Papers - ALEKSIC Branko

Functional characterization of rare NRXN1 variants identified in autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia

Kanako Ishizuka, Tomoyuki Yoshida, Takeshi Kawabata, Ayako Imai, Hisashi Mori, Hiroki Kimura, Toshiya Inada, Yuko Okahisa, Jun Egawa, Masahide Usami, Itaru Kushima, Mako Morikawa, Takashi Okada, Masashi Ikeda, Aleksic Branko, Daisuke Mori, Toshiyuki Someya, Nakao Iwata, Norio Ozaki

Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders   Vol. 12 ( 1 ) page： 25   2020.12

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Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)   Publisher：Springer Science and Business Media LLC  

<title>Abstract</title>
<sec>
<title>Background</title>
Rare genetic variants contribute to the etiology of both autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia (SCZ). Most genetic studies limit their focus to likely gene-disrupting mutations because they are relatively easier to interpret their effects on the gene product. Interpretation of missense variants is also informative to some pathophysiological mechanisms of these neurodevelopmental disorders; however, their contribution has not been elucidated because of relatively small effects. Therefore, we characterized missense variants detected in <italic>NRXN1</italic>, a well-known neurodevelopmental disease-causing gene, from individuals with ASD and SCZ.


</sec>
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<title>Methods</title>
To discover rare variants with large effect size and to evaluate their role in the shared etiopathophysiology of ASD and SCZ, we sequenced <italic>NRXN1</italic> coding exons with a sample comprising 562 Japanese ASD and SCZ patients, followed by a genetic association analysis in 4273 unrelated individuals. Impact of each missense variant detected here on cell surface expression, interaction with NLGN1, and synaptogenic activity was analyzed using an in vitro functional assay and in silico three-dimensional (3D) structural modeling.


</sec>
<sec>
<title>Results</title>
Through mutation screening, we regarded three ultra-rare missense variants (T737M, D772G, and R856W), all of which affected the LNS4 domain of <italic>NRXN1</italic>α isoform<italic>,</italic> as disease-associated variants. Diagnosis of individuals with T737M, D772G, and R856W was 1ASD and 1SCZ, 1ASD, and 1SCZ, respectively. We observed the following phenotypic and functional burden caused by each variant. (i) D772G and R856W carriers had more serious social disabilities than T737M carriers. (ii) In vitro assay showed reduced cell surface expression of NRXN1α by D772G and R856W mutations. In vitro functional analysis showed decreased NRXN1α-NLGN1 interaction of T737M and D772G mutants. (iii) In silico 3D structural modeling indicated that T737M and D772G mutations could destabilize the rod-shaped structure of LNS2-LNS5 domains, and D772G and R856W could disturb N-glycan conformations for the transport signal.


</sec>
<sec>
<title>Conclusions</title>
The combined data suggest that missense variants in <italic>NRXN1</italic> could be associated with phenotypes of neurodevelopmental disorders beyond the diagnosis of ASD and/or SCZ.


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DOI： 10.1186/s11689-020-09325-2

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Other Link： http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s11689-020-09325-2/fulltext.html

Publisher Correction: Rates, distribution and implications of postzygotic mosaic mutations in autism spectrum disorder. International journal

Elaine T Lim, Mohammed Uddin, Silvia De Rubeis, Yingleong Chan, Anne S Kamumbu, Xiaochang Zhang, Alissa M D'Gama, Sonia N Kim, Robert Sean Hill, Arthur P Goldberg, Christopher Poultney, Nancy J Minshew, Itaru Kushima, Branko Aleksic, Norio Ozaki, Mara Parellada, Celso Arango, Maria J Penzol, Angel Carracedo, Alexander Kolevzon, Christina M Hultman, Lauren A Weiss, Menachem Fromer, Andreas G Chiocchetti, Christine M Freitag, George M Church, Stephen W Scherer, Joseph D Buxbaum, Christopher A Walsh

Nature neuroscience   Vol. 23 ( 9 ) page： 1176 - 1176   2020.9

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An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

DOI： 10.1038/s41593-020-0681-z

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ヒストンメチル化修飾関連遺伝子KDM4Cにおける稀なゲノムコピー数変異と統合失調症および自閉スペクトラム症との関連

