ORCID Profile
0000-0002-0239-6585
Current Organisation
Philipps-Universität Marburg
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Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 27-10-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41380-021-01359-9
Abstract: Neuroanatomical abnormalities have been reported along a continuum from at-risk stages, including high schizotypy, to early and chronic psychosis. However, a comprehensive neuroanatomical mapping of schizotypy remains to be established. The authors conducted the first large-scale meta-analyses of cortical and subcortical morphometric patterns of schizotypy in healthy in iduals, and compared these patterns with neuroanatomical abnormalities observed in major psychiatric disorders. The s le comprised 3004 unmedicated healthy in iduals (12–68 years, 46.5% male) from 29 cohorts of the worldwide ENIGMA Schizotypy working group. Cortical and subcortical effect size maps with schizotypy scores were generated using standardized methods. Pattern similarities were assessed between the schizotypy-related cortical and subcortical maps and effect size maps from comparisons of schizophrenia (SZ), bipolar disorder (BD) and major depression (MDD) patients with controls. Thicker right medial orbitofrontal/ventromedial prefrontal cortex (mOFC/vmPFC) was associated with higher schizotypy scores ( r = 0.067, p FDR = 0.02). The cortical thickness profile in schizotypy was positively correlated with cortical abnormalities in SZ ( r = 0.285, p spin = 0.024), but not BD ( r = 0.166, p spin = 0.205) or MDD ( r = −0.274, p spin = 0.073). The schizotypy-related subcortical volume pattern was negatively correlated with subcortical abnormalities in SZ (rho = −0.690, p spin = 0.006), BD (rho = −0.672, p spin = 0.009), and MDD (rho = −0.692, p spin = 0.004). Comprehensive mapping of schizotypy-related brain morphometry in the general population revealed a significant relationship between higher schizotypy and thicker mOFC/vmPFC, in the absence of confounding effects due to antipsychotic medication or disease chronicity. The cortical pattern similarity between schizotypy and schizophrenia yields new insights into a dimensional neurobiological continuity across the extended psychosis phenotype.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 08-2021
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 16-04-2021
DOI: 10.1038/S41380-021-01098-X
Abstract: In iduals with bipolar disorders (BD) frequently suffer from obesity, which is often associated with neurostructural alterations. Yet, the effects of obesity on brain structure in BD are under-researched. We obtained MRI-derived brain subcortical volumes and body mass index (BMI) from 1134 BD and 1601 control in iduals from 17 independent research sites within the ENIGMA-BD Working Group. We jointly modeled the effects of BD and BMI on subcortical volumes using mixed-effects modeling and tested for mediation of group differences by obesity using nonparametric bootstrapping. All models controlled for age, sex, hemisphere, total intracranial volume, and data collection site. Relative to controls, in iduals with BD had significantly higher BMI, larger lateral ventricular volume, and smaller volumes of amygdala, hippoc us, pallidum, caudate, and thalamus. BMI was positively associated with ventricular and amygdala and negatively with pallidal volumes. When analyzed jointly, both BD and BMI remained associated with volumes of lateral ventricles and amygdala. Adjusting for BMI decreased the BD vs control differences in ventricular volume. Specifically, 18.41% of the association between BD and ventricular volume was mediated by BMI ( Z = 2.73, p = 0.006). BMI was associated with similar regional brain volumes as BD, including lateral ventricles, amygdala, and pallidum. Higher BMI may in part account for larger ventricles, one of the most replicated findings in BD. Comorbidity with obesity could explain why neurostructural alterations are more pronounced in some in iduals with BD. Future prospective brain imaging studies should investigate whether obesity could be a modifiable risk factor for neuroprogression.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 16-04-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.04.16.21251163
Abstract: Studying the phenotypic and genetic characteristics of age and polarity at onset (AAO, PAO) in bipolar disorder (BD) can provide new insights into disease pathology and facilitate the development of screening tools. To examine the genetic architecture of AAO and PAO and their association with BD disease characteristics. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) and polygenic score (PGS) analyses of AAO (N=12977) and PAO (N=6773) were conducted in BD patients of 34 cohorts and a replication s le (N=2237). The association of onset with disease characteristics was investigated in two of these cohorts. Earlier AAO was associated with an increased risk of psychotic symptoms, suicidality, and fewer episodes. A depressive onset correlated with lifetime suicidality and a manic onset with delusions and manic episodes. Systematic differences in AAO between cohorts and continents of origin were observed. This was also reflected in SNV-based heritability estimates, with higher heritabilities for stricter onset definitions. Increased polygenic scores for autism spectrum disorder (β=-0.34 years, SE=0.08), major depression (β=-0.34 years, SE=0.08), schizophrenia (β=-0.39 years, SE=0.08), and educational attainment (β=-0.31 years, SE=0.08) were associated with an earlier AAO. The AAO GWAS identified one significant locus, but this finding did not replicate. Neither GWAS nor PGS analyses