Circulating microRNA miR-425-5p Associated with Brain White Matter Lesions and Inflammatory Processes.

White matter lesions (WML) emerge as a consequence of vascular injuries in the brain. While they are commonly observed in aging, associations have been established with neurodegenerative and neurological disorders such as dementia or stroke. Despite substantial research efforts, biological mechanisms are incomplete and biomarkers indicating WMLs are lacking. Utilizing data from the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP), our objective was to identify plasma-circulating micro-RNAs (miRNAs) associated with WMLs, thus providing a foundation for a comprehensive biological model and further research. In linear regression models, direct association and moderating factors were analyzed. In 648 individuals, we identified hsa-miR-425-5p as directly associated with WMLs. In subsequent analyses, hsa-miR-425-5p was found to regulate various genes associated with WMLs with particular emphasis on the SH3PXD2A gene. Furthermore, miR-425-5p was found to be involved in immunological processes. In addition, noteworthy miRNAs associated with WMLs were identified, primarily moderated by the factors of sex or smoking status. All identified miRNAs exhibited a strong over-representation in neurodegenerative and neurological diseases. We introduced hsa-miR-425-5p as a promising candidate in WML research probably involved in immunological processes. Mir-425-5p holds the potential as a biomarker of WMLs, shedding light on potential mechanisms and pathways in vascular dementia.

Association of spermidine plasma levels with brain aging in a population-based study.

INTRODUCTION: Supplementation with spermidine may support healthy aging, but elevated spermidine tissue levels were shown to be an indicator of Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: Data from 659 participants (age range: 21-81 years) of the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania TREND were included. We investigated the association between spermidine plasma levels and markers of brain aging (hippocampal volume, AD score, global cortical thickness [CT], and white matter hyperintensities [WMH]). RESULTS: Higher spermidine levels were significantly associated with lower hippocampal volume (ß = -0.076; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.13 to -0.02; q = 0.026), higher AD score (ß = 0.118; 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.19; q = 0.006), lower global CT (ß = -0.104; 95% CI: -0.17 to -0.04; q = 0.014), but not WMH volume. Sensitivity analysis revealed no substantial changes after excluding participants with cancer, depression, or hemolysis. DISCUSSION: Elevated spermidine plasma levels are associated with advanced brain aging and might serve as potential early biomarker for AD and vascular brain pathology.

Deciphering the Effect of Different Genetic Variants on Hippocampal Subfield Volumes in the General Population.

The aim of this study was to disentangle the effects of various genetic factors on hippocampal subfield volumes using three different approaches: a biologically driven candidate gene approach, a hypothesis-free GWAS approach, and a polygenic approach, where AD risk alleles are combined with a polygenic risk score (PRS). The impact of these genetic factors was investigated in a large dementia-free general population cohort from the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP, n = 1806). Analyses were performed using linear regression models adjusted for biological and environmental risk factors. Hippocampus subfield volume alterations were found for APOE ε4, BDNF Val, and 5-HTTLPR L allele carriers. In addition, we were able to replicate GWAS findings, especially for rs17178139 (MSRB3), rs1861979 (DPP4), rs7873551 (ASTN2), and rs572246240 (MAST4). Interaction analyses between the significant SNPs as well as the PRS for AD revealed no significant results. Our results confirm that hippocampal volume reductions are influenced by genetic variation, and that different variants reveal different association patterns that can be linked to biological processes in neurodegeneration. Thus, this study underlines the importance of specific genetic analyses in the quest for acquiring deeper insights into the biology of hippocampal volume loss, memory impairment, depression, and neurodegenerative diseases.

A sound mind in a sound body: a novel concept unravelling heterogeneity of depression.