加藤 秀一, 久島 周, 森 大輔, 有岡 祐子, 石塚 佳奈子, 木村 大樹, ブランコ・アレクシッチ, 尾崎 紀夫

日本神経精神薬理学会年会・日本生物学的精神医学会年会・日本精神薬学会総会・学術集会合同年会プログラム・抄録集   Vol. 50回・42回・4回   page： 217 - 217   2020.8

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Language：Japanese   Publisher：日本神経精神薬理学会・日本生物学的精神医学会・日本精神薬学会  

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ARHGAP10, which encodes Rho GTPase-activating protein 10, is a novel gene for schizophrenia risk. Reviewed International journal

Mariko Sekiguchi, Akira Sobue, Itaru Kushima, Chenyao Wang, Yuko Arioka, Hidekazu Kato, Akiko Kodama, Hisako Kubo, Norimichi Ito, Masahito Sawahata, Kazuhiro Hada, Ryosuke Ikeda, Mio Shinno, Chikara Mizukoshi, Keita Tsujimura, Akira Yoshimi, Kanako Ishizuka, Yuto Takasaki, Hiroki Kimura, Jingrui Xing, Yanjie Yu, Maeri Yamamoto, Takashi Okada, Emiko Shishido, Toshiya Inada, Masahiro Nakatochi, Tetsuya Takano, Keisuke Kuroda, Mutsuki Amano, Branko Aleksic, Takashi Yamomoto, Tetsushi Sakuma, Tomomi Aida, Kohichi Tanaka, Ryota Hashimoto, Makoto Arai, Masashi Ikeda, Nakao Iwata, Teppei Shimamura, Taku Nagai, Toshitaka Nabeshima, Kozo Kaibuchi, Kiyofumi Yamada, Daisuke Mori, Norio Ozaki

Translational psychiatry   Vol. 10 ( 1 ) page： 247 - 247   2020.7

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Schizophrenia (SCZ) is known to be a heritable disorder; however, its multifactorial nature has significantly hampered attempts to establish its pathogenesis. Therefore, in this study, we performed genome-wide copy-number variation (CNV) analysis of 2940 patients with SCZ and 2402 control subjects and identified a statistically significant association between SCZ and exonic CNVs in the ARHGAP10 gene. ARHGAP10 encodes a member of the RhoGAP superfamily of proteins that is involved in small GTPase signaling. This signaling pathway is one of the SCZ-associated pathways and may contribute to neural development and function. However, the ARHGAP10 gene is often confused with ARHGAP21, thus, the significance of ARHGAP10 in the molecular pathology of SCZ, including the expression profile of the ARHGAP10 protein, remains poorly understood. To address this issue, we focused on one patient identified to have both an exonic deletion and a missense variant (p.S490P) in ARHGAP10. The missense variant was found to be located in the RhoGAP domain and was determined to be relevant to the association between ARHGAP10 and the active form of RhoA. We evaluated ARHGAP10 protein expression in the brains of reporter mice and generated a mouse model to mimic the patient case. The model exhibited abnormal emotional behaviors, along with reduced spine density in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). In addition, primary cultured neurons prepared from the mouse model brain exhibited immature neurites in vitro. Furthermore, we established induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from this patient, and differentiated them into tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons in order to analyze their morphological phenotypes. TH-positive neurons differentiated from the patient-derived iPSCs exhibited severe defects in both neurite length and branch number; these defects were restored by the addition of the Rho-kinase inhibitor, Y-27632. Collectively, our findings suggest that rare ARHGAP10 variants may be genetically and biologically associated with SCZ and indicate that Rho signaling represents a promising drug discovery target for SCZ treatment.

