Genetic and Environmental Predictors of Adolescent PTSD Symptom Trajectories Following a Natural Disaster

: Genes, environmental factors, and their interplay affect posttrauma symptoms. Although environmental predictors of the longitudinal course of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are documented, there remains a need to incorporate genetic risk into these models, especially in youth who are underrepresented in genetic studies. In an epidemiologic sample tornado-exposed adolescents (n = 707, 51% female, Mage = 14.54 years), trajectories of PTSD symptoms were examined at baseline and at 4-months and 12-months following baseline. This study aimed to determine if rare genetic variation in genes previously found in the sample to be related to PTSD diagnosis at baseline (MPHOSPH9, LGALS13, SLC2A2), environmental factors (disaster severity, social support), or their interplay were associated with symptom trajectories. A series of mixed effects models were conducted. Symptoms decreased over the three time points. Elevated tornado severity was associated with elevated baseline symptoms. Elevated recreational support was associated with lower baseline symptoms and attenuated improvement over time. Greater LGLAS13 variants attenuated symptom improvement over time. An interaction between MPHOSPH9 variants and tornado severity was associated with elevated baseline symptoms, but not change over time. Findings suggest the importance of rare genetic variation and environmental factors on the longitudinal course of PTSD symptoms following natural disaster trauma exposure.

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Development of Self-Directedness and Cooperativeness in Relation to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Trajectories After Military Deployment

Chronic Stress ◽

10.1177/2470547018803511 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

pp. 247054701880351

Author(s):

Alieke Reijnen ◽

Elbert Geuze ◽

Rosalie Gorter ◽

Eric Vermetten

Keyword(s):

Military Personnel ◽

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ◽

Traumatic Stress ◽

Stress Disorder ◽

Character Traits ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

Post Traumatic Stress ◽

Symptom Trajectories ◽

Post Traumatic ◽

Over Time

Background Personality traits, such as the character traits self-directedness and cooperativeness, might play a role in the risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after deployment to a combat zone. However, it is unclear whether these traits are preexisting risk factors or if event-related changes might also be associated with PTSD symptoms over time. Therefore, the current aim was to assess if military deployment is associated with changes in cooperativeness and self-directedness and to study how these traits are related to PTSD symptom trajectories. Methods In a large cohort of military personnel (N = 1007), measurements were performed before, at one and six months, and two and five years after deployment to Afghanistan. Linear mixed-effect models were used to assess the individual change in the traits over time and to study the relation with potential predictors. Results Cooperativeness was found to remain stable, whereas self-directedness was found to slightly decrease over time. This decrease was related to the development of PTSD symptoms over time. Furthermore, lower levels of self-directedness were associated with the symptomatic trajectories of PTSD symptoms. Lower levels of cooperativeness were only associated with the recovered PTSD trajectory. Conclusions So, not only do the findings confirm that lower levels of these character traits are associated with the development of PTSD symptoms, it was also shown that there are differences in the relation between these traits and the course of PTSD symptoms. Studying methods to promote the levels of these character traits might help to improve the resiliency of military personnel.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Integrating common and rare genetic variation in diverse human populations.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.6112956.6146054 ◽

2010 ◽

Author(s):

Michele Ramsay

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

Human Populations ◽

Rare Genetic Variation

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Decreased heritability and emergence of novel genetic effects on pulse wave velocity from youth to young adulthood

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-88490-3 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yisong Huang ◽

Shaoyong Su ◽

Harold Snieder ◽

Frank Treiber ◽

Gaston Kapuku ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Environmental Factors ◽

Pulse Wave Velocity ◽

Wave Velocity ◽

Young Adulthood ◽

Ethnic Differences ◽

Genetic Factors ◽

Pulse Wave ◽

Environmental Influences ◽

Genetic Effects ◽

Over Time

AbstractIncreased arterial stiffness measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV) is an important parameter in the assessment of cardiovascular risk. Our previous longitudinal study has demonstrated that carotid-distal PWV showed reasonable stability throughout youth and young adulthood. This stability might be driven by genetic factors that are expressed consistently over time. We aimed to illustrate the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to the stability of carotid-distal PWV from youth to young adulthood. We also examined potential ethnic differences. For this purpose, carotid-distal PWV was measured twice in 497 European American (EA) and African American (AA) twins, with an average interval time of 3 years. Twin modelling on PWV showed that heritability decreased over time (62–35%), with the nonshared environmental influences becoming larger. There was no correlation between the nonshared environmental factors on PWV measured at visit 1 and visit 2, with the phenotypic tracking correlation (r = 0.32) completely explained by shared genetic factors over time. Novel genetic influences were identified accounting for a significant part of the variance (19%) at the second measurement occasion. There was no evidence for ethnic differences. In summary, novel genetic effects appear during development into young adulthood and account for a considerable part of the variation in PWV. Environmental influences become larger with age for PWV.

