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Genkel V, Domozhirova E, Malinina E. Multimorbidity in Severe Mental Illness as Part of the Neurodevelopmental Continuum: Physical Health-Related Endophenotypes of Schizophrenia-A Narrative Review. Brain Sci 2024; 14:725. [PMID: 39061465 PMCID: PMC11274495 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14070725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2024] [Revised: 07/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The majority of deaths in patients with schizophrenia and other severe mental illnesses (SMIs) are caused by natural causes, such as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The increased risk of CVD and other somatic diseases in SMIs cannot be fully explained by the contribution of traditional risk factors, behavioral risk factors, patients' lifestyle peculiarities, and the influence of antipsychotics. The present review has the following main objectives: (1) to aggregate evidence that neurodevelopmental disorders are the basis of SMIs; (2) to provide a review of studies that have addressed the shared genetic architecture of SMI and cardiovascular disease; and (3) to propose and substantiate the consideration of somatic diseases as independent endophenotypes of SMIs, which will make it possible to place the research of somatic diseases in SMIs within the framework of the concepts of the "neurodevelopmental continuum and gradient" and "endophenotype". METHODS A comprehensive literature search was performed on 1 July 2024. The search was performed using PubMed and Google Scholar databases up to June 2024. RESULTS The current literature reveals considerable overlap between the genetic susceptibility loci for SMIs and CVDs. We propose that somatic diseases observed in SMIs that have a shared genetic architecture with SMIs can be considered distinct physical health-related endophenotypes. CONCLUSIONS In this narrative review, the results of recent studies of CVDs in SMIs are summarized. Reframing schizophrenia as a multisystem disease should contribute to the activation of new research on somatic diseases in SMIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vadim Genkel
- Department of Internal Medicine, South-Ural State Medical University, Chelyabinsk 454092, Russia
| | - Elena Domozhirova
- Department of Psychiatry, South-Ural State Medical University, Chelyabinsk 454092, Russia; (E.D.); (E.M.)
| | - Elena Malinina
- Department of Psychiatry, South-Ural State Medical University, Chelyabinsk 454092, Russia; (E.D.); (E.M.)
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Pua EPK, Desai T, Green C, Trevis K, Brown N, Delatycki M, Scheffer I, Wilson S. Endophenotyping social cognition in the broader autism phenotype. Autism Res 2024; 17:1365-1380. [PMID: 38037242 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3057] [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: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
Relatives of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may display milder social traits of the broader autism phenotype (BAP) providing potential endophenotypic markers of genetic risk for ASD. We performed a case-control comparison to quantify social cognition and pragmatic language difficulties in the BAP (n = 25 cases; n = 33 controls) using the Faux Pas test (FPT) and the Goldman-Eisler Cartoon task. Using deep phenotyping we then examined patterns of inheritance of social cognition in two large multiplex families and the spectrum of performance in 32 additional families (159 members; n = 51 ASD, n = 87 BAP, n = 21 unaffected). BAP individuals showed significantly poorer FPT performance and reduced verbal fluency with the absence of a compression effect in social discourse compared to controls. In multiplex families, we observed reduced FPT performance in 89% of autistic family members, 63% of BAP relatives and 50% of unaffected relatives. Across all affected families, there was a graded spectrum of difficulties, with ASD individuals showing the most severe FPT difficulties, followed by the BAP and unaffected relatives compared to community controls. We conclude that relatives of probands show an inherited pattern of graded difficulties in social cognition with atypical faux pas detection in social discourse providing a novel candidate endophenotype for ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Peng Kiat Pua
- Department of Medicine and Radiology, Austin Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Tarishi Desai
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Cherie Green
- Department of Psychology, Counselling & Therapy, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Krysta Trevis
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Natasha Brown
- Victorian Clinical Genetics Service, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Martin Delatycki
- Victorian Clinical Genetics Service, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Bruce Lefroy Centre, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ingrid Scheffer
- Department of Medicine and Radiology, Austin Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sarah Wilson
- Department of Medicine and Radiology, Austin Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Feng Y, Zhi D, Zhu Y, Guo X, Luo X, Dang C, Liu L, Sui J, Sun L. Symptom-guided multimodal neuroimage fusion patterns in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and its potential "brain structure-function-cognition-behavior" pathological pathways. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2024; 33:2141-2152. [PMID: 37777608 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-023-02303-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023]
Abstract
The "brain-cognition-behavior" process is an important pathological pathway in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Symptom guided multimodal neuroimaging fusion can capture behaviorally relevant and intrinsically linked structural and functional features, which can help to construct a systematic model of the pathology. Analyzing the multimodal neuroimage fusion pattern and exploring how these brain features affect executive function (EF) and leads to behavioral impairment is the focus of this study. Based on gray matter volume (GMV) and fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (fALFF) for 152 ADHD and 102 healthy controls (HC), the total symptom score (TO) was set as a reference to identify co-varying components. Based on the correlation between the identified co-varying components and EF, further mediation analysis was used to explore the relationship between brain image features, EF and clinical symptoms. This study found that the abnormalities of GMV and fALFF in ADHD are mainly located in the default mode network (DMN) and prefrontal-striatal-cerebellar circuits, respectively. GMV in ADHD influences the TO through Metacognition Index, while fALFF in HC mediates the TO through behavior regulation index (BRI). Further analysis revealed that GMV in HC influences fALFF, which further modulates BRI and subsequently affects hyperactivity-impulsivity score. To conclude, structural brain abnormalities in the DMN in ADHD may affect local brain function in the prefrontal-striatal-cerebellar circuit, making it difficult to regulate EF in terms of inhibit, shift, and emotional control, and ultimately leading to hyperactive-impulsive behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Feng
- Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health, No.51, North Huayuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders and Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Dongmei Zhi
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, No.19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing, 100088, China
| | - Yu Zhu
- Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health, No.51, North Huayuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders and Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Xiaojie Guo
- Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health, No.51, North Huayuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders and Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Xiangsheng Luo
- Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health, No.51, North Huayuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders and Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Chen Dang
- Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health, No.51, North Huayuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders and Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Lu Liu
- Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health, No.51, North Huayuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders and Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Jing Sui
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, No.19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing, 100088, China.
| | - Li Sun
- Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health, No.51, North Huayuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100191, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders and Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing, 100191, China.
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Wang B, Otten LJ, Schulze K, Afrah H, Varney L, Cotic M, Saadullah Khani N, Linden JF, Kuchenbaecker K, McQuillin A, Hall MH, Bramon E. Is auditory processing measured by the N100 an endophenotype for psychosis? A family study and a meta-analysis. Psychol Med 2024; 54:1559-1572. [PMID: 37997703 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291723003409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The N100, an early auditory event-related potential, has been found to be altered in patients with psychosis. However, it is unclear if the N100 is a psychosis endophenotype that is also altered in the relatives of patients. METHODS We conducted a family study using the auditory oddball paradigm to compare the N100 amplitude and latency across 243 patients with psychosis, 86 unaffected relatives, and 194 controls. We then conducted a systematic review and a random-effects meta-analysis pooling our results and 14 previously published family studies. We compared data from a total of 999 patients, 1192 relatives, and 1253 controls in order to investigate the evidence and degree of N100 differences. RESULTS In our family study, patients showed reduced N100 amplitudes and prolonged N100 latencies compared to controls, but no significant differences were found between unaffected relatives and controls. The meta-analysis revealed a significant reduction of the N100 amplitude and delay of the N100 latency in both patients with psychosis (standardized mean difference [s.m.d.] = -0.48 for N100 amplitude and s.m.d. = 0.43 for N100 latency) and their relatives (s.m.d. = - 0.19 for N100 amplitude and s.m.d. = 0.33 for N100 latency). However, only the N100 latency changes in relatives remained significant when excluding studies with affected relatives. CONCLUSIONS N100 changes, especially prolonged N100 latencies, are present in both patients with psychosis and their relatives, making the N100 a promising endophenotype for psychosis. Such changes in the N100 may reflect changes in early auditory processing underlying the etiology of psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baihan Wang
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Leun J Otten
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
| | - Katja Schulze
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Hana Afrah
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Lauren Varney
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
| | - Marius Cotic
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Genetics & Genomic Medicine, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Jennifer F Linden
- Ear Institute, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Neuroscience, Physiology & Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Karoline Kuchenbaecker
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- Division of Biosciences, UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Mei-Hua Hall
- Psychosis Neurobiology Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Elvira Bramon
- Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
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Das S, Singh LK, Tikka SK, Spoorthy MS, Mandal S, Soni PK, Nandan NK. Cognitive impairment in 'non-user' first-degree relatives of persons with cannabis dependence syndrome: A pilot, endophenotype study. Early Interv Psychiatry 2024; 18:346-354. [PMID: 37726210 DOI: 10.1111/eip.13470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 08/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Cannabis use disorders are global emerging problem nowadays, with high prevalence and morbidity. Cognitive impairments, and also corresponding genetic vulnerability, has been fairly replicated in individuals with cannabis dependence. However, there are few studies that assess cognitive functioning as an endophenotype or a trait marker for cannabis dependence. While the primary objective of this study was to assess the endophenotype pattern of cognitive dysfunction in cannabis dependence, assessing the association between the degree of cognitive functioning, and their socio-demographic and clinical variables in the cannabis dependence patients and their first-degree relatives was the secondary objective. METHODOLOGY We compared cognitive functioning across three groups- patients with cannabis dependence syndrome, their 'non-user' first-degree relatives and healthy controls, with 30 participants in each group. Five cognitive domains- attention and concentration, verbal fluency, memory, visuospatial ability and executive functions were assessed. We assessed for endophenotype pattern of statistical significance in pairwise analyses of Kruskal-Wallis test, which was corrected for multiple comparisons. Subsequently, correlation analysis to assess association of cognitive impairment with socio-demographic and clinical variables was conducted. RESULTS Although impairment in attention and executive functions also was seen in patients with cannabis dependence, endophenotype pattern of statistical significance in pairwise analyses, with impairment in first-degree relatives too, was seen in all sub-scores of verbal fluency and verbal memory. None of the correlations were significant. CONCLUSION 'Non-user' first-degree relatives of patients with cannabis dependence too show significant cognitive impairment. Verbal fluency and verbal memory are possible endophenotypes or trait markers for cannabis dependence syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shrayasi Das
- Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur, India
| | - Lokesh Kumar Singh
- Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur, India
| | | | | | | | | | - Neethu K Nandan
- Department of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Raipur, India
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Vivi E, Seeholzer LR, Nagumanova A, Di Benedetto B. Early Age- and Sex-Dependent Regulation of Astrocyte-Mediated Glutamatergic Synapse Elimination in the Rat Prefrontal Cortex: Establishing an Organotypic Brain Slice Culture Investigating Tool. Cells 2023; 12:2761. [PMID: 38067189 PMCID: PMC10705965 DOI: 10.3390/cells12232761] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Clinical and pre-clinical studies of neuropsychiatric (NP) disorders show altered astrocyte properties and synaptic networks. These are refined during early postnatal developmental (PND) stages. Thus, investigating early brain maturational trajectories is essential to understand NP disorders. However, animal experiments are highly time-/resource-consuming, thereby calling for alternative methodological approaches. The function of MEGF10 in astrocyte-mediated synapse elimination (pruning) is crucial to refine neuronal networks during development and adulthood. To investigate the impact of MEGF10 during PND in the rat prefrontal cortex (PFC) and its putative role in brain disorders, we established and validated an organotypic brain slice culture (OBSC) system. Using Western blot, we characterized the expression of MEGF10 and the synaptic markers synaptophysin and PSD95 in the cortex of developing pups. We then combined immunofluorescent-immunohistochemistry with Imaris-supported 3D analysis to compare age- and sex-dependent astrocyte-mediated pruning within the PFC in pups and OBSCs. We thereby validated this system to investigate age-dependent astrocyte-mediated changes in pruning during PND. However, further optimizations are required to use OBSCs for revealing sex-dependent differences. In conclusion, OBSCs offer a valid alternative to study physiological astrocyte-mediated synaptic remodeling during PND and might be exploited to investigate the pathomechanisms of brain disorders with aberrant synaptic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugenia Vivi
- Laboratory of Neuro-Glia Pharmacology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (E.V.); (L.R.S.); (A.N.)
| | - Lea R. Seeholzer
- Laboratory of Neuro-Glia Pharmacology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (E.V.); (L.R.S.); (A.N.)
| | - Anastasiia Nagumanova
- Laboratory of Neuro-Glia Pharmacology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (E.V.); (L.R.S.); (A.N.)
| | - Barbara Di Benedetto
- Laboratory of Neuro-Glia Pharmacology, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany; (E.V.); (L.R.S.); (A.N.)
