| 1. |
- Aziz, Abdul Maruf Asif
(författare)
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Neuropeptide Receptors as Treatment Targets in Alcohol Use Disorders
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a complex disorder with multiple pathophysiological processes contributing to the initiation, progression and development of the disease state. AUD is a chronic relapsing disease with escalation of alcohol-intake over time in repeated cycles of tolerance, abstinence and relapse and hence, it is very difficult to treat. There are only a few currently available treatments with narrow efficacy and variable patient response. Thus it is important to find new, more effective medications to increase the number of patients who can benefit from pharmacological treatment of AUD.The research presented in this thesis work focuses on the critical involvement of central neuropeptides in alcohol-related behaviors. The overall aim was to evaluate the nociceptin/orphanin FQ (NOP) receptor, the neuropeptide Y (NPY) Y2 receptor and the melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) receptor 1 as novel and potential pharmacological treatment targets for AUD by testing the NOP receptor agonist SR-8993, the NPY-Y2 receptor antagonist CYM-9840 and the MCH1 receptor antagonist GW803430 in established animal models.In the first study (Paper I), the novel and selective NOP agonist SR-8993 was assessed in rat models of motivation to obtain alcohol and relapse to alcohol seeking behavior using the operant self-administration (SA) paradigm. Firstly, treatment with SR-8993 (1 mg/kg) showed a mildly anxiolytic effect and reversed acute alcohol withdrawal-induced “hangover” anxiety in the elevated plus-maze (EPM). Next, it potently attenuated alcohol SA and motivation to obtain alcohol in the progressive ratio responding (PRR) and reduced both alcohol cue-induced and yohimbine stress-induced reinstatement of alcohol seeking, without affecting the pharmacology and metabolism of alcohol nor other control behaviors. To extend these findings, SR-8993 was evaluated in escalated alcohol-intake in rats. Treatment with SR-8993 significantly suppressed alcohol-intake and preference in rats that were trained to consume high amounts of alcohol in the two-bottle free choice intermittent access (IA) paradigm. SR-8993 also blocked operant SA of alcohol in rats that showed robust escalation in operant alcohol SA following chronic IA exposure to alcohol.In the second study (Paper II), SR-8993 was further evaluated in a model for escalated alcohol-intake induced by long-term IA exposure to alcohol. The effect of previous experience on operant alcohol SA on two-bottle free choice preference drinking was evaluated and sensitivity to treatment with SR-8993 was tested in rats selected for escalated and non-escalated alcohol seeking behavior. We found that rats exposed to the combined SA-IA paradigm showed greater sensitivity to SR-8993 treatment. In addition, acute escalation of alcohol SA after a three-week period of abstinence was completely abolished by pretreatment with SR-8993.In the third study (Paper III), the effects of the novel, small molecule NPY-Y2 antagonist CYM-9840 were tested in operant alcohol SA, PRR which is a model for motivation to work for alcohol and reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behavior. Treatment with CYM-9840 (10 mg/kg) potently attenuated alcohol SA, progressive ratio responding and stress-induced reinstatement using yohimbine as the stressor, while alcohol cue-induced reinstatement was unaffected. Moreover, a range of control behaviors including taste sensitivity, locomotor and pharmacological sensitivity to the sedative effects of alcohol remained unaffected by CYM-9840 pretreatment, indicating that its effects are specific to the rewarding and motivational aspects of alcohol-intake and related behaviors. CYM-9840 also reversed acute alcohol withdrawal-induced “hangover” anxiety measured in the EPM and reduced alcohol-intake in the 4 hour limited access two-bottle free choice preference drinking model.Finally, in the fourth study (Paper IV), the selective MCH1-R antagonist GW803430 was tested in rat models of escalated alcohol-intake. Pretreatment with GW803430 (effective at 10 & 30 mg/kg) dose-dependently reduced alcohol and food-intake in rats that consumed high amounts of alcohol during IA, while it only decreased food-intake in rats that consumed low amounts of alcohol during IA, likely due to a floor effect. Upon protracted abstinence following IA, GW803430 significantly reduced operant alcohol SA and this was associated with adaptations in MCH and MCH1-R gene-expression. In contrast, GW803430 did not affect escalated alcohol SA induced by chronic alcohol vapor exposure and this was accompanied by no change in MCH or MCH1-R gene expression. Overall, these results suggest that the MCH1-R antagonist affects alcohol-intake through regulation of both motivation for caloric-intake and the rewarding properties of alcohol.In conclusion, our results suggest critical roles for these central neuropeptides in the regulation of anxiety and of alcohol reward, making them potential pharmacological targets in the treatment of AUD.
