scholarly journals Social isolation, loneliness and all-cause dementia: a longitudinal and imaging-genetic study in the UK Biobank cohort

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun Shen ◽  
Barbara Sahakian ◽  
Wei Cheng ◽  
Jujiao Kang ◽  
Guiying Dong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Spatially Correlated ◽  
Brain Changes ◽  
Disease Related Genes ◽  
Subcortical Regions ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Gray Matter Volumes

INTRODUCTION: Current findings of the relative influence of social isolation and loneliness on dementia are contradictory, and the potential neurobiological mechanisms are unclear. METHODS: We utilized the UK Biobank to investigate the relationships of social isolation and loneliness with dementia (n = 462,619). Neuroanatomical correlates were identified in a subset of participants (n = 32,263). The transcriptomic signatures of related brain changes were characterized by gene enrichment analysis. RESULTS: After full adjustment, social isolation but not loneliness was associated with dementia (hazard ratio: 1.28, 95% confidence interval: 1.17-1.39). Isolated individuals had reduced gray matter volumes in temporal, frontal, occipital and subcortical regions (e.g., hippocampus and amygdala). Relevant brain changes were spatially correlated with genes involved in mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative phosphorylation, and down-regulated Alzheimer's disease-related genes. DISCUSSION: Social isolation is an independent risk factor for dementia, which could be partly explained by related structural changes coupling with altered molecular functions.

scholarly journals The molecular genetics of hand preference revisited

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolien G.F. de Kovel ◽  
Clyde Francks
Keyword(s):  
Complex Traits ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Hand Preference ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Gene Set Enrichment Analysis ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
A Genome ◽  
The Uk

AbstractHand preference is a prominent behavioural trait linked to human brain asymmetry. A handful of genetic variants have been reported to associate with hand preference or quantitative measures related to it. Most of these reports were on the basis of limited sample sizes, by current standards for genetic analysis of complex traits. Here we performed a genome-wide association analysis of hand preference in the large, population-based UK Biobank cohort (N=331,037). We used gene-set enrichment analysis to investigate whether genes involved in visceral asymmetry are particularly relevant to hand preference, following one previous report. We found no evidence implicating any specific candidate variants previously reported. We also found no evidence that genes involved in visceral laterality play a role in hand preference. It remains possible that some of the previously reported genes or pathways are relevant to hand preference as assessed in other ways, or else are relevant within specific disorder populations. However, some or all of the earlier findings are likely to be false positives, and none of them appear relevant to hand preference as defined categorically in the general population. Within the UK Biobank itself, a significant association implicates the gene MAP2 in handedness.

scholarly journals Social isolation and loneliness as risk factors for myocardial infarction, stroke and mortality: UK Biobank cohort study of 479 054 men and women

Heart ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 104 (18) ◽  
pp. 1536-1542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Hakulinen ◽  
Laura Pulkki-Råback ◽  
Marianna Virtanen ◽  
Markus Jokela ◽  
Mika Kivimäki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Adjusted Model ◽  
Conventional Risk Factors

ObjectiveTo examine whether social isolation and loneliness (1) predict acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke among those with no history of AMI or stroke, (2) are related to mortality risk among those with a history of AMI or stroke, and (3) the extent to which these associations are explained by known risk factors or pre-existing chronic conditions.MethodsParticipants were 479 054 individuals from the UK Biobank. The exposures were self-reported social isolation and loneliness. AMI, stroke and mortality were the outcomes.ResultsOver 7.1 years, 5731 had first AMI, and 3471 had first stroke. In model adjusted for demographics, social isolation was associated with higher risk of AMI (HR 1.43, 95% CI 1.3 to –1.55) and stroke (HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.25 to 1.54). When adjusted for all the other risk factors, the HR for AMI was attenuated by 84% to 1.07 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.16) and the HR for stroke was attenuated by 83% to 1.06 (95% CI 0.96 to 1.19). Loneliness was associated with higher risk of AMI before (HR 1.49, 95% CI 1.36 to 1.64) but attenuated considerably with adjustments (HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.17). This was also the case for stroke (HR 1.36, 95% CI 1.20 to 1.55 before and HR 1.04, 95% CI 0.91 to 1.19 after adjustments). Social isolation, but not loneliness, was associated with increased mortality in participants with a history of AMI (HR 1.25, 95% CI 1.03 to 1.51) or stroke (HR 1.32, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.61) in the fully adjusted model.ConclusionsIsolated and lonely persons are at increased risk of AMI and stroke, and, among those with a history of AMI or stroke, increased risk of death. Most of this risk was explained by conventional risk factors.

