Fat metabolism is associated with telomere length in six population-based studies.

Telomeres are repetitive DNA sequences located at the end of chromosomes, which are associated to biological aging, cardiovascular disease, cancer and mortality. Lipid and fatty acid metabolism have been associated with telomere shortening. We have conducted an in-depth study investigating the association of metabolic biomarkers with telomere length (LTL). We performed an association analysis of 226 metabolic biomarkers with LTL using data from 11 775 individuals from six independent population-based cohorts (BBMRI-NL consortium). Metabolic biomarkers include lipoprotein lipids and subclasses, fatty acids, amino acids, glycolysis measures and ketone bodies. LTL was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction or FlowFISH. Linear regression analysis was performed adjusting for age, sex, lipid-lowering medication and cohort-specific covariates (model 1) and additionally for body mass index (BMI) and smoking (model 2), followed by inverse variance-weighted meta-analyses (significance threshold Pmeta = 6.5 × 10-4). We identified four metabolic biomarkers positively associated with LTL, including two cholesterol to lipid ratios in small VLDL (S-VLDL-C % and S-VLDL-CE %) and two omega-6 fatty acid ratios (FAw6/FA and LA/FA). After additionally adjusting for BMI and smoking, these metabolic biomarkers remained associated with LTL with similar effect estimates. In addition, cholesterol esters in very small VLDL (XS-VLDL-CE) became significantly associated with LTL (P = 3.6 × 10-4). We replicated the association of FAw6/FA with LTL in an independent dataset of 7845 individuals (P = 1.9 × 10-4). To conclude, we identified multiple metabolic biomarkers involved in lipid and fatty acid metabolism that may be involved in LTL biology. Longitudinal studies are needed to exclude reversed causation.

Associations of carotid intima media thickness with gene expression in whole blood and genetically predicted gene expression across 48 tissues.

Carotid intima media thickness (cIMT) is a biomarker of subclinical atherosclerosis and a predictor of future cardiovascular events. Identifying associations between gene expression levels and cIMT may provide insight to atherosclerosis etiology. Here, we use two approaches to identify associations between mRNA levels and cIMT: differential gene expression analysis in whole blood and S-PrediXcan. We used microarrays to measure genome-wide whole blood mRNA levels of 5647 European individuals from four studies. We examined the association of mRNA levels with cIMT adjusted for various potential confounders. Significant associations were tested for replication in three studies totaling 3943 participants. Next, we applied S-PrediXcan to summary statistics from a cIMT genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 71 128 individuals to estimate the association between genetically determined mRNA levels and cIMT and replicated these analyses using S-PrediXcan on an independent GWAS on cIMT that included 22 179 individuals from the UK Biobank. mRNA levels of TNFAIP3, CEBPD and METRNL were inversely associated with cIMT, but these associations were not significant in the replication analysis. S-PrediXcan identified associations between cIMT and genetically determined mRNA levels for 36 genes, of which six were significant in the replication analysis, including TLN2, which had not been previously reported for cIMT. There was weak correlation between our results using differential gene expression analysis and S-PrediXcan. Differential expression analysis and S-PrediXcan represent complementary approaches for the discovery of associations between phenotypes and gene expression. Using these approaches, we prioritize TNFAIP3, CEBPD, METRNL and TLN2 as new candidate genes whose differential expression might modulate cIMT.

Methylome-wide association findings for major depressive disorder overlap in blood and brain and replicate in independent brain samples.