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| 2. |
- Tour, Jeanette, et al.
(författare)
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Gene-to-gene interactions regulate endogenous pain modulation in fibromyalgia patients and healthy controls-antagonistic effects between opioid and serotonin-related genes.
- 2017
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Ingår i: Pain. - : Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health). - 0304-3959 .- 1872-6623. ; 158:7, s. 1194-1203
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Chronic pain is associated with dysfunctional endogenous pain modulation, involving both central opioid and serotonergic (5-HT) signaling. Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain syndrome, characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and reduced exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH). In this study, we assessed the effects of 3 functional genetic polymorphisms on EIH in 130 patients with FM and 132 healthy controls. Subjects were genotyped regarding the mu-opioid receptor (OPRM1) gene (rs1799971), the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene (5-HTTLPR/rs25531), and the serotonin-1a receptor (5-HT1a) gene (rs6296). The patients with FM had increased pain sensitivity and reduced EIH compared with healthy controls. None of the polymorphisms had an effect on EIH on their own. We found significant gene-to-gene interactions between OPRM1 x 5-HTT and OPRM1 x 5-HT1a regarding activation of EIH, with no statistically significant difference between groups. Better EIH was found in individuals with genetically inferred strong endogenous opioid signaling (OPRM1 G) in combination with weak 5-HT tone (5-HTT low/5-HT1a G), compared with strong 5-HT tone (5-HTT high/5-HT1a CC). Based on the proposed mechanisms of these genetic variants, the findings indicate antagonistic interactions between opioid and serotonergic mechanisms during EIH. Moreover, despite different baseline pain level, similar results were detected in FM and controls, not supporting an altered interaction between opioid and 5-HT mechanisms as the basis for dysfunction of EIH in patients with FM. In summary, our results suggest that, by genetic association, the mu-opioid receptor interacts with 2 major serotonergic structures involved in 5-HT reuptake and release, to modulate EIH.
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| 3. |
- Fritz, Michael, 1981-, et al.
(författare)
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Interferon-ɣ mediated signaling in the brain endothelium is critical for inflammation-induced aversion
- 2018
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Ingår i: Brain, behavior, and immunity. - Maryland Heights : Academic Press. - 0889-1591 .- 1090-2139. ; 67, s. 54-58
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Systemic inflammation elicits malaise and a negative affective state. The mechanism underpinning the aversive component of inflammation include cerebral prostaglandin synthesis and modulation of dopaminergic reward circuits, but the messengers that mediate the signaling between the peripheral inflammation and the brain have not been sufficiently characterized. Here we investigated the role of interferon-ɣ (IFN-ɣ) in the aversive response to systemic inflammation induced by a low dose (10μg/kg) of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in mice. LPS induced IFN-ɣ expression in the blood and deletion of IFN-ɣ or its receptor prevented the development of conditioned place aversion to LPS. LPS induced expression of the chemokine Cxcl10 in the striatum of normal mice, but this induction was absent in mice lacking IFN-ɣ receptors or Myd88 in blood brain barrier endothelial cells. Furthermore, inflammation-induced aversion was blocked in mice lacking Cxcl10 or its receptor Cxcr3. Finally, mice with a selective deletion of the IFN-ɣ receptor in brain endothelial cells did not develop inflammation-induced aversion, demonstrating that the brain endothelium is the critical site of IFN-ɣ action. Collectively, these findings show that circulating IFN-ɣ that binds to receptors on brain endothelial cells and induces Cxcl10, is a central link in the signaling chain eliciting inflammation-induced aversion.
