The Association of Hippocampal Long-Term Potentiation-Induced Gene Expression with Genetic Risk for Psychosis.

Genomic studies focusing on the contribution of common and rare genetic variants of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder support the view that substantial risk is conferred through molecular pathways involved in synaptic plasticity in the neurons of cortical and subcortical brain regions, including the hippocampus. Synaptic long-term potentiation (LTP) is central to associative learning and memory and depends on a pattern of gene expression in response to neuronal stimulation. Genes related to the induction of LTP have been associated with psychiatric genetic risk, but the specific cell types and timepoints responsible for the association are unknown.

Enrichment of the Local Synaptic Translatome for Genetic Risk Associated With Schizophrenia and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Background: Genes that encode synaptic proteins or messenger RNA targets of the RNA-binding protein FMRP (fragile X messenger ribonucleoprotein) have been linked to schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through the enrichment of genetic variants that confer risk for these disorders. FMRP binds many transcripts with synaptic functions and is thought to regulate their local translation, a process that enables rapid and compartmentalized protein synthesis required for development and plasticity.

Methods: We used summary statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies of schizophrenia (74,776 cases, 101,023 controls) and ASD (18,381 cases, 27,969 controls) to test the hypothesis that the subset of synaptic genes that encode localized transcripts is more strongly associated with each disorder than nonlocalized transcripts.

From pollution to prosperity: Investigating the Environmental Kuznets curve and pollution-haven hypothesis in sub-Saharan Africa's industrial sector.

Drivers of environmental change and policy processes are pushing the sub-Saharan African region to do more in the struggle against climate change as the region suffers most from climate change impact. To this end, this study investigates how the interaction effects of a sustainable financing model in energy use influence carbon emissions in Sub-Saharan African economies. It is based on the theory that energy consumption is determined by increased economic financing.

The relationship between case-control differential gene expression from brain tissue and genetic associations in schizophrenia.

Large numbers of genetic loci have been identified that are known to contain common risk alleles for schizophrenia, but linking associated alleles to specific risk genes remains challenging. Given that most alleles that influence liability to schizophrenia are thought to do so by altered gene expression, intuitively, case-control differential gene expression studies should highlight genes with a higher probability of being associated with schizophrenia and could help identify the most likely causal genes within associated loci. Here, we test this hypothesis by comparing transcriptome analysis of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex from 563 schizophrenia cases and 802 controls with genome-wide association study (GWAS) data from the third wave study of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium.

Social interaction following prepubertal stress alters prefrontal gene expression associated with cell signalling and oligodendrocytes.

Early-life adversity is associated with an increased risk of psychopathology, including mood disorders, later in life. Early-life stress affects several physiological systems, however, the exact mechanisms underlying pathological risk are not fully understood. This knowledge is crucial in developing appropriate therapeutic interventions.