scholarly journals Nick Martin’s Contribution to GxE Research

2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-134
Author(s):  
Lucía Colodro-Conde ◽  
Baptiste Couvy-Duchesne

AbstractThe study and identification of genotype–environment interactions (GxE) has been a hot topic in the field of human genetics for several decades. Yet the extent to which GxE contributes to human behavior variability, and its mechanisms, remains largely unknown. Nick Martin has contributed important advances to the field of GxE for human behavior, which include methodological developments, novel analyses and reviews. Here, we will first review Nick’s contributions to the GxE research, which started during his PhD and consistently appears in many of his over 1000 publications. Then, we recount a project that led to an article testing the diathesis-stress model for the origins of depression. In this publication, we observed the presence of an interaction between polygenic risk scores for depression (the risk in our ‘genotype’) and stressful life events (the experiences from our ‘environment’), which provided the first empirical support of this model.

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toni-Kim Clarke ◽  
Yanni Zeng ◽  
Lauren Navrady ◽  
Charley Xia ◽  
Chris Haley ◽  
...  

Background: Stressful life events (SLEs) and neuroticism are risk factors for major depressive disorder (MDD). However, SLEs and neuroticism are heritable and genetic risk for SLEs is associated with risk for MDD. We sought to investigate the genetic and environmental contributions to SLEs in a family-based sample, and quantify genetic overlap with MDD and neuroticism. Methods: A subset of Generation Scotland: the Scottish Family Health Study (GS), consisting of 9618 individuals with information on MDD, past 6 month SLEs, neuroticism and genome-wide genotype data was used in the present study. We estimated the heritability of SLEs using GCTA software. The environmental contribution to SLEs was assessed by modelling familial, couple and sibling components. Using polygenic risk scores (PRS) and LD score regression (LDSC) we analysed the genetic overlap between MDD, neuroticism and SLEs. Results: Past 6-month life events were positively associated with lifetime MDD status (β=0.21, r2=1.1%, p=2.5 x 10-25) and neuroticism (β =0.13, r2=1.9%, p=1.04 x 10-37) at the phenotypic level.  Common SNPs explained 8% of the phenotypic variance in personal life events (those directly affecting the individual) (S.E.=0.03, p= 9 x 10-4). A significant effect of couple environment was detected accounting for 13% (S.E.=0.03, p=0.016) of the phenotypic variation in SLEs. PRS analyses found that reporting more SLEs was associated with a higher polygenic risk for MDD (β =0.05, r2=0.3%, p=3 x 10-5), but not a higher polygenic risk for neuroticism. LDSC showed a significant genetic correlation between SLEs and both MDD (rG=0.33, S.E.=0.08 ) and neuroticism (rG=0.15, S.E.=0.07). Conclusions: These findings suggest that SLEs should not be regarded solely as environmental risk factors for MDD as they are partially heritable and this heritability is shared with risk for MDD and neuroticism. Further work is needed to determine the causal direction and source of these associations.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toni-Kim Clarke ◽  
Yanni Zeng ◽  
Lauren Navrady ◽  
Charley Xia ◽  
Chris Haley ◽  
...  

Background: Stressful life events (SLEs) and neuroticism are risk factors for major depressive disorder (MDD). However, SLEs and neuroticism are heritable and genetic risk for SLEs is correlated with risk for MDD. We sought to investigate the genetic and environmental contributions to SLEs in a family-based sample, and quantify genetic overlap with MDD and neuroticism. Methods: A subset of Generation Scotland: the Scottish Family Health Study (GS), consisting of 9618 individuals with information on MDD, past 6 month SLEs, neuroticism and genome-wide genotype data was used in the present study. We estimated the heritability of SLEs using GCTA software. The environmental contribution to SLEs was assessed by modelling familial, couple and sibling components. Using polygenic risk scores (PRS) and LD score regression (LDSC) we analysed the genetic overlap between MDD, neuroticism and SLEs. Results: Past 6-month life events were positively correlated with lifetime MDD status (β=0.21, r2=1.1%, p=2.5 x 10-25) and neuroticism (β =0.13, r2=1.9%, p=1.04 x 10-37) at the phenotypic level.  Common SNPs explained 8% of the phenotypic variance in personal life events (those directly affecting the individual) (S.E.=0.03, p= 9 x 10-4). A significant effect of couple environment was detected accounting for 13% (S.E.=0.03, p=0.016) of the phenotypic variation in SLEs. PRS analyses found that reporting more SLEs was associated with a higher polygenic risk for MDD (β =0.05, r2=0.3%, p=3 x 10-5), but not a higher polygenic risk for neuroticism. LDSC showed a significant genetic correlation between SLEs and both MDD (rG=0.33, S.E.=0.08 ) and neuroticism (rG=0.15, S.E.=0.07). Conclusions: These findings suggest that SLEs should not be regarded solely as environmental risk factors for MDD as they are partially heritable and this heritability is shared with risk for MDD and neuroticism. Further work is needed to determine the causal direction and source of these associations.