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| 4. |
- Klawonn, Anna, 1985-
(författare)
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Molecular Mechanisms of Reward and Aversion
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Various molecular pathways in the brain shape our understanding of good and bad, as well as our motivation to seek and avoid such stimuli. This work evolves around how systemic inflammation causes aversion; and why general unpleasant states such as sickness, stress, pain and nausea are encoded by our brain as undesirable; and contrary to these questions, how drugs of abuse can subjugate the motivational neurocircuitry of the brain. A common feature of these various disease states is involvement of the motivational neurocircuitry - from mesolimbic to striatonigral pathways. Having an intact motivational system is what helps us evade negative outcomes and approach natural positive reinforcers, which is essential for our survival. During disease-states the motivational neurocircuitry may be overthrown by the molecular mechanisms that originally were meant to aid us.In study I, to investigate how inflammation is perceived as aversive, we used a behavioral test based on Pavlovian place conditioning with the aversive inflammatory stimulus E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Using a combination of cell-type specific gene deletions, pharmacology, and chemogenetics, we uncovered that systemic inflammation triggered aversion by MyD88-dependent activation of the brain endothelium followed by COX1-mediated cerebral prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis. Moreover, we showed that inflammation-induced PGE2 targeted EP1 receptors on striatal dopamine D1 receptor–expressing neurons and that this signaling sequence induced aversion through GABA-mediated inhibition of dopaminergic cells. Finally, inflammation-induced aversion was not an indirect consequence of fever or anorexia but constituted an independent inflammatory symptom triggered by a unique molecular mechanism. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that PGE2-mediated modulation of the dopaminergic circuitry is a key mechanism underlying inflammation-induced aversion.In study II, we investigate the role of peripheral IFN-γ in LPS induced conditioned place aversion by employing a strategy based on global and cell-type specific gene deletions, combined with measures of gene-expression. LPS induced IFN-ɣ expression in the blood, and deletion of IFN-ɣ or its receptor prevented conditioned place aversion (CPA) to LPS. LPS increased the expression of chemokine Cxcl10 in the striatum of normal mice. This induction was absent in mice lacking IFN-ɣ receptors or Myd88 in blood brain barrier endothelial cells. Furthermore, inflammation-induced aversion was blocked in mice lacking Cxcl10 or its receptor Cxcr3. Finally, mice with a selective deletion of the IFN-ɣ receptor in brain endothelial cells did not develop inflammation-induced aversion. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that circulating IFN-ɣ binding to receptors on brain endothelial cells which induces Cxcl10, is a central link in the signaling chain eliciting inflammation-induced aversion.In study III, we explored the role of melanocortin 4 receptors (MC4Rs) in aversive processing using genetically modified mice in CPA to various stimuli. In normal mice, robust aversions were induced by systemic inflammation, nausea, pain and kappa opioid receptor-induced dysphoria. In sharp contrast, mice lacking MC4Rs displayed preference towards most of the aversive stimuli, but were indifferent to pain. The unusual flip from aversion to reward in mice lacking MC4Rs was dopamine-dependent and associated with a change from decreased to increased activity of the dopamine system. The responses to aversive stimuli were normalized when MC4Rs were re-expressed on dopamine D1 receptor-expressing cells or in the striatum of mice otherwise lacking MC4Rs. Furthermore, activation of arcuate nucleus proopiomelanocortin neurons projecting to the ventral striatum increased the activity of striatal neurons in a MC4R-dependent manner and elicited aversion. Our findings demonstrate that melanocortin signaling through striatal MC4Rs is critical for assigning negative motivational valence to harmful stimuli.The neurotransmitter acetylcholine has been implied in reward learning and drug addiction. However, the role of cholinergic receptor subtypes in such processes remains elusive. In study IV we investigated the function of muscarinic M4Rs on dopamine D1R expressing neurons and acetylcholinergic neurons, using transgenic mice in various reward-enforced behaviors and in a “waiting”-impulsivity test. Mice lacking M4-receptors from D1-receptor expressing neurons exhibited an escalated reward seeking phenotype towards cocaine and natural reward, in Pavlovian conditioning and an operant self-administration task, respectively. In addition, the M4-D1RCre mice showed impaired waiting impulsivity in the 5-choice-serial-reaction-time-task. On the contrary, mice without M4Rs in acetylcholinergic neurons were unable to learn positive reinforcement to natural reward and cocaine, in an operant runway paradigm and in Pavlovian conditioning. Immediate early gene expression mirrored the behavioral findings arising from M4R-D1R knockout, as cocaine induced cFos and FosB was significantly increased in the forebrain of M4-D1RCre mice, whereas it remained normal in the M4R-ChatCre mice. Our study illustrates that muscarinic M4Rs on specific neural populations, either cholinergic or D1R-expressing, are pivotal for learning processes related to both natural reward and drugs of abuse, with opposing functionality.
