Published Articles

pubmedvcu

• Lifestyle and the aging brain: interactive effects of modifiable lifestyle behaviors and cognitive ability in men from midlife to old age September 21, 2021
  We examined the influence of lifestyle on brain aging after nearly 30 years, and tested the hypothesis that young adult general cognitive ability (GCA) would moderate these effects. In the community-dwelling Vietnam Era Twin Study of Aging (VETSA), 431 largely non-Hispanic white men completed a test of GCA at mean age 20. We created a […]
  Carol E Franz
• Health symptoms after war zone deployment-related mild traumatic brain injury: contributions of mental disorders and lifetime brain injuries September 20, 2021
  CONCLUSIONS: After adjusting for a wide range of factors, OEF/OIF/OND deployment-related mTBI was still associated with PPCSs on average 10 years after the injury. These findings suggest that mTBI sustained during OEF/OIF/OND deployment may have enduring negative health effects. More studies are needed that prospectively and longitudinally track health and mental health outcomes after TBI.
  Scott D McDonald
• The Debate Between Two of the Founders of American Psychiatric Genetics, Aaron Rosanoff and Abraham Myerson, on Mendelian Models for Psychiatric Illness: 1911-1917 September 15, 2021
  In 1911, Aaron Rosanoff published among the first pedigree studies of psychiatric illness, and the first ever in the United States, claiming that the neuropathic constitution was transmitted in as a Mendelian recessive disorder. In 1917, Abraham Myerson harshly critiqued that study, focusing on the very wide phenotypic definition of neuropathic constitution. Here, I describe […]
  Kenneth S Kendler
• Educational attainment of same-sex and opposite-sex dizygotic twins: An individual-level pooled study of 19 twin cohorts September 6, 2021
  Comparing twins from same- and opposite-sex pairs can provide information on potential sex differences in a variety of outcomes, including socioeconomic-related outcomes such as educational attainment. It has been suggested that this design can be applied to examine the putative role of intrauterine exposure to testosterone for educational attainment, but the evidence is still disputed. […]
  Karri Silventoinen
• Ernst Rüdin's, 1911 vision of a Mendelian psychiatric genetics research program: His paper "Methods and goals of family research in psychiatry" August 20, 2021
  While working under Kraepelin in Munich, Ernst Rüdin, a Swiss-born Psychiatrist, at the age of 26, outlined in a 1911 98-page article, a detailed plan for a future Mendelian-informed family research program for psychiatry. Rüdin would go on to head the Department of Genealogical and Demographic Studies at Kraepelin's Research Institute which became one of […]
  Kenneth S Kendler
• Drinking Patterns of Post-Deployment Veterans: The Role of Personality, Negative Urgency, and Posttraumatic Stress August 16, 2021
  Rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol misuse are known to be high among post-deployment Veterans. Previous research has found that personality factors may be relevant predictors of post-deployment drinking, yet results have been inconsistent and may be influenced by the selection of drinking outcome. This study aimed to examine relations between PTSD, negative […]
  Ruth C Brown
• 12-year prediction of mild cognitive impairment aided by Alzheimer's brain signatures at mean age 56 August 16, 2021
  Neuroimaging signatures based on composite scores of cortical thickness and hippocampal volume predict progression from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease. However, little is known about the ability of these signatures among cognitively normal adults to predict progression to mild cognitive impairment. Towards that end, a signature sensitive to microstructural changes that may predate macrostructural […]
  McKenna E Williams
• Substance use patterns in 9-10 year olds: Baseline findings from the adolescent brain cognitive development (ABCD) study August 15, 2021
  CONCLUSIONS: ABCD Study participants aged 9-10 years old reported caffeine use and alcohol sipping experimentation, but very rare other SU. Variables linked with early childhood alcohol sipping and caffeine use should be examined as contributing factors in future longitudinal analyses examining escalating trajectories of SU in the ABCD Study cohort.
  Krista M Lisdahl
• Children's Mental Health in Southwestern Ontario during Summer 2020 of the COVID-19 Pandemic August 12, 2021
  CONCLUSIONS: Study findings suggest possible broad psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and are consistent with prior research that indicates a protective role of social support to mitigate the negative psychological impact of the pandemic. These findings may inform clinical assessments and highlight the need for public resources to safeguard children's mental health.