- Regensburg Center of Neuroscience, University of Regensburg, 93053 Regensburg, Germany
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Agarwal R, Iezhitsa I. Genetic rodent models of glaucoma in representing disease phenotype and insights into the pathogenesis. Mol Aspects Med 2023; 94:101228. [PMID: 38016252 DOI: 10.1016/j.mam.2023.101228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
Genetic rodent models are widely used in glaucoma related research. With vast amount of information revealed by human studies about genetic correlations with glaucoma, use of these models is relevant and required. In this review, we discuss the glaucoma endophenotypes and importance of their representation in an experimental animal model. Mice and rats are the most popular animal species used as genetic models due to ease of genetic manipulations in these animal species as well as the availability of their genomic information. With technological advances, induction of glaucoma related genetic mutations commonly observed in human is possible to achieve in rodents in a desirable manner. This approach helps to study the pathobiology of the disease process with the background of genetic abnormalities, reveals potential therapeutic targets and gives an opportunity to test newer therapeutic options. Various genetic manipulation leading to appearance of human relevant endophenotypes in rodents indicate their relevance in glaucoma pathology and the utility of these rodent models for exploring various aspects of the disease related to targeted mutation. The molecular pathways involved in the pathophysiology of glaucoma leading to elevated intraocular pressure and the disease hallmark, apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells and optic nerve degeneration, have been extensively explored in genetic rodent models. In this review, we discuss the consequences of various genetic manipulations based on the primary site of pathology in the anterior or the posterior segment. We discuss how these genetic manipulations produce features in rodents that can be considered a close representation of disease phenotype in human. We also highlight several molecular mechanisms revealed by using genetic rodent models of glaucoma including those involved in increased aqueous outflow resistance, loss of retinal ganglion cells and optic neuropathy. Lastly, we discuss the limitations of the use of genetic rodent models in glaucoma related research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renu Agarwal
- School of Medicine, International Medical University, Malaysia.
| | - Igor Iezhitsa
- School of Medicine, International Medical University, Malaysia
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Mosconi MW, Stevens CJ, Unruh KE, Shafer R, Elison JT. Endophenotype trait domains for advancing gene discovery in autism spectrum disorder. J Neurodev Disord 2023; 15:41. [PMID: 37993779 PMCID: PMC10664534 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-023-09511-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with a diverse range of etiological processes, including both genetic and non-genetic causes. For a plurality of individuals with ASD, it is likely that the primary causes involve multiple common inherited variants that individually account for only small levels of variation in phenotypic outcomes. This genetic landscape creates a major challenge for detecting small but important pathogenic effects associated with ASD. To address similar challenges, separate fields of medicine have identified endophenotypes, or discrete, quantitative traits that reflect genetic likelihood for a particular clinical condition and leveraged the study of these traits to map polygenic mechanisms and advance more personalized therapeutic strategies for complex diseases. Endophenotypes represent a distinct class of biomarkers useful for understanding genetic contributions to psychiatric and developmental disorders because they are embedded within the causal chain between genotype and clinical phenotype, and they are more proximal to the action of the gene(s) than behavioral traits. Despite their demonstrated power for guiding new understanding of complex genetic structures of clinical conditions, few endophenotypes associated with ASD have been identified and integrated into family genetic studies. In this review, we argue that advancing knowledge of the complex pathogenic processes that contribute to ASD can be accelerated by refocusing attention toward identifying endophenotypic traits reflective of inherited mechanisms. This pivot requires renewed emphasis on study designs with measurement of familial co-variation including infant sibling studies, family trio and quad designs, and analysis of monozygotic and dizygotic twin concordance for select trait dimensions. We also emphasize that clarification of endophenotypic traits necessarily will involve integration of transdiagnostic approaches as candidate traits likely reflect liability for multiple clinical conditions and often are agnostic to diagnostic boundaries. Multiple candidate endophenotypes associated with ASD likelihood are described, and we propose a new focus on the analysis of "endophenotype trait domains" (ETDs), or traits measured across multiple levels (e.g., molecular, cellular, neural system, neuropsychological) along the causal pathway from genes to behavior. To inform our central argument for research efforts toward ETD discovery, we first provide a brief review of the concept of endophenotypes and their application to psychiatry. Next, we highlight key criteria for determining the value of candidate endophenotypes, including unique considerations for the study of ASD. Descriptions of different study designs for assessing endophenotypes in ASD research then are offered, including analysis of how select patterns of results may help prioritize candidate traits in future research. We also present multiple candidate ETDs that collectively cover a breadth of clinical phenomena associated with ASD, including social, language/communication, cognitive control, and sensorimotor processes. These ETDs are described because they represent promising targets for gene discovery related to clinical autistic traits, and they serve as models for analysis of separate candidate domains that may inform understanding of inherited etiological processes associated with ASD as well as overlapping neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew W Mosconi
- Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies and Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.
- Clinical Child Psychology Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.
| | - Cassandra J Stevens
- Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies and Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
- Clinical Child Psychology Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Kathryn E Unruh
- Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies and Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Robin Shafer
- Schiefelbusch Institute for Life Span Studies and Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training (K-CART), University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Jed T Elison
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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Brown AR, Branthwaite HE, Farahbakhsh ZZ, Mukerjee S, Melugin PR, Song K, Noamany H, Siciliano CA. Structured tracking of alcohol reinforcement (STAR) for basic and translational alcohol research. Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:1585-1598. [PMID: 36849824 PMCID: PMC10208967 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-023-01994-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
There is inherent tension between methodologies developed to address basic research questions in model species and those intended for preclinical to clinical translation: basic investigations require flexibility of experimental design as hypotheses are rapidly tested and revised, whereas preclinical models emphasize standardized protocols and specific outcome measures. This dichotomy is particularly relevant in alcohol research, which spans a diverse range of basic sciences in addition to intensive efforts towards understanding the pathophysiology of alcohol use disorder (AUD). To advance these goals there is a great need for approaches that facilitate synergy across basic and translational areas of nonhuman alcohol research. In male and female mice, we establish a modular alcohol reinforcement paradigm: Structured Tracking of Alcohol Reinforcement (STAR). STAR provides a robust platform for quantitative assessment of AUD-relevant behavioral domains within a flexible framework that allows direct crosstalk between translational and mechanistically oriented studies. To achieve cross-study integration, despite disparate task parameters, a straightforward multivariate phenotyping analysis is used to classify subjects based on propensity for heightened alcohol consumption and insensitivity to punishment. Combining STAR with extant preclinical alcohol models, we delineate longitudinal phenotype dynamics and reveal putative neuro-biomarkers of heightened alcohol use vulnerability via neurochemical profiling of cortical and brainstem tissues. Together, STAR allows quantification of time-resolved biobehavioral processes essential for basic research questions simultaneous with longitudinal phenotyping of clinically relevant outcomes, thereby providing a framework to facilitate cohesion and translation in alcohol research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex R Brown
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Hannah E Branthwaite
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Zahra Z Farahbakhsh
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Snigdha Mukerjee
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Patrick R Melugin
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Keaton Song
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA
| | - Habiba Noamany
- Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cody A Siciliano
- Department of Pharmacology, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
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Alonso L, Peeva P, Stasko S, Bader M, Alenina N, Winter Y, Rivalan M. Constitutive depletion of brain serotonin differentially affects rats' social and cognitive abilities. iScience 2023; 26:105998. [PMID: 36798444 PMCID: PMC9926123 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.105998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Central serotonin appears a promising transdiagnostic marker of psychiatric disorders and a modulator of some of their key behavioral symptoms. In adult male Tph2 -/- rats, constitutively lacking central serotonin, we tested individual's cognitive, social and non-social abilities and characterized group's social organization under classical and ethological testing conditions. Using unsupervised machine learning, we identified the functions most dependent on serotonin. Although serotonin depletion did not affect cognitive performances in classical testing, in the home-cage it induced compulsive aggression and sexual behavior, hyperactive and hypervigilant stereotyped behavior, reduced self-care and exacerbated corticosterone levels. This profile recalled symptoms of impulse control and anxiety disorders. Serotonin appeared essential for behavioral adaptation to dynamic social environments. Our animal model challenges the essential role of serotonin in decision-making, flexibility, impulsivity, and risk-taking. These findings highlight the importance of studying everyday life functions within the dynamic social living environment to model complexity in animal models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucille Alonso
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Polina Peeva
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Michael Bader
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
| | - Natalia Alenina
- Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
| | - York Winter
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marion Rivalan
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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11
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Brienza L, Zennaro A, Vitolo E, Andò A. Affective Neuroscience Personality Scale (ANPS) and clinical implications: A systematic review. J Affect Disord 2023; 320:178-195. [PMID: 36174784 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.09.104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Affective neuroscience (AN) theory assumes the existence of seven basic emotional systems (i.e., SEEKING, ANGER, FEAR, CARE, LUST, SADNESS, PLAY) that are common to all mammals and evolutionarily determined to be tools for survival and, in general, for fitness. Based on the AN approach, the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) questionnaire was developed to examine individual differences in the defined basic emotional systems. The current systematic review aims to examine the use of ANPS in clinical contexts attempting to define those behavioral elements associated with underlying stable personality traits. METHODS The systematic review was conducted following the PRISMA statements. PubMed and PsycInfo were used for research literature from March 2003 to November 2021. RESULTS Forty-four studies including ANPS were identified from 1763 studies reviewed. Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria. LIMITATIONS The review comprised some papers with incomplete psychological assessments (e.g., lack of other measures in addition to the ANPS) and missing information (e.g., on the [sub]samples), which may affect the generalizability of findings. CONCLUSION Specific endophenotypes and/or patterns of emotional/motivational systems were found for several mental disorders. Specifically, endophenotypes emerged for the Depressive and Autism Spectrum Disorders, Borderline and Avoidant Personality Disorders, type I and II Bipolar Disorders, and the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. The endophenotypes can provide useful reflective elements for both psychodiagnosis and intervention. Overall, the current study may represent an attempt to contribute to the understanding of the basic emotional systems involved in the psychopathological manifestations identified by AN.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Enrico Vitolo
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
| | - Agata Andò
- Department of Psychology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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12
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van den Berg H. Evaluating the validity of animal models of mental disorder: from modeling syndromes to modeling endophenotypes. HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF THE LIFE SCIENCES 2022; 44:59. [PMID: 36357538 PMCID: PMC9649475 DOI: 10.1007/s40656-022-00537-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
This paper provides a historical analysis of a shift in the way animal models of mental disorders were conceptualized: the shift from the mid-twentieth-century view, adopted by some, that animal models model syndromes classified in manuals such as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), to the later widespread view that animal models model component parts of psychiatric syndromes. I argue that in the middle of the twentieth century the attempt to maximize the face validity of animal models sometimes led to the pursuit of the ideal of an animal model that represented a behaviorally defined psychiatric syndrome as described in manuals such as the DSM. I show how developments within psychiatric genetics and related criticism of the DSM in the 1990s and 2000s led to the rejection of this ideal and how researchers in the first decade of the twenty-first century came to believe that animal models of mental disorders should model component parts of mental disorders, adopting a so-called endophenotype approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hein van den Berg
