Publications by authors named "Georgina Mansell"
Article Synopsis
- Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) analyze DNA methylation in whole blood to find genetic variations linked to traits, but it's uncertain if these variations occur in specific blood cell types.* -
- In this study, researchers collected various peripheral tissues and purified blood cell types, using advanced methods to profile DNA methylation across eight sample types from thirty individuals.* -
- They identified significant differences in DNA methylation levels and variability across different tissues, showing that whole blood methylation reflects influences from multiple cell types, which is important for understanding epigenetic associations in health research.*
We performed a systematic analysis of blood DNA methylation profiles from 4483 participants from seven independent cohorts identifying differentially methylated positions (DMPs) associated with psychosis, schizophrenia, and treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Psychosis cases were characterized by significant differences in measures of blood cell proportions and elevated smoking exposure derived from the DNA methylation data, with the largest differences seen in treatment-resistant schizophrenia patients. We implemented a stringent pipeline to meta-analyze epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) results across datasets, identifying 95 DMPs associated with psychosis and 1048 DMPs associated with schizophrenia, with evidence of colocalization to regions nominated by genetic association studies of disease.
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- - This study investigates how experiencing severe victimization during adolescence may affect an individual’s epigenetic markers, comparing those who faced such stressors to those who didn’t, while controlling for various factors like genetics and environment.
- - Researchers analyzed DNA samples from 118 pairs of identical twins over different ages to identify changes in DNA methylation patterns associated with severe adolescent victimization.
- - The findings revealed specific changes in DNA methylation at multiple locations in both blood and buccal tissues, highlighting potential biological markers linked to the impacts of experiencing victimization during critical development years.
Schizophrenia (SCZ) is associated with high mortality. DNA methylation levels vary over the life course, and pre-selected combinations of methylation array probes can be used to estimate "methylation age" (mAge). mAge correlates highly with chronological age but when it differs, termed mAge acceleration, it has been previously associated with all-cause mortality.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: There has been a steady increase in the number of studies aiming to identify DNA methylation differences associated with complex phenotypes. Many of the challenges of epigenetic epidemiology regarding study design and interpretation have been discussed in detail, however there are analytical concerns that are outstanding and require further exploration. In this study we seek to address three analytical issues.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDepression is a common and disabling disorder, representing a major social and economic health issue. Moreover, depression is associated with the progression of diseases with an inflammatory etiology including many inflammatory-related disorders. At the molecular level, the mechanisms by which depression might promote the onset of these diseases and associated immune-dysfunction are not well understood.
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