NeuroImage: Clinical (Jan 2021)
Interaction of developmental factors and ordinary stressful life events on brain structure in adults
- Kai G. Ringwald,
- Tina Meller,
- Simon Schmitt,
- Till F.M. Andlauer,
- Frederike Stein,
- Katharina Brosch,
- Julia-Katharina Pfarr,
- Olaf Steinsträter,
- Susanne Meinert,
- Hannah Lemke,
- Lena Waltemate,
- Katharina Thiel,
- Dominik Grotegerd,
- Verena Enneking,
- Melissa Klug,
- Andreas Jansen,
- Andreas J. Forstner,
- Fabian Streit,
- Stephanie H. Witt,
- Marcella Rietschel,
- Bertram Müller-Myhsok,
- Markus M. Nöthen,
- Udo Dannlowski,
- Axel Krug,
- Igor Nenadić,
- Tilo Kircher
Affiliations
- Kai G. Ringwald
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany; Corresponding author at: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany.
- Tina Meller
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany
- Simon Schmitt
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany; Marburg University Hospital – UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
- Till F.M. Andlauer
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Ismaninger Str. 22, 81675 Munich, Germany
- Frederike Stein
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany
- Katharina Brosch
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany; Marburg University Hospital – UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
- Julia-Katharina Pfarr
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany
- Olaf Steinsträter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
- Susanne Meinert
- Department of Psychiatry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
- Hannah Lemke
- Department of Psychiatry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
- Lena Waltemate
- Department of Psychiatry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
- Katharina Thiel
- Department of Psychiatry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
- Dominik Grotegerd
- Department of Psychiatry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
- Verena Enneking
- Department of Psychiatry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
- Melissa Klug
- Department of Psychiatry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
- Andreas Jansen
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany; Core-Facility BrainImaging, Faculty of Medicine, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany
- Andreas J. Forstner
- Centre for Human Genetics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Baldingerstr., 35033 Marburg, Germany; Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
- Fabian Streit
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
- Stephanie H. Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
- Marcella Rietschel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, J5, 68159 Mannheim, Germany
- Bertram Müller-Myhsok
- Max-Planck-Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany; Munich Cluster for Systems Neurology (SyNergy), Feodor-Lynen-Str. 17, 81377 Munich, Germany; Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK
- Markus M. Nöthen
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
- Udo Dannlowski
- Department of Psychiatry, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Albert-Schweitzer-Campus 1, Building A9, 48149 Münster, Germany
- Axel Krug
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany; Marburg University Hospital – UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Venusberg-Campus 1, 53127 Bonn, Germany
- Igor Nenadić
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany; Marburg University Hospital – UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
- Tilo Kircher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany; Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior (CMBB), University of Marburg and Justus Liebig University Giessen, Hans-Meerwein-Str. 6, 35032 Marburg, Germany; Marburg University Hospital – UKGM, Rudolf-Bultmann-Str. 8, 35039 Marburg, Germany
- Journal volume & issue
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Vol. 30
p. 102683
Abstract
An interplay of early environmental and genetic risk factors with recent stressful life events (SLEs) in adulthood increases the risk for adverse mental health outcomes. The interaction of early risk and current SLEs on brain structure has hardly been investigated.Whole brain voxel-based morphometry analysis was performed in N = 786 (64.6% female, mean age = 33.39) healthy subjects to identify correlations of brain clusters with commonplace recent SLEs. Genetic and early environmental risk factors, operationalized as those for severe psychopathology (i.e., polygenic scores for neuroticism, childhood maltreatment, urban upbringing and paternal age) were assessed as modulators of the impact of SLEs on the brain.SLEs were negatively correlated with grey matter volume in the left medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC, FWE p = 0.003). This association was present for both, positive and negative, life events. Cognitive-emotional variables, i.e., neuroticism, perceived stress, trait anxiety, intelligence, and current depressive symptoms did not account for the SLE-mOFC association. Further, genetic and environmental risk factors were not correlated with grey matter volume in the left mOFC cluster and did not affect the association between SLEs and left mOFC grey matter volume.The orbitofrontal cortex has been implicated in stress-related psychopathology, particularly major depression in previous studies. We find that SLEs are associated with this area. Important early life risk factors do not interact with current SLEs on brain morphology in healthy subjects.