yielded significant associations with PAO. AAO and PAO are associated with indicators of BD severity. In iduals with an earlier onset show an increased polygenic liability for a broad spectrum of psychiatric traits. Systematic differences in AAO across cohorts, continents, and phenotype definitions introduce significant heterogeneity, affecting analyses. In the largest study to systematically characterize age at onset (N=12977) and polarity at onset (N=6773) in bipolar disorder, we describe an association between illness onset characteristics and indicators of severity, confirming their clinical relevance. Our study shows that that early illness onset is associated with genetic liability for a broad range of psychiatric disorders. However, we also highlight systematic differences in age at onset across cohorts, continents, and phenotype definitions. This heterogeneity results in reduced heritability and affects genetic analyses, underscoring the need for the development of standardized phenotype definitions.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 15-11-2021
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2022
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-02-2022
DOI: 10.1007/S00406-021-01366-5
Abstract: Personality traits influence risk for suicidal behavior. We examined phenotype- and genotype-level associations between the Big Five personality traits and suicidal ideation and attempt in major depressive, bipolar and schizoaffective disorder, and schizophrenia patients ( N = 3012) using fixed- and random-effects inverse variance-weighted meta-analyses. Suicidal ideations were more likely to be reported by patients with higher neuroticism and lower extraversion phenotypic scores, but showed no significant association with polygenic load for these personality traits. Our findings provide new insights into the association between personality and suicidal behavior across mental illnesses and suggest that the genetic component of personality traits is unlikely to have strong causal effects on suicidal behavior.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.BIOPSYCH.2021.09.008
Abstract: Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with cortical and subcortical structural brain abnormalities. It is unclear whether such alterations progressively change over time, and how this is related to the number of mood episodes. To address this question, we analyzed a large and erse international s le with longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinical data to examine structural brain changes over time in BD. Longitudinal structural MRI and clinical data from the ENIGMA (Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta Analysis) BD Working Group, including 307 patients with BD and 925 healthy control subjects, were collected from 14 sites worldwide. Male and female participants, aged 40 ± 17 years, underwent MRI at 2 time points. Cortical thickness, surface area, and subcortical volumes were estimated using FreeSurfer. Annualized change rates for each imaging phenotype were compared between patients with BD and healthy control subjects. Within patients, we related brain change rates to the number of mood episodes between time points and tested for effects of demographic and clinical variables. Compared with healthy control subjects, patients with BD showed faster enlargement of ventricular volumes and slower thinning of the fusiform and parahippoc al cortex (0.18 <d < 0.22). More (hypo)manic episodes were associated with faster cortical thinning, primarily in the prefrontal cortex. In the hitherto largest longitudinal MRI study on BD, we did not detect accelerated cortical thinning but noted faster ventricular enlargements in BD. However, abnormal frontocortical thinning was observed in association with frequent manic episodes. Our study yields insights into disease progression in BD and highlights the importance of mania prevention in BD treatment.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-12-2021
DOI: 10.1111/BDI.13172
Abstract: Rates of obesity have reached epidemic proportions, especially among people with psychiatric disorders. While the effects of obesity on the brain are of major interest in medicine, they remain markedly under‐researched in psychiatry. We obtained body mass index (BMI) and magnetic resonance imaging‐derived regional cortical thickness, surface area from 836 bipolar disorders (BD) and 1600 control in iduals from 14 sites within the ENIGMA‐BD Working Group. We identified regionally specific profiles of cortical thickness using K‐means clustering and studied clinical characteristics associated with in idual cortical profiles. We detected two clusters based on similarities among participants in cortical thickness. The lower thickness cluster (46.8% of the s le) showed thinner cortex, especially in the frontal and temporal lobes and was associated with diagnosis of BD, higher BMI, and older age. BD in iduals in the low thickness cluster were more likely to have the diagnosis of bipolar disorder I and less likely to be treated with lithium. In contrast, clustering based on similarities in the cortical surface area was unrelated to BD or BMI and only tracked age and sex. We provide evidence that both BD and obesity are associated with similar alterations in cortical thickness, but not surface area. The fact that obesity increased the chance of having low cortical thickness could explain differences in cortical measures among people with BD. The thinner cortex in in iduals with higher BMI, which was additive and similar to the BD‐associated alterations, may suggest that treating obesity could lower the extent of cortical thinning in BD.