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| 5. |
- Palmqvist, Sebastian, et al.
(författare)
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Detailed comparison of amyloid PET and CSF biomarkers for identifying early Alzheimer disease
- 2015
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Ingår i: Neurology. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 1526-632X .- 0028-3878. ; 85:14, s. 1240-1249
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective:To compare the diagnostic accuracy of CSF biomarkers and amyloid PET for diagnosing early-stage Alzheimer disease (AD).Methods:From the prospective, longitudinal BioFINDER study, we included 122 healthy elderly and 34 patients with mild cognitive impairment who developed AD dementia within 3 years (MCI-AD). -Amyloid (A) deposition in 9 brain regions was examined with [F-18]-flutemetamol PET. CSF was analyzed with INNOTEST and EUROIMMUN ELISAs. The results were replicated in 146 controls and 64 patients with MCI-AD from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative study.Results:The best CSF measures for identifying MCI-AD were A42/total tau (t-tau) and A42/hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) (area under the curve [AUC] 0.93-0.94). The best PET measures performed similarly (AUC 0.92-0.93; anterior cingulate, posterior cingulate/precuneus, and global neocortical uptake). CSF A42/t-tau and A42/p-tau performed better than CSF A42 and A42/40 (AUC difference 0.03-0.12, p < 0.05). Using nonoptimized cutoffs, CSF A42/t-tau had the highest accuracy of all CSF/PET biomarkers (sensitivity 97%, specificity 83%). The combination of CSF and PET was not better than using either biomarker separately.Conclusions:Amyloid PET and CSF biomarkers can identify early AD with high accuracy. There were no differences between the best CSF and PET measures and no improvement when combining them. Regional PET measures were not better than assessing the global A deposition. The results were replicated in an independent cohort using another CSF assay and PET tracer. The choice between CSF and amyloid PET biomarkers for identifying early AD can be based on availability, costs, and doctor/patient preferences since both have equally high diagnostic accuracy.Classification of evidence:This study provides Class III evidence that amyloid PET and CSF biomarkers identify early-stage AD equally accurately.
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| 6. |
- Zhu, Changlian, 1964, et al.
(författare)
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X chromosome-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein reduces oxidative stress after cerebral irradiation or hypoxia-ischemia through up-regulation of mitochondrial antioxidants.
- 2007
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Ingår i: The European journal of neuroscience. - : Wiley. - 1460-9568 .- 0953-816X. ; 26:12, s. 3402-10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We demonstrate that X chromosome-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) counteracts oxidative stress in two essentially different disease-related models of brain injury, hypoxia-ischemia and irradiation, as judged by lower expression of nitrotyrosine (5-fold) and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (10-fold) in XIAP-overexpressing compared with wild-type mice. XIAP overexpression induced up-regulation of at least three antioxidants residing in mitochondria, superoxide dismutase 2, thioredoxin 2 and lysine oxoglutarate reductase. Cytochrome c release from mitochondria was reduced in XIAP-overexpressing mice. Hence, in addition to blocking caspases, XIAP can regulate reactive oxygen species in the brain, at least partly through up-regulation of mitochondrial antioxidants. XIAP-induced prevention of oxidative stress was not secondary to tissue protection because although XIAP overexpression provides tissue protection after hypoxia-ischemia, it does not prevent tissue loss after irradiation. This is a previously unknown role of XIAP and may provide the basis for development of novel protective strategies for both acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases, where oxidative stress is an integral component of the injury mechanisms involved.
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| 7. |
- Tseli, Elena, et al.