Depression is a highly prevalent and debilitating condition, yet we still lack both in-depth knowledge concerning its etiopathology and sufficiently efficacious treatment options. With approximately one third of patients resistant to currently available antidepressants there is a pressing need for a better understanding of depression, identifying subgroups within the highly heterogeneous illness category and to understand the divergent underlying biology of such subtypes, to help develop and personalise treatments. The TRAJECTOME project aims to address such challenges by (1) identifying depression-related multimorbidity subgroups and shared molecular pathways based on temporal disease profiles from healthcare systems and biobank data using machine learning approaches, and by (2) characterising these subgroups from multiple aspects including genetic variants, metabolic processes, lifestyle and environmental factors. Following the identification of multimorbidity trajectories, a disease burden score related to depression and adjusted for multimorbidity was established summarising the current state of the patient to weigh the molecular mechanisms associated with depression. In addition, the role of genetic and environmental factors, and also their interactions were identified for all subgroups. The project also attempted to identify potential metabolomic markers for the early diagnostics of these multimorbidity conditions. Finally, we prioritized molecular drug candidates matching the multimorbidity pathways indicated for the individual subgroups which would potentially offer personalised treatment simultaneously for the observable multimorbid conditions yet minimising polypharmacy and related side effects. The present paper overviews the TRAJECTOME project including its aims, tasks, procedures and accomplishments. (Neuropsychopharmacol Hung 2023; 25(4): 183-193)

Mega-analysis methods in ENIGMA: The experience of the generalized anxiety disorder working group.

The ENIGMA group on Generalized Anxiety Disorder (ENIGMA-Anxiety/GAD) is part of a broader effort to investigate anxiety disorders using imaging and genetic data across multiple sites worldwide. The group is actively conducting a mega-analysis of a large number of brain structural scans. In this process, the group was confronted with many methodological challenges related to study planning and implementation, between-country transfer of subject-level data, quality control of a considerable amount of imaging data, and choices related to statistical methods and efficient use of resources. This report summarizes the background information and rationale for the various methodological decisions, as well as the approach taken to implement them. The goal is to document the approach and help guide other research groups working with large brain imaging data sets as they develop their own analytic pipelines for mega-analyses.

Brain structural abnormalities in obesity: relation to age, genetic risk, and common psychiatric disorders : Evidence through univariate and multivariate mega-analysis including 6420 participants from the ENIGMA MDD working group.

Emerging evidence suggests that obesity impacts brain physiology at multiple levels. Here we aimed to clarify the relationship between obesity and brain structure using structural MRI (n = 6420) and genetic data (n = 3907) from the ENIGMA Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) working group. Obesity (BMI > 30) was significantly associated with cortical and subcortical abnormalities in both mass-univariate and multivariate pattern recognition analyses independent of MDD diagnosis. The most pronounced effects were found for associations between obesity and lower temporo-frontal cortical thickness (maximum Cohen´s d (left fusiform gyrus) = -0.33). The observed regional distribution and effect size of cortical thickness reductions in obesity revealed considerable similarities with corresponding patterns of lower cortical thickness in previously published studies of neuropsychiatric disorders. A higher polygenic risk score for obesity significantly correlated with lower occipital surface area. In addition, a significant age-by-obesity interaction on cortical thickness emerged driven by lower thickness in older participants. Our findings suggest a neurobiological interaction between obesity and brain structure under physiological and pathological brain conditions.

The interplay between genetic variation and gene expression of the glucocorticoid receptor gene NR3C1 and blood cortisol levels on verbal memory and hippocampal volumes.

The hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis is the main physiological stress response system and regulating the release of cortisol. The two corticoid receptors encoded by the genes NR3C1 and NR3C2 are the main players in regulating the physiological response to cortisol. This biological system has been linked to neurocognitive processes and memory, yet the mechanisms remain largely unclear. In two independent general population studies (SHIP, total sample size > 5500), we aim to diseantangle the effects of genetic variation, gene expression and cortisol on verbal memory and memory associated brain volume. Especially for NR3C1 results exhibited a consistent pattern of direct an interactive effects. All three biological layers, genetic variation (rs56149945), gene expression for NR3C1 and cortisol levels, were directly associated with verbal memory. Interactions between these components showed significant effects on verbal memory as well as hippocampal volume. For NR3C2 such a complex association pattern could not be observed. Our analyses revealed that different components of the stress response system are acting together on different aspects of cognition. Complex phenotypes, such as cognition and memory function are regulated by a complex interplay between different genetic and epigenetic features. We promote the glucocorticoid receptor NR3C1 as a main target to focus in the context of verbal memory and provided a mechanistic concept of the interaction between various biological layers spanning NR3C1 function and its effects on memory. Especially the NR3C1 transcript seemed to be a key element in this complex system.