DOI： 10.1038/s41398-020-00917-z

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Other Link： http://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-020-00917-z

A recurrent PJA1 variant in trigonocephaly and neurodevelopmental disorders. International journal

Toshimitsu Suzuki, Toshifumi Suzuki, Matthieu Raveau, Noriko Miyake, Genki Sudo, Yoshinori Tsurusaki, Takaki Watanabe, Yuki Sugaya, Tetsuya Tatsukawa, Emi Mazaki, Atsushi Shimohata, Itaru Kushima, Branko Aleksic, Tomoko Shiino, Tomoko Toyota, Yoshimi Iwayama, Kentaro Nakaoka, Iori Ohmori, Aya Sasaki, Ken Watanabe, Shinichi Hirose, Sunao Kaneko, Yushi Inoue, Takeo Yoshikawa, Norio Ozaki, Masanobu Kano, Takeyoshi Shimoji, Naomichi Matsumoto, Kazuhiro Yamakawa

Annals of clinical and translational neurology   Vol. 7 ( 7 ) page： 1117 - 1131   2020.7

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OBJECTIVE: Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) often associate with epilepsy or craniofacial malformations. Recent large-scale DNA analyses identified hundreds of candidate genes for NDDs, but a large portion of the cases still remain unexplained. We aimed to identify novel candidate genes for NDDs. METHODS: We performed exome sequencing of 95 patients with NDDs including 51 with trigonocephaly and subsequent targeted sequencing of additional 463 NDD patients, functional analyses of variant in vitro, and evaluations of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-like phenotypes and seizure-related phenotypes in vivo. RESULTS: We identified de novo truncation variants in nine novel genes; CYP1A1, C14orf119, FLI1, CYB5R4, SEL1L2, RAB11FIP2, ZMYND8, ZNF143, and MSX2. MSX2 variants have been described in patients with cranial malformations, and our present patient with the MSX2 de novo truncation variant showed cranial meningocele and partial epilepsy. MSX2 protein is known to be ubiquitinated by an E3 ubiquitin ligase PJA1, and interestingly we found a PJA1 hemizygous p.Arg376Cys variant recurrently in seven Japanese NDD patients; five with trigonocephaly and one with partial epilepsy, and the variant was absent in 886 Japanese control individuals. Pja1 knock-in mice carrying p.Arg365Cys, which is equivalent to p.Arg376Cys in human, showed a significant decrease in PJA1 protein amount, suggesting a loss-of-function effect of the variant. Pja1 knockout mice displayed moderate deficits in isolation-induced ultrasonic vocalizations and increased seizure susceptibility to pentylenetetrazole. INTERPRETATION: These findings propose novel candidate genes including PJA1 and MSX2 for NDDs associated with craniofacial abnormalities and/or epilepsy.

DOI： 10.1002/acn3.51093

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Other Link： https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1002/acn3.51093

Validation and factor structure of the Japanese version of the inventory to diagnose depression, lifetime version for pregnant women. International journal

Chika Kubota, Toshiya Inada, Yukako Nakamura, Tomoko Shiino, Masahiko Ando, Branko Aleksic, Aya Yamauchi, Mako Morikawa, Takashi Okada, Masako Ohara, Maya Sato, Satomi Murase, Setsuko Goto, Atsuko Kanai, Norio Ozaki

PloS one   Vol. 15 ( 6 ) page： e0234240   2020.6

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INTRODUCTION: A history of major depressive disorder before pregnancy is one risk factor for peripartum depression. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine the validation and factor structure of the Japanese version of the Inventory to Diagnose Depression, Lifetime version (IDDL) for pregnant women. METHODS: The study participants were 556 pregnant women. Factor analysis was performed to identify the factor structure, construct validity was examined based on the results of the factor analysis, and reliability was examined using Cronbach's α coefficient. RESULTS: Based on the results of the factor analysis of the IDDL, a bifactor model composed of a single general dimension along with the following five factors was extracted: (1) depression, anxiety, and irritability (items 1, 2, 8-10, and 19-21); (2) retardation, decreased concentration, indecisiveness, and insomnia (items 4, 11, 12, and 17); (3) decrease in appetite/significant weight loss (items 13 and 14); (4) increase in appetite/significant weight gain (items 15 and 16); and (5) diminished interest, pleasure, and libido (items 5-7). Cronbach's α coefficients for these five factors were as follows: 0.910, 0.815, 0.780, 0.683, and 0.803, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The reliability, construct validity, and factor structure of the Japanese version of the IDDL were confirmed in pregnant women.

