Clinical staging model in offspring of parents with bipolar disorder: a systematic review

Different brain functional network abnormalities between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder youth with and without familial risk for bipolar disorder

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) commonly precedes the initial onset of mania in youth with familial risk for bipolar disorder (BD). Although ADHD youth with and without BD familial risk exhibit different clinical features, associated neuropathophysiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study aimed to identify brain functional network abnormalities associated with ADHD in youth with and without familial risk for BD. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired from 37 ADHD youth with a family history of BD (high-risk), 45 ADHD youth without a family history of BD (low-risk), and 32 healthy controls (HC). Individual whole-brain functional networks were constructed, and graph theory analysis was applied to estimate network topological metrics. Topological metrics, including network efficiency, small-worldness and nodal centrality, were compared across groups, and associations between topological metrics and clinical ratings were evaluated. Compared to HC, low-risk ADHD youth exhibited weaker global integration (i.e., decreased global efficiency and increased characteristic path length), while high-risk ADHD youth showed a disruption of localized network components with decreased frontoparietal and frontolimbic connectivity. Common topological deficits were observed in the medial superior frontal gyrus between low- and high-risk ADHD. Distinct network deficits were found in the inferior parietal lobule and corticostriatal circuitry. Associations between global topological metrics and externalizing symptoms differed significantly between the two ADHD groups. Different patterns of functional network topological abnormalities were found in high- as compared to low-risk ADHD, suggesting that ADHD in youth with BD familial risk may represent a phenotype that is different from ADHD alone.

Emerging psychopathology and clinical staging in adolescent offspring of parents with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia-A longitudinal study

OBJECTIVES

Offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BDo) and schizophrenia (SZo) are at increased risk for these disorders and general psychopathology. Little is known about their (dis)similarities in risk and developmental trajectories during adolescence. A clinical staging approach may help define the developmental course of illness.

METHODS

The Dutch Bipolar and Schizophrenia Offspring Study is a unique cross-disorder and prospective cohort study, established in 2010. In total, 208 offspring (58 SZo, 94 BDo, and 56 control offspring [Co]) and their parents participated. Offspring were 13.2 years (SD = 2.5; range: 8-18 years) at baseline and 17.1 years (SD = 2.7) at follow-up (88.5% retention rate). Psychopathology was assessed using the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Age Children Present and Lifetime Version, and Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment parent-, self- and teacher-reports. Groups were compared on (1) the presence of categorical psychopathology, (2) timing and development of psychopathology using a clinical staging perspective, and (3) dimensional psychopathology using a multi-informant approach.

RESULTS

SZo and BDo showed more categorical psychopathology and (sub)clinical symptoms, as compared to Co. SZo have, compared to BDo, an increased risk for developmental disorders, a younger age of onset, and more (sub)clinical symptoms of the mood and behavioral spectrum as reported by multiple informants.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study shows that the phenotypical risk profile overlaps between SZo and BDo, although an earlier onset of developmental psychopathology was found specifically in SZo, suggesting of a potentially different ethiopathophysiology. Longer follow-up and future studies are needed.

Risk factors for mood disorders among offspring of parents with bipolar disorder: Findings from a discordant-sibling study

The purpose of this naturalistic, prospective study was to identify risk factors for mood disorders in offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BPD) using the discordant-sibling design by comparing premorbid psychopathology or symptoms, temperament, personality traits and coping style as well as the perception of family-related characteristics among affected and unaffected siblings within the same family. This approach controls for confounding by unmeasured genetic and environmental factors shared within families. Our sample comprised 24 families of a parent with BPD with at least one child that developed BPD or major depressive disorder (n = 31), and at least one child who did not. Offspring were followed for a mean duration of 16.2 (s.d: 4.6) years. Information was collected from the offspring themselves. Generalized linear mixed models only revealed differences in three dimensions of the Dimension of Temperament Survey-Revised (DOTS-R) version: Offspring with mood disorders scored higher on "Approach-withdrawal", "Rhythmicity for daily habits", and "Task orientation" than their unaffected siblings. The higher scores, and not lower scores as expected, on these temperament dimensions observed in offspring that subsequently developed mood disorders may reflect increased vulnerability, but they could also mirror premorbid mood swings or strategies to cope with them.

