Biology subjects

du Plessis, S.

Publications and source records attributed to du Plessis, S..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Smaller total and subregional cerebellar volumes in posttraumatic stress disorder: a mega-analysis by the ENIGMA-PGC PTSD workgroup

BackgroundThe cerebellum critically contributes to higher-order cognitive and emotional functions such fear learning and memory. Prior research on cerebellar volume in PTSD is scant and has neglected neuroanatomical subdivisions of the cerebellum that differentially map on to motor, cognitive, and affective functions. MethodsWe quantified cerebellar lobule volumes using structural magnetic resonance imaging in 4,215 adults (PTSD n= 1640; Control n=2575) across 40 sites from the from the ENIGMA-PGC PTSD working group. Using a new state-of-the-art deep-learning based approach for automatic cerebellar parcellation, we obtained volumetric estimates for the total cerebellum and 28 subregions. Linear mixed effects models controlling for age, gender, intracranial volume, and site were used to compare cerebellum total and subregional volume in PTSD compared to healthy controls. The Benjamini-Hochberg procedure was used to control the false discovery rate (p-FDR < .05). ResultsPTSD was associated with significant grey and white matter reductions of the cerebellum. Compared to controls, people with PTSD demonstrated smaller total cerebellum volume. In addition, people with PTSD showed reduced volume in subregions primarily within the posterior lobe (lobule VIIB, crus II), but also the vermis (VI, VIII), flocculonodular lobe (lobule X), and cerebellar white matter (all p-FDR < 0.05). Effects of PTSD on volume were consistent, and generally more robust, when examining symptom severity rather than diagnostic status. ConclusionsThese findings implicate regionally specific cerebellar volumetric differences in the pathophysiology of PTSD. The cerebellum appears to play an important role in high-order cognitive and emotional processes, far beyond its historical association with vestibulomotor function. Further examination of the cerebellum in trauma-related psychopathology will help to clarify how cerebellar structure and function may disrupt cognitive and affective processes at the center of translational models for PTSD.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

Adaptive maternal effects in early life history traits help to maintain ecological resilience in novel environments for two contrasting Senecio species

While many organisms shift their development plastically to maintain fitness as environments change, such plasticity has limits. Population mean fitness is expected to decline when novel environments exceed the limits to plasticity, but the level of fitness costs is expected to vary among genotypes that can increase adaptive potential. We lack fundamental insights into how and when changes in early development traits increase adaptive potential in novel environments, which limits our ability to predict the response of natural populations to global change. To test whether genetic variation in development time is associated with increased adaptive potential in novel environments, we used a breeding design to generate c.20,000 seeds of two ecologically contrasting Sicilian species of daisies (Senecio, Asteraceae) adapted to high and low elevations on Mount Etna. We planted the seeds across four elevations that included the native range of each species, and a novel elevation. We tracked seedling mortality and measured development time as the number of days it took seedlings to establish. As predicted, genetic variance in survival increased at novel elevations. However, genetic variance in development time showed the opposite trend, decreasing at novel elevations. A strong negative genetic correlation between development time in the native range and survival at novel elevations suggested that genotypes with faster development in native environments survived better in novel environments. These results were consistent across the two ecologically contrasting species, suggesting that genetic variance in early development in native environments could be used to predict population responses to novel environments.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Hippocampal subfield volumes are uniquely affected in PTSD and depression: International analysis of 31 cohorts from the PGC-ENIGMA PTSD Working Group

BackgroundPTSD and depression commonly co-occur and have been associated with smaller hippocampal volumes compared to healthy and trauma-exposed controls. However, the hippocampus is heterogeneous, with subregions that may be uniquely affected in individuals with PTSD and depression.\n\nMethodsWe used random effects regressions and a harmonized neuroimaging protocol based on FreeSurfer (v6.0) to identify sub-structural hippocampal markers of current PTSD (C-PTSD), depression, and the interaction of these conditions across 31 cohorts worldwide (N=3,115; Mage=38.9{+/-}13.9 years). Secondary analyses tested these associations by sex and after modeling the simultaneous effects of remitted PTSD, childhood trauma, mild traumatic brain injury, and alcohol use disorder.\n\nResultsA significant negative main effect of depression (n=800, vs. no depression, n=1456) was observed in the hippocampal tail ({beta}=-0.13) and CA1 ({beta}=-0.09) after adjusting for covariates and multiple testing (adjusted ps (q)=0.028). A main effect of C-PTSD (n=1042 vs. control, n=1359) was not significant, but an interaction between C-PTSD and depression was significant in the CA1 ({beta}=-0.24, q=0.044). Pairwise comparisons revealed significantly smaller CA1 volumes in individuals with C-PTSD+Depression than controls ({beta}=-0.12, q=0.012), C-PTSD-only ({beta}=-0.17, q=0.001), and Depression-only ({beta}=-0.18, q=0.023). Follow-up analyses revealed sex effects in the hippocampal tail of depressed females, and an interaction effect of C-PTSD and depression in the fimbria of males.\n\nConclusionsCollectively our results suggest that depression is a stronger predictor of hippocampal volumetry than PTSD, particularly in the CA1, and provide compelling evidence of more pronounced hippocampal phenotypes in comorbid PTSD and depression compared to either condition alone.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2019

Altered White Matter Microstructural Organization in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder across 3,049 Adults: Results from the PGC-ENIGMA PTSD Consortium

A growing number of studies have examined alterations in white matter organization in people with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using diffusion MRI (dMRI), but the results have been mixed, which may be partially due to relatively small sample sizes among studies. Altered structural connectivity may be both a neurobiological vulnerability for, and a result of, PTSD. In an effort to find reliable effects, we present a multi-cohort analysis of dMRI metrics across 3,049 individuals from 28 cohorts currently participating in the PGC-ENIGMA PTSD working group (a joint partnership between the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium and the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis consortium). Comparing regional white matter metrics across the full brain in 1,446 individuals with PTSD and 1,603 controls (2152 males/897 females) between ages 18-83, 92% of whom were trauma-exposed, we report associations between PTSD and disrupted white matter organization measured by lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in the tapetum region of the corpus callosum (Cohens d=-0.12, p=0.0021). The tapetum connects the left and right hippocampus, structures for which structure and function have been consistently implicated in PTSD. Results remained significant/similar after accounting for the effects of multiple potentially confounding variables: childhood trauma exposure, comorbid depression, history of traumatic brain injury, current alcohol abuse or dependence, and current use of psychotropic medications. Our results show that PTSD may be associated with alterations in the broader hippocampal network.

neuroscience↗