DOI： 10.1371/journal.pone.0234240

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The Risk Factors Predicting Suicidal Ideation Among Perinatal Women in Japan. International journal

Chika Kubota, Toshiya Inada, Tomoko Shiino, Masahiko Ando, Maya Sato, Yukako Nakamura, Aya Yamauchi, Mako Morikawa, Takashi Okada, Masako Ohara, Branko Aleksic, Satomi Murase, Setsuko Goto, Atsuko Kanai, Norio Ozaki

Frontiers in psychiatry   Vol. 11   page： 441 - 441   2020.5

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Introduction: The aim of the present study was to elucidate the foreseeable risk factors for suicidal ideation among Japanese perinatal women. Methods: This cohort study was conducted in Nagoya, Japan, from July 2012 to March 2018. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) questionnaire was conducted at four time points: early pregnancy, late pregnancy, 5 days postpartum, and 1 month postpartum. A total of 430 women completed the questionnaires. A logistic regression analysis was performed using the presence of suicidal ideation on the EPDS as an objective variable. The explanatory variables were age, presence of physical or mental disease, smoking and drinking habits, education, hospital types, EPDS total score in early pregnancy, bonding, and quality and amount of social support, as well as the history of major depressive disorder (MDD). Results: The rate of participants who were suspected of having suicidal ideation at any of the four time points was 11.6% (n=52), with the highest (n=25, 5.8%) at late pregnancy. For suicidal ideation, education level (OR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.00-1.41; p=0.047), EPDS total points in the pregnancy period (OR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.16-1.34; p < 0.000), a history of MDD (OR: 2.16; 95% CI: 1.00-4.79; p=0.049), and presence of mental disease (OR: 2.39; 95% CI: 1.00-5.70; p=0.049) were found to be risk factors for suicidal ideation. Age [odds ratio (OR): 0.88; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.80-0.95; p=.002] and quality of social support (OR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.60-0.99; p=.041) were found to be protective factors. Conclusion: Based on these results, effective preventive interventions, such as increasing the quality of social support and confirming the history of depression, should be carried out in pregnant depressive women at the early stage of the perinatal period.

DOI： 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00441

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Generation and analysis of novel Reln-deleted mouse model corresponding to exonic Reln deletion in schizophrenia. International journal

Masahito Sawahata, Daisuke Mori, Yuko Arioka, Hisako Kubo, Itaru Kushima, Kanako Kitagawa, Akira Sobue, Emiko Shishido, Mariko Sekiguchi, Akiko Kodama, Ryosuke Ikeda, Branko Aleksic, Hiroki Kimura, Kanako Ishizuka, Taku Nagai, Kozo Kaibuchi, Toshitaka Nabeshima, Kiyofumi Yamada, Norio Ozaki

Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences   Vol. 74 ( 5 ) page： 318 - 327   2020.5

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AIM: A Japanese individual with schizophrenia harboring a novel exonic deletion in RELN was recently identified by genome-wide copy-number variation analysis. Thus, the present study aimed to generate and analyze a model mouse to clarify whether Reln deficiency is associated with the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. METHODS: A mouse line with a novel RELN exonic deletion (Reln-del) was established using the CRISPR/Cas9 method to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanism. Subsequently, general behavioral tests and histopathological examinations of the model mice were conducted and phenotypic analysis of the cerebellar granule cell migration was performed. RESULTS: The phenotype of homozygous Reln-del mice was similar to that of reeler mice with cerebellar atrophy, dysplasia of the cerebral layers, and abrogated protein levels of cerebral reelin. The expression of reelin in heterozygous Reln-del mice was approximately half of that in wild-type mice. Conversely, behavioral analyses in heterozygous Reln-del mice without cerebellar atrophy or dysplasia showed abnormal social novelty in the three-chamber social interaction test. In vitro reaggregation formation and neuronal migration were severely altered in the cerebellar cultures of homozygous Reln-del mice. CONCLUSION: The present results in novel Reln-del mice modeled after our patient with a novel exonic deletion in RELN are expected to contribute to the development of reelin-based therapies for schizophrenia.