Functional outcomes across development in offspring of parents with bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVE

Whereas the risk and course of psychopathology in offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BD) have been the primary focus of high-risk offspring studies to date, functional outcomes have not been given much attention. We present a systematic review of functional outcomes and quality of life (QoL) across development in offspring of parents with BD and aim to explore the role of offspring psychopathology in these outcomes.

METHOD

We searched Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Central, and Google Scholar from inception to June 24, 2022, for studies referring to functional outcomes (global, social, academic or occupational) or QoL in offspring of parents with BD.

RESULTS

From the 6470 records identified, 39 studies were retained (global = 17; social = 17; school = 16; occupational = 3; QoL = 5), including 13 studies that examined multiple domains. For all domains, high heterogeneity was found in study methods and quality. Only 56 % of studies adjusted for offspring psychopathology, impeding interpretation. Global and social functioning generally seemed to be impaired among older offspring (>16 years). Academic performance appeared to be unaffected. School behavior, occupational functioning, and QoL showed mixed results. Offspring psychopathology is associated with social functioning, but the relationship of offspring psychopathology with other domains is less clear.

CONCLUSION

Studies on functional outcome in offspring of parents with BD show predominantly mixed results. Inconsistent adjustment of psychopathology and age limits conclusive interpretation. Functional outcomes should be prioritized as research topics in high-risk studies and the potential associations between familial risk status, offspring psychopathology, and age may inform prevention strategies.

Thinking about the next generation: The case for a mentalization-informed approach to perinatal and intergenerational mental health

BACKGROUND

There has been substantial progress made across multiple disciplines to emphasize the importance of perinatal mental health both for parents and offspring. This focuses on what has been termed the 'First 1000 Days' from conception to the child's second birthday. We argue that our understanding of this issue can go further to create an intergenerational approach to mental health. Despite the existence of theoretical frameworks and practical approaches to implementation, there are gaps in the understanding of perinatal and intergenerational mental health including which psychological mechanisms are implicated in the transmission of risk and resilience within the perinatal period; and how to leverage these into treatment approaches.

AIMS AND METHODS

In this paper, we explore the potential for mentalization as a candidate psychological approach to intergenerational mental health.

RESULTS

We contextualize this issue in terms of the points of contact between mentalization and broader theoretical models such as the social determinants of health and the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DoHaD) model. Further, we provide an overview of the existing evidence base for the relevance of mentalization to perinatal mental health.

DISCUSSION

Finally, we sketch out an outline model for integrating mentalization into perinatal and intergenerational mental health, highlighting several areas of opportunity to develop research and practice from diverse geographies and demographics. Here, we suggest that integration of mentalization with other conceptual frameworks such as DoHaD can mutually enrich the understanding of each model, pointing the way towards more effective early and preventative interventions.

The association of different presentations of maternal depression with children's socio-emotional development: A systematic review

Maternal depression from the perinatal period onwards is a global health priority associated with an increased likelihood of suboptimal socio-developmental outcomes in offspring. An important aspect of this association is the extent to which sustained maternal depression impacts on these outcomes. The current review synthesised the evidence on maternal depression from the perinatal period onwards and offspring internalising, externalising, and social competence outcomes. We also identified sources of methodological bias. A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was conducted. Longitudinal studies targeting biological mothers with depressive symptomology, detailing onset, using repeated validated measures, and assessing children's outcomes between three and 12 years were included. Twenty-four studies met inclusion criteria. Findings supported the validity of different presentations of maternal depression, including consistent identification of a group of chronically depressed mothers across countries. Mothers within this group reported poorer internalising, externalising, and social competence outcomes for their offspring, with the highest levels of child problems associated with greater maternal chronicity and symptom severity. Results differed by measurement type with mothers rating poorer outcomes in comparison to teachers reports. For timing of depression, evidence was inconsistent for independent effects of antenatal or postnatal depression on child outcomes. There was substantial variability in study quality assessment. Assessing different presentations of maternal depression is essential for capturing the longitudinal associations between maternal depression and offspring outcomes to inform targets of early intervention. Chronicity, severity, and concurrent maternal depression have important implications for children's development and should be targeted in future programme planning. Further research in low- and middle-income countries is warranted.