(författare)
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Predictors of multidisciplinary rehabilitation outcomes in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain : protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
- 2017
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Ingår i: Systematic Reviews. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 2046-4053. ; 6:1
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Chronic musculoskeletal pain is a major public health problem. Early prediction for optimal treatment results has received growing attention, but there is presently a lack of evidence regarding what information such proactive management should be based on. This study protocol, therefore, presents our planned systematic review and meta-analysis on important predictive factors for health and work-related outcomes following multidisciplinary rehabilitation (MDR) in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain.METHODS: We aim to perform a synthesis of the available evidence together with a meta-analysis of published peer-reviewed original research that includes predictive factors preceding MDR. Included are prospective studies of adults with benign, chronic (> 3 months) musculoskeletal pain diagnoses who have taken part in MDR. In the studies, associations between personal and rehabilitation-based factors and the outcomes of interest are reported. Outcome domains are pain, physical functioning including health-related quality of life, and work ability with follow-ups of 6 months or more. We will use a broad, explorative approach to any presented predictive factors (demographic, symptoms-related, physical, psychosocial, work-related, and MDR-related) and these will be analyzed through (a) narrative synthesis for each outcome domain and (b) if sufficient studies are available, a quantitative synthesis in which variance-weighted pooled proportions will be computed using a random effects model for each outcome domain. The strength of the evidence will be evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation.DISCUSSION: The strength of this systematic review is that it aims for a meta-analysis of prospective cohort or randomized controlled studies by performing an extensive search of multiple databases, using an explorative study approach to predictive factors, rather than building on single predictor impact on the outcome or on predefined hypotheses. In this way, an overview of factors central to MDR outcome can be made and will help strengthen the evidence base and inform a wide readership including health care practitioners and policymakers.SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO CRD42016025339.
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| 8. |
- Boij, Roland, 1952-
(författare)
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Aspects of inflammation, angiogenesis and coagulation in preeclampsia
- 2016
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Preeclampsia is a major challenge to obstetricians, due to its impact on maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality and the lack of preventive and treatment strategies. The overall aim of this thesis is to increase the knowledge of the pathogenesis of preeclampsia including the role of inflammation, angiogenesis and coagulation, both locally at the fetomaternal interface and in the maternal circulation. Uncompensated maternal endothelial inflammatory responses to factors from stressed trophoblasts seem to be a major contributor to the syndrome, together with an imbalance in angiogenesis and an activated coagulation system. An increasing amount of data indicates an involvement of the immune system with defect tolerance to the conceptus as an integral part of the pathogenesis, at least in early-onset preeclampsia (EOP).We showed that a single administration of human preeclampsia serum in pregnant IL-10−/− mice induced the full spectrum of preeclampsia-like symptoms including hypoxic injury in uteroplacental tissues and endotheliosis in maternal kidneys. Importantly, preeclampsia serum, as early as 12 to 14 weeks of gestation, disrupted cross talk between trophoblasts and endothelial cells in an in vitro model of endovascular activity (Tube formation test). These results indicate that preeclamptic sera can be used to better understand the pathophysiology and to predict the disorder. Preeclampsia has been associated with increased inflammation, aberrant angiogenesis and activated coagulation, but their correlation and relative contribution are unknown. We found that markers for all these mechanisms were independently associated with preeclampsia. Cytokines, chemokines, and complement factors seem all to be part of a Th1-associated inflammatory reaction in preeclampsia, more pronounced in EOP than in late-onset preeclampsia (LOP), in line with a more homogeneous pathogenesis in EOP as based on placental pathology. In women with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), with an anticipated pathologic placentation, only differences in levels for sFlt-1 and PlGF were found in comparison with mothers without IUGR. Thus, sFlt-1 and PlGF seem to be indicators of placental pathology, while other biomarkers might also reflect maternal endothelial pathology. Chemokines, in contrast to cytokines, may prove to be useful markers in preeclampsia.A deficiency in regulatory T (Treg) cells causing reduced immune regulatory capacity has been proposed in preeclampsia. Utilizing recent advances in flow cytometry phenotyping, we found no major alterations in circulating Treg numbers in preeclamptic women compared with normal pregnant and non-pregnant women. However, preeclampsia was associated with increased fractions of CTLA-4+ and CCR4+ cells within Treg subpopulations, which is in line with a migratory defect of Treg cells, and potentially associated with a reduced number of suppressive Treg cells at the fetomaternal interface. As we found that corticosteroid treatment affected the results, it should be accounted for in studies of EOP. Chemokines are supposed to be part of the immune adaptation in pregnancy. We found a decreased expression of CCL18 (Th2/Tregassociated), in trophoblasts from preeclamptic compared to normal pregnant women, indicating a local regulatory defect in preeclampsia, in line with our finding of a possible migratory defect of circulating Treg cells. Due to increased expression of CCL20 (Th17) and CCL22 (Th2) in first trimester placenta and increased circulating levels of CXCL10 (Th1) and CCL20 (Th17) in third trimester preeclamptic women, we suggest that CCL20 and CCL22 may be important for implantation and early placentation while in third trimester of a preeclamptic pregnancy CXCL10 and CCL20 mainly mirror maternal increased endothelial inflammation and aberrant angiogenesis. In summary, we found that preeclampsia is associated with increased inflammation, aberrant angiogenesis and activated coagulation, caused by placental factors in maternal peripheral circulation, more pronounced in the early-onset form of preeclampsia. It also appears that there is a defective modulation of the immune system in preeclamptic pregnancies. The results provide a better understanding of the pathogenesis of preeclampsia and have given suggestions to predictive markers for preeclampsia in the future.