DOI： 10.1111/pcn.12993

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Pharmacotherapy of restricted/repetitive behavior in autism spectrum disorder:a systematic review and meta-analysis. International journal

Yanjie Yu, Ashmita Chaulagain, Sindre Andre Pedersen, Stian Lydersen, Bennett L Leventhal, Peter Szatmari, Branko Aleksic, Norio Ozaki, Norbert Skokauskas

BMC psychiatry   Vol. 20 ( 1 ) page： 121 - 121   2020.3

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BACKGROUND: This paper is a systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of available medications for the treatment of restricted/repetitive behavior (RRBs) in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). METHOD: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, The Cochrane Library (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDRS), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE)), Scopus, Epistimonikos, Clinicaltrials.gov, and included all randomized controlled trials published after 1993 that were directed at RRBs in patients with ASD of all ages. We extracted the relevant data from the published studies with a predefined data extraction form and assessed the risk of bias. The primary outcomes were change in restricted/repetitive behavior. We performed a meta-analysis using the random effect model and included studies with given mean and standard deviation. This study is registered with PROSPERO number CRD42018092660). RESULTS: We identified 14 randomized controlled trials that met initial inclusion criteria. After closer inspection, nine trials - involving 552 patients in total - were included in the final analysis. The meta-analysis found no significant difference between medications (including fluvoxamine, risperidone, fluoxetine, citalopram, oxytocin, N-Acetylcysteine, buspirone) and placebo in the treatment of RRBs in ASD (P = 0.20). Similarly, the sub-group meta-analysis also showed no significant difference between Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRIs) and placebo in the treatment of RRBs in ASD (P = 0.68). There was no evidence of publication bias. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis finds little support for the routine use of medications to treat restricted/repetitive behaviors in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Further research of large, balanced trials with precise assessment tools and long-term follow-up are needed. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study protocol is registered in PROSPERO (Reference number: CRD42018092660).

DOI： 10.1186/s12888-020-2477-9

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Large-Scale Exome Sequencing Study Implicates Both Developmental and Functional Changes in the Neurobiology of Autism

