Publications by authors named "Grabe H"
Automated Measurement of Strabismus Angle Using a Commercial Virtual Reality Headset.
Klin Monbl Augenheilkd
December 2024
Current clinical measurements of strabismus angles (SAs) are manual and require a skilled examiner and active cooperation by patients. This results in high interexaminer variability, and clinical use is limited by the availability of trained examiners. An objective and automated procedure, independent of the examiner, would be useful.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLow income, being without employment, and living alone: how they are associated with cognitive functioning-Results from the German national cohort (NAKO).
Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn
December 2024
Aim was to investigate to what extent cognitive functioning differs by three socioeconomic conditions: low income, being without employment, and living alone. A total of N = 158,144 participants of the population-based German National Cohort (NAKO) provided data on socioeconomic conditions and completed cognitive tests. Multivariable confounder-adjusted regression analyses indicated that cognitive functioning was lower in those with low income (b = -0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The association of overall cardiovascular health (CVH) with changes in DNA methylation (DNAm) has not been well characterized.
Methods: We calculated the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (LE8) score to reflect CVH in five cohorts with diverse ancestry backgrounds. Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) for LE8 score were conducted, followed by bioinformatic analyses.
Article Synopsis
- - White matter hyperintensities indicate damage in the brain's white matter, which can lead to brain shrinkage and is linked to dementia; a study of over 51,000 people found that larger volumes of these hyperintensities correspond to thinner brain cortex.
- - Researchers identified 20 significant genetic loci related to white matter hyperintensities that affect genes involved in brain cell types known to support vascular health and neuronal function; some of these genes play roles in processes like axonal structure and transport within the brain.
- - The genetic traits tied to white matter issues were linked to cardiovascular health, neurodegeneration markers, and poorer cognitive performance, with a polygenic risk score effectively predicting dementia risk in a separate large
Article Synopsis
- This study investigates the link between an epigenetic risk score (ERS) related to alcohol consumption and blood pressure traits, finding significant associations between higher ERS and increased blood pressure levels among participants.
- In the analysis of 3,898 individuals from the Framingham Heart Study, each unit increase in the ERS correlated with a rise in systolic blood pressure (SBP) by almost 2 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) by about 0.68 mm Hg.
- The research suggests that the ERS could serve as a useful tool for assessing cardiovascular risks linked to alcohol consumption, especially in cases where self-reported data may be unreliable.
Article Synopsis
- Subcortical brain structures play a crucial role in various developmental and psychiatric disorders, and a study analyzed brain volumes in 74,898 individuals, identifying 254 genetic loci linked to these volumes, which accounted for up to 35% of variation.
- The research included exploring gene expression in specific neural cell types, focusing on genes involved in intracellular signaling and processes related to brain aging.
- The findings suggest that certain genetic variants not only influence brain volume but also have potential causal links to conditions like Parkinson’s disease and ADHD, highlighting the genetic basis for risks associated with neuropsychiatric disorders.
Article Synopsis
- The COVID-19 pandemic led to studies on how it affected people's mental health, with mixed results; some felt worse, while others stayed stable.
- The study focused on 135,445 people in Germany to see how age and past mental health issues affected depression and anxiety during the early pandemic.
- Results showed people with past mental health problems felt the same after the pandemic began, but younger folks without those issues felt worse, highlighting the need for better support strategies.
Article Synopsis
- Subcortical brain structures play a crucial role in various disorders, and a study analyzed the genetic basis of brain volumes in nearly 75,000 individuals of European ancestry, revealing 254 loci linked to these volumes.
- The research identified significant gene expression in neural cells, relating to brain aging and signaling, and found that polygenic scores could predict brain volumes across different ancestries.
- The study highlights genetic connections between brain volumes and conditions like Parkinson's disease and ADHD, suggesting specific gene expression patterns could be involved in neuropsychiatric disorders.
Article Synopsis
- Alzheimer's disease (AD) exhibits varied brain atrophy patterns, identified through a semi-supervised learning technique (Surreal-GAN) that distinguishes between "diffuse-AD" (widespread atrophy) and "MTL-AD" (focal atrophy in the medial temporal lobe) dimensions in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD.
- Only the "MTL-AD" dimension was linked to known AD genetic risk factors like APOE ε4, and both dimensions were later detected in asymptomatic individuals, revealing their association with different genetic and pathological mechanisms.
- Aside from brain-related genes, up to 77 additional genes were identified in various organs, pointing to broader
Article Synopsis
- - The study aimed to explore the genetic basis of major depressive disorder by analyzing symptoms across various clinical and community cohorts, acknowledging challenges like sample size differences and missing data patterns.
- - Researchers performed genome-wide association studies using data from both diagnosed and undiagnosed participants, fitting models to understand the relationships between different depressive symptoms.
- - Findings emphasized the relevance of symptom directionality (e.g., hypersomnia vs. insomnia) and the necessity of considering study design when analyzing genetic data related to depression.
