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Subcortical brain volumes, cortical thickness and cortical surface area in families genetically enriched for social anxiety disorder - A multiplex multigenerational neuroimaging study.
- Source :
-
EBioMedicine [EBioMedicine] 2018 Oct; Vol. 36, pp. 410-428. Date of Electronic Publication: 2018 Sep 25. - Publication Year :
- 2018
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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.<br />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.<br />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.<br />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'.<br /> (Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Subjects :
- Adolescent
Adult
Anxiety
Child
Family
Female
Gray Matter pathology
Gray Matter physiopathology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Middle Aged
Neuroimaging methods
Organ Size
Pedigree
Phenotype
Phobia, Social diagnosis
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Young Adult
Brain pathology
Brain physiopathology
Cerebral Cortex pathology
Cerebral Cortex physiopathology
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
Phobia, Social etiology
Phobia, Social psychology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 2352-3964
- Volume :
- 36
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- EBioMedicine
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 30266294
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.08.048