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  - Schraut, K. G.
A1  - Jakob, S. B.
A1  - Weidner, M. T.
A1  - Schmitt, A. G.
A1  - Scholz, C. J.
A1  - Strekalova, T.
A1  - El Hajj, N.
A1  - Eijssen, L. M. T.
A1  - Domschke, K.
A1  - Reif, A.
A1  - Haaf, T.
A1  - Ortega, G.
A1  - Steinbusch, H. W. M.
A1  - Lesch, K. P.
A1  - Van den Hove, D. L.
T1  - Prenatal stress-induced programming of genome-wide promoter DNA methylation in 5-HTT-deficient mice
JF  - Translational Psychiatry
N2  - The serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT/SLC6A4)-linked polymorphic region has been suggested to have a modulatory role in mediating effects of early-life stress exposure on psychopathology rendering carriers of the low-expression short (s)-variant more vulnerable to environmental adversity in later life. The underlying molecular mechanisms of this gene-by-environment interaction are not well understood, but epigenetic regulation including differential DNA methylation has been postulated to have a critical role. Recently, we used a maternal restraint stress paradigm of prenatal stress (PS) in 5-HTT-deficient mice and showed that the effects on behavior and gene expression were particularly marked in the hippocampus of female 5-Htt+/- offspring. Here, we examined to which extent these effects are mediated by differential methylation of DNA. For this purpose, we performed a genome-wide hippocampal DNA methylation screening using methylated-DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) on Affymetrix GeneChip Mouse Promoter 1.0 R arrays. Using hippocampal DNA from the same mice as assessed before enabled us to correlate gene-specific DNA methylation, mRNA expression and behavior. We found that 5-Htt genotype, PS and their interaction differentially affected the DNA methylation signature of numerous genes, a subset of which showed overlap with the expression profiles of the corresponding transcripts. For example, a differentially methylated region in the gene encoding myelin basic protein (Mbp) was associated with its expression in a 5-Htt-, PS- and 5-Htt × PS-dependent manner. Subsequent fine-mapping of this Mbp locus linked the methylation status of two specific CpG sites to Mbp expression and anxiety-related behavior. In conclusion, hippocampal DNA methylation patterns and expression profiles of female prenatally stressed 5-Htt+/- mice suggest that distinct molecular mechanisms, some of which are promoter methylation-dependent, contribute to the behavioral effects of the 5-Htt genotype, PS exposure and their interaction.
KW  - mice
KW  - DNA
Y1  - 2014
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-119199
VL  - 4
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Erhardt, A.
A1  - Akula, N.
A1  - Schumacher, J.
A1  - Czamara, D.
A1  - Karbalai, N.
A1  - Müller-Myhsok, B.
A1  - Mors, O.
A1  - Borglum, A.
A1  - Kristensen, A. S.
A1  - Woldbye, D. P. D.
A1  - Koefoed, P.
A1  - Eriksson, E.
A1  - Maron, E.
A1  - Metspalu, A.
A1  - Nurnberger, J.
A1  - Philibert, R. A.
A1  - Kennedy, J.
A1  - Domschke, K.
A1  - Reif, A.
A1  - Deckert, J.
A1  - Otowa, T.
A1  - Kawamura, Y.
A1  - Kaiya, H.
A1  - Okazaki, Y.
A1  - Tanii, H.
A1  - Tokunaga, K.
A1  - Sasaki, T.
A1  - Ioannidis, J. P. A.
A1  - McMahon, F. J.
A1  - Binder, E. B.
T1  - Replication and meta-analysis of TMEM132D gene variants in panic disorder
JF  - Translational Psychiatry
N2  - A recent genome-wide association study in patients with panic disorder (PD) identified a risk haplotype consisting of two single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs7309727 and rs11060369) located in intron 3 of TMEM132D to be associated with PD in three independent samples. Now we report a subsequent confirmation study using five additional PD case-control samples (n = 1670 cases and n 2266 controls) assembled as part of the Panic Disorder International Consortium (PanIC) study for a total of 2678 cases and 3262 controls in the analysis. In the new independent samples of European ancestry (EA), the association of rs7309727 and the risk haplotype rs7309727-rs11060369 was, indeed, replicated, with the strongest signal coming from patients with primary PD, that is, patients without major psychiatric comorbidities (n 1038 cases and n 2411 controls). This finding was paralleled by the results of the meta-analysis across all samples, in which the risk haplotype and rs7309727 reached P-levels of P = 1.4e-8 and P = 1.1e-8, respectively, when restricting the samples to individuals of EA with primary PD. In the Japanese sample no associations with PD could be found. The present results support the initial finding that TMEM132D gene contributes to genetic susceptibility for PD in individuals of EA. Our results also indicate that patient ascertainment and genetic background could be important sources of heterogeneity modifying this association signal in different populations.
KW  - candidate gene
KW  - genome-wide association
KW  - Japanese population
Y1  - 2012
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-133324
VL  - 2
IS  - e156
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Straube, B.
A1  - Reif, A.
A1  - Richter, J.
A1  - Lueken, U.
A1  - Weber, H.
A1  - Arolt, V.
A1  - Jansen, A.
A1  - Zwanzger, P.
A1  - Domschke, K.
A1  - Pauli, P.
A1  - Konrad, C.
A1  - Gerlach, A. L.
A1  - Lang, T.
