1,245 results match your criteria: "Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics[Affiliation]"

Bipolar disorder is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease. Despite high heritability (60-80%), the majority of the underlying genetic determinants remain unknown. We analysed data from participants of European, East Asian, African American and Latino ancestries (n = 158,036 cases with bipolar disorder, 2.

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

Eur J Epidemiol

January 2025

Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, 800 E. Leigh St., Suite 100, Richmond, VA, 23298, USA.

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.

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Unraveling the associations between voice pitch and major depressive disorder: a multisite genetic study.

Mol Psychiatry

December 2024

Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Brain Research Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) often goes undiagnosed due to the absence of clear biomarkers. We sought to identify voice biomarkers for MDD and separate biomarkers indicative of MDD predisposition from biomarkers reflecting current depressive symptoms. Using a two-stage meta-analytic design to remove confounds, we tested the association between features representing vocal pitch and MDD in a multisite case-control cohort study of Chinese women with recurrent depression.

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Psychiatric disorders are highly comorbid, heritable, and genetically correlated [1-4]. The primary objective of cross-disorder psychiatric genetics research is to identify and characterize both the shared genetic factors that contribute to convergent disease etiologies and the unique genetic factors that distinguish between disorders [4, 5]. This information can illuminate the biological mechanisms underlying comorbid presentations of psychopathology, improve nosology and prediction of illness risk and trajectories, and aid the development of more effective and targeted interventions.

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The network theory of psychopathology posits that mental disorders are systems of mutually reinforcing symptoms. This framework has proven highly generative but does not specify precisely how any specific mental disorder operates as such a system. Cognitive behavioral theories of mental disorders provide considerable insight into how these systems may operate.

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The Mechanisms Underlying the Intergenerational Transmission of Substance Use and Misuse: An Integrated Research Approach.

Twin Res Hum Genet

December 2024

Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.

Substance use and substance use disorders run in families. While it has long been recognized that the etiology of substance use behaviors and disorders involves a combination of genetic and environmental factors, two key questions remain largely unanswered: (1) the intergenerational transmission through which these genetic predispositions are passed from parents to children, and (2) the molecular mechanisms linking genetic variants to substance use behaviors and disorders. This article aims to provide a comprehensive conceptual framework and methodological approach for investigating the intergenerational transmission of substance use behaviors and disorders, by integrating genetic nurture analysis, gene expression imputation, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis.

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Background: Early midlife individuals (ages 30-40) experience demographic shifts that may influence the remainder of adult life. Although new or persistent alcohol misuse is common during this period, early midlife is understudied in alcohol use literature. We examined the heritability of alcohol misuse; the associations between alcohol misuse and sociodemographic factors, physical health, and well-being; and whether these associations were robust in cotwin comparisons.

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Information on how parental risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) relates to their children's risk for drug use disorder (DUD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) is limited. This study is the first to utilize an extended adoption design which can address questions about the degree of, and sources of, cross-generational and cross-disorder transmission of PTSD and substance use disorders. We examined diagnoses using Swedish National registries for parents and their adult offspring ( = 2,194,171, born 1960-1992) from six types of families (intact (1), not lived with biological father (2) or mother (3), step father (4), step mother (5), and adoptive (6)).

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Article Synopsis
  • The study examined how symptoms of mental disorders co-occur with substance use in U.S. adults, using data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study across three waves.
  • Four latent classes were identified in the first wave: low symptom (most participants), internalizing, externalizing, and comorbid (least participants), with similar patterns observed in subsequent waves but some shifts in class composition.
  • Overall, individuals often moved into the low symptom class over time, indicating that as participants aged, the relationships between substance use and mental health symptoms might evolve, and the severity of psychiatric comorbidity may vary based on demographic factors.
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Background: Drug use Disorder (DUD), the risk for which is substantially influenced by both genetic and social factors, is geographically concentrated in high-risk regions. An important step toward understanding this pattern is to examine geographical distributions of the genetic liability to DUD and a key demographic risk factor - social deprivation.

Methods: We calculated the mean family genetic risk score (FGRS) for DUD ((FGRS) and social deprivation for each of the 5983 areas Demographic Statistical Areas (DeSO) for all of Sweden and used geospatial techniques to analyze and map these factors.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the relationship between age at onset (AAO) of psychiatric disorders and genetic heterogeneity using Family Genetic Risk Scores (FGRS).
  • Researchers focused on five disorders: drug use disorder, alcohol use disorder, major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, analyzing individuals born in Sweden between 1940-2003.
  • Results showed that as AAO increased, schizophrenia displayed increased genetic risk, while major depression became more genetically homogenous, highlighting significant inter-disorder differences in how AAO affects genetic risks.
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Objectives: We examined associations between polygenic risk scores (PRS) for depression (PRS-MDD), psychosis (PRS-SCZ), bipolar disorders (PRS-BD) and neuroticism (PRS-NEU) and (i) help-seeking, and (ii) new onset cases of full-threshold mood or psychotic disorders in youth.