2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (8) ◽  
pp. 1709-1720 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Musliner ◽  
F. Seifuddin ◽  
J. A. Judy ◽  
M. Pirooznia ◽  
F. S. Goes ◽  
...  

Background.Previous studies suggest that the relationship between genetic risk and depression may be moderated by stressful life events (SLEs). The goal of this study was to assess whether SLEs moderate the association between polygenic risk of major depressive disorder (MDD) and depressive symptoms in older adults.Method.We used logistic and negative binomial regressions to assess the associations between polygenic risk, SLEs and depressive symptoms in a sample of 8761 participants from the Health and Retirement Study. Polygenic scores were derived from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium genome-wide association study of MDD. SLEs were operationalized as a dichotomous variable indicating whether participants had experienced at least one stressful event during the previous 2 years. Depressive symptoms were measured using an eight-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale subscale and operationalized as both a dichotomous and a count variable.Results.The odds of reporting four or more depressive symptoms were over twice as high among individuals who experienced at least one SLE (odds ratio 2.19, 95% confidence interval 1.86–2.58). Polygenic scores were significantly associated with depressive symptoms (β= 0.21,p⩽ 0.0001), although the variance explained was modest (pseudor2= 0.0095). None of the interaction terms for polygenic scores and SLEs was statistically significant.Conclusions.Polygenic risk and SLEs are robust, independent predictors of depressive symptoms in older adults. Consistent with an additive model, we found no evidence that SLEs moderated the association between common variant polygenic risk and depressive symptoms.


Author(s):  
Gonzalo Musitu ◽  
Juan Evaristo Callejas

Abstract.FAMILY STRESS MODEL IN ADOLESCENCE: MEFAD.The main aim of this work is to present the model M.E.F.A.D. (Family Stress Model in Adolescence), related to adjustment problems in this period of the life cycle. It is also the model in which the participations in this symposium are substantiated. We analyze the antecedents of the model as well as its six fundamental dimensions: Adolescence, stressful life events, family functioning, stress, resources and adjustment.Key words: Adolescence, stress, family functioningResumen.El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar el modelo M.E.F.A.D. (Modelo de Estrés Familiar en la Adolescencia) y relacionado con los problemas de ajuste en este periodo del ciclo vital. También es el modelo en el que se sustentan las participaciones en este simposio. Se analizan los antecedentes del modelo así como sus seis dimensiones fundamentales: Adolescencia, eventos vitales estresantes, funcionamiento familiar, precepción de estrés, recursos y ajuste.Palabras clave: adolescencia, estrés, funcionamiento familiar


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toni-Kim Clarke ◽  
Yanni Zeng ◽  
Lauren Navrady ◽  
Charley Xia ◽  
Chris Haley ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundStressful life events (SLEs) and neuroticism are risk factors for major depressive disorder (MDD). However, SLEs and neuroticism are heritable traits that are correlated with genetic risk for MDD. In the current study, we sought to investigate the genetic and environmental contributions to SLEs in a large family-based sample, and quantify any genetic overlap with MDD and neuroticism.MethodsA subset of Generation Scotland: the Scottish Family Health Study, consisting of 9618 individuals comprise the present study. We estimated the heritability of SLEs using pedigree-based and molecular genetic data. The environment was assessed by modelling familial, couple and sibling components. Using polygenic risk scores (PRS) and LD score regression we analysed the genetic overlap between MDD, neuroticism and SLEs.ResultsPast 6-month life events were positively correlated with lifetime MDD status (β=0.21, r2=1.1%, p=2.5 × 10−25) and neuroticism (β =0.13, r2=1.9%, p=1.04 × 10−37). Common SNPs explained 8% of the variance in personal life events (those directly affecting the individual) (S.E.=0.03, p=9 × 10−4). A significant effect of couple environment accounted for 13% (S.E.=0.03, p=0.016) of variation in SLEs. PRS analyses found that individuals with higher PRS for MDD reported more SLEs (β =0.05, r2=0.3%, p=3 × 10−5). LD score regression demonstrated genetic correlations between MDD and both SLEs (rG=0.33, S.E.=0.08) and neuroticism (rG=0.15, S.E.=0.07).ConclusionsThese findings suggest that SLEs are partially heritable and this heritability is shared with risk for MDD and neuroticism. Further work should determine the causal direction and source of these associations.


2001 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Aktekin ◽  
Taha Karaman ◽  
Yesim Yigiter Senol ◽  
Sukru Erdem ◽  
Hakan Erengin ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Carsten Obel ◽  
Morten Hedegaard ◽  
Tine Brink Henriksen ◽  
Niels Jørgen Secher ◽  
Jørn Olsen

2006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Schuster ◽  
Donald Edmondson ◽  
Crystal L. Park ◽  
Matthew Wachen ◽  
Shauna L. Clen

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. van Vuuren ◽  
S. van der Heuvel ◽  
S. Andriessen ◽  
P. Smulders ◽  
P. Bongers

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