We present the first large-scale methylome-wide association studies (MWAS) for major depressive disorder (MDD) to identify sites of potential importance for MDD etiology. Using a sequencing-based approach that provides near-complete coverage of all 28 million common CpGs in the human genome, we assay methylation in MDD cases and controls from both blood (N = 1132) and postmortem brain tissues (N = 61 samples from Brodmann Area 10, BA10). The MWAS for blood identified several loci with P ranging from 1.91 × 10-8 to 4.39 × 10-8 and a resampling approach showed that the cumulative association was significant (P = 4.03 × 10-10) with the signal coming from the top 25,000 MWAS markers. Furthermore, a permutation-based analysis showed significant overlap (P = 5.4 × 10-3) between the MWAS findings in blood and brain (BA10). This overlap was significantly enriched for a number of features including being in eQTLs in blood and the frontal cortex, CpG islands and shores, and exons. The overlapping sites were also enriched for active chromatin states in brain including genic enhancers and active transcription start sites. Furthermore, three loci located in GABBR2, RUFY3, and in an intergenic region on chromosome 2 replicated with the same direction of effect in the second brain tissue (BA25, N = 60) from the same individuals and in two independent brain collections (BA10, N = 81 and 64). GABBR2 inhibits neuronal activity through G protein-coupled second-messenger systems and RUFY3 is implicated in the establishment of neuronal polarity and axon elongation. In conclusion, we identified and replicated methylated loci associated with MDD that are involved in biological functions of likely importance to MDD etiology.

A methylation study of long-term depression risk.

Recurrent and chronic major depressive disorder (MDD) accounts for a substantial part of the disease burden because this course is most prevalent and typically requires long-term treatment. We associated blood DNA methylation profiles from 581 MDD patients at baseline with MDD status 6 years later. A resampling approach showed a highly significant association between methylation profiles in blood at baseline and future disease status (P = 2.0 × 10-16). Top MWAS results were enriched specific pathways, overlapped with genes found in GWAS of MDD disease status, autoimmune disease and inflammation, and co-localized with eQTLS and (genic enhancers of) of transcription sites in brain and blood. Many of these findings remained significant after correction for multiple testing. The major themes emerging were cellular responses to stress and signaling mechanisms linked to immune cell migration and inflammation. This suggests that an immune signature of treatment-resistant depression is already present at baseline. We also created a methylation risk score (MRS) to predict MDD status 6 years later. The AUC of our MRS was 0.724 and higher than risk scores created using a set of five putative MDD biomarkers, genome-wide SNP data, and 27 clinical, demographic and lifestyle variables. Although further studies are needed to examine the generalizability to different patient populations, these results suggest that methylation profiles in blood may present a promising avenue to support clinical decision making by providing empirical information about the likelihood MDD is chronic or will recur in the future.

Effect of food-related behavioral activation therapy on food intake and the environmental impact of the diet: results from the MooDFOOD prevention trial.

PURPOSE: Food-based dietary guidelines are proposed to not only improve diet quality, but to also reduce the environmental impact of diets. The aim of our study was to investigate whether food-related behavioral activation therapy (F-BA) applying Mediterranean-style dietary guidelines altered food intake and the environmental impact of the diet in overweight adults with subsyndromal symptoms of depression. METHODS: In total 744 adults who either received the F-BA intervention (F-BA group) or no intervention (control group) for 12 months were included in this analysis. Food intake data were collected through a food frequency questionnaire at baseline and after 6 and 12 months. Greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE), land use (LU), and fossil energy use (FEU) estimates from life-cycle assessments and a weighted score of the three (pReCiPe score) were used to estimate the environmental impact of each individual diet at each timepoint. RESULTS: The F-BA group reported increased intakes of vegetables (19.7 g/day; 95% CI 7.8-31.6), fruit (23.0 g/day; 9.4-36.6), fish (7.6 g/day; 4.6-10.6), pulses/legumes (4.0 g/day; 1.6-6.5) and whole grains (12.7 g/day; 8.0-17.5), and decreased intake of sweets/extras (- 6.8 g/day; - 10.9 to - 2.8) relative to control group. This effect on food intake resulted in no change in GHGE, LU, and pReCiPe score, but a relative increase in FEU by 1.6 MJ/day (0.8, 2.4). CONCLUSIONS: A shift towards a healthier Mediterranean-style diet does not necessarily result in a diet with reduced environmental impact in a real-life setting. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov. Number of identification: NCT02529423. August 2015.

A randomized controlled trial comparing the clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and integrated EMDR-Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) in the treatment of patients with post-traumatic stress disorder and comorbid (Sub)clinical borderline personality disorder: study design.