F. Kyle Satterstrom, Jack A. Kosmicki, Jiebiao Wang, Michael S. Breen, Silvia De Rubeis, Joon-Yong An, Minshi Peng, Ryan Collins, Jakob Grove, Lambertus Klei, Christine Stevens, Jennifer Reichert, Maureen S. Mulhern, Mykyta Artomov, Sherif Gerges, Brooke Sheppard, Xinyi Xu, Aparna Bhaduri, Utku Norman, Harrison Brand, Grace Schwartz, Rachel Nguyen, Elizabeth E. Guerrero, Caroline Dias, Catalina Betancur, Edwin H. Cook, Louise Gallagher, Michael Gill, James S. Sutcliffe, Audrey Thurm, Michael E. Zwick, Anders D. Børglum, Matthew W. State, A. Ercument Cicek, Michael E. Talkowski, David J. Cutler, Bernie Devlin, Stephan J. Sanders, Kathryn Roeder, Mark J. Daly, Joseph D. Buxbaum, Branko Aleksic, Richard Anney, Mafalda Barbosa, Somer Bishop, Alfredo Brusco, Jonas Bybjerg-Grauholm, Angel Carracedo, Marcus C.Y. Chan, Andreas G. Chiocchetti, Brian H.Y. Chung, Hilary Coon, Michael L. Cuccaro, Aurora Curró, Bernardo Dalla Bernardina, Ryan Doan, Enrico Domenici, Shan Dong, Chiara Fallerini, Montserrat Fernández-Prieto, Giovanni Battista Ferrero, Christine M. Freitag, Menachem Fromer, J. Jay Gargus, Daniel Geschwind, Elisa Giorgio, Javier González-Peñas, Stephen Guter, Danielle Halpern, Emily Hansen-Kiss, Xin He, Gail E. Herman, Irva Hertz-Picciotto, David M. Hougaard, Christina M. Hultman, Iuliana Ionita-Laza, Suma Jacob, Jesslyn Jamison, Astanand Jugessur, Miia Kaartinen, Gun Peggy Knudsen, Alexander Kolevzon, Itaru Kushima, So Lun Lee, Terho Lehtimäki, Elaine T. Lim, Carla Lintas, W. Ian Lipkin, Diego Lopergolo, Fátima Lopes, Yunin Ludena, Patricia Maciel, Per Magnus, Behrang Mahjani, Nell Maltman, Dara S. Manoach, Gal Meiri, Idan Menashe, Judith Miller, Nancy Minshew, Eduarda M.S. Montenegro, Danielle Moreira, Eric M. Morrow, Ole Mors, Preben Bo Mortensen, Matthew Mosconi, Pierandrea Muglia, Benjamin M. Neale, Merete Nordentoft, Norio Ozaki, Aarno Palotie, Mara Parellada, Maria Rita Passos-Bueno, Margaret Pericak-Vance, Antonio M. Persico, Isaac Pessah, Kaija Puura, Abraham Reichenberg, Alessandra Renieri, Evelise Riberi, Elise B. Robinson, Kaitlin E. Samocha, Sven Sandin, Susan L. Santangelo, Gerry Schellenberg, Stephen W. Scherer, Sabine Schlitt, Rebecca Schmidt, Lauren Schmitt, Isabela M.W. Silva, Tarjinder Singh, Paige M. Siper, Moyra Smith, Gabriela Soares, Camilla Stoltenberg, Pål Suren, Ezra Susser, John Sweeney, Peter Szatmari, Lara Tang, Flora Tassone, Karoline Teufel, Elisabetta Trabetti, Maria del Pilar Trelles, Christopher A. Walsh, Lauren A. Weiss, Thomas Werge, Donna M. Werling, Emilie M. Wigdor, Emma Wilkinson, A. Jeremy Willsey, Timothy W. Yu, Mullin H.C. Yu, Ryan Yuen, Elaine Zachi, Esben Agerbo, Thomas Damm Als, Vivek Appadurai, Marie Bækvad-Hansen, Rich Belliveau, Alfonso Buil, Caitlin E. Carey, Felecia Cerrato, Kimberly Chambert, Claire Churchhouse, Søren Dalsgaard, Ditte Demontis, Ashley Dumont, Jacqueline Goldstein, Christine S. Hansen, Mads Engel Hauberg, Mads V. Hollegaard, Daniel P. Howrigan, Hailiang Huang, Julian Maller, Alicia R. Martin, Joanna Martin, Manuel Mattheisen, Jennifer Moran, Jonatan Pallesen, Duncan S. Palmer, Carsten Bøcker Pedersen, Marianne Giørtz Pedersen, Timothy Poterba, Jesper Buchhave Poulsen, Stephan Ripke, Andrew J. Schork, Wesley K. Thompson, Patrick Turley, Raymond K. Walters

Cell   Vol. 180 ( 3 ) page： 568 - +   2020.2

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DOI： 10.1016/j.cell.2019.12.036

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Characterization of a schizophrenia patient with a rare RELN deletion by combining genomic and patient-derived cell analyses. Reviewed International journal

Yuko Arioka, Akihiro Hirata, Itaru Kushima, Branko Aleksic, Daisuke Mori, Norio Ozaki

Schizophrenia research   Vol. 216   page： 511 - 515   2020.2

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Genetic studies have identified rare RELN variants as risk factors for psychiatric disorders. However, additional genetic factors appear to be necessary for disease onset. Detailed genetic information and the use of patient-derived neuronal cells may thus enable to discover these disease-related additional factors. Here, we performed whole-genome sequencing of a schizophrenia patient with a rare RELN deletion and his healthy mother, and examined the phenotypes of 3D-cultured neuronal cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells of this patient. Our results revealed that, along with the RELN deletion, neuronal death was promoted in this patient; thus, neuronal death may be a vulnerable factor for schizophrenia.

