Mechanisms of gene–environment interactions in depression: evidence that genes potentiate multiple sources of adversity

Wichers, Marieke; Schrijvers, Didier; Geschwind, Nicole; Jacobs, Nele; Myin-Germeys, Inez; Thiery, Evert; Derom, Cathérine; Sabbe, Bernard; Peeters, Frenk; Delespaul, Philippe; Os, Jim van

doi:10.1017/s0033291708004388

Cited by 112 publications

(131 citation statements)

References 36 publications

(45 reference statements)

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“…The association between specific gene polymorphism and epigenetic modifications with further contributions from different exogenous risk and resilience factors during different life periods may produce an integrated phenotype of reactivity (Wichers et al, 2009), which is adapted to some conditions, but maladaptive to others.…”

Section: Some Potential Multi-level Mechanisms Conferring Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

Resilience and Mental Health

Southwick¹,

Litz²,

Charney³

et al. 2011

146

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Humans are remarkably resilient in the face of crises, traumas, disabilities, attachment losses and ongoing adversities. To date, most research in the field of traumatic stress has focused on neurobiological, psychological and social factors associated with trauma-related psychopathology and deficits in psychosocial functioning. Far less is known about resilience to stress and healthy adaptation to stress and trauma. This book brings together experts from a broad array of scientific fields whose research has focused on adaptive responses to stress. Each of the five sections in the book examines the relevant concepts, spanning from factors that contribute to and promote resilience, to populations and societal systems in which resilience is employed, to specific applications and contexts of resilience and interventions designed to better enhance resilience. This will be suitable for clinicians and researchers who are interested in resilience across the lifespan and in response to a wide variety of stressors.

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Section: Some Potential Multi-level Mechanisms Conferring Resiliencementioning

confidence: 99%

Resilience and Mental Health

Southwick¹,

Litz²,

Charney³

et al. 2011

146

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show abstract

“…The dynamic person-context interaction concept of daily life stress-sensitivity can be seen as scar of past stressors and dysphoric states according to the new definition proposed in this paper. It gradually increases following early stress exposures (Wichers et al 2009), is associated with depressive symptoms (Wichers et al 2007a) and predicts the development of future new affective symptoms and episodes of MDD (M. Wichers et al unpublished observations). For this potential scar, evidence exists that other factors may decrease its effects.…”

Section: Sensitive To Person-context Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scars in depression: is a conceptual shift necessary to solve the puzzle?

Wichers

Geschwind

et al. 2009

Psychol. Med.

Self Cite

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Although clinical findings suggest that in the aftermath of depression a process of ' scarring ' may ensue, research examining the issue of ' scars ' (including biological, psychological and cognitive changes) has remained largely inconclusive. This paper proposes a new approach to the concept of ' scars ' that is (i) based on a dimensional view of depression, (ii) uses methods that take into account the dynamic interplay between the person and his context, (iii) differentiates between scars following depression and scars following the factor that actually caused the depression such as stress and (iv) introduces a dynamic view of the concept of ' scars ' in that it hypothesizes that scars can wax and wane. This approach may stimulate the discovery of new entries in the puzzle underlying the ontogenesis of vulnerability and resilience. Furthermore, it may provide insights that help to develop new therapies for depression.

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“…Experience Sampling Method data (ESM, see below) were collected at baseline, as described in detail elsewhere [30,31]. These data have been used for other studies as well, but never in the context of the current research questions [30,[32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42], as this is the first study analysing the novel phenotype of transfer of momentary anomalous experiences in daily life. fig 1A, a momentary (note that time axis is in minutes) mental state of anomalous experience persists because the mental state is transferred from moment (t-1) to moment (t), under the influence of negative affect associated with negative environmental context.…”

Section: Study 1: General Population Twin Sample (Twins)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Altered Transfer of Momentary Mental States (Atoms) as the Basic Unit of Psychosis Liability in Interaction With Environment and Emotions

Os¹

2014

Schizophrenia Research

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Psychotic disorders are thought to represent altered neural function. However, research has failed to map diagnostic categories to alterations in neural networks. It is proposed that the basic unit of psychotic psychopathology is the momentto-moment expression of subtle anomalous experiences of subclinical psychosis, and particularly its tendency to persist from moment-to-moment in daily life, under the influence of familial, environmental, emotional and cognitive factors. In a general population twin sample (n = 579) and in a study of patients with psychotic disorder (n = 57), their non-psychotic siblings (n = 59) and unrelated controls (n = 75), the experience sampling paradigm (ESM; repetitive, random sampling of momentary mental states and context) was applied. We analysed, in a within-person prospective design, (i) transfer of momentary anomalous experience at time point (t-1) to time point (t) in daily life, and (ii) moderating effects of negative affect, positive affect, daily stressors, IQ and childhood trauma. Additionally, (iii) familial associations between persistence of momentary anomalous experience and psychotic symptomatology were investigated. Higher level of schizotypy in the twins (but not higher level of psychotic symptoms in patients) predicted more persistence of momentary anomalous experience in daily life, both within subjects and across relatives. Persistence of momentary anomalous experience was highest in patients, intermediate in their siblings and lowest in controls. In both studies, persistence of momentary anomalous experience was moderated by higher levels of negative affect, daily stressors and childhood trauma (only in twins), and by lower levels of positive affect. The study of alterations in the moment-to-moment transfer of subtle anomalous experience of psychosis, resulting in their persistence, helps to explain why psychotic and emotional dysregulation tend to cluster in a single phenotype such as schizophrenia, and how familial and environmental risks increase the risk of expression of psychosis from, first, subtle momentary anomalous experience to, second, observable clinical symptoms.

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Mechanisms of gene–environment interactions in depression: evidence that genes potentiate multiple sources of adversity

Abstract: The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that adult daily life stress-sensitivity is the result of sensitization processes initiated by developmental stress exposures. Genes associated with depression may act by accelerating the process of stress-induced sensitization.

Cited by 112 publications

References 36 publications

Resilience and Mental Health

Resilience and Mental Health

Scars in depression: is a conceptual shift necessary to solve the puzzle?

Altered Transfer of Momentary Mental States (Atoms) as the Basic Unit of Psychosis Liability in Interaction With Environment and Emotions

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