scholarly journals Integration of Scandinavian genetic data with UK biobank data implicates the RBM20 gene with atrial fibrillation pathogenesis

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
O B Vad ◽  
E Angeli ◽  
M Liss ◽  
G Ahlberg ◽  
L Andreasen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Animal Model ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Hek293 Cells ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Base Exchange ◽  
Altered Expression ◽  
Atrial Cardiomyocytes ◽  
Atrial Tissue ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Purpose Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia. It carries a large healthcare burden and is associated with serious complications. The arrhythmia has a substantial genetic component and is associated with several structural genes, including the gene TTN. A recent large genome-wide association study on AF found an association to RBM20. The RBM20 gene is a splicing factor targeting TTN, RYR2 and CAMK2D among other cardiac genes. Using Next-Generation Sequencing and data derived from the UK Biobank, we aimed to reveal the role of RBM20 in AF. Methods and results We examined the burden of rare (Minor allele frequency (MAF)<0.01%) RBM20 loss-of-function (LOF) variants in whole-exome sequencing data from the UK Biobank (n=175,280). AF was defined by ICD9/10, while individuals without AF were used as controls. Association tests aggregating rare variants in RBM20 using the Efficient Variant-Set Mixed Model Association Test (SMMAT) were performed to assess the effect of LOF RBM20 variants, adjusted for age, sex and principal components. We identified 33 LOF variants in RBM20, which were significantly enriched in AF (P=0.0087). To examine the effect of rare missense RBM20 variants in the splicing of TTN, we screened an in-house cohort of 531 Scandinavian early-onset AF patients using targeted sequencing. We filtered for rare (MAF<0.1%) and deleterious (defined as combined annotation dependent depletion score >20) variants and identified nine missense variants and three novel LOF variants in RBM20. To evaluate the effect of these RBM20 variants, we constructed a series of human RBM20 single nucleotide base exchange mutants. The splicing activity of the variants was measured with RT-qPCR on HEK293 cells transfected with a TTN241–3 splicing reporter. Four of these variants resulted in a significantly altered splicing activity in TTN, with the largest effect observed for LOF variants. In order to examine the biological effect of RBM20 variants on structural changes in atrial tissue, we used a Norwegian Brown rat animal model with loss of RBM20. In this model, Transmission Electron Microscopy revealed altered sarcomere and mitochondrial structure in its atrial cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, nanopore RNA sequencing of atrial tissue from the aforementioned animal model indicated altered expression in several key cardiac genes, including TTN and PITX2. Conclusion Rare RBM20 LOF variants are significantly enriched in AF cases, seen in a large population of 175,000 individuals. We demonstrated that the effect of LOF RBM20 on alternative TTN splicing can be detected on an individual level in patients with AF. Studies using an animal model indicates that LOF in RBM20 may affect atrial function through altered expression of several genes in the atria, and may cause structural changes in the atrial cardiomyocytes. This suggests that RBM20 may be involved in AF pathogenesis mediated through an atrial cardiomyopathy. FUNDunding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Foundation. Main funding source(s): Novo Nordisk Foundation Pre-Graduate Scholarships (NNF18OC0053094)The Hallas Møller Emerging Investigator grant (Novo Nordisk Foundation (NNF17OC0031204))

scholarly journals The genetic and environmental hierarchical structure of anxiety and depression in the UK Biobank

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geneviève Morneau-Vaillancourt ◽  
Jonathan Richard Iain Coleman ◽  
Kirstin Lee Purves ◽  
Rosa Cheesman ◽  
Christopher Rayner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Isolation ◽  
Depressive Disorders ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Genetic Correlations ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Generalized Anxiety ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Mental Health Questionnaire

