0000000000133047
AUTHOR
Hans J. Grabe
Later-life depressive symptoms and anxiety attacks in displaced and nondisplaced populations
Abstract Background Forced displacement has been suggested as a potential cause for depression and anxiety in later life. Little research has been done on the influence of the host country's socio-political system. Here we examine whether the later-life effects of displacement on mental health (i.e. depressive symptoms and anxiety attacks) differ between socio-political contexts. We hypothesized that between-group differences (displaced vs. nondisplaced) in self-rated depression scores and frequencies of anxiety attacks are more pronounced in East versus West German populations. Methods Datasets from three representative nationwide surveys (2002, 2003, 2007) were analyzed; study participant…
A common biological basis of obesity and nicotine addiction
Contains fulltext : 128630.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Smoking influences body weight such that smokers weigh less than non-smokers and smoking cessation often leads to weight increase. The relationship between body weight and smoking is partly explained by the effect of nicotine on appetite and metabolism. However, the brain reward system is involved in the control of the intake of both food and tobacco. We evaluated the effect of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) affecting body mass index (BMI) on smoking behavior, and tested the 32 SNPs identified in a meta-analysis for association with two smoking phenotypes, smoking initiation (SI) and the number of cigarettes smoked …
Multi-ancestry genome-wide gene-sleep interactions identify novel loci for blood pressure.
AbstractLong and short sleep duration are associated with elevated blood pressure (BP), possibly through effects on molecular pathways that influence neuroendocrine and vascular systems. To gain new insights into the genetic basis of sleep-related BP variation, we performed genome-wide gene by short or long sleep duration interaction analyses on four BP traits (systolic BP, diastolic BP, mean arterial pressure, and pulse pressure) across five ancestry groups using 1 degree of freedom (1df) interaction and 2df joint tests. Primary multi-ancestry analyses in 62,969 individuals in stage 1 identified 3 novel loci that were replicated in an additional 59,296 individuals in stage 2, including rs7…
Minimization of childhood maltreatment is common and consequential: results from a large, multinational sample using the childhood trauma questionnaire
Childhood maltreatment has diverse, lifelong impact on morbidity and mortality. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) is one of the most commonly used scales to assess and quantify these experiences and their impact. Curiously, despite very widespread use of the CTQ, scores on its Minimization-Denial (MD) subscale-originally designed to assess a positive response bias-are rarely reported. Hence, little is known about this measure. If response biases are either common or consequential, current practices of ignoring the MD scale deserve revision. Therewith, we designed a study to investigate 3 aspects of minimization, as defined by the CTQ's MD scale: 1) its prevalence; 2) its latent struc…
Association of maternal prenatal smoking GFI1-locus and cardio-metabolic phenotypes in 18,212 adults
Background: DNA methylation at the GFI1-locus has been repeatedly associated with exposure to smoking from the foetal period onwards. We explored whether DNA methylation may be a mechanism that links exposure to maternal prenatal smoking with offspring's adult cardio-metabolic health.Methods: We meta-analysed the association between DNA methylation at GFI1-locus with maternal prenatal smoking, adult own smoking, and cardio-metabolic phenotypes in 22 population-based studies from Europe, Australia, and USA (n= 18,212). DNA methylation at the GFI1-locus was measured in whole-blood. Multivariable regression models were fitted to examine its association with exposure to prenatal and own adult s…
Meta-analysis and imputation refines the association of 15q25 with smoking quantity.
Smoking is a leading global cause of disease and mortality(1). We established the Oxford-GlaxoSmithKline study (Ox-GSK) to perform a genome-wide meta-analysis of SNP association with smoking-related behavioral traits. Our final data set included 41,150 individuals drawn from 20 disease, population and control cohorts. Our analysis confirmed an effect on smoking quantity at a locus on 15q25 (P = 9.45 x 10(-19)) that includes CHRNA5, CHRNA3 and CHRNB4, three genes encoding neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits. We used data from the 1000 Genomes project to investigate the region using imputation, which allowed for analysis of virtually all common SNPs in the region and offered a …
Applying polygenic risk scoring for psychiatric disorders to a large family with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder
Psychiatric disorders are thought to have a complex genetic pathology consisting of interplay of common and rare variation. Traditionally, pedigrees are used to shed light on the latter only, while here we discuss the application of polygenic risk scores to also highlight patterns of common genetic risk. We analyze polygenic risk scores for psychiatric disorders in a large pedigree (n ~ 260) in which 30% of family members suffer from major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder. Studying patterns of assortative mating and anticipation, it appears increased polygenic risk is contributed by affected individuals who married into the family, resulting in an increasing genetic risk over generat…
Similarities and Differences of Mental Health in Women and Men: A Systematic Review of Findings in Three Large German Cohorts
In Germany, large, population-based cohort studies have been implemented in order to identify risk and protective factors for maintaining health across the life span. The purpose of this systematic review is to analyse findings from three large ongoing cohorts and to identify sex-specific prevalence rates, risk and protective factors for mental health. Published studies from the Cooperative Health Research in the Region Augsburg (KORA), the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) and the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS)), representing the southern, north-eastern and middle parts of Germany, were identified through searches of the databases PubMed and Web of Science. A total of 52 articles was ident…