A1  - Fydrich, T.
A1  - Alpers, G. W.
A1  - Stroehle, A.
A1  - Wittmann, A.
A1  - Pfleiderer, B.
A1  - Wittchen, H.-U.
A1  - Hamm, A.
A1  - Deckert, J.
A1  - Kircher, T.
T1  - The functional - 1019C/G HTR1A polymorphism and mechanisms of fear
JF  - Translational Psychiatry
N2  - Serotonin receptor 1A gene (HTR1A) knockout mice show pronounced defensive behaviour and increased fear conditioning to ambiguous conditioned stimuli. Such behaviour is a hallmark of pathological human anxiety, as observed in panic disorder with agoraphobia (PD/AG). Thus, variations in HTR1A might contribute to neurophysiological differences within subgroups of PD/AG patients. Here, we tested this hypothesis by combining genetic with behavioural techniques and neuroimaging. In a clinical multicentre trial, patients with PD/AG received 12 sessions of manualized cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and were genotyped for HTR1A rs6295. In four subsamples of this multicentre trial, exposure behaviour (n = 185), defensive reactivity measured using a behavioural avoidance test (BAT; before CBT: n = 245; after CBT: n = 171) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data during fear conditioning were acquired before and after CBT (n = 39). HTR1A risk genotype (GG) carriers more often escaped during the BAT before treatment. Exploratory fMRI results suggest increased activation of the amygdala in response to threat as well as safety cues before and after treatment in GG carriers. Furthermore, GG carriers demonstrated reduced effects of CBT on differential conditioning in regions including the bilateral insulae and the anterior cingulate cortex. Finally, risk genotype carriers demonstrated reduced self-initiated exposure behaviour to aversive situations. This study demonstrates the effect of HTR1A variation on defensive behaviour, amygdala activity, CBT-induced neural plasticity and normalization of defence behaviour in PD/AG. Our results, therefore, translate evidence from animal studies to humans and suggest a central role for HTR1A in differentiating subgroups of patients with anxiety disorders.
KW  - randomized-controlled trial
KW  - panic disorder
KW  - 5-HT1A receptor
KW  - defensive reactivity
KW  - major depression
KW  - cognitive-behavioral therapy
KW  - receptor gene polymorphism
KW  - C(-1019)G polymorphism
KW  - anxiety disorders
KW  - serotonin(1A) receptor
Y1  - 2014
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-114369
SN  - 2158-3188
VL  - 4
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Biernacka, J. M.
A1  - Sangkuhl, K.
A1  - Jenkins, G.
A1  - Whaley, R. M.
A1  - Barman, P.
A1  - Batzler, A.
A1  - Altman, R. B.
A1  - Arolt, V.
A1  - Brockmöller, J.
A1  - Chen, C. H.
A1  - Domschke, K.
A1  - Hall-Flavin, D. K.
A1  - Hong, C. J.
A1  - Illi, A.
A1  - Ji, Y.
A1  - Kampman, O.
A1  - Kinoshita, T.
A1  - Leinonen, E.
A1  - Liou, Y. J.
A1  - Mushiroda, T.
A1  - Nonen, S.
A1  - Skime, M. K.
A1  - Wang, L.
A1  - Baune, B. T.
A1  - Kato, M.
A1  - Liu, Y. L.
A1  - Praphanphoj, V.
A1  - Stingl, J. C.
A1  - Tsai, S. J.
A1  - Kubo, M.
A1  - Klein, T. E.
A1  - Weinshilboum, R.
T1  - The International SSRI Pharmacogenomics Consortium (ISPC): a genome-wide association study of antidepressant treatment response
JF  - Translational Psychiatry
N2  - Response to treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) varies considerably between patients. The International SSRI Pharmacogenomics Consortium (ISPC) was formed with the primary goal of identifying genetic variation that may contribute to response to SSRI treatment of major depressive disorder. A genome-wide association study of 4-week treatment outcomes, measured using the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD-17), was performed using data from 865 subjects from seven sites. The primary outcomes were percent change in HRSD-17 score and response, defined as at least 50% reduction in HRSD-17. Data from two prior studies, the Pharmacogenomics Research Network Antidepressant Medication Pharmacogenomics Study (PGRN-AMPS) and the Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study, were used for replication, and a meta-analysis of the three studies was performed (N = 2394). Although many top association signals in the ISPC analysis map to interesting candidate genes, none were significant at the genome-wide level and the associations were not replicated using PGRN-AMPS and STAR*D data. Top association results in the meta-analysis of response included single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the HPRTP4 (hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase pseudogene 4)/VSTM5 (V-set and transmembrane domain containing 5) region, which approached genome-wide significance (P = 5.03E - 08) and SNPs 5' upstream of the neuregulin-1 gene, NRG1 (P = 1.20E - 06). NRG1 is involved in many aspects of brain development, including neuronal maturation and variations in this gene have been shown to be associated with increased risk for mental disorders, particularly schizophrenia. Replication and functional studies of these findings are warranted.
KW  - major depressive disorder
KW  - genetic variation
KW  - schizophrenia
KW  - neuregulin-1
KW  - population
KW  - microcephalin 1
KW  - susceptibility
KW  - metaanalysis
KW  - MCPH1
KW  - loci
Y1  - 2015
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-143223
VL  - 5
IS  - e553
ER  -