BACKGROUND: Comorbidity between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is high. There is growing motivation among clinicians to offer PTSD treatments - such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) - to patients with PTSD and comorbid BPD. However, a large subgroup with comorbid BPD does not sufficiently respond to PTSD treatment and is more likely to be excluded or to dropout from treatment. Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) for BPD is well established and although there is some evidence that DBT combined with DBT Prolonged Exposure (DBT + DBT PE) is twice as effective in reducing PTSD symptoms than DBT alone, the comparative efficacy of integrated PTSD-DBT and PTSD-only treatment has not been investigated yet. The current study will therefore evaluate the comparative clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of EMDR-DBT and EMDR-only in patients with PTSD and comorbid (sub)clinical BPD. Moreover, it is not clear yet what treatment works best for which individual patient. The current study will therefore evaluate neurobiological predictors and mediators of the individual response to treatment. METHOD: A randomized controlled trial comparing the clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of integrated EMDR-DBT (n = 63) and EMDR-only (n = 63) in treatment-seeking adult patients with PTSD and comorbid (sub)clinical BPD. In addition, neurobiological predictors and mediators of treatment outcome, such as hair cortisol, FKBP5 and BDNF protein levels and FKBP5 and BDNF methylation status, are measured through hair and blood samples. DISCUSSION: This is the first study to compare the clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness of integrated EMDR-DBT and EMDR-only in patients with PTSD and comorbid (sub)clinical BPD, while simultaneously identifying individual predictors and mediators of treatment response. Results will reveal which treatment works best for which individual patient, thereby guiding individual treatment choices and personalizing psychiatry. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials, NCT03833453 . Retrospectively registered, 15 March 2019.

Biomarker-based subtyping of depression and anxiety disorders using Latent Class Analysis. A NESDA study.

BACKGROUND: Etiological research of depression and anxiety disorders has been hampered by diagnostic heterogeneity. In order to address this, researchers have tried to identify more homogeneous patient subgroups. This work has predominantly focused on explaining interpersonal heterogeneity based on clinical features (i.e. symptom profiles). However, to explain interpersonal variations in underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, it might be more effective to take biological heterogeneity as the point of departure when trying to identify subgroups. Therefore, this study aimed to identify data-driven subgroups of patients based on biomarker profiles. METHODS: Data of patients with a current depressive and/or anxiety disorder came from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety, a large, multi-site naturalistic cohort study (n = 1460). Thirty-six biomarkers (e.g. leptin, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, tryptophan) were measured, as well as sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Latent class analysis of the discretized (lower 10%, middle, upper 10%) biomarkers were used to identify different patient clusters. RESULTS: The analyses resulted in three classes, which were primarily characterized by different levels of metabolic health: 'lean' (21.6%), 'average' (62.2%) and 'overweight' (16.2%). Inspection of the classes' clinical features showed the highest levels of psychopathology, severity and medication use in the overweight class. CONCLUSIONS: The identified classes were strongly tied to general (metabolic) health, and did not reflect any natural cutoffs along the lines of the traditional diagnostic classifications. Our analyses suggested that especially poor metabolic health could be seen as a distal marker for depression and anxiety, suggesting a relationship between the 'overweight' subtype and internalizing psychopathology.