- Department of Philosophy, Institute for Logic, Language and Computation, University of Amsterdam, Postbus 94201 1090 GE, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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13
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Hasin N, Riggs LM, Shekhtman T, Ashworth J, Lease R, Oshone RT, Humphries EM, Badner JA, Thomson PA, Glahn DC, Craig DW, Edenberg HJ, Gershon ES, McMahon FJ, Nurnberger JI, Zandi PP, Kelsoe JR, Roach JC, Gould TD, Ament SA. Rare variants implicate NMDA receptor signaling and cerebellar gene networks in risk for bipolar disorder. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:3842-3856. [PMID: 35546635 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01609-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Bipolar disorder is an often-severe mental health condition characterized by alternation between extreme mood states of mania and depression. Despite strong heritability and the recent identification of 64 common variant risk loci of small effect, pathophysiological mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we analyzed genome sequences from 41 multiply-affected pedigrees and identified variants in 741 genes with nominally significant linkage or association with bipolar disorder. These 741 genes overlapped known risk genes for neurodevelopmental disorders and clustered within gene networks enriched for synaptic and nuclear functions. The top variant in this analysis - prioritized by statistical association, predicted deleteriousness, and network centrality - was a missense variant in the gene encoding D-amino acid oxidase (DAOG131V). Heterologous expression of DAOG131V in human cells resulted in decreased DAO protein abundance and enzymatic activity. In a knock-in mouse model of DAOG131, DaoG130V/+, we similarly found decreased DAO protein abundance in hindbrain regions, as well as enhanced stress susceptibility and blunted behavioral responses to pharmacological inhibition of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs). RNA sequencing of cerebellar tissue revealed that DaoG130V resulted in decreased expression of two gene networks that are enriched for synaptic functions and for genes expressed, respectively, in Purkinje neurons or granule neurons. These gene networks were also down-regulated in the cerebellum of patients with bipolar disorder compared to healthy controls and were enriched for additional rare variants associated with bipolar disorder risk. These findings implicate dysregulation of NMDAR signaling and of gene expression in cerebellar neurons in bipolar disorder pathophysiology and provide insight into its genetic architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naushaba Hasin
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lace M Riggs
- Program in Neuroscience and Training Program in Integrative Membrane Biology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Tatyana Shekhtman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Robert Lease
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Rediet T Oshone
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Elizabeth M Humphries
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Program in Molecular Epidemiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Judith A Badner
- Department of Psychiatry, Rush University Medical College, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Pippa A Thomson
- Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - David C Glahn
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David W Craig
- Department of Translational Genomics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Howard J Edenberg
- Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Elliot S Gershon
- Departments of Psychiatry and Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Francis J McMahon
- Intramural Research Program, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - John I Nurnberger
- Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| | - Peter P Zandi
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - John R Kelsoe
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | - Todd D Gould
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Departments of Pharmacology and Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Veterans Affairs Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Seth A Ament
- Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
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14
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Liu J, Liu Z, Wei Y, Zhang Y, Womer FY, Jia D, Wei S, Wu F, Kong L, Jiang X, Zhang L, Tang Y, Zhang X, Wang F. Combinatorial panel with endophenotypes from multilevel information of diffusion tensor imaging and lipid profile as predictors for depression. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2022; 56:1187-1198. [PMID: 35632993 DOI: 10.1177/00048674211031477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Clinical heterogeneity in major depressive disorder likely reflects the range of etiology and contributing factors in the disorder, such as genetic risk. Identification of more refined subgroups based on biomarkers such as white matter integrity and lipid-related metabolites could facilitate precision medicine in major depressive disorder. METHODS A total of 148 participants (15 genetic high-risk participants, 57 patients with first-episode major depressive disorder and 76 healthy controls) underwent diffusion tensor imaging and plasma lipid profiling. Alterations in white matter integrity and lipid metabolites were identified in genetic high-risk participants and patients with first-episode major depressive disorder. Then, shared alterations between genetic high-risk and first-episode major depressive disorder were used to develop an imaging x metabolite diagnostic panel for genetically based major depressive disorder via factor analysis and logistic regression. A fivefold cross-validation test was performed to evaluate the diagnostic panel. RESULTS Alterations of white matter integrity in corona radiata, superior longitudinal fasciculus and the body of corpus callosum and dysregulated unsaturated fatty acid metabolism were identified in both genetic high-risk participants and patients with first-episode major depressive disorder. An imaging x metabolite diagnostic panel, consisting of measures for white matter integrity and unsaturated fatty acid metabolism, was identified that achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.86 and had a significantly higher diagnostic performance than that using either measure alone. And cross-validation confirmed the adequate reliability and accuracy of the diagnostic panel. CONCLUSION Combining white matter integrity in corpus callosum, superior longitudinal fasciculus and corona radiata, and unsaturated fatty acid profile may improve the identification of genetically based endophenotypes in major depressive disorder to advance precision medicine strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, PR China.,Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China.,Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Zhuang Liu
- School of Public health, China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, PR China
| | - Yange Wei
- Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China.,Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Yanbo Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Fay Y Womer
- Department of Psychiatry, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, USA
| | - Duan Jia
- Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China.,Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Shengnan Wei
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, PR China
| | - Feng Wu
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, PR China
| | - Lingtao Kong
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, PR China
| | - Xiaowei Jiang
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, PR China
| | - Luheng Zhang
- Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China.,Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Yanqing Tang
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, PR China
| | - Xizhe Zhang
- Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China.,Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China.,Nanjing Brain Hospital, Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China.,School of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China
| | - Fei Wang
- Department of Psychiatry, The First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, Liaoning, PR China.,Early Intervention Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Affiliated Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China.,Functional Brain Imaging Institute of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China.,Nanjing Brain Hospital, Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, PR China
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15
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Guven EB, Pranic NM, Unal G. The differential effects of brief environmental enrichment following social isolation in rats. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:818-832. [PMID: 35199313 PMCID: PMC8865499 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-00989-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Environmental enrichment (EE) in rodents is associated with a wide range of physiological, affective, and cognitive benefits. A seemingly opposite housing condition, social isolation (SI), is used as a rodent model of stress, negatively affecting several neurobiological mechanisms and hampering cognitive performance. Experimental designs that involve switching between these housing conditions produced mixed results. We evaluated different behavioral and cognitive effects of brief EE following long-term, SI-induced stress. We revealed the influence of enrichment after 30 days of isolation on behavioral despair, anxiety-like behavior, and spatial working memory in adult male Wistar rats and found a substantial anxiolytic effect in the experimental (SI to EE) group. Interestingly, rats exposed to EE also showed increased behavioral despair compared with the control (continuous SI) group. There was no difference in spatial working memory performance at the end of a 5-day water Y-maze (WYM) test. However, the SI to EE animals displayed better memory performance in the first 2 days of the WYM, indicating faster learning. In line with this difference, we recorded significantly more c-Fos-immunopositive (c-Fos+) cells in the retrosplenial and perirhinal cortices of the SI to EE animals. The lateral and basolateral nuclei of the amygdala showed no such difference. These results suggest that brief enrichment following isolation stress leads to differential results in affective and cognitive systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elif Beyza Guven
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Boğaziçi University, 34342, Istanbul, Turkey
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Nicole Melisa Pranic
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Boğaziçi University, 34342, Istanbul, Turkey
- Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Gunes Unal
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Boğaziçi University, 34342, Istanbul, Turkey.
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16
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Rasmusson AM, Novikov O, Brown KD, Pinna G, Pineles SL. Pleiotropic endophenotypic and phenotype effects of GABAergic neurosteroid synthesis deficiency in posttraumatic stress disorder. CURRENT OPINION IN ENDOCRINE AND METABOLIC RESEARCH 2022; 25:100359. [PMID: 36909842 PMCID: PMC10004350 DOI: 10.1016/j.coemr.2022.100359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
PTSD is associated with deficits in synthesis of progesterone metabolites such as allopregnanolone and pregnanolone that potently facilitate gamma-amino-butyric acid (GABA) effects at GABAA receptors. These neurosteroids modulate neuronal firing rate, regional brain connectivity, and activation of amygdala-mediated autonomic nervous system, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and behavioral reactions to unconditioned and conditioned threat. They also play critical roles in learning and memory processes such as extinction and extinction retention and inhibit toll-like receptor activation of intracellular pro-inflammatory pathways. Deficient synthesis of these neurosteroids thus may contribute to individually variable PTSD clinical phenotypes encompassing symptom severity, capacity for PTSD recovery, and vulnerability to common PTSD-comorbidities such as major depression, chronic pain, alcohol and nicotine dependence, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, reproductive disorders, and autoimmune conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann M Rasmusson
- VA National Center for PTSD, Women's Health Science Division, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Olga Novikov
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA.,Boston University School of Medicine, Psychiatry Residency Program, Boston, MA 02118, USA
| | - Kayla D Brown
- Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA.,Behavioral Neurosciences Ph.D. Program, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Graziano Pinna
- The Psychiatric Institute, Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA
| | - Suzanne L Pineles
- VA National Center for PTSD, Women's Health Science Division, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA 02130, USA.,Department of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
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17
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Mice in translational neuroscience: What R we doing? Prog Neurobiol 2022; 217:102330. [PMID: 35872220 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2022.102330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Revised: 07/13/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Animal models play a pivotal role in translational neuroscience but recurrent problems in data collection, analyses, and interpretation, lack of biomarkers, and a tendency to over-reliance on mice have marred neuroscience progress, leading to one of the highest attrition rates in drug translation. Global initiatives to improve reproducibility and model selection are being implemented. Notwithstanding, mice are still the preferred animal species to model human brain disorders even when the translation has been shown to be limited. Non-human primates are better positioned to provide relevant translational information because of their higher brain complexity and homology to humans. Among others, lack of resources and formal training, strict legislation, and ethical issues may impede broad access to large animals. We propose that instead of increasingly restrictive legislation, more resources for training, education, husbandry, and data sharing are urgently needed. The creation of multidisciplinary teams, in which veterinarians need to play a key role, would be critical to improve translational efficiency. Furthermore, it is not usually acknowledged by researchers and regulators the value of comparative studies in lower species, that are instrumental in toxicology, target identification, and mechanistic studies. Overall, we highlight here the need for a conceptual shift in neuroscience research and policies to reach the patients.