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Psychological prognosis after newly diagnosed chronic conditions: socio-demographic and clinical correlates

International Psychogeriatrics ◽

10.1017/s1041610216001630 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 29 (2) ◽

pp. 281-292 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ching-Ju Chiu ◽

Yu-Ching Hsu ◽

Shuo-Ping Tseng

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Depressive Symptom ◽

Chronic Conditions ◽

Liver Diseases ◽

Lung Diseases ◽

Heart Diseases ◽

Psychological Burden ◽

Symptom Trajectories ◽

Physical Limitations ◽

Over Time

ABSTRACTBackground:This study was aimed toward discerning depressive symptom trajectories associated with different chronic conditions and toward finding modifiable factors associated with those trajectories.Methods:Data were drawn from the 1996–2007 Taiwan Longitudinal Study on Aging. Nine chronic conditions were selected, and mood trajectories were measured with the Center of Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale.Results:Among the nine chronic conditions we examined, four patterns of depressive symptom trajectories were identified: (1) elevated depressive symptoms and worsened over time after diagnosed with heart disease (n= 681), arthritis (n= 850), or hypertension (n= 1,207); (2) elevated depressive symptoms without worsening over time after diagnosed with stroke (n= 160), lung diseases (n= 432), gastric conditions (n= 691), or liver diseases (n= 234); (3) no elevated depressive symptoms after diagnosis but an increase in depressive symptoms over time for participants with diabetes (n= 499); and (4) no significant patterns after diagnosed with cancer (n= 57). Cumulative psychological burden over time was significant for participants with hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases, or arthritis. However, these effects disappeared after controlling for comorbidities and physical limitations. Moreover, psychiatric condition was found to play an important role in baseline depressive symptoms among participants diagnosed with lung diseases, arthritis, or liver diseases.Conclusions:Findings from this study provide information in addressing psychological burden at different times for different conditions. In addition, minimizing the incidence of comorbidities, physical limitations, or psychiatric conditions may have the prospective effect of avoiding the trend of increased depressive symptoms, especially when adults diagnosed with hypertension, diabetes, heart diseases, arthritis, lung diseases, arthritis, or liver diseases.

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Six-year longitudinal course and outcomes of subtypes of depression

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.bp.114.153098 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 208 (1) ◽

pp. 62-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

F. Lamers ◽

A. T. F. Beekman ◽

A. M. van Hemert ◽

R. A. Schoevers ◽

B. W. J. H. Penninx

Keyword(s):

Latent Class ◽

Clinical Course ◽

Depression And Anxiety ◽

Major Depressive ◽

Longitudinal Course ◽

Baseline Severity ◽

Depressive Subtypes ◽

Depression Subtypes ◽

Over Time

BackgroundClinical and aetiological heterogeneity have impeded our understanding of depression.AimsTo evaluate differences in psychiatric and somatic course between people with depression subtypes that differed clinically (severity) and aetiologically (melancholic v. atypical).MethodData from baseline, 2-, 4- and 6-year follow-up of The Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety were used, and included 600 controls and 648 people with major depressive disorder (subtypes: severe melancholic n = 308; severe atypical n = 167; moderate n = 173, established using latent class analysis).ResultsThose with the moderate subtype had a significantly better psychiatric clinical course than the severe melancholic and atypical subtype groups. Suicidal thoughts and anxiety persisted longer in those with the melancholic subtype. The atypical subtype group continued to have the highest body mass index and highest prevalence of metabolic syndrome during follow-up, although differences between groups became less pronounced over time.ConclusionsCourse trajectories of depressive subtypes mostly ran parallel to each other, with baseline severity being the most important differentiator in course between groups.

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Enabling out-of-clinic human immunity studies via single-cell profiling of capillary blood

10.1101/2020.07.25.210468 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Tatyana Dobreva ◽

David Brown ◽

Jong Hwee Park ◽

Matt Thomson

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Immune System ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Single Cell ◽