Association between parental bipolar disorder and increased risk of exposure to prescription opioids for their offspring

PURPOSE

Individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) may have an increased risk of exposure to prescription opioids. However, it is still unknown whether such risk also occurs in their offspring. This study aimed to investigate the risk of exposure to prescription opioid use and related medical conditions in the offspring of parents with BD.

METHODS

This study used the Taiwan National Health Research Database and included offspring who had any parent with a diagnosis of BD. The matched-control cohort was randomly identified from the offspring of parents without any major psychiatric disorders (MPD). We identified data pertaining to opioid prescription and related medical conditions, namely pain disorder, malignancy, autoimmune disease, and arthropathy. The Poisson regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS

In total, 11,935 offspring of parents with BD and 119,350 offspring of parents without any MPD were included. After controlling for demographics and mental disorders, offspring of parents with BD demonstrated higher rates of prescription opioid use than those of parents without MPD, especially the intravenous/intramuscular form of opioids and prescription in hospital settings. In addition, offspring of parents with BD had a higher odds of pain disorders than those of parents without MPD.

CONCLUSION

Our study identifies a higher odd for developing pain disorders and exposure to prescription opioids among children of parents with BD.

The inferior frontal gyrus and familial risk for bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a familial disorder with high heritability. Genetic factors have been linked to the pathogenesis of BD. Relatives of probands with BD who are at familial risk can exhibit brain abnormalities prior to illness onset. Given its involvement in prefrontal cognitive control and in frontolimbic circuitry that regulates emotional reactivity, the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) has been a focus of research in studies of BD-related pathology and BD-risk mechanism. In this review, we discuss multimodal neuroimaging findings of the IFG based on studies comparing at-risk relatives and low-risk controls. Review of these studies in at-risk cases suggests the presence of both risk and resilience markers related to the IFG. At-risk individuals exhibited larger gray matter volume and increased functional activities in IFG compared with low-risk controls, which might result from an adaptive brain compensation to support emotion regulation as an aspect of psychological resilience. Functional connectivity between IFG and downstream limbic or striatal areas was typically decreased in at-risk individuals relative to controls, which could contribute to risk-related problems of cognitive and emotional control. Large-scale and longitudinal investigations on at-risk individuals will further elucidate the role of IFG and other brain regions in relation to familial risk for BD, and together guide identification of at-risk individuals for primary prevention.

Transdiagnostic Clinical Staging for Childhood Mental Health: An Adjunctive Tool for Classifying Internalizing and Externalizing Syndromes that Emerge in Children Aged 5-11 Years

Clinical staging is now recognized as a key tool for facilitating innovation in personalized and preventative mental health care. It places a strong emphasis on the salience of indicated prevention, early intervention, and secondary prevention of major mental disorders. By contrast to established models for major mood and psychotic syndromes that emerge after puberty, developments in clinical staging for childhood-onset disorders lags significantly behind. In this article, criteria for a transdiagnostic staging model for those internalizing and externalizing disorders that emerge in childhood is presented. This sits alongside three putative pathophysiological profiles (developmental, circadian, and anxious-arousal) that may underpin these common illness trajectories. Given available evidence, we argue that it is now timely to develop a transdiagnostic staging model for childhood-onset syndromes. It is further argued that a transdiagnostic staging model has the potential to capture more precisely the dimensional, fluctuating developmental patterns of illness progression of childhood psychopathology. Given potential improvements in modelling etiological processes, and delivering more personalized interventions, transdiagnostic clinical staging for childhood holds much promise for assisting to improve outcomes. We finish by presenting an agenda for research in developments of transdiagnostic clinical staging for childhood mental health.