Methods: Help-seeking for mental health problems was assessed by self-report and mood and psychotic disorders were identified using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. A principal component analysis of the four selected PRS identified two dimensions (BD-SCZ; MDD-NEU) that accounted for 69.

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Causal inference is inherently complex and relies on key assumptions that can be difficult to validate. One strong assumption is population homogeneity, which assumes that the causal direction remains consistent across individuals. However, there may be variation in causal directions across subpopulations, leading to potential heterogeneity.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study using Swedish national register data involving over 2.8 million individuals investigated the relationship between divorce and family genetic risk scores (FGRS) for ten psychiatric disorders.
  • The findings revealed that individuals who experienced divorce had higher FGRS for all disorders compared to those who remained stably married or never married.
  • Additionally, divorced females exhibited higher FGRS than divorced males, and higher FGRS was linked to those who did not remarry or had multiple divorces, highlighting how genetic factors may influence both divorce rates and psychiatric risk.
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Trauma exposure and drinking motives (e.g., social, enhancement, coping) are both associated with increased alcohol use and related problems.

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Genetic liability estimated from large-scale family data improves genetic prediction, risk score profiling, and gene mapping for major depression.

Am J Hum Genet

November 2024

Institute of Biological Psychiatry, Mental Health Center - Sct Hans, Copenhagen University Hospital - Mental Health Services CPH, Copenhagen, Denmark; The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research (iPSYCH), Copenhagen, Denmark; Section for Geogenetics, GLOBE Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Science, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • Large biobank samples allow researchers to combine detailed family histories and genetic data to investigate complex diseases.
  • The study introduces a new method called Pearson-Aitken Family Genetic Risk Scores (PA-FGRS) to estimate disease risk based on family medical histories.
  • Applying PA-FGRS to major depressive disorder (MDD) shows improved understanding of genetic factors and clinical variability, and enhances the effectiveness of genetic studies across different complex conditions.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates how marriage impacts the risk of alcohol use disorder (AUD) among Swedes of different cultural backgrounds, utilizing national data from Sweden.
  • Results show that marriage generally reduces AUD risk, but the effect varies depending on cultural background, with males of Finnish descent experiencing less protection than those of Swedish descent.
  • Additionally, marrying someone from a foreign background increases AUD risk for individuals with a Swedish background, although this risk decreases when accounting for familial influences.
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Major depressive disorder (MDD) often goes undiagnosed due to the absence of clear biomarkers. We sought to identify voice biomarkers for MDD and separate biomarkers indicative of MDD predisposition from biomarkers reflecting current depressive symptoms. Using a two-stage meta-analytic design to remove confounds, we tested the association between features representing vocal pitch and MDD in a multisite case-control cohort study of Chinese women with recurrent depression.

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The genetics of spatiotemporal variation in cortical thickness in youth.

Commun Biol

October 2024

Departments of Psychiatry and Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.

Prior studies have shown strong genetic effects on cortical thickness (CT), structural covariance, and neurodevelopmental trajectories in childhood and adolescence. However, the importance of genetic factors on the induction of spatiotemporal variation during neurodevelopment remains poorly understood. Here, we explore the genetics of maturational coupling by examining 308 MRI-derived regional CT measures in a longitudinal sample of 677 twins and family members.

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Purpose: College students are at an increased risk for trauma exposure (TE), as well as weight gain and subsequent obesity. Notably, existing research has demonstrated that TE is associated with subsequent obesity. However, there is a dearth of literature looking at this relationship in college students who are at increased risk.

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Emotional processing in binge drinking, tobacco use disorder and their comorbidity in youth: A preregistered PRISMA scoping review.

Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry

September 2024

Louvain Experimental Psychopathology research group (LEP), Psychological Science Research Institute, UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. Electronic address:

Background: Binge drinking (BD) and tobacco use disorder (TUD) are prevalent among youth, with significant social and health implications. However, research into the emotional impairments associated with BD and TUD during adolescence is sparse and lacks integration within a comprehensive model of emotional processes. Moreover, the impact of comorbid BD and TUD on emotional deficits remains largely unexplored.

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This study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of a yoga intervention for veterans with comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and chronic pain (CP) that was adapted for virtual implementation. This pilot feasibility study at a large, mid-Atlantic Veteran's Affairs (VA) Medical Center with veterans with both PTSD and CP examined the adaptation of an eight-session virtual yoga group intervention. Participants ( = 18, 11 completers) were primarily male (82.

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Article Synopsis
  • The continuum hypothesis suggests that binge drinking and severe alcohol use disorder (SAUD) might cause similar problems with thinking and feelings.
  • A study compared binge drinkers and light drinkers on moral choices, finding that both groups made decisions similarly without major differences.
  • The results indicate that binge drinkers can still make social decisions well, meaning that their ability to handle complex social situations isn’t as affected as thought.
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