Effect of Multinutrient Supplementation and Food-Related Behavioral Activation Therapy on Prevention of Major Depressive Disorder Among Overweight or Obese Adults With Subsyndromal Depressive Symptoms: The MooDFOOD Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Effects of nutritional interventions on the prevention of major depressive disorder (MDD) in overweight adults are unknown. Objective: To examine the effect of 2 nutritional strategies (multinutrient supplementation, food-related behavioral activation therapy) and their combination for prevention of a new MDD episode in overweight adults with subsyndromal depressive symptoms. Design, Setting, and Participants: This multicenter 2 × 2 factorial randomized clinical trial included overweight adults (body mass index, 25-40) with elevated depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9] scores ≥5) and no MDD episode in the past 6 months from 4 European countries. A total of 1025 adults were randomized (July 30, 2015-October 12, 2016) and followed up for 1 year (October 13, 2017). Interventions: Daily multinutrient supplements (1412-mg omega-3 fatty acids, 30-µg selenium, 400-µg folic acid, and 20-µg vitamin D3 plus 100-mg calcium) vs placebo and 21 individual or group therapy sessions vs none (blinded to researchers) for 1 year. Participants were allocated to placebo without therapy (n = 257), placebo with therapy (n = 256), supplements without therapy (n = 256), and supplements with therapy (n = 256). Main Outcome and Measures: Cumulative 1-year onset of MDD via the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview at 3, 6, and 12 months. Logistic regression using effect-coded variables (-1 indicating control, 1 indicating intervention) evaluated intervention effects both individually and in combination (interaction) on MDD onset. Results: Among 1025 participants (mean age, 46.5 years; 772 women [75%]; mean BMI, 31.4), 779 (76%) completed the trial. During the 12-month follow-up, 105 (10%) developed MDD: 25 (9.7%) patients in the placebo without therapy, 26 (10.2%) in the placebo with therapy, 32 (12.5%) in the supplement without therapy, and 22 (8.6%) in the supplement with therapy group. None of the treatment strategies affected MDD onset. The odds ratio (OR) for supplements was 1.06 (95% CI, 0.87-1.29); for therapy, 0.93 (95% CI, 0.76-1.13); and for their combination, 0.93 (95% CI, 0.76-1.14; P for interaction, .48). One person in the supplementation with therapy group, died. Twenty-four patients in each of the placebo groups and 24 patients in the supplementation with therapy group were hospitalized, and 26 patients in the supplementation-only group were hospitalized. Conclusions and Relevance: Among overweight or obese adults with subsyndromal depressive symptoms, multinutrient supplementation compared with placebo and food-related behavioral activation therapy compared with no therapy did not reduce episodes of major depressive disorder during 1 year. These findings do not support the use of these interventions for prevention of major depressive disorder. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02529423.

Differential gene expression patterns between smokers and non-smokers: cause or consequence?

The molecular mechanisms causing smoking-induced health decline are largely unknown. To elucidate the molecular pathways involved in cause and consequences of smoking behavior, we conducted a genome-wide gene expression study in peripheral blood samples targeting 18 238 genes. Data of 743 smokers, 1686 never smokers and 890 ex-smokers were available from two population-based cohorts from the Netherlands. In addition, data of 56 monozygotic twin pairs discordant for ever smoking were used. One hundred thirty-two genes were differentially expressed between current smokers and never smokers (P < 1.2 × 10-6 , Bonferroni correction). The most significant genes were G protein-coupled receptor 15 (P < 1 × 10-150 ) and leucine-rich repeat neuronal 3 (P < 1 × 10-44 ). The smoking-related genes were enriched for immune system, blood coagulation, natural killer cell and cancer pathways. By taking the data of ex-smokers into account, expression of these 132 genes was classified into reversible (94 genes), slowly reversible (31 genes), irreversible (6 genes) or inconclusive (1 gene). Expression of 6 of the 132 genes (three reversible and three slowly reversible) was confirmed to be reactive to smoking as they were differentially expressed in monozygotic pairs discordant for smoking. Cis-expression quantitative trait loci for GPR56 and RARRES3 (downregulated in smokers) were associated with increased number of cigarettes smoked per day in a large genome-wide association meta-analysis, suggesting a causative effect of GPR56 and RARRES3 expression on smoking behavior. In conclusion, differential gene expression patterns in smokers are extensive and cluster in several underlying disease pathways. Gene expression differences seem mainly direct consequences of smoking, and largely reversible after smoking cessation. However, we also identified DNA variants that may influence smoking behavior via the mediating gene expression.

Prevention of depression through nutritional strategies in high-risk persons: rationale and design of the MooDFOOD prevention trial.