This review article provides insights into the role of genetic diagnostics in adult mental health disorders. The importance of genetic factors in the development of mental illnesses, from rare genetic syndromes to common complex genetic disorders, is described. Current clinical characteristics that may warrant a genetic diagnostic work-up are highlighted, including intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorders and severe psychiatric conditions with specific comorbidities, such as organ malformations or epilepsy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study examines the relationship between major depressive disorder (MDD) and obesity-related traits in a sample of 4,100 adults in Germany, focusing on differences between sexes and the impact of MDD recurrence.
- Among women, MDD is linked to lower general and central obesity, while in men, MDD is positively associated with certain obesity measures such as subcutaneous and visceral fat, indicating differing obesity patterns based on sex.
- The findings suggest that understanding how MDD recurrence and sex influence obesity can help identify individuals with MDD at greater risk for cardiometabolic issues, emphasizing the importance of tailored interventions.
Article Synopsis
- * We found 17 genetic loci associated with sleep duration impacting lipid levels, with 10 of them being newly identified and linked to sleep-related disturbances in lipid metabolism.
- * The research points to potential drug targets that could lead to new treatments for lipid-related issues in individuals with sleep problems, highlighting the connection between sleep patterns and cardiovascular health.
Aim: To assess the impact of active (APT) and supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) on the change in probing depth (PD) and annual tooth loss in partially and fully compliant and drop-out patients.
Material And Methods: Data of 280 periodontally treated partially and fully compliant (regular supportive visits, SPT duration 5.5 ± 4.
Circulating miRNAs modulating systemic low-grade inflammation and affecting neurodegeneration.
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry
December 2024
Objective And Design: Inflammatory processes are an important part of the etiology of many chronic diseases across various medical domains, including neurodegeneration. Understanding their regulation on the molecular level represents a major challenge. Regulatory microRNAs (miRNAs), have been recognized for their role in post-transcriptionally modulating immune-related pathways serving as biomarkers for numerous diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTelomere shortening is a prominent hallmark of aging and is emerging as a characteristic feature of Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). Optimal telomerase activity prevents progressive shortening of telomeres that triggers DNA damage responses. However, the upstream regulation of telomerase holoenzyme components remains poorly defined.
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- - The aging process of the brain is affected by lifestyle, environmental, genetic factors, and age-related diseases, with advanced imaging and AI techniques helping to reveal the complexities of neuroanatomical changes.
- - A study involving nearly 50,000 participants identified five major patterns of brain atrophy, which are quantified using R-indices to analyze their connections to various biomedical, lifestyle, and genetic factors.
- - These R-indices not only predict disease progression and mortality but also offer a new, nuanced framework for understanding brain aging, which may enhance personalized diagnostics and improve clinical trial strategies.
Resilience is the capacity to adapt to stressful life events. As such, this trait is associated with physical and mental functions and conditions. Here, we aimed to identify the genetic factors contributing to shape resilience.
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- * A genome-wide association meta-analysis of nearly 122,000 ANX cases revealed 58 significant genetic variants and 66 related genes, with many of these findings replicated in a larger independent sample.
- * The findings indicate a substantial genetic overlap between ANX and other conditions like depression, emphasizing GABAergic signaling as a key mechanism, thereby enhancing our understanding of the genetic basis of ANX for future research.
Background And Aims: Childhood maltreatment (CM) is linked to self-reported liver disease in adulthood. However, specific diagnostic entities, e.g.
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- - The ENIGMA Anxiety Working Group studied brain structural differences between individuals with specific phobias and healthy participants, focusing on subtypes of phobias like animal and blood-injection-injury (BII) while examining how these differences relate to symptom severity and age.
- - A total of 1,452 participants with phobias and 2,991 healthy subjects were analyzed, revealing that those with phobias exhibited smaller subcortical volumes and varying cortical thickness, especially noted in adults rather than youths.
- - The results indicate that brain alterations in specific phobias are more significant than in other anxiety disorders, revealing distinct neural underpinnings linked to fear processing across different phobia types, highlighting a
Excitation/inhibition (E/I) balance plays important roles in mental disorders. Bioactive phospholipids like lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) are synthesized by the enzyme autotaxin (ATX) at cortical synapses and modulate glutamatergic transmission, and eventually alter E/I balance of cortical networks. Here, we analyzed functional consequences of altered E/I balance in 25 human subjects induced by genetic disruption of the synaptic lipid signaling modifier PRG-1, which were compared to 25 age and sex matched control subjects.
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- Major depressive disorder (MDD) has diverse comorbidities that complicate understanding its biological mechanisms; previous research identified seven clusters based on genetic and environmental risk factors.
- Our study analyzed data from over 77,000 participants to explore gene-by-environment interactions, specifically focusing on childhood trauma's impact within these clusters.
- Significant genetic findings included unique SNPs associated with high-comorbidity clusters, while established candidates for childhood maltreatment and depression were also replicated, confirming links between genetic risk and trauma exposure.