A Case-Control Study of ABCB1, ABCB6, and ABCG1 Polymorphisms and Schizophrenia in a Han Chinese Population

Sex differences in the blood-brain barrier: Implications for mental health

Prevalence of mental disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ) are increasing at alarming rates in our societies. Growing evidence points toward major sex differences in these conditions, and high rates of treatment resistance support the need to consider novel biological mechanisms outside of neuronal function to gain mechanistic insights that could lead to innovative therapies. Blood-brain barrier alterations have been reported in MDD, BD and SZ. Here, we provide an overview of sex-specific immune, endocrine, vascular and transcriptional-mediated changes that could affect neurovascular integrity and possibly contribute to the pathogenesis of mental disorders. We also identify pitfalls in current literature and highlight promising vascular biomarkers. Better understanding of how these adaptations can contribute to mental health status is essential not only in the context of MDD, BD and SZ but also cardiovascular diseases and stroke which are associated with higher prevalence of these conditions.

Plasma metabolic alterations and potential biomarkers in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis

BACKGROUND

Early identification and treatment of clinical high-risk for psychosis (CHRP) are critical to prevent the onset of psychosis, but there is no objective biomarker for CHR-P diagnosis.

METHODS

Ninety medication naïve CHR-P subjects and eighty-six healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. The metabolic profiles of plasma samples were acquired using an untargeted metabolomics approach based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The obtained data were further mapped on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes for pathway analysis, and an ensemble learning method was applied to identify diagnostic biomarkers. Bayesian linear regression model was then used to explore predicative biomarkers of conversion to psychosis. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was performed to evaluate the diagnostic or predicative value of potential biomarkers.

RESULTS

A total of one hundred and four differential metabolites and forty-eight differential pathways were identified. A panel of five metabolites was found that could effectively discriminate CHR-P from HCs with area under the ROC curve of 1 in the training set (70% of the samples) and 0.997 in the testing set (30% of the samples). The biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids pathway perturbed most significantly in CHR-P subjects. Twenty-three CHR-P subjects converted to psychotic disorders during two-year follow-up, and increased 1-stearoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycerol in plasma was potentially associated with the higher risk of conversion to psychosis.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings demonstrate the alterations of plasma metabolic profiles in CHR-P population, which may deliver valuable biomarkers for early identification and outcome prediction of CHR-P.

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide plasma levels associated with affective symptoms and brain structure and function in healthy females

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) is a neuroendocrine peptide distributed throughout the human body, including the CNS, where it is particularly abundant in brain regions associated with anxiety and depression. Based on earlier studies indicating that peripheral VIP may cross through the blood–brain barrier, we hypothesized plasma VIP levels to be associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as brain volume and resting-state functional connectivity in the amygdala, hippocampus, parahippocampus, and orbitofrontal cortex. Plasma VIP concentrations and anxiety/depression symptoms were measured in 37 healthy females. Functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging were used to evaluate functional connectivity and brain volume respectively, and their associations with VIP concentrations within brain regions associated with anxiety and depression. Negative correlations were found between VIP levels and symptoms of anxiety (r = − 0.44, p = 0.002) and depression (r = − 0.50, p = 0.001). Functional connectivity demonstrated significant VIP-dependent positive associations between the amygdala seed region with both the right parahippocampus (t₍₃₃₎ = 3.1, p_FDR = 0.02) and right lateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC; t₍₃₃₎ = 2.9, p_FDR = 0.02). Moreover, VIP concentrations were significantly, positively correlated with brain volume in the left amygdala (r = 0.28, p = 0.007) and left lateral OFC (r = 0.29, p = 0.004). The present findings highlight a potential role for VIP in the neurobiology of affective symptoms.

A Promoter Polymorphism (Rs57137919) of ABCG1 Gene Influence on Blood Lipoprotein in Chinese Han Population

BACKGROUND

Adenosine triphosphate-binding cassette subfamily G member 1 (ABCG1) has the function of transporting free intracellular cholesterol to extracellular high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles, which play a crucial role in atherosclerosis. The goal of this study is to examine the relationship between the polymorphisms of the ABCG1 gene promoter region and ischemic stroke.

METHODS

In the present study, a case-control association study was designed to identify 3 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; rs5713919, rs1378577, and rs1893590), which were located in the promoter region of ABCG1 gene by kompetitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction genotyping approach. The in vitro luciferase assay was done to estimate the effect of rs5713919 on gene expression. Finally, the relationships of 3 SNPs of ABCG1 gene with plasma lipids and lipoproteins were investigated in this Chinese cohort.

RESULTS

The correlation analysis between lipids and genotypes showed that the rs57137919 locus genotype was significantly associated with HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels (P = 0.021 and P = 0.017, respectively), and the GA and AA genotypes had higher HDL-C levels than the GG genotype.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study provides evidence that ABCG1 promoter region polymorphism rs57137919 has an influence on plasma HDL-C and LDL-C levels in Chinese Han population.