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18
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Demidova A, Kahl E, Fendt M. Orexin deficiency affects sensorimotor gating and its amphetamine-induced impairment. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2022; 116:110517. [PMID: 35101602 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2022.110517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The orexin neuropeptides have an important role in the regulation of the sleep/wake cycle and foraging, as well as in reward processing and emotions. Furthermore, recent research implicates the orexin system in different behavioral endophenotypes of neuropsychiatric diseases such as social avoidance and cognitive flexibility. Utilizing orexin-deficient mice, the present study tested the hypothesis that orexin is involved in two further mouse behavioral endophenotypes of neuropsychiatric disorders, i.e., sensorimotor gating and amphetamine sensitivity. The data revealed that orexin-deficient mice expressed a deficit in sensorimotor gating, measured by prepulse inhibition of the startle response. Amphetamine treatment impaired prepulse inhibition in wildtype and heterozygous orexin-deficient mice, but had no effects in homozygous orexin-deficient mice. Furthermore, locomotor activity and center time in the open field was not affected by orexin deficiency but was similarly increased or decreased, respectively, by amphetamine treatment in all genotypes. These data indicate that the orexin system modulates prepulse inhibition and is involved in mediating amphetamine's effect on prepulse inhibition. Future studies should investigate whether pharmacological manipulations of the orexin system can be used to treat neuropsychiatric diseases associated with deficits in sensorimotor gating, such as schizophrenia or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandrina Demidova
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany; Psychology Master Program, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Evelyn Kahl
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Markus Fendt
- Institute for Pharmacology and Toxicology, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany; Psychology Master Program, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany; Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg, Germany.
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19
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Sheardown E, Mech AM, Petrazzini MEM, Leggieri A, Gidziela A, Hosseinian S, Sealy IM, Torres-Perez JV, Busch-Nentwich EM, Malanchini M, Brennan CH. Translational relevance of forward genetic screens in animal models for the study of psychiatric disease. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2022; 135:104559. [PMID: 35124155 PMCID: PMC9016269 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Psychiatric disorders represent a significant burden in our societies. Despite the convincing evidence pointing at gene and gene-environment interaction contributions, the role of genetics in the etiology of psychiatric disease is still poorly understood. Forward genetic screens in animal models have helped elucidate causal links. Here we discuss the application of mutagenesis-based forward genetic approaches in common animal model species: two invertebrates, nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans) and fruit flies (Drosophila sp.); and two vertebrates, zebrafish (Danio rerio) and mice (Mus musculus), in relation to psychiatric disease. We also discuss the use of large scale genomic studies in human populations. Despite the advances using data from human populations, animal models coupled with next-generation sequencing strategies are still needed. Although with its own limitations, zebrafish possess characteristics that make them especially well-suited to forward genetic studies exploring the etiology of psychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Sheardown
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Aleksandra M Mech
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | | | - Adele Leggieri
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Agnieszka Gidziela
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Saeedeh Hosseinian
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Ian M Sealy
- Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID), Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jose V Torres-Perez
- UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London and Department of Brain Sciences, Imperial College London, 86 Wood Lane, London W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Elisabeth M Busch-Nentwich
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Margherita Malanchini
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK
| | - Caroline H Brennan
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, England, UK.
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20
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Wang B, Giannakopoulou O, Austin-Zimmerman I, Irizar H, Harju-Seppänen J, Zartaloudi E, Bhat A, McQuillin A, Kuchenbäcker K, Bramon E. Adolescent Verbal Memory as a Psychosis Endophenotype: A Genome-Wide Association Study in an Ancestrally Diverse Sample. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:106. [PMID: 35052446 PMCID: PMC8774761 DOI: 10.3390/genes13010106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/29/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Verbal memory impairment is one of the most prominent cognitive deficits in psychosis. However, few studies have investigated the genetic basis of verbal memory in a neurodevelopmental context, and most genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have been conducted in European-ancestry populations. We conducted a GWAS on verbal memory in a maximum of 11,017 participants aged 8.9 to 11.1 years in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study®, recruited from a diverse population in the United States. Verbal memory was assessed by the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, which included three measures of verbal memory: immediate recall, short-delay recall, and long-delay recall. We adopted a mixed-model approach to perform a joint GWAS of all participants, adjusting for ancestral background and familial relatedness. The inclusion of participants from all ancestries increased the power of the GWAS. Two novel genome-wide significant associations were found for short-delay and long-delay recall verbal memory. In particular, one locus (rs9896243) associated with long-delay recall was mapped to the NSF (N-Ethylmaleimide Sensitive Factor, Vesicle Fusing ATPase) gene, indicating the role of membrane fusion in adolescent verbal memory. Based on the GWAS in the European subset, we estimated the SNP-heritability to be 15% to 29% for the three verbal memory traits. We found that verbal memory was genetically correlated with schizophrenia, providing further evidence supporting verbal memory as an endophenotype for psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baihan Wang
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London W1T 7BN, UK; (O.G.); (I.A.-Z.); (H.I.); (J.H.-S.); (E.Z.); (A.B.); (A.M.); (K.K.)
| | - Olga Giannakopoulou
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London W1T 7BN, UK; (O.G.); (I.A.-Z.); (H.I.); (J.H.-S.); (E.Z.); (A.B.); (A.M.); (K.K.)
- UCL Genetics Institute, Division of Biosciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Isabelle Austin-Zimmerman
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London W1T 7BN, UK; (O.G.); (I.A.-Z.); (H.I.); (J.H.-S.); (E.Z.); (A.B.); (A.M.); (K.K.)
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Haritz Irizar
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London W1T 7BN, UK; (O.G.); (I.A.-Z.); (H.I.); (J.H.-S.); (E.Z.); (A.B.); (A.M.); (K.K.)
- Department of Genetics & Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Jasmine Harju-Seppänen
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London W1T 7BN, UK; (O.G.); (I.A.-Z.); (H.I.); (J.H.-S.); (E.Z.); (A.B.); (A.M.); (K.K.)
| | - Eirini Zartaloudi
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London W1T 7BN, UK; (O.G.); (I.A.-Z.); (H.I.); (J.H.-S.); (E.Z.); (A.B.); (A.M.); (K.K.)
| | - Anjali Bhat
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London W1T 7BN, UK; (O.G.); (I.A.-Z.); (H.I.); (J.H.-S.); (E.Z.); (A.B.); (A.M.); (K.K.)
| | - Andrew McQuillin
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London W1T 7BN, UK; (O.G.); (I.A.-Z.); (H.I.); (J.H.-S.); (E.Z.); (A.B.); (A.M.); (K.K.)
| | - Karoline Kuchenbäcker
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London W1T 7BN, UK; (O.G.); (I.A.-Z.); (H.I.); (J.H.-S.); (E.Z.); (A.B.); (A.M.); (K.K.)
- UCL Genetics Institute, Division of Biosciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Elvira Bramon
- Department of Mental Health Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London W1T 7BN, UK; (O.G.); (I.A.-Z.); (H.I.); (J.H.-S.); (E.Z.); (A.B.); (A.M.); (K.K.)
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21
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Fedotova IB, Surina NM, Nikolaev GM, Revishchin AV, Poletaeva II. Rodent Brain Pathology, Audiogenic Epilepsy. Biomedicines 2021; 9:biomedicines9111641. [PMID: 34829870 PMCID: PMC8615954 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines9111641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The review presents data which provides evidence for the internal relationship between the stages of rodent audiogenic seizures and post-ictal catalepsy with the general pattern of animal reaction to the dangerous stimuli and/or situation. The wild run stage of audiogenic seizure fit could be regarded as an intense panic reaction, and this view found support in numerous experimental data. The phenomenon of audiogenic epilepsy probably attracted the attention of physiologists as rodents are extremely sensitive to dangerous sound stimuli. The seizure proneness in this group shares common physiological characteristics and depends on animal genotype. This concept could be the new platform for the study of epileptogenesis mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina B. Fedotova
- Department of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia; (I.B.F.); (N.M.S.); (G.M.N.)
| | - Natalia M. Surina
- Department of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia; (I.B.F.); (N.M.S.); (G.M.N.)
| | - Georgy M. Nikolaev
- Department of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia; (I.B.F.); (N.M.S.); (G.M.N.)
| | | | - Inga I. Poletaeva
- Department of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia; (I.B.F.); (N.M.S.); (G.M.N.)
- Correspondence:
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22
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Dahlén A, Zarei M, Melgoza A, Wagle M, Guo S. THC-induced behavioral stereotypy in zebrafish as a model of psychosis-like behavior. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15693. [PMID: 34344922 PMCID: PMC8333334 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95016-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
High doses of the Cannabis constituent Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) increase the risk of psychosis in humans. Highly accessible animal models are needed to address underlying mechanisms. Using zebrafish with a conserved endocannabinoid system, this study investigates the acute effects of THC on adult zebrafish behavior and the mechanisms involved. A concentration-dependent THC-induced behavioral stereotypy akin to THC's effect in rats and the psychotropics phencyclidine and ketamine in zebrafish was established. Distinctive circular swimming during THC-exposure was measured using a novel analytical method that we developed, which detected an elevated Repetition Index (RI) compared to vehicle controls. This was reduced upon co-administration of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor agonist NMDA, suggesting that THC exerts its effects via biochemical or neurobiological mechanisms associated with NMDA receptor antagonism. Co-treatment of γ-aminobutyric acid receptor antagonist pentylenetetrazol also showed signs of reducing the RI. Since THC-induced repetitive behavior remained in co-administrations with cannabinoid receptor 1 inverse agonist AM251, the phenotype may be cannabinoid receptor 1-independent. Conversely, the inverse cannabinoid receptor 2 agonist AM630 significantly reduced THC-induced behavioral stereotypy, indicating cannabinoid receptor 2 as a possible mediator. A significant reduction of the THC-RI was also observed by the antipsychotic sulpiride. Together, these findings highlight this model's potential for elucidating the mechanistic relationship between Cannabis and psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amelia Dahlén
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, and Programs in Biological Sciences and Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
- Section of Functional Pharmacology, Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, 75124, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Mahdi Zarei
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, and Programs in Biological Sciences and Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Adam Melgoza
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, and Programs in Biological Sciences and Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Mahendra Wagle
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, and Programs in Biological Sciences and Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Su Guo
- Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, and Programs in Biological Sciences and Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA.