BACKGROUND: Obesity and depression are two prevalent conditions that are costly to individuals and society. The bidirectional association of obesity with depression, in which unhealthy dietary patterns may play an important role, has been well established. Few experimental studies have been conducted to investigate whether supplementing specific nutrients or improving diet and food-related behaviors can prevent depression in overweight persons. METHOD/DESIGN: The MooDFOOD prevention trial examines the feasibility and effectiveness of two different nutritional strategies [multi-nutrient supplementation and food-related behavioral change therapy (FBC)] to prevent depression in individuals who are overweight and have elevated depressive symptoms but who are not currently or in the last 6 months meeting criteria for an episode of major depressive disorder (MDD). The randomized controlled prevention trial has a two-by-two factorial design: participants are randomized to daily multi-nutrient supplement (omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, selenium, B-11 vitamin and D-3 vitamin) versus placebo, and/or FBC therapy sessions versus usual care. Interventions last 12 months. In total 1000 participants aged 18-75 years with body mass index between 25-40 kg/m(2) and with a Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score ≥ 5 will be recruited at four study sites in four European countries. Baseline and follow-up assessments take place at 0, 3, 6, and 12 months. Primary endpoint is the onset of an episode of MDD, assessed according to DSM-IV based criteria using the MINI 5.0 interview. Depressive symptoms, anxiety, food and eating behavior, physical activity and health related quality of life are secondary outcomes. During the intervention, compliance, adverse events and potentially mediating variables are carefully monitored. DISCUSSION: The trial aims to provide a better understanding of the causal role of specific nutrients, overall diet, and food-related behavior change with respect to the incidence of MDD episodes. This knowledge will be used to develop and disseminate innovative evidence-based, feasible, and effective nutritional public health strategies for the prevention of clinical depression. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov. Number of identification: NCT02529423 . August 2015.

Sex differences in the human peripheral blood transcriptome.

BACKGROUND: Genomes of men and women differ in only a limited number of genes located on the sex chromosomes, whereas the transcriptome is far more sex-specific. Identification of sex-biased gene expression will contribute to understanding the molecular basis of sex-differences in complex traits and common diseases. RESULTS: Sex differences in the human peripheral blood transcriptome were characterized using microarrays in 5,241 subjects, accounting for menopause status and hormonal contraceptive use. Sex-specific expression was observed for 582 autosomal genes, of which 57.7% was upregulated in women (female-biased genes). Female-biased genes were enriched for several immune system GO categories, genes linked to rheumatoid arthritis (16%) and genes regulated by estrogen (18%). Male-biased genes were enriched for genes linked to renal cancer (9%). Sex-differences in gene expression were smaller in postmenopausal women, larger in women using hormonal contraceptives and not caused by sex-specific eQTLs, confirming the role of estrogen in regulating sex-biased genes. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that sex-bias in gene expression is extensive and may underlie sex-differences in the prevalence of common diseases.

Harmonization of Neuroticism and Extraversion phenotypes across inventories and cohorts in the Genetics of Personality Consortium: an application of Item Response Theory.

Mega- or meta-analytic studies (e.g. genome-wide association studies) are increasingly used in behavior genetics. An issue in such studies is that phenotypes are often measured by different instruments across study cohorts, requiring harmonization of measures so that more powerful fixed effect meta-analyses can be employed. Within the Genetics of Personality Consortium, we demonstrate for two clinically relevant personality traits, Neuroticism and Extraversion, how Item-Response Theory (IRT) can be applied to map item data from different inventories to the same underlying constructs. Personality item data were analyzed in >160,000 individuals from 23 cohorts across Europe, USA and Australia in which Neuroticism and Extraversion were assessed by nine different personality inventories. Results showed that harmonization was very successful for most personality inventories and moderately successful for some. Neuroticism and Extraversion inventories were largely measurement invariant across cohorts, in particular when comparing cohorts from countries where the same language is spoken. The IRT-based scores for Neuroticism and Extraversion were heritable (48 and 49 %, respectively, based on a meta-analysis of six twin cohorts, total N = 29,496 and 29,501 twin pairs, respectively) with a significant part of the heritability due to non-additive genetic factors. For Extraversion, these genetic factors qualitatively differ across sexes. We showed that our IRT method can lead to a large increase in sample size and therefore statistical power. The IRT approach may be applied to any mega- or meta-analytic study in which item-based behavioral measures need to be harmonized.

Applying polygenic risk scores to postpartum depression.

