Interaction between PTSD-PRS and trauma affects PTSD likelihood in women victims of sexual assault.

OBJECTIVE: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is triggered by traumatic events, but genetic vulnerability and a history of childhood trauma are additional factors that may increase the risk of PTSD. Thus, our study focused on exploring the interaction between genetic susceptibility, as assessed by polygenic risk score (PRS), and traumatic events. METHODS: We evaluated 68 women with PTSD who had been sexually assaulted and 63 healthy controls without a history of sexual assault. DNA was genotyped using the Infinium Global Screening Array (Illumina), and PRS analysis was performed using PRSice. Furthermore, logistic regression models were employed to examine the interaction between childhood trauma, traumatic life events, and PTSD-PRS and how they contribute to the risk of developing PTSD. RESULTS: We found a significant association between PRS, childhood trauma (p = 0.03; OR = 1.241), and PTSD. Additionally, an interaction was observed between PRS, traumatic life events, and childhood trauma, particularly relating to physical and emotional neglect (p = 0.028; OR = 1.010). When examining neglect separately, we found a modest association between emotional neglect and PTSD (p = 0.014; OR = 1.086). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the importance of considering genetic vulnerability and traumatic experiences in understanding the etiology of PTSD.

A nociceptive amygdala-striatal pathway for chronic pain aversion.

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is essential for assigning positive or negative valence to sensory stimuli. Noxious stimuli that cause pain are encoded by an ensemble of nociceptive BLA projection neurons (BLAnoci ensemble). However, the role of the BLAnoci ensemble in mediating behavior changes and the molecular signatures and downstream targets distinguishing this ensemble remain poorly understood. Here, we show that the same BLAnoci ensemble neurons are required for both acute and chronic neuropathic pain behavior. Using single nucleus RNA-sequencing, we characterized the effect of acute and chronic pain on the BLA and identified enrichment for genes with known functions in axonal and synaptic organization and pain perception. We thus examined the brain-wide targets of the BLAnoci ensemble and uncovered a previously undescribed nociceptive hotspot of the nucleus accumbens shell (NAcSh) that mirrors the stability and specificity of the BLAnoci ensemble and is recruited in chronic pain. Notably, BLAnoci ensemble axons transmit acute and neuropathic nociceptive information to the NAcSh, highlighting this nociceptive amygdala-striatal circuit as a unique pathway for affective-motivational responses across pain states.

Alterations in microRNA of extracellular vesicles associated with major depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity and anxiety disorders in adolescents.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are present in numerous peripheral bodily fluids and function in critical biological processes, including cell-to-cell communication. Most relevant to the present study, EVs contain microRNAs (miRNAs), and initial evidence from the field indicates that miRNAs detected in circulating EVs have been previously associated with mental health disorders. Here, we conducted an exploratory longitudinal and cross-sectional analysis of miRNA expression in serum EVs from adolescent participants. We analyzed data from a larger ongoing cohort study, evaluating 116 adolescent participants at two time points (wave 1 and wave 2) separated by three years. Two separate data analyses were employed: A cross-sectional analysis compared individuals diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), Anxiety disorders (ANX) and Attention deficit/Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with individuals without psychiatric diagnosis at each time point. A longitudinal analysis assessed changes in miRNA expression over time between four groups showing different diagnostic trajectories (persistent diagnosis, first incidence, remitted and typically developing/control). Total EVs were isolated, characterized by size distribution and membrane proteins, and miRNAs were isolated and sequenced. We then selected differentially expressed miRNAs for target prediction and pathway enrichment analysis. In the longitudinal analysis, we did not observe any statistically significant results. In the cross-sectional analysis: in the ADHD group, we observed an upregulation of miR-328-3p at wave 1 only; in the MDD group, we observed a downregulation of miR-4433b-5p, miR-584-5p, miR-625-3p, miR-432-5p and miR-409-3p at wave 2 only; and in the ANX group, we observed a downregulation of miR-432-5p, miR-151a-5p and miR-584-5p in ANX cases at wave 2 only. Our results identified previously observed and novel differentially expressed miRNAs and their relationship with three mental health disorders. These data are consistent with the notion that these miRNAs might regulate the expression of genes associated with these traits in genome-wide association studies. The findings support the promise of continued identification of miRNAs contained within peripheral EVs as biomarkers for mental health disorders.

Expanding the Phenotype of 8p23.1 Deletion Syndrome: Eight New Cases Resembling the Clinical Spectrum of 22q11.2 Microdeletion.

OBJECTIVE: To report the effectiveness of early molecular diagnosis in the clinical management of rare diseases, presenting 8 patients with 8p23.1DS who have clinical features that overlap the phenotypic spectrum of 22q11.2DS. STUDY DESIGN: This report is part of a previous study that aims to provide a precocious molecular diagnosis of the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome in 118 infants with congenital heart disease. To confirm the clinical diagnosis, patients underwent comparative genomic screening by the multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) assay with the SALSA MLPA probemix kits P064-B2, P036-E1, P070-B2, P356-A1, and P250- B1. Subsequently, the patients performed the genomic microarray using the Infinium CytoSNP-850K BeadChip to confirm the deletion, determine the breakpoints of the deletion, and search for genomic copy number variations. RESULTS: MLPA performed with 3 different kits revealed the 8p23.1 typical deletion involving the PPP1R3B, MSRA, and GATA4 genes in the 5 patients. The array analysis was performed on these 5 patients and 3 other patients (8 patients) who also had clinical suspicion of 22q11 deletion (8 patients) allowed a precise definition of the breakpoints and excluded other genomic abnormalities. CONCLUSIONS: Cytogenomic screening was efficient in establishing a differential diagnosis and ruling out the presence of other concomitant syndromes. The clinical picture of the 8p23.1 deletion syndrome is challenging; however, cytogenomic tools can provide an exact diagnosis and help to clarify the genotype-phenotype complexity of these patients. Our reports underline the importance of early diagnosis and clinical follow-up of microdeletion syndromes.