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23
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Peng Z, Guo Y, Wu X, Yang Q, Wei Z, Seger CA, Chen Q. Abnormal brain functional network dynamics in obsessive-compulsive disorder patients and their unaffected first-degree relatives. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:4387-4398. [PMID: 34089285 PMCID: PMC8356985 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
We utilized dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) analysis to compare participants with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) with their unaffected first‐degree relative (UFDR) and healthy controls (HC). Resting state fMRI was performed on 46 OCD, 24 UFDR, and 49 HCs, along with clinical assessments. dFNC analyses revealed two distinct connectivity states: a less frequent, integrated state characterized by the predominance of between‐network connections (State I), and a more frequent, segregated state with strong within‐network connections (State II). OCD patients spent more time in State II and less time in State I than HC, as measured by fractional windows and mean dwell time. Time in each state for the UFDR were intermediate between OCD patients and HC. Within the OCD group, fractional windows of time spent in State I was positively correlated with OCD symptoms (as measured by the obsessive compulsive inventory‐revised [OCI‐R], r = .343, p<.05, FDR correction) and time in State II was negatively correlated with symptoms (r = −.343, p<.05, FDR correction). Within each state we also examined connectivity within and between established intrinsic connectivity networks, and found that UFDR were similar to the OCD group in State I, but more similar to the HC groups in State II. The similarities between OCD and UFDR groups in temporal properties and State I connectivity indicate that these features may reflect the endophenotype for OCD. These results indicate that the temporal dynamics of functional connectivity could be a useful biomarker to identify those at risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziwen Peng
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ya Guo
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiangshu Wu
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qiong Yang
- Department of Psychiatry, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.,Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhen Wei
- Department of Child Psychiatry and Rehabilitation, Affiliated Shenzhen Maternity & Child Healthcare Hospital, Southern Medical University, Shenzhen, China
| | - Carol A Seger
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Qi Chen
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, China; School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
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24
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Effect of Neuropeptide S Administration on Ultrasonic Vocalizations and Behaviour in Rats with Low vs. High Exploratory Activity. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2021; 14:ph14060524. [PMID: 34070724 PMCID: PMC8229755 DOI: 10.3390/ph14060524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuropeptide S (NPS) is a peptide neurotransmitter that in animal studies promotes wakefulness and arousal with simultaneous anxiety reduction, in some inconsistency with results in humans. We examined the effect of NPS on rat ultrasonic vocalizations (USV) as an index of affective state and on behaviour in novel environments in rats with persistent inter-individual differences in exploratory activity. Adult male Wistar rats were categorised as of high (HE) or low (LE) exploratory activity and NPS was administered intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) at a dose of 1.0 nmol/5 µL, after which USVs were recorded in the home-cage and a novel standard housing cage, and behaviour evaluated in exploration/anxiety tests. NPS induced a massive production of long and short 22 kHz USVs in the home cage that continued later in the novel environment; no effect on 50 kHz USVs were found. In LE-rats, the long 22 kHz calls were emitted at lower frequencies and were louder. The effects of NPS on behaviour appeared novelty- and test-dependent. NPS had an anxiolytic-like effect in LE-rats only in the elevated zero-maze, whereas in HE-rats, locomotor activity in the zero-maze and in a novel standard cage was increased. Thus NPS appears as a psychostimulant peptide but with a complex effect on dimensions of affect.
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25
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Oral S, Göktalay G. Prepulse inhibition based grouping of rats and assessing differences in response to pharmacological agents. Neurosci Lett 2021; 755:135913. [PMID: 33895274 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.135913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia modeling by disrupting prepulse inhibition (PPI) is one of the most frequently used psycho-pharmacological methods by administering pharmacological agents to stimulate disruption. However, since PPI is also a biological indicator of schizophrenia, it is possible to classify subjects based on their basal PPI values and group them as "low inhibition" and "high inhibition without taking any pharmacological agent. Therefore this study was conducted to show that rats can be divided into groups in terms of susceptibility to schizophrenia according to basal PPI values. It was also observed that these groups might give different responses to different pharmacological agents (apomorphine, amphetamine, MK-801, scopolamine, nicotine, caffeine). Male Sprague Dawley rats (250-350 g) were used in the study. To examine the effects of different pharmacological agents on the groups, apomorphine (0.5 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg), amphetamine (4 mg/kg), MK-801 (0.05 mg/kg and 0.15 mg/kg), scopolamine (0.4 mg/kg), nicotine (1 mg/kg) and caffeine (10 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg) were used. Amphetamine showed a disruptive effect on PPI in both low and high inhibitory groups, while apomorphine, MK-801, scopolamine, and nicotine showed PPI decrease only in the high inhibitory group. Besides, caffeine decreased PPI levels at two doses in the high inhibitory group; however, 10 mg/kg dose caffeine was increased only in the low inhibitory group. According to the data obtained from this study, rats can be grouped with baseline inhibition values by using PPI, and response differences of pharmacological agents to groups may vary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sema Oral
- University of Health Sciences Bursa Yuksek Ihtisas Training and Research Hospital, 16290, Bursa, Turkey.
| | - Gökhan Göktalay
- Department of Medical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Bursa Uludag University, Bursa, Turkey
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26
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Pike AC, Lowther M, Robinson OJ. The Importance of Common Currency Tasks in Translational Psychiatry. Curr Behav Neurosci Rep 2021; 8:1-10. [PMID: 33708469 PMCID: PMC7904709 DOI: 10.1007/s40473-021-00225-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Purpose of Review Common currency tasks are tasks that investigate the same phenomenon in different species. In this review, we discuss how to ensure the translational validity of common currency tasks, summarise their benefits, present recent research in this area and offer future directions and recommendations. Recent Findings We discuss the strengths and limitations of three specific examples where common currency tasks have added to our understanding of psychiatric constructs—affective bias, reversal learning and goal-based decision making. Summary Overall, common currency tasks offer the potential to improve drug discovery in psychiatry. We recommend that researchers prioritise construct validity above face validity when designing common currency tasks and suggest that the evidence for construct validity is summarised in papers presenting research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra C Pike
- Anxiety Lab, Neuroscience and Mental Health Group, University College London Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Alexandra House, 17-19 Queen Square, Bloomsbury, London, WC1N 3AR UK
| | - Millie Lowther
- Anxiety Lab, Neuroscience and Mental Health Group, University College London Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Alexandra House, 17-19 Queen Square, Bloomsbury, London, WC1N 3AR UK
| | - Oliver J Robinson
- Anxiety Lab, Neuroscience and Mental Health Group, University College London Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Alexandra House, 17-19 Queen Square, Bloomsbury, London, WC1N 3AR UK.,Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology Department, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT UK
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27
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Demin KA, Smagin DA, Kovalenko IL, Strekalova T, Galstyan DS, Kolesnikova TO, De Abreu MS, Galyamina AG, Bashirzade A, Kalueff AV. CNS genomic profiling in the mouse chronic social stress model implicates a novel category of candidate genes integrating affective pathogenesis. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2021; 105:110086. [PMID: 32889031 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2020.110086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Despite high prevalence, medical impact and societal burden, anxiety, depression and other affective disorders remain poorly understood and treated. Clinical complexity and polygenic nature complicate their analyses, often revealing genetic overlap and cross-disorder heritability. However, the interplay or overlaps between disordered phenotypes can also be based on shared molecular pathways and 'crosstalk' mechanisms, which themselves may be genetically determined. We have earlier predicted (Kalueff et al., 2014) a new class of 'interlinking' brain genes that do not affect the disordered phenotypes per se, but can instead specifically determine their interrelatedness. To test this hypothesis experimentally, here we applied a well-established rodent chronic social defeat stress model, known to progress in C57BL/6J mice from the Anxiety-like stage on Day 10 to Depression-like stage on Day 20. The present study analyzed mouse whole-genome expression in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus during the Day 10, the Transitional (Day 15) and Day 20 stages in this model. Our main question here was whether a putative the Transitional stage (Day 15) would reveal distinct characteristic genomic responses from Days 10 and 20 of the model, thus reflecting unique molecular events underlining the transformation or switch from anxiety to depression pathogenesis. Overall, while in the Day 10 (Anxiety) group both brain regions showed major genomic alterations in various neurotransmitter signaling pathways, the Day 15 (Transitional) group revealed uniquely downregulated astrocyte-related genes, and the Day 20 (Depression) group demonstrated multiple downregulated genes of cell adhesion, inflammation and ion transport pathways. Together, these results reveal a complex temporal dynamics of mouse affective phenotypes as they develop. Our genomic profiling findings provide first experimental support to the idea that novel brain genes (activated here only during the Transitional stage) may uniquely integrate anxiety and depression pathogenesis and, hence, determine the progression from one pathological state to another. This concept can potentially be extended to other brain conditions as well. This preclinical study also further implicates cilial and astrocytal mechanisms in the pathogenesis of affective disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantin A Demin
- Institute of Experimental Medicine, Almazov National Medical Research Centre, Ministry of Healthcare of Russian Federation, St. Petersburg, Russia; Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Dmitry A Smagin
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | | | - Tatyana Strekalova
- I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Moscow, Russia; Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Research Institute of General Pathology and Pathophysiology, Moscow, Russia
| | - David S Galstyan
- Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia; Granov Russian Scientific Center of Radiology and Surgical Technologies, Ministry of Healthcare, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Tatyana O Kolesnikova
- Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia; Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology and Neurobiology, School of Biological and Medical Physics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow, Russia
| | | | | | - Alim Bashirzade
- Scientific Research Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia; Institute of Medicine and Psychology, Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
| | - Allan V Kalueff
- School of Pharmacy, Southwest University, Chongqing, China; Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia; Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Biology and Neurobiology, School of Biological and Medical Physics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Moscow, Russia.
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28
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Chronic non-discriminatory social defeat stress reduces effort-related motivated behaviors in male and female mice. Transl Psychiatry 2021; 11:125. [PMID: 33589585 PMCID: PMC7884699 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-021-01250-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Reward and motivation deficits are prominent symptoms in many mood disorders, including depression. Similar reward and effort-related choice behavioral tasks can be used to study aspects of motivation in both rodents and humans. Chronic stress can precipitate mood disorders in humans and maladaptive reward and motivation behaviors in male rodents. However, while depression is more prevalent in women, there is relatively little known about whether chronic stress elicits maladaptive behaviors in female rodents in effort-related motivated tasks and whether there are any behavioral sex differences. Chronic nondiscriminatory social defeat stress (CNSDS) is a variation of chronic social defeat stress that is effective in both male and female mice. We hypothesized that CNSDS would reduce effort-related motivated and reward behaviors, including reducing sensitivity to a devalued outcome, reducing breakpoint in progressive ratio, and shifting effort-related choice behavior. Separate cohorts of adult male and female C57BL/6 J mice were divided into Control or CNSDS groups, exposed to the 10-day CNSDS paradigm, and then trained and tested in instrumental reward or effort-related behaviors. CNSDS reduced motivation to lever press in progressive ratio and shifted effort-related choice behavior from a high reward to a more easily attainable low reward in both sexes. CNSDS caused more nuanced impairments in outcome devaluation. Taken together, CNSDS induces maladaptive shifts in effort-related choice and reduces motivated lever pressing in both sexes.
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29
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Precision Psychiatry: Biomarker-Guided Tailored Therapy for Effective Treatment and Prevention in Major Depression. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1305:535-563. [PMID: 33834417 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-33-6044-0_27] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Depression contributes greatly to global disability and is a leading cause of suicide. It has multiple etiologies and therefore response to treatment can vary significantly. By applying the concepts of personalized medicine, precision psychiatry attempts to optimize psychiatric patient care by better predicting which individuals will develop an illness, by giving a more accurate biologically based diagnosis, and by utilizing more effective treatments based on an individual's biological characteristics (biomarkers). In this chapter, we discuss the basic principles underlying the role of biomarkers in psychiatric pathology and then explore multiple biomarkers that are specific to depression. These include endophenotypes, gene variants/polymorphisms, epigenetic factors such as methylation, biochemical measures, circadian rhythm dysregulation, and neuroimaging findings. We also examine the role of early childhood trauma in the development of, and treatment response to, depression. In addition, we review how new developments in technology may play a greater role in the determination of new biomarkers for depression.
