Holla, B. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2019

Decentralized multi-site VBM analysis during adolescence shows structural changes linked to age, body mass index, and smoking: A COINSTAC analysis

In the recent past, there has been an upward trend in developing frameworks that enable neuroimaging researchers to address challenging questions by leveraging data across multiple sites all over the world. One such framework, Collaborative Informatics and Neuroimaging Suite Toolkit for Anonymous Computation (COINSTAC), provides a platform to analyze neuroimaging data stored locally across multiple organizations without the need for pooling the data at any point during the analysis. In this paper, we perform a decentralized voxel-based morphometry analysis of structural magnetic resonance imaging data across two different sites to understand the structural changes in the brain as linked to age, body mass index and smoking. Results produced by the decentralized analysis are contrasted with similar findings in literature. This work showcases the potential benefits of performing multi-voxel and multivariate analyses of large-scale neuroimaging data located at multiple sites.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Adverse childhood experiences in families with multiple members diagnosed to have psychiatric illnesses

ObjectiveAdverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are linked to the development of a number of psychiatric illnesses in adulthood. Our study examined the pattern of ACEs and their relation to the age of onset (AAO) of major psychiatric conditions in individuals from families that had [≥] 2 first degree relatives with major psychiatric conditions (multiplex families) identified as part of an ongoing longitudinal study.\n\nMethodsOur sample consisted of 509 individuals from 215 families. Of these, 268 were affected i.e diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BPAD) (n=61), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) (n=58), schizophrenia (n=52), substance dependence (SUD) (n=59), or co-occurring diagnoses (n=38); while 241 were at-risk first degree relatives (FDRs) who were either unaffected (n=210) or had other depressive or anxiety disorders (n=31). All individuals were evaluated using the Adverse Childhood Experiences - International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) and ACE binary and frequency scores were calculated.\n\nResultsIt was seen that affected males, as a group, had the greatest ACE scores in our sample. A cox mixed-effects model fit by gender revealed that higher ACE binary and frequency scores were associated with significantly increased risk for an earlier AAO of psychiatric diagnoses in males. A similar model that evaluated the effect of diagnosis revealed an earlier AAO in OCD and SUD, but not in schizophrenia and BPAD.\n\nConclusionsOur study indicates that ACEs brought forward the onset of major psychiatric conditions in men and in individuals diagnosed with OCD and SUD. Ongoing longitudinal assessments in FDRs from these families are expected to identify mechanisms underlying this relationship.

neuroscience↗