Do Children of Patients with Bipolar Disorder have a Worse Perception of Sleep Quality?

INTRODUCTION

The offspring of bipolar parents (BO) is a high-risk population for inheriting the bipolar disorder (BD) and other early clinical manifestations, such as sleep disturbances.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the presence of psychiatric disorders and sleep disturbances of BO versus offspring of control parents (OCP).

METHODS

A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted that compared BO versus OCP. The participants were assessed using valid tools to determine the presence of psychiatric symptoms or disorders. The "Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire" and "School Sleep Habits Survey" were used to determine sleep characteristics and associated factors. Sleep records (7-21 days) were also obtained by using an actigraphy watch.

RESULTS

A sample of 42 participants (18 BO and 24 OCP) was recruited. Differences were found in the presentation of the psychiatric disorder. The BO group showed a higher frequency of major depression disorder (MDD; P = .04) and Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD; P = .04). The OCP group showed a higher frequency of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; P = .65), and Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD; P = .46). Differences were also found in sleep by using subjective measurements. Compared to the OCP group, BO had a worse perception of quality of sleep (P = .02), a higher frequency of nightmares (P = .01), a shorter total sleep time, and a higher sleep latency. Nevertheless, no differences were found between groups in the actigraphy measurements.

CONCLUSIONS

The BO group had a higher frequency of Mood Disorders, and at the same time a higher number of sleep disturbances in the subjective measurements. It is possible that there is an association between mood symptoms, sleep disturbances, and coffee intake. No differences were found in the sleep profile by using actigraphy.

The Management of Prodromal Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder: Available Options and Future Perspectives

The onset of prodromal symptoms in subjects who are at familial or clinical risk for bipolar disorder could be considered as an important alarm bell for the development of the disease and should be carefully detected. The management of prodromes in bipolar high-risk patients appears to be an important means of prevention; nevertheless, at the moment, there aren’t clear and widely shared treatment indications. The aim of this review is to summarize the available treatment options (pharmacological, psychosocial and nutraceutical) for the management of prodromal symptoms in subjects who are at familial or clinical risk for bipolar disorder.

Psychopathological precursors of the onset of mood disorders in offspring of parents with and without mood disorders: results of a 13-year prospective cohort high-risk study

BACKGROUND

There is still limited evidence from prospective high-risk research on the evolution of specific disorders that may emerge early in the development of mood disorders. Moreover, few studies have examined the specificity of mood disorder subtypes among offspring of parents with both major subtypes of mood disorders and controls based on prospective tracking across the transition from childhood to adulthood. Our specific objectives were to (a) identify differences in patterns of psychopathological precursors among youth with (hypo)mania compared to MDD and (b) examine whether these patterns differ by subtypes of parental mood disorders.

METHODS

Our data stem from a prospective cohort study of 449 directly interviewed offspring (51% female, mean age 10.1 years at study intake) of 88 patients with BPD, 71 with MDD, 30 with substance use disorders and 60 medical controls. The mean duration of follow-up was 13.2 years with evaluations conducted every three years.

RESULTS

Within the whole cohort of offspring, MDE (Hazard Ratio = 4.44; 95%CI: 2.19-9.02), CD (HR = 3.31;1.55-7.07) and DUD (HR = 2.54; 1.15-5.59) predicted the onset of (hypo)manic episodes, whereas MDD in offspring was predicted by SAD (HR = 1.53; 1.09-2.15), generalized anxiety (HR = 2.56; 1.05-6.24), and panic disorder (HR = 3.13; 1.06-9.23). The early predictors of (hypo)mania in the whole cohort were also significantly associated with the onset of (hypo)mania among the offspring of parents with BPD.