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30
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Park SC, Kim YK. Challenges and Strategies for Current Classifications of Depressive Disorders: Proposal for Future Diagnostic Standards. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2021; 1305:103-116. [PMID: 33834397 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-33-6044-0_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/24/2023]
Abstract
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) was revised based on a combination of a categorical and a dimensional approach such that in the DSM, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), depressive disorders have been separated as a distinctive disease entity from bipolar disorders, consistent with the deconstruction of Kraepelinian dualism. Additionally, the diagnostic thresholds of depressive disorders may be reduced due to the addition of "hopelessness" to the subjective descriptors of depressed mood and the removal of the "bereavement exclusion." Manic/hypomanic, psychotic, and anxious symptoms in major depressive disorder (MDD) and other depressive disorders are described using the transdiagnostic specifiers of "with mixed features," "with psychotic features," and "with anxious distress," respectively. Additionally, due to the polythetic and operational characteristics of the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, the heterogeneity of MDD is inevitable. Thus, 227 different symptom combinations fulfill the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for MDD. This heterogeneity of MDD is criticized in view of the Wittgensteinian analogy of language game. Depression subtypes determined by disturbances in monoamine levels and the severity of the disease have been identified in the literature. According to a review of the Gottesman and Gould criteria, neuroticism, morning cortisol, cortisol awakening response, asymmetry in frontal cortical activity on electroencephalography (EEG), and probabilistic reward learning, among other variables, are evidenced as endophenotypes for depressive disorders. Network analysis has been proposed as a potential method to compliment the limitations of current diagnostic criteria and to explore the pathways between depressive symptoms, as well as to identify novel and interesting relationships between depressive symptoms. Based on the literature on network analysis in this field, no differences in the centrality index of the DSM and non-DSM symptoms were repeatedly present among patients with MDD. Furthermore, MDD and other depressive syndromes include two of the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC), including the Loss construct within the Negative Valence Systems domains and various Reward constructs within the Positive Valence Systems domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seon-Cheol Park
- Department of Psychiatry, Hanyang University Guri Hospital, Guri, Republic of Korea
| | - Yong-Ku Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Korea University Ansan Hospital, College of Medicine, Ansan, Republic of Korea.
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31
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Abstract
It becomes increasingly clear that (non-)invasive neurostimulation is an effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In this chapter we review the available evidence on techniques and targets, clinical results including a meta-analysis, mechanisms of action, and animal research. We focus on deep brain stimulation (DBS), but also cover non-invasive neurostimulation including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Data shows that most DBS studies target the ventral capsule/ventral striatum (VC/VS), with an overall 76% response rate in treatment-refractory OCD. Also TMS holds clinical promise. Increased insight in the normalizing effects of neurostimulation on cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical (CSTC) loops - through neuroimaging and animal research - provides novel opportunities to further optimize treatment strategies. Advancing clinical implementation of neurostimulation techniques is essential to ameliorate the lives of the many treatment-refractory OCD patients.
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32
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Donati FL, D’Agostino A, Ferrarelli F. Neurocognitive and neurophysiological endophenotypes in schizophrenia: An overview. Biomark Neuropsychiatry 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bionps.2020.100017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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33
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Trevis KJ, Brown NJ, Green CC, Lockhart PJ, Desai T, Vick T, Anderson V, Pua EPK, Bahlo M, Delatycki MB, Scheffer IE, Wilson SJ. Tracing Autism Traits in Large Multiplex Families to Identify Endophenotypes of the Broader Autism Phenotype. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E7965. [PMID: 33120939 PMCID: PMC7663259 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21217965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Families comprising many individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) may carry a dominant predisposing mutation. We implemented rigorous phenotyping of the "Broader Autism Phenotype" (BAP) in large multiplex ASD families using a novel endophenotype approach for the identification and characterisation of distinct BAP endophenotypes. We evaluated ASD/BAP features using standardised tests and a semi-structured interview to assess social, intellectual, executive and adaptive functioning in 110 individuals, including two large multiplex families (Family A: 30; Family B: 35) and an independent sample of small families (n = 45). Our protocol identified four distinct psychological endophenotypes of the BAP that were evident across these independent samples, and showed high sensitivity (97%) and specificity (82%) for individuals classified with the BAP. Patterns of inheritance of identified endophenotypes varied between the two large multiplex families, supporting their utility for identifying genes in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krysta J. Trevis
- Department of Medicine, Austin Health, The University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, VIC 3084, Australia; (K.J.T.); (C.C.G.); (T.D.); (E.P.K.P.); (I.E.S.)
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia;
| | - Natasha J. Brown
- Victorian Clinical Genetics Services, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; (N.J.B.); (M.B.D.)
- Barwon Health, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia;
| | - Cherie C. Green
- Department of Medicine, Austin Health, The University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, VIC 3084, Australia; (K.J.T.); (C.C.G.); (T.D.); (E.P.K.P.); (I.E.S.)
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia;
- Department of Psychology and Counselling, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC 3086, Australia
| | - Paul J. Lockhart
- Bruce Lefroy Centre for Genetic Health Research, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia;
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Tarishi Desai
- Department of Medicine, Austin Health, The University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, VIC 3084, Australia; (K.J.T.); (C.C.G.); (T.D.); (E.P.K.P.); (I.E.S.)
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia;
| | - Tanya Vick
- Barwon Health, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia;
| | - Vicki Anderson
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia;
- Psychological Service, The Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- Clinical Sciences Research, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Emmanuel P. K. Pua
- Department of Medicine, Austin Health, The University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, VIC 3084, Australia; (K.J.T.); (C.C.G.); (T.D.); (E.P.K.P.); (I.E.S.)
| | - Melanie Bahlo
- Population Health and Immunity Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia;
- Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Martin B. Delatycki
- Victorian Clinical Genetics Services, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; (N.J.B.); (M.B.D.)
- Bruce Lefroy Centre for Genetic Health Research, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia;
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Ingrid E. Scheffer
- Department of Medicine, Austin Health, The University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, VIC 3084, Australia; (K.J.T.); (C.C.G.); (T.D.); (E.P.K.P.); (I.E.S.)
- Victorian Clinical Genetics Services, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia; (N.J.B.); (M.B.D.)
- Clinical Sciences Research, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
| | - Sarah J. Wilson
- Department of Medicine, Austin Health, The University of Melbourne, Heidelberg, VIC 3084, Australia; (K.J.T.); (C.C.G.); (T.D.); (E.P.K.P.); (I.E.S.)
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia;
- The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, VIC 3052, Australia
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Parker CC, Lusk R, Saba LM. Alcohol Sensitivity as an Endophenotype of Alcohol Use Disorder: Exploring Its Translational Utility between Rodents and Humans. Brain Sci 2020; 10:E725. [PMID: 33066036 PMCID: PMC7600833 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10100725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 10/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a complex, chronic, relapsing disorder with multiple interacting genetic and environmental influences. Numerous studies have verified the influence of genetics on AUD, yet the underlying biological pathways remain unknown. One strategy to interrogate complex diseases is the use of endophenotypes, which deconstruct current diagnostic categories into component traits that may be more amenable to genetic research. In this review, we explore how an endophenotype such as sensitivity to alcohol can be used in conjunction with rodent models to provide mechanistic insights into AUD. We evaluate three alcohol sensitivity endophenotypes (stimulation, intoxication, and aversion) for their translatability across human and rodent research by examining the underlying neurobiology and its relationship to consumption and AUD. We show examples in which results gleaned from rodents are successfully integrated with information from human studies to gain insight in the genetic underpinnings of AUD and AUD-related endophenotypes. Finally, we identify areas for future translational research that could greatly expand our knowledge of the biological and molecular aspects of the transition to AUD with the broad hope of finding better ways to treat this devastating disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clarissa C. Parker
- Department of Psychology and Program in Neuroscience, Middlebury College, Middlebury, VT 05753, USA
| | - Ryan Lusk
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA;
| | - Laura M. Saba
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA;
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Medina-Rodriguez EM, Cheng Y, Michalek SM, Beurel E, Jope RS. Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2)-deficiency impairs male mouse recovery from a depression-like state. Brain Behav Immun 2020; 89:51-58. [PMID: 32479995 PMCID: PMC7572513 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2020.05.068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Major depression is a prevalent, debilitating disease, yet therapeutic interventions for depression are frequently inadequate. Many clinical and pre-clinical studies have demonstrated that depression is associated with aberrant activation of the inflammatory system, raising the possibility that reducing inflammation may provide antidepressant effects. Using the learned helplessness mouse model, we tested if susceptibility or recovery were affected by deficiency in either of two receptors that initiate inflammatory signaling, Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) and TLR2, using knockout male mice. TLR4-/- mice displayed a strong resistance to learned helplessness, confirming that blocking inflammatory signaling through TLR4 provides robust protection against this depression-like behavior. Surprisingly, TLR2-/- mice displayed increased susceptibility to learned helplessness, indicating that TLR2-mediated signaling counteracts susceptibility. TLR2-mediated signaling also promotes recovery, as TLR2-/- mice demonstrated a severe impairment in recovery from learned helplessness. That TLR2 actually protects from learned helplessness was further verified by the finding that administration of the TLR2 agonist Pam3CSK4 reduced susceptibility to learned helplessness. Treatment with Pam3CSK4 also reversed chronic restraint stress-induced impaired sociability and impaired learning in the novel object recognition paradigm, demonstrating that TLR2 stimulation can protect from multiple impairments caused by stress. In summary, these results demonstrate that TLR2-mediated signaling provides a counter-signal to oppose deleterious effects of stress that may be related to depression, and indicate that TLR2 and TLR4 act oppositely to balance mood-relevant responses to stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva M Medina-Rodriguez
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, United States; Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Miami, FL 33125, United States
| | - Yuyan Cheng
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, United States
| | - Suzanne M Michalek
- Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-0017, United States
| | - Eléonore Beurel
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, United States; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, United States.
| | - Richard S Jope
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, United States; Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Miami, FL 33125, United States; Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL 33136, United States
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Abstract
Endophenotypes are measurable markers of genetic vulnerability to current or future disorder. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is well-suited to be examined within an endophenotype framework given past and current emphases on the broader autism phenotype and early detection. We conducted a scoping review to identify potential socially-related endophenotypes of ASD. We focused on paradigms related to sociality (e.g., theory of mind (TOM), social attention), which comprise most of this literature. We integrated findings from traditional behavioral paradigms with brain-based measures (e.g., electroencephalography, functional magnetic resonance imaging). Broadly, infant research regarding social attention and responsivity (Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) domain of affiliation) and attention to faces and voices (social communication) finds consistent abnormality in vulnerable infant siblings. Several additional paradigms that have shown differences in vulnerable infants and young children include animacy perception tasks (perception and understanding of others), measures of recognition and response to familiar faces (attachment), and joint attention and false-belief tasks (understanding mental states). Research areas such as alexithymia (the perception and understanding of self), empathic responding, and vocal prosody may hold interest; however, challenges in measurement across populations and age ranges is a limiting factor. Future work should address sex differences and age dependencies, specificity to ASD, and heterogeneous genetic pathways to disorder within samples individuals with ASD and relatives.