The etiology of major depressive disorder (MDD) is likely to be heterogeneous, but postpartum depression (PPD) is hypothesized to represent a more homogenous subset of MDD. We use genome-wide SNP data to explore this hypothesis. We assembled a total cohort of 1,420 self-report cases of PPD and 9,473 controls with genome-wide genotypes from Australia, The Netherlands, Sweden and the UK. We estimated the total variance attributable to genotyped variants. We used association results from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortia (PGC) of bipolar disorder (BPD) and MDD to create polygenic scores in PPD and related MDD data sets to estimate the genetic overlap between the disorders. We estimated that the percentage of variance on the liability scale explained by common genetic variants to be 0.22 with a standard error of 0.12, p = 0.02. The proportion of variance (R (2)) from a logistic regression of PPD case/control status in all four cohorts on a SNP profile score weighted by PGC-BPD association results was small (0.1 %) but significant (p = 0.004) indicating a genetic overlap between BPD and PPD. The results were highly significant in the Australian and Dutch cohorts (R (2) > 1.1 %, p < 0.008), where the majority of cases met criteria for MDD. The genetic overlap between BPD and MDD was not significant in larger Australian and Dutch MDD case/control cohorts after excluding PPD cases (R (2) = 0.06 %, p = 0.08), despite the larger MDD group affording more power. Our results suggest an empirical genetic evidence for a more important shared genetic etiology between BPD and PPD than between BPD and MDD.

HIV-infected mental health patients: characteristics and comparison with HIV-infected patients from the general population and non-infected mental health patients.

OBJECTIVES: HIV-infected patients are at increased risk of developing mental health symptoms, which negatively influence the treatment of the HIV-infection. Mental health problems in HIV-infected patients may affect public health. Psychopathology, including depression and substance abuse, can increase hazardous sexual behaviour and, with it, the chance of spreading HIV. Therefore, it is important to develop an optimal treatment plan for HIV-infected patients with mental health problems. The majority of HIV-infected patients in the Netherlands (almost 60%) are homosexual men.The main objectives of this study were to describe the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients with HIV who seek treatment for their mental health symptoms in the Netherlands. Secondly, we tested whether HIV infected and non-infected homosexual patients with a lifetime depressive disorder differed on several mental health symptoms. METHODS: We compared a cohort of 196 patients who visited the outpatient clinic for HIV and Mental Health with HIV-infected patients in the general population in Amsterdam (ATHENA-study) and with non-HIV infected mental health patients (NESDA-study). DSM-IV diagnoses were determined, and several self-report questionnaires were used to assess mental health symptoms. RESULTS: Depressive disorders were the most commonly occurring diagnoses in the cohort and frequent drug use was common. HIV-infected homosexual men with a depressive disorder showed no difference in depressive symptoms or sleep disturbance, compared with non-infected depressive men. However, HIV-positive patients did express more symptoms like fear, anger and guilt. Although they showed significantly more suicidal ideation, suicide attempts were not more prevalent among HIV-infected patients. Finally, the HIV-infected depressive patients displayed a considerably higher level of drug use than the HIV-negative group. CONCLUSION: Habitual drug use is a risk factor for spreading HIV. It is also more often diagnosed in HIV-infected homosexual men with a lifetime depression or dysthymic disorder than in the non-infected population. Untreated mental health problems, such as depressive symptoms and use of drugs can have serious repercussions. Therefore, general practitioners and internists should be trained to recognize mental health problems in HIV-infected patients.

The Relation between Depressive Symptoms and Unsafe Sex among MSM Living with HIV.

In people living with HIV (PLWH), a positive association is often found between depressive symptoms and unsafe sex, which means sex without a condom. However, the results of such studies are inconclusive. The present study compared the numbers of safe and unsafe sexual contacts from men who have sex with men (MSM) (N = 159), living with HIV and attending a mental health clinic, with those of HIV-negative MSM in the general population (N = 198). We determined whether the presence of depressive symptoms was associated with unsafe sex in either of the two study populations. The depressive symptoms were measured with the Inventory of Depressive Symptoms (IDS), (MSM living with HIV) and with the 2012 Sexual Health Monitor (HIV-negative MSM). Finally, we determined whether MSM living with HIV with depressive symptoms, who received psychiatric treatment as usual, engaged in fewer unsafe sexual contacts one year after baseline. The mental-health-treatment-seeking MSM living with HIV engaged in more unsafe sexual contact than the MSM comparison group without HIV. Neither the treatment-seeking MSM living with HIV nor the MSM without HIV in the general population exhibited a relationship between depressive symptoms and unsafe sex. Moreover, the successful treatment of depressive symptoms in the treatment group did not lead to any reduction in the number of unsafe sexual contacts. Further research is needed to develop interventions that might be effective for MSM living with HIV with mental health symptoms to reduce the number of unsafe sexual contacts.