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| 9. |
- Cedergren Weber, Gustav, et al.
(författare)
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The Impact of COVID-19 on Parkinson's Disease : A Case-Controlled Registry and Questionnaire Study on Clinical Markers and Patients' Perceptions
- 2023
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Ingår i: Acta Neurologica Scandinavica. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0001-6314 .- 1600-0404. ; 2023
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease with motor and nonmotor symptoms. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).Objectives: To explore how COVID-19 affects motor, nonmotor, and general health aspects of PD and to map how PD patients perceive their change in symptoms since falling ill with COVID-19.Method: The study was descriptive, case-controlled, and based on both registry and questionnaire data. At baseline, the controls were matched on age, sex, and disease severity. Information on the severity of the disease, nonmotor symptoms, motor symptoms, and general health was retrieved from the Swedish Registry for PD. Registry data from a COVID-19 group (n=45) and a control group (n=73), as well as questionnaires from a COVID-19 group (n=24) and a control group (n=42), were compared.Results: We did not find that SARS-CoV-2 infection affects any major aspect of nonmotor symptoms, motor symptoms, general health, and perception of change in PD patients' post-COVID-19. Compared to controls, the COVID-19 group reported a more positive subjective experience of pain and quality of life and a perception of change post-COVID-19 regarding general motor function, sleep quality, and mood (all p<0.05).Conclusion: Although SARS-CoV-2 infection does not seem to affect PD symptoms in any major respect, the subjective experience of several aspects of life in PD patients might be slightly improved post-COVID-19 compared to a control group. The findings warrant further investigations due to the small sample size and possible survivorship bias.
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| 10. |
- Lindholm, Heléne, et al.
(författare)
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Genetic risk-factors for anxiety in healthy individuals: polymorphisms in genes important for the HPA axis
- 2020
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Ingår i: BMC Medical Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2350. ; 21:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Two important aspects for the development of anxiety disorders are genetic predisposition and alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In order to identify genetic risk-factors for anxiety, the aim of this exploratory study was to investigate possible relationships between genetic polymorphisms in genes important for the regulation and activity of the HPA axis and self-assessed anxiety in healthy individuals. Methods DNA from 72 healthy participants, 37 women and 35 men, were included in the analyses. Their DNA was extracted and analysed for the following Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNP)s: rs41423247 in theNR3C1gene, rs1360780 in theFKBP5gene, rs53576 in theOXTRgene, 5-HTTLPR inSLC6A4gene and rs6295 in theHTR1Agene. Self-assessed anxiety was measured by the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire. Results Self-assessed measure of both STAI-S and STAI-T were significantly higher in female than in male participants (p = 0.030 andp = 0.036, respectively). For SNP rs41423247 in theNR3C1gene, there was a significant difference in females in the score for STAI-S, where carriers of the G allele had higher scores compared to the females that were homozygous for the C allele (p < 0.01). For the SNP rs53576 in theOXTRgene, there was a significant difference in males, where carriers of the A allele had higher scores in STAI-T compared to the males that were homozygous for the G allele (p < 0.01). Conclusion This study shows that SNP rs41423247 in theNR3C1gene and SNP rs53576 in theOXTRgene are associated with self-assessed anxiety in healthy individuals in a gender-specific manner. This suggests that these SNP candidates are possible genetic risk-factors for anxiety.
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