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Eltokhi A, Kurpiers B, Pitzer C. Behavioral tests assessing neuropsychiatric phenotypes in adolescent mice reveal strain- and sex-specific effects. Sci Rep 2020; 10:11263. [PMID: 32647155 PMCID: PMC7347854 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-67758-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In humans, infancy and adolescence are associated with major changes in synaptic functions and ongoing maturation of neural networks, which underlie the major behavioral changes during these periods. Among adult cases with neuropsychiatric disorders including autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity, and bipolar disorders, 50% have developed behavioral symptoms and received a diagnosis before 15 years of age. However, most of the behavioral studies in mice modeling neuropsychiatric phenotypes are performed in adult animals, missing valuable phenotypic information related to the effect of synaptic maturation during development. Here, we explored which behavioral experiments assessing neuropsychiatric phenotypes can be performed during a specific window of development in adolescent male and female C57BL/6N, DBA/2, and FVB/N mice that are typically used as background strains for generating genetically-modified mouse models. The three wild-type strains were evaluated across anxiety, social behaviors, and cognitive functions in order to cover the main behavioral impairments that occur in neuropsychiatric disorders. During adolescence, the three strains displayed significant differences under certain behavioral paradigms. In addition, C57BL/6N and FVB/N, but not DBA/2 mice revealed some sex-related differences. Our results provide new insights into discrete behaviors during development and emphasize the crucial importance of the genetic background, sex, and experimental settings in the age-dependent regulation of different behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Eltokhi
- Department of Neurology and Epileptology, Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. .,Interdisciplinary Neurobehavioral Core, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Barbara Kurpiers
- Interdisciplinary Neurobehavioral Core, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Claudia Pitzer
- Interdisciplinary Neurobehavioral Core, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
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Webler RD, Hamady C, Molnar C, Johnson K, Bonilha L, Anderson BS, Bruin C, Bohning DE, George MS, Nahas Z. Decreased interhemispheric connectivity and increased cortical excitability in unmedicated schizophrenia: A prefrontal interleaved TMS fMRI study. Brain Stimul 2020; 13:1467-1475. [PMID: 32585355 DOI: 10.1016/j.brs.2020.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prefrontal abnormalities in schizophrenia have consistently emerged from resting state and cognitive neuroimaging studies. However, these correlative findings require causal verification via combined imaging/stimulation approaches. To date, no interleaved transcranial magnetic stimulation and functional magnetic resonance imaging study (TMS fMRI) has probed putative prefrontal cortex abnormalities in schizophrenia. OBJECTIVE /Hypothesis: We hypothesized that subjects with schizophrenia would show significant hyperexcitability at the site of stimulation (BA9) and decreased interhemispheric functional connectivity. METHODS We enrolled 19 unmedicated subjects with schizophrenia and 22 controls. All subjects underwent brain imaging using a 3T MRI scanner with a SENSE coil. They also underwent a single TMS fMRI session involving motor threshold (rMT) determination, structural imaging, and a parametric TMS fMRI protocol with 10 Hz triplet pulses at 0, 80, 100 and 120% rMT. Scanning involved a surface MR coil optimized for bilateral prefrontal cortex image acquisition. RESULTS Of the original 41 enrolled subjects, 8 subjects with schizophrenia and 11 controls met full criteria for final data analyses. At equal TMS intensity, subjects with schizophrenia showed hyperexcitability in left BA9 (p = 0.0157; max z-score = 4.7) and neighboring BA46 (p = 0.019; max z-score = 4.47). Controls showed more contralateral functional connectivity between left BA9 and right BA9 through increased activation in right BA9 (p = 0.02; max z-score = 3.4). GM density in subjects with schizophrenia positively correlated with normalized prefrontal to motor cortex ratio of the corresponding distance from skull to cortex ratio (S-BA9/S-MC) (r = 0.83, p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS Subjects with schizophrenia showed hyperexcitability in left BA9 and impaired interhemispheric functional connectivity compared to controls. Interleaved TMS fMRI is a promising tool to investigate prefrontal dysfunction in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan D Webler
- University of Minnesota, Department of Psychology, USA
| | - Carmen Hamady
- American University of Beirut, Department of Psychiatry, USA
| | - Chris Molnar
- Brain Stimulation Laboratory, Psychiatry Department, Medical University of South Carolina, USA
| | | | | | | | - Claartje Bruin
- American University of Beirut, Department of Psychiatry, USA
| | - Daryl E Bohning
- Brain Stimulation Laboratory, Psychiatry Department, Medical University of South Carolina, USA
| | - Mark S George
- Brain Stimulation Laboratory, Psychiatry Department, Medical University of South Carolina, USA; Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center, Charleston, SC, USA
| | - Ziad Nahas
- American University of Beirut, Department of Psychiatry, USA; University of Minnesota, Department of Psychiatry, USA.
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Gondré-Lewis MC, Bassey R, Blum K. Pre-clinical models of reward deficiency syndrome: A behavioral octopus. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 115:164-188. [PMID: 32360413 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.04.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Revised: 04/08/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with mood disorders or with addiction, impulsivity and some personality disorders can share in common a dysfunction in how the brain perceives reward, where processing of natural endorphins or the response to exogenous dopamine stimulants is impaired. Reward Deficiency Syndrome (RDS) is a polygenic trait with implications that suggest cross-talk between different neurological systems that include the known reward pathway, neuroendocrine systems, and motivational systems. In this review we evaluate well-characterized animal models for their construct validity and as potential models for RDS. Animal models used to study substance use disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), early life stress, immune dysregulation, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), compulsive gambling and compulsive eating disorders are discussed. These disorders recruit underlying reward deficiency mechanisms in multiple brain centers. Because of the widespread and remarkable array of associated/overlapping behavioral manifestations with a common root of hypodopaminergia, the basic endophenotype recognized as RDS is indeed likened to a behavioral octopus. We conclude this review with a look ahead on how these models can be used to investigate potential therapeutics that target the underlying common deficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie C Gondré-Lewis
- Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, 520 W Street, NW, Washington D.C., 20059, United States; Developmental Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory, Howard University College of Medicine, 520 W Street, NW, Washington D.C., 20059, United States.
| | - Rosemary Bassey
- Developmental Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory, Howard University College of Medicine, 520 W Street, NW, Washington D.C., 20059, United States; Department of Science Education, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/ Northwell, 500 Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY 11549, United States
| | - Kenneth Blum
- Western University Health Sciences, Graduate College of Biomedical Sciences, Pomona, California, United States
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Demin KA, Lakstygal AM, Volgin AD, de Abreu MS, Genario R, Alpyshov ET, Serikuly N, Wang D, Wang J, Yan D, Wang M, Yang L, Hu G, Bytov M, Zabegalov KN, Zhdanov A, Harvey BH, Costa F, Rosemberg DB, Leonard BE, Fontana BD, Cleal M, Parker MO, Wang J, Song C, Amstislavskaya TG, Kalueff AV. Cross-species Analyses of Intra-species Behavioral Differences in Mammals and Fish. Neuroscience 2020; 429:33-45. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.12.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2019] [Revised: 12/15/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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A truncating Aspm allele leads to a complex cognitive phenotype and region-specific reductions in parvalbuminergic neurons. Transl Psychiatry 2020; 10:66. [PMID: 32066665 PMCID: PMC7026184 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-020-0686-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodevelopmental disorders are heterogeneous and identifying shared genetic aetiologies and converging signalling pathways affected could improve disease diagnosis and treatment. Truncating mutations of the abnormal spindle-like microcephaly associated (ASPM) gene cause autosomal recessive primary microcephaly (MCPH) in humans. ASPM is a positive regulator of Wnt/β-Catenin signalling and controls symmetric to asymmetric cell division. This process balances neural progenitor proliferation with differentiation during embryogenesis, the malfunction of which could interfere with normal brain development. ASPM mutations may play a role also in other neurodevelopmental disorders, nevertheless, we lack the details of how or to what extent. We therefore assessed neurodevelopmental disease and circuit endophenotypes in mice with a truncating Aspm1-7 mutation. Aspm1-7 mice exhibited impaired short- and long-term object recognition memory and markedly enhanced place learning in the IntelliCage®. This behaviour pattern is reminiscent of a cognitive phenotype seen in mouse models and patients with a rare form of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as well as in mouse models of altered Wnt signalling. These alterations were accompanied by ventriculomegaly, corpus callosum dysgenesis and decreased parvalbumin (PV)+ interneuron numbers in the hippocampal Cornu Ammonis (CA) region and thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN). PV+ cell number correlated to object recognition (CA and TRN) and place learning (TRN). This opens the possibility that, as well as causing MCPH, mutant ASPM potentially contributes to other neurodevelopmental disorders such as ASD through altered parvalbuminergic interneuron development affecting cognitive behaviour. These findings provide important information for understanding the genetic overlap and improved treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders associated with ASPM.
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Genkel VV, Shaposhnik II. Conceptualization of Heterogeneity of Chronic Diseases and Atherosclerosis as a Pathway to Precision Medicine: Endophenotype, Endotype, and Residual Cardiovascular Risk. Int J Chronic Dis 2020; 2020:5950813. [PMID: 32099839 PMCID: PMC7038435 DOI: 10.1155/2020/5950813] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 12/30/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The article discusses modern approaches to the conceptualization of pathogenetic heterogeneity in various branches of medical science. The concepts of endophenotype, endotype, and residual cardiovascular risk and the scope of their application in internal medicine and cardiology are considered. Based on the latest results of studies of the genetic architecture of atherosclerosis, five endotypes of atherosclerosis have been proposed. Each of the presented endotypes represents one or another pathophysiological mechanism of atherogenesis, having an established genetic substrate, a characteristic panel of biomarkers, and a number of clinical features. Clinical implications and perspectives for the study of endotypes of atherosclerosis are briefly reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vadim V. Genkel
- Department of Internal Medicine, Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “South-Ural State Medical University” of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation, Vorovskogo St. 64, 454092 Chelyabinsk, Russia
| | - Igor I. Shaposhnik
- Department of Internal Medicine, Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “South-Ural State Medical University” of the Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation, Vorovskogo St. 64, 454092 Chelyabinsk, Russia
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43
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Animal models of liability to post-traumatic stress disorder: going beyond fear memory. Behav Pharmacol 2020; 30:122-129. [PMID: 30724805 DOI: 10.1097/fbp.0000000000000475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
In this review, we advocate a dimensional approach on the basis of candidate endophenotypes to the development of animal models of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) capable of including genetic liability factors, variations in symptoms profile and underlying neurobiological mechanisms, and specific comorbidities. Results from the clinical literature pointed to two candidate endophenotypes of PTSD: low sensory gating and high waiting impulsivity. Findings of comparative studies in mice of two inbred strains characterized by different expressions of the two candidate endophenotypes showed different strain-specific neural and behavioral effects of stress experiences. Thus, mice of the standard C57BL/6J strain show stress-induced helplessness, stress-learned helplessness, and stress-extinction-resistant conditioned freezing. Instead, mice of the genetically unrelated DBA/2J strain, expressing both candidate endophenotypes, show stress-induced extinction-resistant avoidance and neural and behavioral phenotypes promoted by prolonged exposure to addictive drugs. These strain differences are in line with evidence of associations between genetic variants and specific stress-promoted pathological profiles in PTSD, support a role of genotype in determining different PTSD comorbidities, and offer the means to investigate specific pathogenic processes.
