Unidirectional and bidirectional causation between smoking and blood DNA methylation: evidence from twin-based Mendelian randomisation.

Cigarette smoking is associated with numerous differentially-methylated genomic loci in multiple human tissues. These associations are often assumed to reflect the causal effects of smoking on DNA methylation (DNAm), which may underpin some of the adverse health sequelae of smoking. However, prior causal analyses with Mendelian Randomisation (MR) have found limited support for such effects.

Linking the gut microbiome to host DNA methylation by a discovery and replication epigenome-wide association study.

Microbiome influences multiple human systems, but its effects on gene methylation is unknown. We investigated the relations between gene methylation in blood and the abundance of common gut bacteria profiled by 16s rRNA gene sequencing in two population-based Dutch cohorts: LifeLines-Deep (LLD, n = 616, discovery) and the Netherlands Twin Register (NTR, n = 296, replication). In LLD, we also explored microbial pathways using data generated by shotgun metagenomic sequencing (n = 683).

Ambulatory autonomic nervous system activity in relation to hearing impairment.

Previous research has demonstrated that hearing impairment is associated with heightened subjective experiences of listening effort, fatigue, and stress, impacting daily functioning. This study aimed to evaluate whether hearing impairment alters physiological stress systems and whether different aspects of hearing impairment could vary in predicting dysregulation in these systems. Hallmark measures of parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system activity were derived from electrocardiography, impedance cardiography, and electrodermal activity recordings taken from 133 individuals, aged 37 to 73, over two 24-hr periods, including sleep.

Heritability of Alzheimer's disease plasma biomarkers: A nuclear twin family design.

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a highly heritable disease (60%-80%). Amyloid beta (Aβ) 42/40, neurofilament light chain (NfL), and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) are plasma biomarkers for AD. Clinical biomarker research would be served by an understanding of the sources of variance in these markers.

Metabolomics profiling of Type D personality traits.

Objective: Type D (Distressed) personality combines negative affectivity (NA) and social inhibition (SI) and is associated with an increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases. Here, we examined the association of Type D traits with 230 (predominantly) lipid metabolites and metabolite ratios.

Methods: Four Dutch cohorts were included, comprising 10,834 individuals.

Accelerometer-based heart rate adjustment for ambulatory stress research.

Using heart rate (HR) measurements to detect mental stress in naturalistic settings is hampered by the physiological impact of hemodynamic and metabolic demands. Correcting HR for these demands can help isolate fluctuations in HR associated with psychosocial stress responses, a concept termed additional heart rate (aHR). This study examined whether adding predictors for posture, activity type, and lagged movement intensity for the prolonged impact of physical activity (PA) improved aHR estimation across various manipulations of mental stress, posture, and PA in a controlled laboratory environment (n = 197).

The association of overweight, obesity, and long-term obesity with SARS-CoV-2 infection: a meta-analysis of 9 population-based cohorts from the Netherlands Cohorts Consortium.

Background: Obesity may affect an individual's immune response and subsequent risk of infection, such as a SARS-CoV-2 infection. It is less clear whether overweight and long-term obesity also constitute risk factors. We investigated the association between the degree and duration of overweight and obesity and SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Unidirectional and Bidirectional Causation between Smoking and Blood DNA Methylation: Evidence from Twin-based Mendelian Randomisation.

Cigarette smoking is associated with numerous differentially-methylated genomic loci in multiple human tissues. These associations are often assumed to reflect the causal effects of smoking on DNA methylation (DNAm), which may underpin some of the adverse health sequelae of smoking. However, prior causal analyses with Mendelian Randomisation (MR) have found limited support for such effects.

A Multimodal Approach to Measuring Listening Effort: A Systematic Review on the Effects of Auditory Task Demand on Physiological Measures and Their Relationship.

Objectives: Listening effort involves the mental effort required to perceive an auditory stimulus, for example in noisy environments. Prolonged increased listening effort, for example due to impaired hearing ability, may increase risk of health complications. It is therefore important to identify valid and sensitive measures of listening effort.

Publication guidelines for human heart rate and heart rate variability studies in psychophysiology-Part 1: Physiological underpinnings and foundations of measurement.