Immune Cell ◽

Cell Types ◽

Capillary Blood ◽

Specific Gene ◽

Human Immune ◽

Over Time

AbstractAn individual’s immune system is driven by both genetic and environmental factors that vary over time. To better understand the temporal and inter-individual variability of gene expression within distinct immune cell types, we developed a platform that leverages multiplexed single-cell sequencing and out-of-clinic capillary blood extraction to enable simplified, cost-effective profiling of the human immune system across people and time at single-cell resolution. Using the platform, we detect widespread differences in cell type-specific gene expression between subjects that are stable over multiple days.SummaryIncreasing evidence implicates the immune system in an overwhelming number of diseases, and distinct cell types play specific roles in their pathogenesis.1,2 Studies of peripheral blood have uncovered a wealth of associations between gene expression, environmental factors, disease risk, and therapeutic efficacy.4 For example, in rheumatoid arthritis, multiple mechanistic paths have been found that lead to disease, and gene expression of specific immune cell types can be used as a predictor of therapeutic non-response.12 Furthermore, vaccines, drugs, and chemotherapy have been shown to yield different efficacy based on time of administration, and such findings have been linked to the time-dependence of gene expression in downstream pathways.21,22,23 However, human immune studies of gene expression between individuals and across time remain limited to a few cell types or time points per subject, constraining our understanding of how networks of heterogeneous cells making up each individual’s immune system respond to adverse events and change over time.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Ultra-Rare Genetic Variation in the Epilepsies: A Whole-Exome Sequencing Study of 17,606 Individuals.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.736213195.793581702 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Paul Lasko

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

Exome Sequencing ◽

Whole Exome Sequencing ◽

Whole Exome ◽

Rare Genetic Variation

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Desert Bighorn Sheep: Changes in Genetic Variation Over Time and the Impact of Merging Populations

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management ◽

10.3996/082013-jfwm-055 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 5 (1) ◽

pp. 3-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Philip W. Hedrick ◽

John D. Wehausen

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

New Mexico ◽

Monitoring And Evaluation ◽

Bighorn Sheep ◽

Ovis Canadensis ◽

Mexican Population ◽

Desert Bighorn Sheep ◽

Two Generations ◽

The Impact ◽

Over Time

Abstract Founder effects, genetic bottlenecks, and genetic drift in general can lead to low levels of genetic diversity, which can influence the persistence of populations. We examine genetic variation in two populations of desert bighorn sheep Ovis canadensis from New Mexico and Mexico to measure change over time and evaluate the impact of introducing individuals from one population into the other. Over about three generations, the amount of genetic variation in the New Mexico population increased. In contrast, over about two generations the amount of genetic variation in the Mexican population decreased by a great extent compared with an estimate from another Mexican population from which it is primarily descended. The potential reasons for these changes are discussed. In addition, although both populations have low genetic variation, introduction of Mexican rams into the New Mexico population might increase the amount of genetic variation in the New Mexico population. Overall, it appears that management to increase genetic variation might require substantial detailed monitoring and evaluation of ancestry from the different sources and fitness components.

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Characterizing the oligogenic architecture of plant growth phenotypes informs genomic selection approaches in a common wheat population

BMC Genomics ◽

10.1186/s12864-021-07574-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Noah DeWitt ◽

Mohammed Guedira ◽

Edwin Lauer ◽

J. Paul Murphy ◽

David Marshall ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variation ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Genomic Selection ◽

Plant Height ◽

Prediction Models ◽

Growth Traits ◽

Heading Date ◽

Additive Genetic Variation ◽

Moderate Effect ◽

Over Time

Abstract Background Genetic variation in growth over the course of the season is a major source of grain yield variation in wheat, and for this reason variants controlling heading date and plant height are among the best-characterized in wheat genetics. While the major variants for these traits have been cloned, the importance of these variants in contributing to genetic variation for plant growth over time is not fully understood. Here we develop a biparental population segregating for major variants for both plant height and flowering time to characterize the genetic architecture of the traits and identify additional novel QTL. Results We find that additive genetic variation for both traits is almost entirely associated with major and moderate-effect QTL, including four novel heading date QTL and four novel plant height QTL. FT2 and Vrn-A3 are proposed as candidate genes underlying QTL on chromosomes 3A and 7A, while Rht8 is mapped to chromosome 2D. These mapped QTL also underlie genetic variation in a longitudinal analysis of plant growth over time. The oligogenic architecture of these traits is further demonstrated by the superior trait prediction accuracy of QTL-based prediction models compared to polygenic genomic selection models. Conclusions In a population constructed from two modern wheat cultivars adapted to the southeast U.S., almost all additive genetic variation in plant growth traits is associated with known major variants or novel moderate-effect QTL. Major transgressive segregation was observed in this population despite the similar plant height and heading date characters of the parental lines. This segregation is being driven primarily by a small number of mapped QTL, instead of by many small-effect, undetected QTL. As most breeding populations in the southeast U.S. segregate for known QTL for these traits, genetic variation in plant height and heading date in these populations likely emerges from similar combinations of major and moderate effect QTL. We can make more accurate and cost-effective prediction models by targeted genotyping of key SNPs.

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