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Nimgaonkar VL, Bhatia T, Mansour A, Wesesky MA, Deshpande S. Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1 Infection: Associations with Inflammation and Cognitive Aging in Relation to Schizophrenia. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 2020; 44:125-139. [PMID: 31049838 DOI: 10.1007/7854_2018_86] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Most persons experience cognitive decline as they grow older. The term "cognitive aging," coined to describe milder varieties of cognitive decline, is likely to be due to multiple causes. Persistent or repeated infections of the central nervous system (whether subclinical or diagnosable) can cause damage to neurons directly or indirectly through inflammation resulting in incremental neuronal damage, thus eroding cognitive reserve. This possibility has not been considered widely. We evaluated the data linking persistent infection with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and cognitive aging by applying the Bradford Hill criteria. Despite inherent problems in establishing causal relations for chronic disorders, our analyses suggest plausible links. These studies are pertinent for patients with schizophrenia, who are particularly vulnerable due to disorder-related cognitive impairment. Further investigations are warranted to test a causal hypothesis, particularly prospective studies and intervention studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vishwajit L Nimgaonkar
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Triptish Bhatia
- Training Program for Psychiatric Genetics in India, Post-graduate Institute for Medical Education and Research, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Delhi, India
| | - Abdelaziz Mansour
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Maribeth A Wesesky
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Smita Deshpande
- Post-graduate Institute for Medical Education and Research, Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi, India
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Overall KL, Dunham AE, Scheifele P, Sonstrom Malowski K. Fear of noises affects canine problem solving behavior and locomotion in standardized cognitive tests. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2019.104863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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46
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Striedter GF. Variation across Species and Levels: Implications for Model Species Research. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2019; 93:57-69. [PMID: 31416083 DOI: 10.1159/000499664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2019] [Accepted: 03/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The selection of model species tends to involve two typically unstated assumptions, namely: (1) that the similarity between species decreases steadily with phylogenetic distance, and (2) that similarities are greater at lower levels of biological organization. The first assumption holds on average, but species similarities tend to decrease with the square root of divergence time, rather than linearly, and lineages with short generation times (which includes most model species) tend to diverge faster than average, making the decrease in similarity non-monotonic. The second assumption is more difficult to test. Comparative molecular research has traditionally emphasized species similarities over differences, whereas comparative research at higher levels of organization frequently highlights the species differences. However, advances in comparative genomics have brought to light a great variety of species differences, not just in gene regulation but also in protein coding genes. Particularly relevant are cases in which homologous high-level characters are based on non-homologous genes. This phenomenon of non-orthologous gene displacement, or "deep non-homology," indicates that species differences at the molecular level can be surprisingly large. Given these observations, it is not surprising that some findings obtained in model species do not generalize across species as well as researchers had hoped, even if the research is molecular.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georg F Striedter
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA,
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47
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Mäki-Marttunen T, Kaufmann T, Elvsåshagen T, Devor A, Djurovic S, Westlye LT, Linne ML, Rietschel M, Schubert D, Borgwardt S, Efrim-Budisteanu M, Bettella F, Halnes G, Hagen E, Næss S, Ness TV, Moberget T, Metzner C, Edwards AG, Fyhn M, Dale AM, Einevoll GT, Andreassen OA. Biophysical Psychiatry-How Computational Neuroscience Can Help to Understand the Complex Mechanisms of Mental Disorders. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:534. [PMID: 31440172 PMCID: PMC6691488 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain is the most complex of human organs, and the pathophysiology underlying abnormal brain function in psychiatric disorders is largely unknown. Despite the rapid development of diagnostic tools and treatments in most areas of medicine, our understanding of mental disorders and their treatment has made limited progress during the last decades. While recent advances in genetics and neuroscience have a large potential, the complexity and multidimensionality of the brain processes hinder the discovery of disease mechanisms that would link genetic findings to clinical symptoms and behavior. This applies also to schizophrenia, for which genome-wide association studies have identified a large number of genetic risk loci, spanning hundreds of genes with diverse functionalities. Importantly, the multitude of the associated variants and their prevalence in the healthy population limit the potential of a reductionist functional genetics approach as a stand-alone solution to discover the disease pathology. In this review, we outline the key concepts of a "biophysical psychiatry," an approach that employs large-scale mechanistic, biophysics-founded computational modelling to increase transdisciplinary understanding of the pathophysiology and strive toward robust predictions. We discuss recent scientific advances that allow a synthesis of previously disparate fields of psychiatry, neurophysiology, functional genomics, and computational modelling to tackle open questions regarding the pathophysiology of heritable mental disorders. We argue that the complexity of the increasing amount of genetic data exceeds the capabilities of classical experimental assays and requires computational approaches. Biophysical psychiatry, based on modelling diseased brain networks using existing and future knowledge of basic genetic, biochemical, and functional properties on a single neuron to a microcircuit level, may allow a leap forward in deriving interpretable biomarkers and move the field toward novel treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuomo Mäki-Marttunen
- Department of Computational Physiology, Simula Research Laboratory, Oslo, Norway
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Tobias Kaufmann
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Torbjørn Elvsåshagen
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Neurology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anna Devor
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, United States
| | - Srdjan Djurovic
- Department of Medical Genetics, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
- NORMENT, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Lars T. Westlye
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Marja-Leena Linne
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Marcella Rietschel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Dirk Schubert
- Cognitive Neuroscience Department, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Stefan Borgwardt
- Department of Psychiatry (UPK), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Magdalena Efrim-Budisteanu
- Prof. Dr. Alex. Obregia Clinical Hospital of Psychiatry, Bucharest, Romania
- Victor Babes National Institute of Pathology, Bucharest, Romania
- Faculty of Medicine, Titu Maiorescu University, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Francesco Bettella
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Geir Halnes
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Espen Hagen
- Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Solveig Næss
- Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Torbjørn V. Ness
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Torgeir Moberget
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Christoph Metzner
- Centre for Computer Science and Informatics Research, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, United Kingdom
- Institute of Software Engineering and Theoretical Computer Science, Technische Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Andrew G. Edwards
- Department of Computational Physiology, Simula Research Laboratory, Oslo, Norway
| | - Marianne Fyhn
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Anders M. Dale
- Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
- Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, United States
| | - Gaute T. Einevoll
- Faculty of Science and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
- Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ole A. Andreassen
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital & Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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48
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Luperdi SC, Tabarés-Seisdedos R, Livianos L, Vieta E, Cuesta MJ, Balanzá-Martínez V. Neurocognitive endophenotypes in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: A systematic review of longitudinal family studies. Schizophr Res 2019; 210:21-29. [PMID: 31272906 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2019.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Revised: 03/16/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Although there is substantial evidence supporting the existence of neurocognitive impairment in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD), few studies have explored the field from an endophenotypic perspective. The present systematic review sought to identify longitudinal family studies exploring suitable neurocognitive endophenotypes in unaffected relatives of patients with SZ and/or BD. Following the PRISMA statement, only five follow-up studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising 79 SZ patients, 159 SZ unaffected relatives of SZ, 131 BD patients, 77 unaffected relatives of BD, and 248 controls. Verbal memory, auditory attention, face memory and emotion processing were found as putative endophenotypic candidates for SZ, whereas this strategy identified none for BD. Substantial heterogeneity and lack of standardization in global neurocognitive assessment within this area should be pointed out; nevertheless, several candidate endophenotypes were identified for SZ, except for executive impairment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sussy C Luperdi
- Department of Psychiatry, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain; PhD Program in Medicine. University of Valencia, Spain
| | - Rafael Tabarés-Seisdedos
- Teaching Unit of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Valencia, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Center for Mental Health Network (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; INCLIVA Health Research Institute, Valencia, Spain
| | - Lorenzo Livianos
- Department of Psychiatry, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain; Teaching Unit of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Valencia, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Center for Public Health (CIBERESP-Grupo 17), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eduard Vieta
- Biomedical Research Networking Center for Mental Health Network (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Institute of Neuroscience, Hospital Clinic, University of Barcelona, IDIBAPS, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Manuel J Cuesta
- Department of Psychiatry, Complejo Hospitalario of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain; IdiSNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Vicent Balanzá-Martínez
- Department of Psychiatry, La Fe University and Polytechnic Hospital, Valencia, Spain; Teaching Unit of Psychiatry and Psychological Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Valencia, Spain; Biomedical Research Networking Center for Mental Health Network (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
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49
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Allen M, Handy J, Miller D, Servatius R. Avoidance learning and classical eyeblink conditioning as model systems to explore a learning diathesis model of PTSD. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 100:370-386. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 03/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
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50
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Vornholt E, Luo D, Qiu W, McMichael GO, Liu Y, Gillespie N, Ma C, Vladimirov VI. Postmortem brain tissue as an underutilized resource to study the molecular pathology of neuropsychiatric disorders across different ethnic populations. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 102:195-207. [PMID: 31028758 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, large scale meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have reliably identified genetic polymorphisms associated with neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BPD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the majority of disease-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) appear within functionally ambiguous non-coding genomic regions. Recently, increased emphasis has been placed on identifying the functional relevance of disease-associated variants via correlating risk polymorphisms with gene expression levels in etiologically relevant tissues. For neuropsychiatric disorders, the etiologically relevant tissue is brain, which requires robust postmortem sample sizes from varying genetic backgrounds. While small sample sizes are of decreasing concern, postmortem brain databases are composed almost exclusively of Caucasian samples, which significantly limits study design and result interpretation. In this review, we highlight the importance of gene expression and expression quantitative loci (eQTL) studies in clinically relevant postmortem tissue while addressing the current limitations of existing postmortem brain databases. Finally, we introduce future collaborations to develop postmortem brain databases for neuropsychiatric disorders from Chinese and Asian subpopulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Vornholt
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh St., Biotech One, Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23219, USA.
| | - Dan Luo
- National Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology & Department of Immunology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100005, China
| | - Wenying Qiu
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, 100005, China
| | - Gowon O McMichael
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh St., Biotech One, Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23219, USA
| | - Yangyang Liu
- School of Education, Tianjin University, 92 Weijin Road, Tianjin, 300072, China
| | - Nathan Gillespie
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh St., Biotech One, Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23219, USA; Department Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1200 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23298, USA
| | - Chao Ma
- Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Department of Human Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Neuroscience Center, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, 100005, China; Joint Laboratory of Anesthesia and Pain, Peking Union Medical College. Beijing, 100730, China.
| | - Vladimir I Vladimirov
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh St., Biotech One, Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23219, USA; Department Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1200 East Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; Center for Biomarker Research, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, 410 North 12th Street, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 1101 East Marshall Street, Richmond, VA 23298, USA; Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins University, 855 North Wolfe Street, Suite 300, 3rd Floor, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
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