have not yet been identified and the genetic architecture of this polygenic disorder remains largely unknown. To date, fewer than 10 large-scale genome-wide association studies of PTSD have been published, with findings that highlight the unique challenges for PTSD genomics, including a complex diagnostic entity with contingency of PTSD diagnosis on trauma exposure and the large genetic diversity of the study populations. The Psychiatric Genomics Consortium PTSD group has brought together more than 200 scientists with the goal to increase sample size for genome-wide association studies and other genomic analyses to sufficient numbers where robust discoveries of molecular signatures can be achieved. The sample currently includes more than 32,000 PTSD cases and 100,000 trauma-exposed control subjects, and collection is ongoing. The first results found a significant shared genetic risk of PTSD with other psychiatric disorders and sex-biased heritability estimates with higher heritability in female individuals compared with male individuals. This review describes the scope and current focus of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium PTSD group and its expansion from the initial genome-wide association study group to nine working groups, including epigenetics, gene expression, imaging, and integrative systems biology. We further briefly outline recent findings and future directions of "omics"-based studies of PTSD, with the ultimate goal of elucidating the molecular architecture of this complex disorder to improve prevention and intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline M. Nievergelt
- University of California San Diego, Department of Psychiatry and Department of Family Medicine and Public Health,Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System and Veterans Affairs Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health
| | | | - Shareefa Dalvie
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa, 7925
| | - Michael A. Hauser
- Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Rajendra A. Morey
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham NC 27710, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC 27705
| | - Alicia K. Smith
- Emory University, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics,Emory University, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
| | - Monica Uddin
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology,University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Department of Psychology
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Vawter MP, Philibert R, Rollins B, Ruppel PL, Osborn TW. Exon Array Biomarkers for the Differential Diagnosis of Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder. MOLECULAR NEUROPSYCHIATRY 2018; 3:197-213. [PMID: 29888231 DOI: 10.1159/000485800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
This study developed potential blood-based biomarker tests for diagnosing and differentiating schizophrenia (SZ), bipolar disorder type I (BD), and normal control (NC) subjects using mRNA gene expression signatures. A total of 90 subjects (n = 30 each for the three groups of subjects) provided blood samples at two visits. The Affymetrix exon microarray was used to profile the expression of over 1.4 million probesets. We selected potential biomarker panels using the temporal stability of the probesets and also back-tested them at two different visits for each subject. The 18-gene biomarker panels, using logistic regression modeling, correctly differentiated the three groups of subjects with high accuracy across the two different clinical visits (83-88% accuracy). The results are also consistent with the actual data and the "leave-one-out" analyses, indicating that the models should be predictive when applied to independent data cohorts. Many of the SZ and BD subjects were taking antipsychotic and mood stabilizer medications at the time of blood draw, raising the possibility that these drugs could have affected some of the differential transcription signatures. Using an independent Illumina data set of gene expression data from antipsychotic medication-free SZ subjects, the 18-gene biomarker panels produced a receiver operating characteristic curve accuracy greater than 0.866 in patients that were less than 30 years of age and medication free. We confirmed select transcripts by quantitative PCR and the nCounter® System. The episodic nature of psychiatric disorders might lead to highly variable results depending on when blood is collected in relation to the severity of the disease/symptoms. We have found stable trait gene panel markers for lifelong psychiatric disorders that may have diagnostic utility in younger undiagnosed subjects where there is a critical unmet need. The study requires replication in subjects for ultimate proof of the utility of the differential diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marquis Philip Vawter
- Functional Genomics Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Robert Philibert
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Brandi Rollins
- Functional Genomics Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Irvine, California, USA
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