Mitochondrial DNA variants and their impact on epigenetic and biological aging in young adulthood.

The pace of biological aging varies between people independently of chronological age and mitochondria dysfunction is a key hallmark of biological aging. We hypothesized that higher functional impact (FI) score of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variants might contribute to premature aging and tested the relationships between a novel FI score of mtDNA variants and epigenetic and biological aging in young adulthood. A total of 81 participants from the European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ELSPAC) prenatal birth cohort had good quality genetic data as well as blood-based markers to estimate biological aging in the late 20.

Cognitive Dysfunction in the Addictions (CDiA): A Neuron to Neighbourhood Collaborative Research Program on Executive Dysfunction and Functional Outcomes in Outpatients Seeking Treatment for Addiction.

Background: Substance use disorders (SUDs) are pressing global public health problems. Executive functions (EFs) are prominently featured in mechanistic models of addiction. However, there remain significant gaps in our understanding of EFs in SUDs, including the dimensional relationships of EFs to underlying neural circuits, molecular biomarkers, disorder heterogeneity, and functional ability.

Exosome-associated mitochondrial DNA in late-life depression: Implications for cognitive decline in older adults.

Background: Disrupted cellular communication, inflammatory responses and mitochondrial dysfunction are consistently observed in late-life depression (LLD). Exosomes (EXs) mediate cellular communication by transporting molecules, including mitochondrial DNA (EX-mtDNA), playing critical role in immunoregulation alongside tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Changes in EX-mtDNA are indicators of impaired mitochondrial function and might increase vulnerability to adverse health outcomes.

Neurodevelopmental signature of a transcriptome-based polygenic risk score for depression.

Disentangling the molecular underpinnings of major depressive disorder (MDD) is necessary for identifying new treatment and prevention targets. The functional impact of depression-related transcriptomic changes on the brain remains relatively unexplored. We recently developed a novel transcriptome-based polygenic risk score (tPRS) composed of genes transcriptionally altered in MDD.

Prenatal exposure to alcohol and its impact on reward processing and substance use in adulthood.

Heavy maternal alcohol drinking during pregnancy has been associated with altered neurodevelopment in the child but the effects of low-dose alcohol drinking are less clear and any potential safe level of alcohol use during pregnancy is not known. We evaluated the effects of prenatal alcohol on reward-related behavior and substance use in young adulthood and the potential sex differences therein. Participants were members of the European Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ELSPAC) prenatal birth cohort who participated in its neuroimaging follow-up in young adulthood.