1,246 results match your criteria: "Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics[Affiliation]"

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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We investigate whether number of episodes (NoEs) meaningfully reflect genetic risk and genetic heterogeneity for five primary disorders-Drug Use Disorder (DUD), Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), Major Depression (MD), Bipolar Disorder (BD), and Schizophrenia (SZ) ascertained from Swedish population registries. We utilize Genetic Risk Ratios (GRR)-defined as the ratio of the genetic risk for secondary disorders to the genetic risk for the primary disorder-derived from Family Genetic Risk Scores (FGRS). For all five primary disorders, genetic risk rose robustly with increasing NoEs.

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Peer Social Genetic Effects and the Etiology of Substance Use Disorders, Major Depression, and Anxiety Disorder in a Swedish National Sample.

Am J Psychiatry

September 2024

Department of Psychiatry, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University (Salvatore); Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden (Ohlsson, Jan Sundquist, Kristina Sundquist); Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Department of Psychiatry, and Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond (Kendler).

Objective: There is growing interest in how peers' genotypes may influence health (i.e., peer social genetic effects).

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Background And Aims: Studies on adolescent alcohol use and cognition are often unable to separate the potential causal effects of alcohol use on cognition from shared etiological influences, including genetic influences or other substance use comorbidities also known to be associated with cognition, such as nicotine use. The present study aimed to fill this gap and clarify the relationship between adolescent alcohol use and young adult cognition by accounting for both measured and unmeasured confounders.

Design: A random effects model accounting for nesting in families was used to control for measured confounders.

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Comorbidity and sex differences in functional disorders and internalizing disorders.

Gen Hosp Psychiatry

September 2024

University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Psychiatry, P.O. Box 30.001, 9700, RB, Groningen, Netherlands.

Objective: In the current exploratory study we estimate comorbidity rates between FDs [fibromyalgia (FM), myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)]-and IDs-[major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)] by using self-reported diagnostic criteria.

Method: We analyzed data from 107,849 participants (mean age = 49.3 (SD = 13.

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Regular cigarette smoking and cannabis consumption are strongly positively related to each other, yet few studies explore their underlying variation and covariation. We evaluated the genetic and environmental decomposition of variance and covariance of these two traits in twin data from three countries with different social norms and legislation. Data from the Netherlands Twin Register, FinnTwin12/16, and the Minnesota Center for Twin Family Research (total N = 21,617) were analyzed in bivariate threshold models of lifetime regular smoking initiation (RSI) and lifetime cannabis initiation (CI).

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Background And Hypothesis: To clarify, in a large, representative, longitudinal sample, the rate and predictors of diagnostic conversion from Bipolar Disorder (BD) to Schizophrenia (SZ) and from SZ→BD.

Design: From individuals born in Sweden 1950-1995 and living there in 1970 or later, we identified at least one initial diagnoses of SZ (n = 8449) and BD (n = 8438) followed for a minimum of 10 and a mean of 24 years. Diagnostic conversion required, respectively, at least two final diagnoses of BD and SZ 30 days apart with no intervening diagnosis of SZ or BD.

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Article Synopsis
  • * 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.
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Article Synopsis
  • - The study analyzed siblings of individuals with major depression (MD) alongside control groups to examine the familial risks and clinical features of MD over several decades.
  • - Results revealed a correlation (0.20) between MD in probands and their siblings, with factors like early age of onset, number of depressive episodes, and various psychiatric conditions increasing the risk of MD among siblings.
  • - Siblings of MD probands showed significantly elevated risks for various disorders, including ADHD, anxiety disorders, and bipolar disorder, suggesting that familial liability for MD is influenced by genetic factors and overlaps with a range of psychiatric illnesses.
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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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To examine whether the level of genetic risk in psychiatric disorders impacts the social functioning of affected individuals, we examine the relationship between genetic risk factors for major depression (MD), anxiety disorders (AD), bipolar disorder (BD), non-affective psychosis (NAP), alcohol use disorder (AUD), and drug use disorder (DUD) in disordered individuals and five adverse social outcomes: unemployment, residence in areas of social deprivation, social welfare, early retirement, and divorce. We examine all cases with registration for these disorders from 1995 to 2015 in individuals born in Sweden. Genetic risk was assessed by the family genetic risk score (FGRS) and statistical estimates by Cox proportional hazard models.

