TY  - JOUR
A1  - Ziegler, C.
A1  - Richter, J.
A1  - Mahr, M.
A1  - Gajewska, A.
A1  - Schiele, M.A.
A1  - Gehrmann, A.
A1  - Schmidt, B.
A1  - Lesch, K.-P.
A1  - Lang, T.
A1  - Helbig-Lang, S.
A1  - Pauli, P.
A1  - Kircher, T.
A1  - Reif, A.
A1  - Rief, W.
A1  - Vossbeck-Elsebusch, A.N.
A1  - Arolt, V.
A1  - Wittchen, H.-U.
A1  - Hamm, A.O.
A1  - Deckert, J.
A1  - Domschke, K.
T1  - MAOA gene hypomethylation in panic disorder-reversibility of an epigenetic risk pattern by psychotherapy
JF  - Translational Psychiatry
N2  - Epigenetic signatures such as methylation of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene have been found to be altered in panic disorder (PD). Hypothesizing temporal plasticity of epigenetic processes as a mechanism of successful fear extinction, the present psychotherapy-epigenetic study for we believe the first time investigated MAOA methylation changes during the course of exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in PD. MAOA methylation was compared between N=28 female Caucasian PD patients (discovery sample) and N=28 age- and sex-matched healthy controls via direct sequencing of sodium bisulfite-treated DNA extracted from blood cells. MAOA methylation was furthermore analyzed at baseline (T0) and after a 6-week CBT (T1) in the discovery sample parallelized by a waiting time in healthy controls, as well as in an independent sample of female PD patients (N=20). Patients exhibited lower MAOA methylation than healthy controls (P<0.001), and baseline PD severity correlated negatively with MAOA methylation (P=0.01). In the discovery sample, MAOA methylation increased up to the level of healthy controls along with CBT response (number of panic attacks; T0-T1: +3.37±2.17%), while non-responders further decreased in methylation (-2.00±1.28%; P=0.001). In the replication sample, increases in MAOA methylation correlated with agoraphobic symptom reduction after CBT (P=0.02-0.03). The present results support previous evidence for MAOA hypomethylation as a PD risk marker and suggest reversibility of MAOA hypomethylation as a potential epigenetic correlate of response to CBT. The emerging notion of epigenetic signatures as a mechanism of action of psychotherapeutic interventions may promote epigenetic patterns as biomarkers of lasting extinction effects.
KW  - Adult
KW  - Case-Control Studies
KW  - Cognitive Therapy
KW  - DNA Methylation
KW  - Epigenesis
KW  - Genetic
KW  - Female
KW  - Humans
KW  - Monoamine Oxidase/genetics
KW  - Panic Disorder/genetics
KW  - Panic Disorder/therapy
KW  - Sequence Analysis
KW  - DNA
Y1  - 2016
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-164422
IS  - 6
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Neufang, S.
A1  - Akhrif, A.
A1  - Herrmann, C.G.
A1  - Drepper, C.
A1  - Homola, G.A.
A1  - Nowak, J.
A1  - Waider, J.
A1  - Schmitt, A.G.
A1  - Lesch, K.-P.
A1  - Romanos, M.
T1  - Serotonergic modulation of 'waiting impulsivity' is mediated by the impulsivity phenotype in humans
JF  - Translational Psychiatry
N2  - In rodents, the five-choice serial reaction time task (5-CSRTT) has been established as a reliable measure of waiting impulsivity being defined as the ability to regulate a response in anticipation of reinforcement. Key brain structures are the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) and prefrontal regions (for example, pre- and infralimbic cortex), which are, together with other transmitters, modulated by serotonin. In this functional magnetic resonance imaging study, we examined 103 healthy males while performing the 5-CSRTT measuring brain activation in humans by means of a paradigm that has been widely applied in rodents. Subjects were genotyped for the tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2; G-703T; rs4570625) variant, an enzyme specific for brain serotonin synthesis. We addressed neural activation patterns of waiting impulsivity and the interaction between the NAcc and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) using dynamic causal modeling. Genetic influence was examined via interaction analyses between the TPH2 genotype (GG homozygotes vs T allele carriers) and the degree of impulsivity as measured by the 5-CSRTT. We found that the driving input of the vmPFC was reduced in highly impulsive T allele carriers (reflecting a reduced top-down control) in combination with an enhanced response in the NAcc after correct target processing (reflecting an augmented response to monetary reward). Taken together, we found a high overlap of our findings with reports from animal studies in regard to the underlying cognitive processes, the brain regions associated with waiting impulsivity and the neural interplay between the NAcc and vmPFC. Therefore, we conclude that the 5-CSRTT is a promising tool for translational studies.
KW  - Clinical Genetics
Y1  - 2016
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-164418
IS  - 6
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Jain, M.
A1  - Vélez, J. I.
A1  - Acosta, M. T.
A1  - Palacio, L. G.
A1  - Balog, J.
A1  - Roessler, E.
A1  - Pineda, D.
A1  - Londoño, A. C.
A1  - Palacio, J. D.
A1  - Arbelaez, A.
A1  - Lopera, F.
A1  - Elia, J.
A1  - Hakonarson, H.
A1  - Seitz, C.
A1  - Freitag, C. M.
A1  - Palmason, H.
A1  - Meyer, J.
A1  - Romanos, M.
A1  - Walitza, S.
A1  - Hemminger, U.
A1  - Warnke, A.
A1  - Romanos, J.
A1  - Renner, T.
A1  - Jacob, C.
A1  - Lesch, K.-P.
A1  - Swanson, J.
A1  - Castellanos, F. X.
