Charlotte Elisabeth Piechaczek1, Ellen Greimel2, Lisa Feldmann2, Verena Pehl2, Antje-Kathrin Allgaier3, Michael Frey2, Franz Joseph Freisleder4, Thorhildur Halldorsdottir5, Elisabeth B Binder6, Marcus Ising7, Gerd Schulte-Körne2. 1. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5A, 80336 Munich, Germany. Electronic address: Charlotte.Piechaczek@med.uni-muenchen.de. 2. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5A, 80336 Munich, Germany. 3. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Nußbaumstr. 5A, 80336 Munich, Germany; Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of the German Armed Forces, Werner-Heisenberg-Weg 39, 85577 Neubiberg, Germany. 4. KBO Heckscher-Klinikum, Deisenhofenerstr. 28, 81539 Munich, Germany. 5. Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max-Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany; Centre of Public Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Vatnsmýrarvegur 16, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland. 6. Department of Translational Research in Psychiatry, Max-Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, 12 Executive Park Dr NE #200, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA. 7. Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Kraepelinstr. 2-10, 80804 Munich, Germany.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Major Depression (MD) results from a complex interplay between environmental stressors and biological factors. Previous studies in adults have shown that adverse life events interact with genetic variation in FKBP5, a gene implicated in the stress-response system, to predict depressive symptoms and MD. This is the first study to investigate interactions between FKBP5 variants and a range of environmental stressors in adolescents with a clinical diagnosis of MD. METHOD: 148 male and female adolescents with MD and 143 typically developing (TD) controls (13-18 years) were included in the present study. For self-reported environmental stressors, subjective severity was assessed to allow a classification of these factors as mild, moderate and severe. Sociodemographic stressors were assessed via parental-report. RESULTS: With a heightened number of sociodemographic, moderate and total number of stressors, participants carrying at least one copy of the FKBP5 CATT haplotype or at least one minor allele of various FKBP5 SNPs had the highest risk for being in the MD group. No genetic main effects were found. Sociodemographic stressors as well as self-reported mild, moderate, and severe stressors were more common in depressed than in TD adolescents. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to show interactions between genetic variation in FKBP5 and environmental stressors in a sample of clinically depressed adolescents. The current study provides important starting-points for preventive efforts and highlights the need for a fine-grained analysis of different forms and severities of environmental stressors and their interplay with genetic variation for understanding the complex etiology of (youth) MD.
OBJECTIVE: Major Depression (MD) results from a complex interplay between environmental stressors and biological factors. Previous studies in adults have shown that adverse life events interact with genetic variation in FKBP5, a gene implicated in the stress-response system, to predict depressive symptoms and MD. This is the first study to investigate interactions between FKBP5 variants and a range of environmental stressors in adolescents with a clinical diagnosis of MD. METHOD: 148 male and female adolescents with MD and 143 typically developing (TD) controls (13-18 years) were included in the present study. For self-reported environmental stressors, subjective severity was assessed to allow a classification of these factors as mild, moderate and severe. Sociodemographic stressors were assessed via parental-report. RESULTS: With a heightened number of sociodemographic, moderate and total number of stressors, participants carrying at least one copy of the FKBP5 CATT haplotype or at least one minor allele of various FKBP5 SNPs had the highest risk for being in the MD group. No genetic main effects were found. Sociodemographic stressors as well as self-reported mild, moderate, and severe stressors were more common in depressed than in TD adolescents. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to show interactions between genetic variation in FKBP5 and environmental stressors in a sample of clinically depressed adolescents. The current study provides important starting-points for preventive efforts and highlights the need for a fine-grained analysis of different forms and severities of environmental stressors and their interplay with genetic variation for understanding the complex etiology of (youth) MD.
Authors: Eleni Pitsillou; Sarah M Bresnehan; Evan A Kagarakis; Stevano J Wijoyo; Julia Liang; Andrew Hung; Tom C Karagiannis Journal: Mol Biol Rep Date: 2019-10-14 Impact factor: 2.316