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Objective: COVID-19 is a collective stressor associated with both increased mental health symptoms and increased frequency of alcohol use. These increases highlight the need for investigations into the functional relationships between traumatic stress symptoms and alcohol use in the wake of the pandemic. This study sought to use ecological momentary assessment to examine the temporal association of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with alcohol use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Importance: Twin studies have found that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors within a generation. No study has used an adoption design, which can address questions about the degree and sources of cross-generational transmission of adverse stress responses (ASRs) and PTSD.

Objectives: To examine whether ASRs or PTSD are transmitted from parents to offspring, and to clarify the relative importance of genes and rearing.

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Testing Quantitative and Qualitative Sex Effects in a National Swedish Twin-Sibling Study of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Am J Psychiatry

August 2024

Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics and Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond (Amstadter, Cusack, Kendler); Center for Primary Health Care Research, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden (Lönn, J. Sundquist, K. Sundquist); Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York (J. Sundquist, K. Sundquist).

Objective: Twin studies have demonstrated that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is moderately heritable, and the pattern of findings across studies suggests higher heritability in females compared with males. Formal testing of sex differences has yet to be done in twin studies of PTSD. The authors sought to estimate the genetic and environmental contributions to PTSD, and to formally test for sex differences, in the largest sample to date of both sexes, among twins and siblings.

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Joint hypermobility in functional neurological disorder: A cross-sectional study.

J Psychosom Res

July 2024

Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Austin Health, Heidelberg, VIC 3084, Australia; The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Heidelberg, VIC 3084, Australia. Electronic address:

Background: Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) is associated with anxiety and depression, and perhaps with joint hypermobility, which is itself associated with anxiety and depression. We conducted a survey to explore the relationship between these.

Methods: An online survey of people with FND was conducted, with participants asked to nominate healthy controls from their social group to join.

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Importance: The prevalence, pathophysiology, and long-term outcomes of COVID-19 (post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 [PASC] or "Long COVID") in children and young adults remain unknown. Studies must address the urgent need to define PASC, its mechanisms, and potential treatment targets in children and young adults.

Observations: We describe the protocol for the Pediatric Observational Cohort Study of the NIH's REsearching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) Initiative.

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Article Synopsis
  • PTSD genetics have been difficult to study compared to other psychiatric disorders, limiting our biological understanding of the condition.
  • A large-scale meta-analysis involving over 1.2 million individuals identified 95 genome-wide significant loci, with 80 being new discoveries related to PTSD.
  • Researchers identified 43 potential causal genes linked to neurotransmitter activity, developmental processes, synaptic function, and immune regulation, enhancing our knowledge of the neurobiological systems involved in PTSD.
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Introduction: Population research indicates that smoking behaviors in Finland have varied over time by sex and birth cohort. Smoking behaviors are influenced by genes and the environment; like the behaviors themselves, these underlying influences are not necessarily stable over time and may be modifiable by national drug policy.

Aims And Methods: We utilized longitudinal mixed-effects models and causal-common-contingent twin models to evaluate sex and cohort effects on tobacco consumption and the underlying genetic and environmental variance components in a birth cohort sample of same-sex twins born in Finland between 1880 and 1957, assessed in 1975, 1981, 1990, and 2011.

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Background: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a highly impairing condition with important public health impacts. Despite the availability of treatment options for AUD, research shows that few people receive treatment, and even fewer can maintain abstinence/low-drinking levels. This study investigated the role of personality traits in past-year alcohol use among individuals with severe AUD who ever attended Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), a widespread and easily accessible self-help group for alcohol problems.

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Background: Alcohol consumption contributes to excess morbidity and mortality in part through the development of alcohol-related medical conditions (AMCs, including alcoholic cardiomyopathy, hepatitis, cirrhosis, etc.). The current study aimed to clarify the extent to which risk for these outcomes differs as a function of socioeconomic position (SEP), as discrepancies could lead to exacerbated health disparities.

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