Novel rearrangements between different chromosomes with direct impact on the diagnosis of 5p- syndrome.

OBJECTIVES: Copy Number Variations (CNVs) in the human genome account for common populational variations but can also be responsible for genetic syndromes depending on the affected region. Although a deletion in 5p is responsible for a syndrome with highly recognizable phenotypical features, other chromosomal abnormalities might overlap phenotypes, especially considering that most studies in 5p use traditional cytogenetic techniques and not molecular techniques. METHODS: The authors have investigated 29 patients with clinical suspicion of 5p- syndrome using Chromosomal Microarray (CMA), and have gathered information on previous tests, clinical signs, symptoms, and development of the patients. RESULTS: The results showed 23 pure terminal deletions, one interstitial deletion, one deletion followed by a 3 Mb duplication in 5p, three cases of 5p deletion concomitant to duplications larger than 20 Mb in chromosomes 2, 9, and 18, and one 5p deletion with a chromosome Y deletion. CMA showed relevant CNVs not typically associated with 5p- that may have contributed to the final phenotype in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: The authors have identified three novel rearrangements between chromosomes 5 and 2 (Patient 27), 5 and 18 (Patient 11), and 5 and Y (Patient 22), with breakpoints and overlapped phenotypes that were not previously described. The authors also highlight the need for further molecular investigation using CMA, in different chromosomes beyond chromosome 5 (since those cases did not show only the typical deletion expected for the 5p- syndrome) to explain discordant chromosomal features and overlapped phenotypes to unravel the cause of the syndrome in atypical cases.

Novel rearrangements between different chromosomes with direct impact on the diagnosis of 5p- syndrome

Abstract Objectives Copy Number Variations (CNVs) in the human genome account for common populational variations but can also be responsible for genetic syndromes depending on the affected region. Although a deletion in 5p is responsible for a syndrome with highly recognizable phenotypical features, other chromosomal abnormalities might overlap phenotypes, especially considering that most studies in 5p use traditional cytogenetic techniques and not molecular techniques. Methods The authors have investigated 29 patients with clinical suspicion of 5p- syndrome using Chromosomal Microarray (CMA), and have gathered information on previous tests, clinical signs, symptoms, and development of the patients. Results The results showed 23 pure terminal deletions, one interstitial deletion, one deletion followed by a 3 Mb duplication in 5p, three cases of 5p deletion concomitant to duplications larger than 20 Mb in chromosomes 2, 9, and 18, and one 5p deletion with a chromosome Y deletion. CMA showed relevant CNVs not typically associated with 5p- that may have contributed to the final phenotype in these patients. Conclusions The authors have identified three novel rearrangements between chromosomes 5 and 2 (Patient 27), 5 and 18 (Patient 11), and 5 and Y (Patient 22), with breakpoints and overlapped phenotypes that were not previously described. The authors also highlight the need for further molecular investigation using CMA, in different chromosomes beyond chromosome 5 (since those cases did not show only the typical deletion expected for the 5p- syndrome) to explain discordant chromosomal features and overlapped phenotypes to unravel the cause of the syndrome in atypical cases. HIGHLIGHTS The authors The authors have described three novel rearrangements between chromosomes 5 and 2, 5 and 18, and 5 and Y with chromosomal breakpoints and overlapped phenotypes that were not previously described. One of the main atypical features for 5p- syndrome that the authors report was the presence of seizures that was found in the three patients with rearrangements between different chromosomes and in a patient with a deletion followed by duplication in 5p. The authors suggest physicians conduct further molecular investigation in the presence of atypical clinical features for patients with 5p- syndrome suspicion.

Fetal gastroschisis: Maternal and fetal methylation profile.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation profile in fetuses with gastroschisis, determine whether the profile was inherited, and investigate any possible correlations with maternal risk factors. METHOD: Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis of 96 blood samples was performed using the Illumina Human Methylation 850K BeadChip. The blood samples were collected as follows: 32 from the umbilical cord of fetuses with gastroschisis, 32 from their respective mothers, 16 from the umbilical cord of fetuses without malformation, and 16 from their respective mothers. RESULTS: The differential DNA methylation analysis showed a significant difference between the groups. The enrichment analysis resulted in 12 sites related to T-cell activation (p = 0.0128). The sites with different methylation status contained 10 genes, three of which were related to the beta-2-microglobulin gene. The methylation profile observed in the fetuses with gastroschisis was not inherited from the mothers. In addition, there was no association between maternal urinary tract infection, smoking, and alcohol use and different methylated sites. CONCLUSION: We established the methylation profile of gastroschisis fetuses, which differs from that of normal fetuses. The profile was not inherited and did not correlate with maternal risk factors.