Background. Anxiety and depressive disorders can be classified under a bi-dimensional model, where depression and generalized anxiety disorder are represented by distress and the other anxiety disorders, by fear. The phenotypic structure of this model has been validated, but twin studies only show partial evidence for genetic and environmental distinctions between distress and fear. Moreover, the effects of genetic variants are mostly shared between anxiety and depression, but the genome-wide genetic distinction between distress and fear remain unexplored. This study aimed to examine the degree of common genetic variation overlap between distress and fear, and their associations with the psychosocial risk factors of loneliness and social isolation. Methods. We used genome-wide data from 157,366 individuals in the UK Biobank who answered a mental health questionnaire. Results. Genetic correlations indicated that depression and generalized anxiety had a substantial genetic overlap, and that they were genetically partially distinct from fear disorders. Associations with loneliness, but not social isolation, showed that loneliness was more strongly associated with both distress disorders than with fear. Conclusions. Our findings shed light on genetic and environmental mechanisms that are common and unique to distress and fear and contribute to current knowledge on individuals’ susceptibility to anxiety and depression.

scholarly journals Exploring Health in the UK Biobank: Sociodemographic, Psychosocial, Lifestyle and Environmental Factors

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 673-673
Author(s):  
Julian Mutz ◽  
Charlotte Roscoe ◽  
Cathryn Lewis
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Alcohol Intake ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Stair Climbing ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
The Uk

Abstract A greater understanding of factors associated with favourable health may help increase longevity and healthy life expectancy. We examined sociodemographic, psychosocial, lifestyle, and environmental exposures associated with multiple health indicators. The UK Biobank study recruited >500,000 participants, aged 37-73, between 2006–2010. Health indicators examined were 81 cancer and 443 non-cancer illnesses used to classify participants by health status; long-standing illness; and self-rated health. Exposures were sociodemographic (age, sex, ethnicity, education, income and deprivation), psychosocial (loneliness and social isolation), lifestyle (smoking, alcohol intake, sleep duration, BMI, physical activity and stair climbing) and environmental (air pollution, noise and residential greenspace) factors. 307,378 participants (mean age = 56.1 years [SD = 8.07], 51.9% female) were selected for cross-sectional analyses. Low income, being male, neighbourhood deprivation, loneliness, social isolation, short or long sleep duration, low or high BMI and smoking was associated with poor health. Walking, vigorous-intensity physical activity and more frequent alcohol intake was associated with good health. There was some evidence that airborne pollutants (PM2.5, PM10, and NO2) and noise (Lden) were associated with poor health, though findings were not consistent across all models. Our findings highlight the multifactorial nature of health, the importance of non-medical factors, such as loneliness, healthy lifestyle behaviours and weight management, and the need to examine efforts to improve health outcomes of individuals with low income.

Low birthweight is associated with poorer limb muscle mass and grip strength in middle age: findings from the UK Biobank Imaging Enhancement

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Curtis ◽  
Justin Liu ◽  
Kate Ward ◽  
Karen Jameson ◽  
Zahra Raisi-Estabragh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grip Strength ◽  
Muscle Mass ◽  
Low Birthweight ◽  
Middle Age ◽  
Limb Muscle ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
The Uk

Contrasting Broad- and Clinically- defined Polygenic Indicators of Depression and Depression-related Phenotypes in Adults and Children

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
John E. McGeary ◽  
Chelsie Benca-Bachman ◽  
Victoria Risner ◽  
Christopher G Beevers ◽  
Brandon Gibb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Suicidal Ideation ◽  
Cognitive Reappraisal ◽  
Twin Studies ◽  
European Ancestry ◽  
Summary Statistics ◽  
Depression Severity ◽  
Uk Biobank ◽  
Polygenic Scores ◽  
Adults And Children ◽  
The Uk

Twin studies indicate that 30-40% of the disease liability for depression can be attributed to genetic differences. Here, we assess the explanatory ability of polygenic scores (PGS) based on broad- (PGSBD) and clinical- (PGSMDD) depression summary statistics from the UK Biobank using independent cohorts of adults (N=210; 100% European Ancestry) and children (N=728; 70% European Ancestry) who have been extensively phenotyped for depression and related neurocognitive phenotypes. PGS associations with depression severity and diagnosis were generally modest, and larger in adults than children. Polygenic prediction of depression-related phenotypes was mixed and varied by PGS. Higher PGSBD, in adults, was associated with a higher likelihood of having suicidal ideation, increased brooding and anhedonia, and lower levels of cognitive reappraisal; PGSMDD was positively associated with brooding and negatively related to cognitive reappraisal. Overall, PGS based on both broad and clinical depression phenotypes have modest utility in adult and child samples of depression.

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