Publisher: Royal College of Psychiatrists
Date: 25-08-2021
DOI: 10.1192/BJP.2021.102
Abstract: Studying phenotypic and genetic characteristics of age at onset (AAO) and polarity at onset (PAO) in bipolar disorder can provide new insights into disease pathology and facilitate the development of screening tools. To examine the genetic architecture of AAO and PAO and their association with bipolar disorder disease characteristics. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) and polygenic score (PGS) analyses of AAO ( n = 12 977) and PAO ( n = 6773) were conducted in patients with bipolar disorder from 34 cohorts and a replication s le ( n = 2237). The association of onset with disease characteristics was investigated in two of these cohorts. Earlier AAO was associated with a higher probability of psychotic symptoms, suicidality, lower educational attainment, not living together and fewer episodes. Depressive onset correlated with suicidality and manic onset correlated with delusions and manic episodes. Systematic differences in AAO between cohorts and continents of origin were observed. This was also reflected in single-nucleotide variant-based heritability estimates, with higher heritabilities for stricter onset definitions. Increased PGS for autism spectrum disorder (β = −0.34 years, s.e. = 0.08), major depression (β = −0.34 years, s.e. = 0.08), schizophrenia (β = −0.39 years, s.e. = 0.08), and educational attainment (β = −0.31 years, s.e. = 0.08) were associated with an earlier AAO. The AAO GWAS identified one significant locus, but this finding did not replicate. Neither GWAS nor PGS analyses yielded significant associations with PAO. AAO and PAO are associated with indicators of bipolar disorder severity. In iduals with an earlier onset show an increased polygenic liability for a broad spectrum of psychiatric traits. Systematic differences in AAO across cohorts, continents and phenotype definitions introduce significant heterogeneity, affecting analyses.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 30-04-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.04.29.21255609
Abstract: Neuroanatomical abnormalities have been reported along a continuum from at-risk stages, including high schizotypy, to early and chronic psychosis. However, a comprehensive neuroanatomical mapping of schizotypy remains to be established. The authors conducted the first large-scale meta-analyses of cortical and subcortical morphometric patterns of schizotypy in healthy in iduals, and compared these patterns with neuroanatomical abnormalities observed in major psychiatric disorders. The s le comprised 3,004 unmedicated healthy in iduals (12-68 years, 46.5% male) from 29 cohorts of the worldwide ENIGMA Schizotypy working group. Cortical and subcortical effect size maps with schizotypy scores were generated using standardized methods. Pattern similarities were assessed between the schizotypy-related cortical and subcortical maps and effect size maps from comparisons of schizophrenia (SZ), bipolar disorder (BD) and major depression (MDD) patients with controls. Thicker right medial orbitofrontal/ventromedial prefrontal cortex (mOFC/vmPFC) was associated with higher schizotypy scores (r=.07, p FDR =.02). The cortical thickness profile in schizotypy was positively correlated with cortical abnormalities in SZ (r=.33, p spin =.01), but not BD (r=.19, p spin =.16) or MDD (r=-.22, p spin =.10). The schizotypy-related subcortical volume pattern was negatively correlated with subcortical abnormalities in SZ (rho=-.65, p spin =.01), BD (rho=-.63, p spin =.01), and MDD (rho=-.69, p spin =.004). Comprehensive mapping of schizotypy-related brain morphometry in the general population revealed a significant relationship between higher schizotypy and thicker mOFC/vmPFC, in the absence of confounding effects due to antipsychotic medication or disease chronicity. The cortical pattern similarity between schizotypy and schizophrenia yields new insights into a dimensional neurobiological continuity across the extended psychosis phenotype.
No related grants have been discovered for Tina Meller.