Effect of periodontal treatment on preclinical Alzheimer's disease-Results of a trial emulation approach.

INTRODUCTION: We investigated the relationship between periodontal treatment and pre-clinical Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS: In this quasi-experimental design, 177 periodontally treated patients from the "Greifswald Approach to Individualized Medicine" cohort, which used the same protocols as the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania TREND (SHIP-TREND), and 409 untreated subjects from SHIP-TREND were analyzed. Subjects were younger than 60 years at the magnetic resonance imaging examination, with a median observation period of 7.3 years. Imaging markers for brain atrophy in late-onset AD and brain aging were used as the outcomes. RESULTS: Robust to sensitivity analyses, periodontal treatment had a favorable effect on AD-related brain atrophy (-0.41; 95% confidence interval: -0.70 to -0.12; P = .0051), which corresponds to a shift from the 50th to the 37th percentile of the outcome distribution. For brain aging, the treatment effect was uncertain. CONCLUSION: Periodontitis is related to pre-clinical AD in our population.

TREML2 Gene Expression and Its Missense Variant rs3747742 Associate with White Matter Hyperintensity Volume and Alzheimer's Disease-Related Brain Atrophy in the General Population.

Although the common pathology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) is disputed, the gene TREML2 has been implicated in both conditions: its whole-blood gene expression was associated with WMH volume and its missense variant rs3747742 with AD risk. We re-examined those associations within one comprehensive dataset of the general population, additionally searched for cross-relations and illuminated the role of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 status in the associations. For our linear regression and linear mixed effect models, we used 1949 participants from the Study of Health in Pomerania (Germany). AD was assessed using a continuous pre-symptomatic MRI-based score evaluating a participant's AD-related brain atrophy. In our study, increased whole-blood TREML2 gene expression was significantly associated with reduced WMH volume but not with the AD score. Conversely, rs3747742-C was significantly associated with a reduced AD score but not with WMH volume. The APOE status did not influence the associations. In sum, TREML2 robustly associated with WMH volume and AD-related brain atrophy on different molecular levels. Our results thus underpin TREML2's role in neurodegeneration, might point to its involvement in AD and WMH via different biological mechanisms, and highlight TREML2 as a worthwhile target for disentangling the two pathologies.

The Impact of Resilience, Alexithymia and Subjectively Perceived Helplessness of Myocardial Infarction on the Risk of Posttraumatic Stress.

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of resilience, alexithymia and the subjectively perceived severity (fear of death, pain intensity, helplessness) of myocardial infarction (MI) on posttraumatic symptom severity (PTSS) after MI. Patients were assessed with the Posttraumatic Diagnostic Scale (PDS), Resilience Scale (RS-11) and Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Subjectively perceived severity of MI was measured with three items on a 10-point Likert scale. To test our hypothesis, we applied Pearson correlations as well as multiple hierarchical linear regression analyses. A higher resilience score was significantly associated with lower (r = - .39, p < .001) PTSS. Higher scores of alexithymia (r = .38, p < .01) and subjectively perceived helplessness (r = .42, p < .001) were associated with higher PTSS. Multiple hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that resilience, the TAS-20 subscale difficulty identifying feelings (DIF) and especially subjectively perceived helplessness were independent significant predictors for the PTSS, adjusted R2 = .29, F(5, 102) = 9.57, p < .001. Our results suggest that resilience reduces the PTSS whereas alexithymia and subjectively perceived helplessness increase the risk. Especially the subjectively perceived helplessness explains a high degree of variance of PTSS and should be assessed to hindering further mental health burden.