CONCLUSIONS

The onset of mood disorders is frequently preceded by identifiable depressive episodes and nonmood disorders. These precursors differed by mood subtype in offspring. High-risk offspring with these precursors should be closely monitored to prevent the further development of MDD or conversion to BPD.

Integrity of the uncinate fasciculus is associated with the onset of bipolar disorder: a 6-year followed-up study

Patients with Bipolar Disorder (BD) are associated with aberrant uncinate fasciculus (UF) that connects amygdala-ventral prefrontal cortex (vPFC) system, but the casual relationship is still uncertain. The research aimed to investigate the integrity of UF among offspring of patients with BD and investigate its potential causal association with subsequent declaration of BD. The fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of UF were compared in asymptomatic offspring (AO, n = 46) and symptomatic offspring (SO, n = 45) with a parent with BD, and age-matched healthy controls (HCs, n = 35). Logistic regressions were performed to assess the predictive effect of UF integrity on the onset of BD. The three groups did not differ at baseline in terms of FA and MD of the UF. Nine out of 45 SO developed BD over a follow-up period of 6 years, and the right UF FA predicted the onset of BD (p = 0.038, OR = 0.212, 95% CI = 0.049-0.917). The ROC curve revealed that the right UF FA predicted BD onset (area-under-curve = 0.859) with sensitivity of 88.9% and specificity of 77.3%. The complementary whole-brain tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) showed that widespread increases of FA were found in the SO group compared with HCs, but were not associated with the onset of BD. Our data provide evidence supporting the causal relationship between the white matter structural integrity of the amygdala-vPFC system and the onset of BD in genetically at-risk offspring of BD patients.

Do Children of Patients with Bipolar Disorder have a Worse Perception of Sleep Quality?

INTRODUCTION

The offspring of bipolar parents (BO) is a high-risk population for inheriting the bipolar disorder (BD) and other early clinical manifestations, such as sleep disturbances.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the presence of psychiatric disorders and sleep disturbances of BO versus offspring of control parents (OCP).

METHODS

A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted that compared BO versus OCP. The participants were assessed using valid tools to determine the presence of psychiatric symptoms or disorders. The "Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire" and "School Sleep Habits Survey" were used to determine sleep characteristics and associated factors. Sleep records (7-21 days) were also obtained by using an actigraphy watch.

RESULTS

A sample of 42 participants (18 BO and 24 OCP) was recruited. Differences were found in the presentation of the psychiatric disorder. The BO group showed a higher frequency of major depression disorder (MDD; P=.04) and Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD; P=.04). The OCP group showed a higher frequency of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; P=.65), and Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD; P=.46). Differences were also found in sleep by using subjective measurements. Compared to the OCP group, BO had a worse perception of quality of sleep (P=.02), a higher frequency of nightmares (P=.01), a shorter total sleep time, and a higher sleep latency. Nevertheless, no differences were found between groups in the actigraphy measurements.

CONCLUSIONS

The BO group had a higher frequency of Mood Disorders, and at the same time a higher number of sleep disturbances in the subjective measurements. It is possible that there is an association between mood symptoms, sleep disturbances, and coffee intake. No differences were found in the sleep profile by using actigraphy.

Predictive power of the ADHD GWAS 2019 polygenic risk scores in independent samples of bipolar patients with childhood ADHD

BACKGROUND

Although there is evidence of genetic correlation between bipolar disorder (BP) and ADHD, the extent of the shared genetic risk and whether childhood ADHD (cADHD) influences the characteristics of the adult BP remain unclear. Our objectives were: (i) to test the ability of polygenic risk scores (PRS) derived from the latest PGC ADHD-GWAS (Demontis et al., 2019) to predict the presence of cADHD in BP patients; (ii) to examine the hypothesis that BP preceded by cADHD is a BP subtype with particular clinical traits and (iii) partially shares its molecular basis with ADHD.