Toxoplasma gondii seropositivity in patients with depressive and anxiety disorders.

INTRODUCTION: Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an obligate intracellular parasite that is estimated to be carried by one-third of the world population. Latent T. gondii infection has been linked to several neuropsychiatric mood disorders and behaviors. The aim of the present study was to examine whether T. gondii seropositivity is associated with affective disorders, as well as with aggression reactivity and suicidal thoughts. METHODS: In the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), T. gondii antibodies were assessed in patients with current depressive (n â€‹= â€‹133), anxiety (n â€‹= â€‹188), comorbid depressive and anxiety (n â€‹= â€‹148), and remitted disorders (n â€‹= â€‹889), as well as in healthy controls (n â€‹= â€‹373) based on DSM-IV criteria. Seropositivity was analyzed in relation to disorder status, aggression reactivity and suicidal thoughts using multivariate analyses of covariance and regression analyses. RESULTS: Participants were on average 51.2 years (SD â€‹= â€‹13.2), and 64.4% were female. Seropositivity was found in 673 participants (38.9%). A strong positive association between T. gondii seropositivity and age was observed. No significant associations were found between T. gondii seropositivity and disorder status, aggression reactivity and suicidal thoughts. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for any remitted disorder versus controls was 1.13 (95% CI: 0.87-1.49), and for any current disorder versus controls was 0.94 (95% CI: 0.69-1.28). CONCLUSIONS: No evidence was found for a relationship between affective disorders and T. gondii infection in the current sample.

Novel neuronal surface autoantibodies in plasma of patients with depression and anxiety.

Neuronal surface autoantibodies (NSAbs) against various antigens cause autoimmune encephalitis. Some of these antigens are also involved in the pathology of depression and anxiety. To study whether NSAbs are more common in plasma of individuals with depression and anxiety than in controls, and to investigate if NSAbs correlate with disease status, plasma samples of 819 individuals with a current diagnosis of depression and/or anxiety, 920 in remission and 492 individuals without these disorders were included in this study. Samples were tested by a combination of immunohistochemistry (IHC), staining on live rat hippocampus neurons and cell-based assay (CBA). By IHC, 50 (2.2%) samples showed immunoreactivity to rat brain tissue, with no significant differences between the aforementioned groups (22/819 vs 18/920 vs 11/492, P > 0.99). In addition, eight IHC positive samples were positive for NSAbs on live neurons (7/819 vs 0/920 vs 1/492, P = 0.006). The IHC-staining patterns of these eight samples were atypical for autoimmune encephalitis and accordingly, they tested negative for known NSAbs by CBA. No obvious difference in the clinical characteristics between individuals with or without NSAbs was observed. In conclusion, novel NSAbs were rare but predominately found in patients with current anxiety or depression indicating they might affect mental health in a small group of patients.

Acceptability and feasibility of two interventions in the MooDFOOD Trial: a food-related depression prevention randomised controlled trial in overweight adults with subsyndromal symptoms of depression.