Genome-wide gene-environment analyses of major depressive disorder and reported lifetime traumatic experiences in UK Biobank.

Depression is more frequent among individuals exposed to traumatic events. Both trauma exposure and depression are heritable. However, the relationship between these traits, including the role of genetic risk factors, is complex and poorly understood. When modelling trauma exposure as an environmental influence on depression, both gene-environment correlations and gene-environment interactions have been observed. The UK Biobank concurrently assessed Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and self-reported lifetime exposure to traumatic events in 126,522 genotyped individuals of European ancestry. We contrasted genetic influences on MDD stratified by reported trauma exposure (final sample size range: 24,094-92,957). The SNP-based heritability of MDD with reported trauma exposure (24%) was greater than MDD without reported trauma exposure (12%). Simulations showed that this is not confounded by the strong, positive genetic correlation observed between MDD and reported trauma exposure. We also observed that the genetic correlation between MDD and waist circumference was only significant in individuals reporting trauma exposure (rg = 0.24, p = 1.8 × 10-7 versus rg = -0.05, p = 0.39 in individuals not reporting trauma exposure, difference p = 2.3 × 10-4). Our results suggest that the genetic contribution to MDD is greater when reported trauma is present, and that a complex relationship exists between reported trauma exposure, body composition, and MDD.

Assessment of subjective emotional valence and long-lasting impact of life events: development and psychometrics of the Stralsund Life Event List (SEL).

BACKGROUND: Life events (LEs) are associated with future physical and mental health. They are crucial for understanding the pathways to mental disorders as well as the interactions with biological parameters. However, deeper insight is needed into the complex interplay between the type of LE, its subjective evaluation and accompanying factors such as social support. The "Stralsund Life Event List" (SEL) was developed to facilitate this research. METHODS: The SEL is a standardized interview that assesses the time of occurrence and frequency of 81 LEs, their subjective emotional valence, the perceived social support during the LE experience and the impact of past LEs on present life. Data from 2265 subjects from the general population-based cohort study "Study of Health in Pomerania" (SHIP) were analysed. Based on the mean emotional valence ratings of the whole sample, LEs were categorized as "positive" or "negative". For verification, the SEL was related to lifetime major depressive disorder (MDD; Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview), childhood trauma (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire), resilience (Resilience Scale) and subjective health (SF-12 Health Survey). RESULTS: The report of lifetime MDD was associated with more negative emotional valence ratings of negative LEs (OR = 2.96, p < 0.0001). Negative LEs (b = 0.071, p < 0.0001, ß = 0.25) and more negative emotional valence ratings of positive LEs (b = 3.74, p < 0.0001, ß = 0.11) were positively associated with childhood trauma. In contrast, more positive emotional valence ratings of positive LEs were associated with higher resilience (b = - 7.05, p < 0.0001, ß = 0.13), and a lower present impact of past negative LEs was associated with better subjective health (b = 2.79, p = 0.001, ß = 0.05). The internal consistency of the generated scores varied considerably, but the mean value was acceptable (averaged Cronbach's alpha > 0.75). CONCLUSIONS: The SEL is a valid instrument that enables the analysis of the number and frequency of LEs, their emotional valence, perceived social support and current impact on life on a global score and on an individual item level. Thus, we can recommend its use in research settings that require the assessment and analysis of the relationship between the occurrence and subjective evaluation of LEs as well as the complex balance between distressing and stabilizing life experiences.

Genome-wide gene-environment interaction in depression: A systematic evaluation of candidate genes: The childhood trauma working-group of PGC-MDD.