A1  - Bailey-Wilson, J. E.
A1  - Arcos-Burgos, M.
A1  - Muenke, M.
T1  - A cooperative interaction between LPHN3 and 11q doubles the risk for ADHD
JF  - Molecular Psychiatry
N2  - In previous studies of a genetic isolate, we identified significant linkage of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to 4q, 5q, 8q, 11q and 17p. The existence of unique large size families linked to multiple regions, and the fact that these families came from an isolated population, we hypothesized that two-locus interaction contributions to ADHD were plausible. Several analytical models converged to show significant interaction between 4q and 11q (P<1 × 10−8) and 11q and 17p (P<1 × 10−6). As we have identified that common variants of the LPHN3 gene were responsible for the 4q linkage signal, we focused on 4q–11q interaction to determine that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) harbored in the LPHN3 gene interact with SNPs spanning the 11q region that contains DRD2 and NCAM1 genes, to double the risk of developing ADHD. This interaction not only explains genetic effects much better than taking each of these loci effects by separated but also differences in brain metabolism as depicted by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy data and pharmacogenetic response to stimulant medication. These findings not only add information about how high order genetic interactions might be implicated in conferring susceptibility to develop ADHD but also show that future studies of the effects of genetic interactions on ADHD clinical information will help to shape predictive models of individual outcome.
KW  - ADHD
KW  - genetic interaction
KW  - LPHN3
KW  - NCAM1
KW  - DRD2
Y1  - 2012
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-125128
VL  - 17
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Franke, B.
A1  - Faraone, S. V.
A1  - Asherson, P.
A1  - Buitelaar, J.
A1  - Bau, C. H. D.
A1  - Ramos-Quiroga, J. A.
A1  - Mick, E.
A1  - Grevet, E. H.
A1  - Johansson, S.
A1  - Haavik, J.
A1  - Lesch, K.-P.
A1  - Cormand, B.
A1  - Reif, A.
T1  - The genetics of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adults, a review
JF  - Molecular Psychiatry
N2  - The adult form of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (aADHD) has a prevalence of up to 5% and is the most severe long-term outcome of this common neurodevelopmental disorder. Family studies in clinical samples suggest an increased familial liability for aADHD compared with childhood ADHD (cADHD), whereas twin studies based on self-rated symptoms in adult population samples show moderate heritability estimates of 30–40%. However, using multiple sources of information, the heritability of clinically diagnosed aADHD and cADHD is very similar. Results of candidate gene as well as genome-wide molecular genetic studies in aADHD samples implicate some of the same genes involved in ADHD in children, although in some cases different alleles and different genes may be responsible for adult versus childhood ADHD. Linkage studies have been successful in identifying loci for aADHD and led to the identification of LPHN3 and CDH13 as novel genes associated with ADHD across the lifespan. In addition, studies of rare genetic variants have identified probable causative mutations for aADHD. Use of endophenotypes based on neuropsychology and neuroimaging, as well as next-generation genome analysis and improved statistical and bioinformatic analysis methods hold the promise of identifying additional genetic variants involved in disease etiology. Large, international collaborations have paved the way for well-powered studies. Progress in identifying aADHD risk genes may provide us with tools for the prediction of disease progression in the clinic and better treatment, and ultimately may help to prevent persistence of ADHD into adulthood.
KW  - IMpACT
KW  - persistent ADHD
KW  - molecular genetics
KW  - heritability
KW  - endophenotype
Y1  - 2012
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-124677
VL  - 17
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Bonn, M.
A1  - Schmitt, A.
A1  - Lesch, K.-P.
A1  - Van Bockstaele, E. J.
A1  - Asan, E.
T1  - Serotonergic innervation and serotonin receptor expression of NPY-producing neurons in the rat lateral and basolateral amygdaloid nuclei
JF  - Brain Structure and Function
N2  - Pharmacobehavioral studies in experimental animals, and imaging studies in humans, indicate that serotonergic transmission in the amygdala plays a key role in emotional processing, especially for anxiety-related stimuli. The lateral and basolateral amygdaloid nuclei receive a dense serotonergic innervation in all species studied to date. We investigated interrelations between serotonergic afferents and neuropeptide Y (NPY)-producing neurons, which are a subpopulation of inhibitory interneurons in the rat lateral and basolateral nuclei with particularly strong anxiolytic properties. Dual light microscopic immunolabeling showed numerous appositions of serotonergic afferents on NPY-immunoreactive somata. Using electron microscopy, direct membrane appositions and synaptic contacts between serotonin-containing axon terminals and NPY-immunoreactive cellular profiles were unequivocally established. Double in situ hybridization documented that more than 50 %, and about 30–40 % of NPY mRNA-producing neurons, co-expressed inhibitory 5-HT1A and excitatory 5-HT2C mRNA receptor subtype mRNA, respectively, in both nuclei with no gender differences. Triple in situ hybridization showed that individual NPY mRNA-producing interneurons co-express both 5-HT1A and 5-HT2C mRNAs. Co-expression of NPY and 5-HT3 mRNA was not observed. The results demonstrate that serotonergic afferents provide substantial innervation of NPY-producing neurons in the rat lateral and basolateral amygdaloid nuclei. Studies of serotonin receptor subtype co-expression indicate a differential impact of the serotonergic innervation on this small, but important, population of anxiolytic interneurons, and provide the basis for future studies of the circuitry underlying serotonergic modulation of emotional stimulus processing in the amygdala.
KW  - NPY
KW  - serotonergic system
KW  - amygdala
KW  - anxiety
Y1  - 2013
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-132591
VL  - 218
IS  - 2
ER  -