OBJECTIVES: We report on the acceptability, feasibility, dose-response relationship and adherence of two nutritional strategies to improve mood (multinutrient supplements; food-related behavioural activation (F-BA)) studied in a randomised controlled depression prevention trial (the Multi-country cOllaborative project on the rOle of Diet, Food-related behaviour, and Obesity in the prevention of Depression (MooDFOOD) Trial). We also assessed baseline determinants of adherence and assessed whether better adherence resulted in lower depressive symptoms. DESIGN: Randomised controlled trial with a 2×2 factorial design conducted between 2015 and 2017. SETTING: Germany, the Netherlands, UK and Spain. PARTICIPANTS: Community sample of 1025 overweight adults with elevated depressive symptoms without a current episode of major depressive disorder. Main eligibility criteria included age (18-75 years), being overweight or obese, and having at least mild depressive symptoms, shown by a Patient Health Questionnaire Score of ≥5. A total of 76% of the sample was retained at the 12-month follow-up. INTERVENTIONS: Daily nutritional supplements versus pill placebo or an F-BA therapy, delivered in individual and group sessions versus no behavioural intervention over a 1-year period. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome: self-reported acceptability of the interventions. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: adherence and self-reported depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Most participants reported that the F-BA was acceptable (83.61%), feasible to do (65.91%) and would recommend it to a friend (84.57%). Individual F-BA sessions (88.10%) were significantly more often rated as positive than group F-BA sessions (70.17%) and supplements (28.59%). There were statistically significant reductions in depressive symptoms for those who both adhered to the F-BA intervention and had a history of depression (B=-0.08, SE=0.03, p=0.012) versus those who had no history of depression. Supplement intake had no effect on depressive symptoms irrespective of adherence. CONCLUSIONS: F-BA may have scope for development as a depression prevention intervention and public health strategy but further refinement and testing are needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02529423.

Working memory moderates the relation between the brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and psychotherapy outcome for depression.

BACKGROUND: Insight into patient characteristics that predict response to treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD) may help to personalize treatment and improve outcomes. One mechanism that has been linked to the success of treatment for MDD is brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF). BDNF is implicated in learning and memory and may play a role in the effects of psychotherapy that involves changing cognitions and behaviors. In addition, only in individuals with low BDNF, low working memory capacity has been associated with increased symptoms of depression. However, the role of BDNF and working memory capacity in psychotherapy outcome is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of BDNF and its interaction with working memory capacity in psychotherapy outcomes for MDD. METHOD: Adult patients with MDD were randomized to weekly or twice weekly sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy or interpersonal psychotherapy. BDNF Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265) (n = 138) was defined and serum BDNF was quantified before (n = 138) and after psychotherapy (n = 82). RESULTS: Baseline serum BDNF and the Val66Met polymorphism were not associated with outcome and associations did not differ between treatment conditions. Working memory capacity significantly moderated the relation between baseline serum BDNF and outcome: high serum BDNF at baseline was related to less depressive symptoms following psychotherapy in the presence of high working memory capacity, but not low working memory capacity. DISCUSSION: These findings, if replicated, might indicate that while BDNF may not be related to psychotherapy outcomes in general, they may play a role in the presence of specific learning processes such as working memory capacity.

Cell Type-Specific Methylome-wide Association Studies Implicate Neurotrophin and Innate Immune Signaling in Major Depressive Disorder.

BACKGROUND: We sought to characterize methylation changes in brain and blood associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). As analyses of bulk tissue may obscure association signals and hamper the biological interpretation of findings, these changes were studied on a cell type-specific level. METHODS: In 3 collections of human postmortem brain (n = 206) and 1 collection of blood samples (N = 1132) of MDD cases and controls, we used epigenomic deconvolution to perform cell type-specific methylome-wide association studies within subpopulations of neurons/glia for the brain data and granulocytes/T cells/B cells/monocytes for the blood data. Sorted neurons/glia from a fourth postmortem brain collection (n = 58) were used for validation purposes. RESULTS: Cell type-specific methylome-wide association studies identified multiple findings in neurons/glia that were detected across brain collections and were reproducible in physically sorted nuclei. Cell type-specific analyses in blood samples identified methylome-wide significant associations in T cells, monocytes, and whole blood that replicated findings from a past methylation study of MDD. Pathway analyses implicated p75 neurotrophin receptor/nerve growth factor signaling and innate immune toll-like receptor signaling in MDD. Top results in neurons, glia, bulk brain, T cells, monocytes, and whole blood were enriched for genes supported by genome-wide association studies for MDD and other psychiatric disorders. CONCLUSIONS: We both replicated and identified novel MDD-methylation associations in human brain and blood samples at a cell type-specific level. Our results provide mechanistic insights into how the immune system may interact with the brain to affect MDD susceptibility. Importantly, our findings involved associations with MDD in human samples that implicated many closely related biological pathways. These disease-linked sites and pathways represent promising new therapeutic targets for MDD.