Gene by environment (GxE) interaction studies have investigated the influence of a number of candidate genes and variants for major depressive disorder (MDD) on the association between childhood trauma and MDD. Most of these studies are hypothesis driven and investigate only a limited number of SNPs in relevant pathways using differing methodological approaches. Here (1) we identified 27 genes and 268 SNPs previously associated with MDD or with GxE interaction in MDD and (2) analyzed their impact on GxE in MDD using a common approach in 3944 subjects of European ancestry from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium who had completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. (3) We subsequently used the genome-wide SNP data for a genome-wide case-control GxE model and GxE case-only analyses testing for an enrichment of associated SNPs. No genome-wide significant hits and no consistency among the signals of the different analytic approaches could be observed. This is the largest study for systematic GxE interaction analysis in MDD in subjects of European ancestry to date. Most of the known candidate genes/variants could not be supported. Thus, their impact on GxE interaction in MDD may be questionable. Our results underscore the need for larger samples, more extensive assessment of environmental exposures, and greater efforts to investigate new methodological approaches in GxE models for MDD.

White matter hyperintensities and imaging patterns of brain ageing in the general population.

White matter hyperintensities are associated with increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline. The current study investigates the relationship between white matter hyperintensities burden and patterns of brain atrophy associated with brain ageing and Alzheimer's disease in a large populatison-based sample (n = 2367) encompassing a wide age range (20-90 years), from the Study of Health in Pomerania. We quantified white matter hyperintensities using automated segmentation and summarized atrophy patterns using machine learning methods resulting in two indices: the SPARE-BA index (capturing age-related brain atrophy), and the SPARE-AD index (previously developed to capture patterns of atrophy found in patients with Alzheimer's disease). A characteristic pattern of age-related accumulation of white matter hyperintensities in both periventricular and deep white matter areas was found. Individuals with high white matter hyperintensities burden showed significantly (P < 0.0001) lower SPARE-BA and higher SPARE-AD values compared to those with low white matter hyperintensities burden, indicating that the former had more patterns of atrophy in brain regions typically affected by ageing and Alzheimer's disease dementia. To investigate a possibly causal role of white matter hyperintensities, structural equation modelling was used to quantify the effect of Framingham cardiovascular disease risk score and white matter hyperintensities burden on SPARE-BA, revealing a statistically significant (P < 0.0001) causal relationship between them. Structural equation modelling showed that the age effect on SPARE-BA was mediated by white matter hyperintensities and cardiovascular risk score each explaining 10.4% and 21.6% of the variance, respectively. The direct age effect explained 70.2% of the SPARE-BA variance. Only white matter hyperintensities significantly mediated the age effect on SPARE-AD explaining 32.8% of the variance. The direct age effect explained 66.0% of the SPARE-AD variance. Multivariable regression showed significant relationship between white matter hyperintensities volume and hypertension (P = 0.001), diabetes mellitus (P = 0.023), smoking (P = 0.002) and education level (P = 0.003). The only significant association with cognitive tests was with the immediate recall of the California verbal and learning memory test. No significant association was present with the APOE genotype. These results support the hypothesis that white matter hyperintensities contribute to patterns of brain atrophy found in beyond-normal brain ageing in the general population. White matter hyperintensities also contribute to brain atrophy patterns in regions related to Alzheimer's disease dementia, in agreement with their known additive role to the likelihood of dementia. Preventive strategies reducing the odds to develop cardiovascular disease and white matter hyperintensities could decrease the incidence or delay the onset of dementia.

Predicting brain structure in population-based samples with biologically informed genetic scores for schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is associated with brain structural abnormalities including gray and white matter volume reductions. Whether these alterations are caused by genetic risk variants for schizophrenia is unclear. Previous attempts to detect associations between polygenic factors for schizophrenia and structural brain phenotypes in healthy subjects have been negative or remain non-replicated. In this study, we used genetic risk scores that were based on the accumulated effect of selected risk variants for schizophrenia belonging to specific biological systems like synaptic function, neurodevelopment, calcium signaling, and glutamatergic neurotransmission. We hypothesized that this "biologically informed" approach would provide the missing link between genetic risk for schizophrenia and brain structural phenotypes. We applied whole-brain voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analyses in two population-based target samples and subsequent regions of interest (ROIs) analyses in an independent replication sample (total N = 2725). No consistent association between the genetic scores and brain volumes were observed in the investigated samples. These results suggest that in healthy subjects with a higher genetic risk for schizophrenia additional factors apart from common genetic variants (e.g., infection, trauma, rare genetic variants, or gene-gene interactions) are required to induce structural abnormalities of the brain. Further studies are recommended to test for possible gene-gene or gene-environment effects. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Measuring Biological Age via Metabonomics: The Metabolic Age Score.