This Committee Report provides methodological, interpretive, and reporting guidance for researchers who use measures of heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) in psychophysiological research. We provide brief summaries of best practices in measuring HR and HRV via electrocardiographic and photoplethysmographic signals in laboratory, field (ambulatory), and brain-imaging contexts to address research questions incorporating measures of HR and HRV. The Report emphasizes evidence for the strengths and weaknesses of different recording and derivation methods for measures of HR and HRV.

Effects of hearing acuity on psychophysiological responses to effortful speech perception.

In recent studies, psychophysiological measures have been used as markers of listening effort, but there is limited research on the effect of hearing loss on such measures. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of hearing acuity on physiological responses and subjective measures acquired during different levels of listening demand, and to investigate the relationship between these measures. A total of 125 participants (37 males and 88 females, age range 37-72 years, pure-tone average hearing thresholds at the best ear between -5.

Genetic confounding in the association of early motor development with childhood and adolescent exercise behavior.

Introduction: Early motor development has been found to be a predictor of exercise behavior in children and adolescents, but whether this reflects a causal effect or confounding by genetic or shared environmental factors remains to be established.

Methods: For 20,911 complete twin pairs from the Netherlands Twin Register a motor development score was obtained from maternal reports on the timing of five motor milestones. During a 12-year follow-up, subsamples of the mothers reported on the twins' ability to perform seven gross motor skills ability (N = 17,189 pairs), and weekly minutes of total metabolic equivalents of task (MET) spent on sports and exercise activities at age 7 (N = 3632 pairs), age 10 (N = 3735 pairs), age 12 (N = 7043 pairs), and age 14 (N = 3990 pairs).

Genomics Research of Lifetime Depression in the Netherlands: The BIObanks Netherlands Internet Collaboration (BIONIC) Project.

In this cohort profile article we describe the lifetime major depressive disorder (MDD) database that has been established as part of the BIObanks Netherlands Internet Collaboration (BIONIC). Across the Netherlands we collected data on () lifetime MDD diagnosis in 132,850 Dutch individuals. Currently, = 66,684 of these also have genomewide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data.

Using Instrumental Variables to Measure Causation over Time in Cross-Lagged Panel Models.

Cross-lagged panel models (CLPMs) are commonly used to estimate causal influences between two variables with repeated assessments. The lagged effects in a CLPM depend on the time interval between assessments, eventually becoming undetectable at longer intervals. To address this limitation, we incorporate instrumental variables (IVs) into the CLPM with two study waves and two variables.

Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Profiles in Whole-Blood and Buccal Samples-Cross-Sectional, Longitudinal, and across Platforms.

The field of DNA methylation research is rapidly evolving, focusing on disease and phenotype changes over time using methylation measurements from diverse tissue sources and multiple array platforms. Consequently, identifying the extent of longitudinal, inter-tissue, and inter-platform variation in DNA methylation is crucial for future advancement. DNA methylation was measured in 375 individuals, with 197 of those having 2 blood sample measurements ~10 years apart.

Phenotypic but not genetically predicted heart rate variability associated with all-cause mortality.

Low heart rate variability (HRV) has been widely reported as a predictor for increased mortality. However, the molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to identify novel genetic loci associated with HRV and assess the association of phenotypic HRV and genetically predicted HRV with mortality.

Effects of smoking on genome-wide DNA methylation profiles: A study of discordant and concordant monozygotic twin pairs.

Background: Smoking-associated DNA methylation levels identified through epigenome-wide association studies (EWASs) are generally ascribed to smoking-reactive mechanisms, but the contribution of a shared genetic predisposition to smoking and DNA methylation levels is typically not accounted for.

Methods: We exploited a strong within-family design, that is, the discordant monozygotic twin design, to study reactiveness of DNA methylation in blood cells to smoking and reversibility of methylation patterns upon quitting smoking. Illumina HumanMethylation450 BeadChip data were available for 769 monozygotic twin pairs (mean age = 36 years, range = 18-78, 70% female), including pairs discordant or concordant for current or former smoking.