  Alexandra Mactavish
• Shared Genetic Etiology between Cortical Brain Morphology and Tobacco, Alcohol, and Cannabis Use August 11, 2021
  Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified genetic variants associated with brain morphology and substance use behaviors (SUB). However, the genetic overlap between brain structure and SUB has not been well characterized. We leveraged GWAS summary data of 71 brain imaging measures and alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use to investigate their genetic overlap using linkage disequilibrium […]
  Jill A Rabinowitz
• Vaginal microbiome Lactobacillus crispatus is heritable among European American women August 6, 2021
  The diversity and dominant bacterial taxa in the vagina are reported to be influenced by multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including but not limited to pregnancy, contraceptive use, pathogenic states, socioeconomic status, and ancestry. However, the extent to which host genetic factors influence variation in the vaginal microbiota is unclear. We used a biometrical genetic […]
  Michelle L Wright
• "Manifestations of insanity": Kraepelin's final views on psychiatric nosology in their historical context August 2, 2021
  Emil Kraepelin, more than any other individual, has shaped the nature of our psychiatric diagnostic system. Kraepelin published his final contribution to psychiatric nosology as an essay in 1920, which both modified and explicated the conceptual foundation for this approach to diagnosis. This essay was a response to a new generation of psychiatrists, particularly Karl […]
  Stephan Heckers
• Effectiveness of a Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)-Informed Group for Post-9/11 Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) August 2, 2021
  Various treatments aimed for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been developed for veterans, but many are not formatted for use in groups, do not address common psychiatric comorbidities, and include inherent barriers (e.g., substantial time commitment). This program evaluation study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a five-session treatment, a Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT)-Informed […]
  Allen B Grove
• Genetic association study of childhood aggression across raters, instruments, and age July 31, 2021
  Childhood aggressive behavior (AGG) has a substantial heritability of around 50%. Here we present a genome-wide association meta-analysis (GWAMA) of childhood AGG, in which all phenotype measures across childhood ages from multiple assessors were included. We analyzed phenotype assessments for a total of 328 935 observations from 87 485 children aged between 1.5 and 18 […]
  Hill F Ip
• Maternal biological age assessed in early pregnancy is associated with gestational age at birth July 30, 2021
  Maternal age is an established predictor of preterm birth independent of other recognized risk factors. The use of chronological age makes the assumption that individuals age at a similar rate. Therefore, it does not capture interindividual differences that may exist due to genetic background and environmental exposures. As a result, there is a need to […]
  Eva E Lancaster
• Facets of social support are differentially predictive of mental health outcomes July 16, 2021
  No abstract
  Brianna George
• Prosper Lucas and his 1850 "Philosophical and Physiological Treatise on Natural Heredity" July 15, 2021
  Prosper Lucas (1808-1885) is a unique figure in the history of psychiatric genetics. A physician-alienist, he authored one of the most important books on human genetics in the mid-19th century cited frequently by Darwin: the 1,500 page treatise-Philosophical and Physiological Treatise on Natural Heredity (1847-1850). This book contained a novel theory of the nature of […]
  Kenneth S Kendler
• On the Genetic and Environmental Relationship Between Suicide Attempt and Death by Suicide July 14, 2021
  CONCLUSIONS: The genetic and environmental etiologies of suicide attempt and death are partially overlapping, exhibit modest sex differences, and shift across the life course. These differences must be considered when developing prevention efforts and risk prediction algorithms. Where feasible, suicide attempt and death should be considered separately rather than collapsed, including in the context of […]
  Alexis C Edwards
• Investigation of convergent and divergent genetic influences underlying schizophrenia and alcohol use disorder July 7, 2021
  CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide further evidence that SCZ shares meaningful genetic overlap with AUD.
  Emma C Johnson
• The nature of hereditary influences on insanity from research on asylum records in Western Europe in the mid-19th century July 6, 2021
  This article explores the nature of psychiatric genetics research conducted in asylums in Western Europe in the mid-19th century through an examination of four studies published 1841 to 1864 from Great Britain, France, and Germany. They all utilize asylum records to determine if patients had a hereditary predisposition (HP) to mental illness. A diverse range […]
  Kenneth S Kendler