Chronological age is one of the most important risk factors for adverse clinical outcome. Still, two individuals at the same chronological age could have different biological aging states, leading to different individual risk profiles. Capturing this individual variance could constitute an even more powerful predictor enhancing prediction in age-related morbidity. Applying a nonlinear regression technique, we constructed a metabonomic measurement for biological age, the metabolic age score, based on urine data measured via (1)H NMR spectroscopy. We validated the score in two large independent population-based samples by revealing its significant associations with chronological age and age-related clinical phenotypes as well as its independent predictive value for survival over approximately 13 years of follow-up. Furthermore, the metabolic age score was prognostic for weight loss in a sample of individuals who underwent bariatric surgery. We conclude that the metabolic age score is an informative measurement of biological age with possible applications in personalized medicine.

Effect of the interaction between childhood abuse and rs1360780 of the FKBP5 gene on gray matter volume in a general population sample.

OBJECTIVE: The FKBP5 gene codes for a co-chaperone that regulates glucocorticoid receptor sensitivity and thereby impacts the reactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis. Evidence suggested that subjects exposed to childhood abuse and carrying the TT genotype of the FKBP5 gene single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1360780 have an increased susceptibility to stress-related disorders. METHOD: The hypothesis that abused TT genotype carriers show changes in gray matter (GM) volumes in affect-processing brain areas was investigated. About 1,826 Caucasian subjects (age ≤ 65 years) from the general population [Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP)] in Germany were investigated. The interaction between rs1360780 and child abuse (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) and its effect on GM were analyzed. RESULTS: Voxel-based whole-brain interaction analysis revealed three large clusters (FWE-corrected) of reduced GM volumes comprising the bilateral insula, the superior and middle temporal gyrus, the bilateral hippocampus, the right amygdala, and the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex in abused TT carriers. These results were not confounded by major depressive disorders. In region of interest analyses, highly significant volume reductions in the right hippocampus/parahippocampus, the bilateral anterior and middle cingulate cortex, the insula, and the amygdala were confirmed in abused TT carriers compared with abused CT/CC carriers. CONCLUSION: The results supported the hypothesis that the FKBP5 rs1360780 TT genotype predisposes subjects who have experienced childhood abuse to widespread structural brain changes in the subcortical and cortical emotion-processing brain areas. Those brain changes might contribute to an increased vulnerability of stress-related disorders in TT genotype carriers.

The public debate on psychotropic medication and changes in attitudes 1990-2011.

Over the last 25 years, the appraisal of psychotropic drugs within the scientific community and their representation in the media has changed considerably. The initial optimism in the wake of the introduction of second-generation drugs has increasingly made room for a more critical evaluation of alleged advantages of these drugs. The question arises as to what extent this is reflected in similar changes in the public's attitudes towards psychiatric medication. Three representative population surveys on attitudes towards psychotropic medication were carried out in Germany in 1990 (N = 3075), 2001 (N = 2610) and 2011 (N = 1223), using the same sampling procedure, interview mode and instrument for assessing attitudes. In order to disentangle time-related effects, an age-period-cohort analysis was performed. Over the time period of 21 years, the German public's evaluation of psychotropic medication has become markedly more favourable. This change was mostly due to a period effect, i.e. concurrent influences of the social environment people are exposed to. Changes were much more pronounced in the 1990s, while over the following decade only a small, although statistically significant, increase in the favourable appraisal of medication was found. Age and birth cohort had only a minor effect on public attitudes. Our findings suggest that changes in the evaluation of the effects of psychotropic drugs within the psychiatric community and their representation in the media also affect public opinion. Given the ongoing debate about side effects and efficacy of psychiatric medication, future changes of public opinion can be expected.