Dataset Information

Subcortical brain volumes, cortical thickness and cortical surface area in families genetically enriched for social anxiety disorder - A multiplex multigenerational neuroimaging study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a disabling psychiatric condition with a genetic background. Brain alterations in gray matter (GM) related to SAD have been previously reported, but it remains to be elucidated whether GM measures are candidate endophenotypes of SAD. Endophenotypes are measurable characteristics on the causal pathway from genotype to phenotype, providing insight in genetically-based disease mechanisms. Based on a review of existing evidence, we examined whether GM characteristics meet two endophenotype criteria, using data from a unique sample of SAD-patients and their family-members of two generations. First, we investigated whether GM characteristics co-segregate with social anxiety within families genetically enriched for SAD. Secondly, heritability of the GM characteristics was estimated.

Methods

Families with a genetic predisposition for SAD participated in the Leiden Family Lab study on SAD; T1-weighted MRI brain scans were acquired (n?=?110, 8 families). Subcortical volumes, cortical thickness and cortical surface area were determined for a-priori determined regions of interest (ROIs). Next, associations with social anxiety and heritabilities were estimated.

Findings

Several subcortical and cortical GM characteristics, derived from frontal, parietal and temporal ROIs, co-segregated with social anxiety within families (uncorrected p-level) and showed moderate to high heritability.

Interpretation

These findings provide preliminary evidence that GM characteristics of multiple ROIs, which are distributed over the brain, are candidate endophenotypes of SAD. Thereby, they shed light on the genetic vulnerability for SAD. Future research is needed to confirm these results and to link them to functional brain alterations and to genetic variations underlying these GM changes. FUND: Leiden University Research Profile 'Health, Prevention and the Human Life Cycle'.

SUBMITTER: Bas-Hoogendam JM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6197574 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Subcortical brain volumes, cortical thickness and cortical surface area in families genetically enriched for social anxiety disorder - A multiplex multigenerational neuroimaging study.

Bas-Hoogendam Janna Marie JM van Steenbergen Henk H Tissier Renaud L M RLM Houwing-Duistermaat Jeanine J JJ Westenberg P Michiel PM van der Wee Nic J A NJA

EBioMedicine 20180925

<h4>Background</h4>Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a disabling psychiatric condition with a genetic background. Brain alterations in gray matter (GM) related to SAD have been previously reported, but it remains to be elucidated whether GM measures are candidate endophenotypes of SAD. Endophenotypes are measurable characteristics on the causal pathway from genotype to phenotype, providing insight in genetically-based disease mechanisms. Based on a review of existing evidence, we examined whether ...[more]

PMID: 30266294

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Project description:BackgroundPrevious quantitative synthetic MRI of the brain has been solely performed in 2D.PurposeTo evaluate the feasibility of the recently developed sequence 3D-QALAS for brain cortical thickness and volumetric analysis.Study typeReproducibility/repeatability study.SubjectsTwenty-one healthy volunteers (35.6 ± 13.8 years).Field strength/sequence3D T1 -weighted fast spoiled gradient recalled echo (FSPGR) sequence was performed once, and 3D-QALAS sequence was performed twice with a 3T scanner.AssessmentFreeSurfer and FIRST were used to measure cortical thickness and volume of subcortical structures, respectively. Agreement with FSPGR and scan-rescan repeatability were evaluated for 3D-QALAS.Statistical testsPercent relative difference and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to assess reproducibility and scan-rescan repeatability of the 3D-QALAS sequence-derived measurements.ResultsPercent relative difference compared with FSPGR in cortical thickness of the whole cortex was 3.1%, and 89% of the regional areas showed less than 10% relative difference in cortical thickness. The mean ICC across all regions was 0.65, and 74% of the structures showed substantial to almost perfect agreement. For volumes of subcortical structures, the median percent relative differences were lower than 10% across all subcortical structures, except for the accumbens area, and all structures showed ICCs of substantial to almost perfect agreement. For the scan-rescan test, percent relative difference in cortical thickness of the whole cortex was 2.3%, and 97% of the regional areas showed less than 10% relative difference in cortical thickness. The mean ICC across all regions was 0.73, and 80% showed substantial to almost perfect agreement. For volumes of subcortical structures, relative differences were less than 10% across all subcortical structures except for the accumbens area, and all structures showed ICCs of substantial to almost perfect agreement.Data conclusion3D-QALAS could be reliably used for measuring cortical thickness and subcortical volumes in most brain regions.Level of evidence3 Technical Efficacy: Stage 1 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;50:1834-1842.

Dataset Information

Subcortical brain volumes, cortical thickness and cortical surface area in families genetically enriched for social anxiety disorder - A multiplex multigenerational neuroimaging study.

Background

Methods

Findings

Interpretation

Publications

Subcortical brain volumes, cortical thickness and cortical surface area in families genetically enriched for social anxiety disorder - A multiplex multigenerational neuroimaging study.

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