METHOD

PRS derived from the ADHD-GWAS-2019 were tested in BP patients (N = 942) assessed for cADHD with the Wender Utah Rating Scale and in controls from Romania and UK (N = 1616).

RESULTS

The ADHD-PRS differentiated BP cases with cADHD from controls. Proband sex and BP age-of-onset significantly influenced the discriminative power of the ADHD-PRS. The ADHD-PRS predicted the cADHD score only in males and in BP cases with early age-of-onset (≤21 years). Bipolar patients with cADHD had a younger age-of-onset of mania/depression than patients without cADHD. The ADHD-PRS predicted the BP-affection status in the comparison of early-onset BP cases with controls suggesting a partial molecular overlap between early-onset BP and ADHD.

LIMITATIONS

Retrospective diagnosis of cADHD, small sample size.

CONCLUSIONS

The PRS-analysis indicated an acceptable predictive ability of the ADHD-SNP-set 2019 in independent BP samples. The best prediction of both cADHD and BP-affection status was found in the early-onset BP cases. The results may have impact on the individual disease monitoring.

Clinical, genetic, and brain imaging predictors of risk for bipolar disorder in high-risk individuals

Introduction: Early detection and intervention in bipolar disorder (BD) might reduce illness severity, slow its progression, and, in specific cases, even ward off the full-blown disorder. Therefore, identifying at-risk individuals and targeting them promptly before the illness onset is of the utmost importance. In the last decades, there has been a significant effort aimed at identifying genetic and molecular factors able to modulate risk and pharmacological outcomes.Areas covered: We performed a narrative review of articles aimed at identifying clinical, genetics, molecular, and brain imaging markers of BD specifically focusing on samples of individuals at high-risk for BD. Special emphasis was put on studies applying an integrative design, e.g. studies combining different markers such as genetic and brain imaging.Expert opinion: Findings from studies in risk individuals are still too sparse to allow drawing definite conclusions. However, the high potentiality of longitudinal studies in individuals considered at risk to develop BD supports the need for more efforts. Future investigations should focus on more homogeneous subpopulations and evaluate the cross-linking between clinical, genetic, and brain morphostructural/functional neuroimaging characteristics as predictors of risk for BD.

Neural correlates of emotion processing predict resilience in youth at familial risk for mood disorders

Aberrant face emotion processing has been demonstrated in youth with and at a familial risk for bipolar and major depressive disorders. However, the neurobiological factors related to emotion processing that underlie resilience from youth-onset mood disorders are not well understood. Functional magnetic resonance imaging data during an implicit emotion processing task were collected at baseline from a sample of 50 youth, ages 8-17, who were healthy but also familially at high risk for either bipolar disorder or major depressive disorder, and 24 healthy controls with no family history of psychopathology (HCL). Participants were reevaluated 3 years later and classified into three groups for analysis: high-risk youth who converted to a psychiatric diagnosis (CVT; N = 23), high-risk youth who were resilient from developing any psychopathology (RES; N = 27), and HCL youth (N = 24) who remained healthy at follow-up. For happy > calm faces, the CVT and RES groups had significantly lower activation in the left inferior parietal lobe (IPL), while the RES group had lower activation in the right supramarginal gyrus. For fear > calm faces, the RES group had lower activation in the right precuneus and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) compared to the CVT group. Connectivity analyses revealed the RES group exhibited higher left IPL connectivity with visual cortical regions for happy > calm faces, and higher IFG connectivity with frontal, temporal, and limbic regions for fear > calm faces. These connectivities were correlated with improvements in prosocial behaviors and global functioning. Our findings suggest that differential activation and connectivity in the IPL, IFG, and precuneus in response to emotional stimuli may represent distinct resilience and risk markers for youth-onset mood disorders.