DOI： 10.1016/j.schres.2019.10.038

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Drug-Induced Extrapyramidal Symptoms Scale of the Norwegian version: inter-rater and test-retest reliability. International journal

Bernhard Weidle, Ashmita Chaulagain, Kenneth Stensen, Branko Aleksic, Norbert Skokauskas, Toshiya Inada

Nordic journal of psychiatry   Vol. 73 ( 8 ) page： 546 - 550   2019.11

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Background: The Drug-Induced Extrapyramidal Symptoms Scale (DIEPSS) is a multidimensional rating scale designed for the fast, easy and reliable assessment of extrapyramidal symptoms (EPSs) induced by antipsychotics. Aim: The aim of this study was to validate the level of inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the Norwegian translation of this scale. Methods: A total of 125 video clips showing a variety of or no signs of EPSs were used in the present study. The participants recorded were Japanese psychiatric patients receiving first- and/or second-generation antipsychotics. A total of 103 patients (47 males and 56 females), diagnosed with schizophrenia (n = 68) or mood disorders (n = 35) appeared in the video clips. Their mean age was 48.7 ± 16.3 years (range 18-80) at the time of video recording. Inter-rater agreement was assessed with five raters and test-retest reliability with three. Results: Inter-rater reliability analyses showed interclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) ranging from 0.74 to 0.93 for each individual item. Test-retest reliability analysed independently for each rater ranged from 0.71 to 0.96. Conclusions: Inter-rater and test-retest agreement exhibited satisfactory ICC levels above 0.70. The Norwegian version of the DIEPSS is a reliable instrument for the assessment of drug-induced EPSs.

DOI： 10.1080/08039488.2019.1665708

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Relation Between Perinatal Depressive Symptoms, Harm Avoidance, and a History of Major Depressive Disorder: A Cohort Study of Pregnant Women in Japan. Reviewed International journal

Chika Kubota, Toshiya Inada, Tomoko Shiino, Masahiko Ando, Branko Aleksic, Aya Yamauchi, Maya Sato, Masako Ohara, Satomi Murase, Mako Morikawa, Yukako Nakamura, Takashi Okada, Setsuko Goto, Atsuko Kanai, Norio Ozaki

Frontiers in psychiatry   Vol. 10   page： 515 - 515   2019.7

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Introduction: The relationship between perinatal depressive symptoms, harm avoidance (HA), and a history of major depressive disorder (MDD) was examined in a prospective cohort study. Methods: This study was conducted from May 1, 2011, to December 31, 2016. A history of MDD was evaluated using the Inventory to Diagnose Depression, Lifetime version during pregnancy. Depressive state and HA were evaluated during pregnancy and at 1 month postnatal using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Temperament and Character Inventory, respectively. The relationship between these variances was examined using structural equation modeling. Results: A total of 338 participants with complete data were included in the present study. Pregnant women with compared with those without a history of MDD were observed to have a significantly higher intensity of HA and more severe depressive symptoms in both the prenatal and postnatal periods. A history of MDD affected the severity of depressive symptoms [standardized path coefficient (SPC) = 0.25, p < 0.001] and the intensity of HA during pregnancy (SPC = 0.36, p < 0.001). The intensity of HA during pregnancy affected that at 1 month postnatal (SPC = 0.78, p < 0.001), while the severity of depressive symptoms as assessed by the EPDS during pregnancy affected that at 1 month postnatal (SPC = 0.41, p < 0.001). The SPC for perinatal HA to postnatal depressive symptoms (SPC = 0.13, p = 0.014) was significant and higher than that for perinatal depressive symptoms to postnatal HA (SPC = 0.06, p = 0.087). Conclusion: The present results suggest that early intervention in pregnant women with a history of MDD or a high intensity of HA is important to prevent postnatal depressive symptoms.

DOI： 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00515

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Genome-Wide Association Study Detected Novel Susceptibility Genes for Schizophrenia and Shared Trans-Populations/Diseases Genetic Effect. International journal

Masashi Ikeda, Atsushi Takahashi, Yoichiro Kamatani, Yukihide Momozawa, Takeo Saito, Kenji Kondo, Ayu Shimasaki, Kohei Kawase, Takaya Sakusabe, Yoshimi Iwayama, Tomoko Toyota, Tomoyasu Wakuda, Mitsuru Kikuchi, Nobuhisa Kanahara, Hidenaga Yamamori, Yuka Yasuda, Yuichiro Watanabe, Satoshi Hoya, Branko Aleksic, Itaru Kushima, Heii Arai, Manabu Takaki, Kotaro Hattori, Hiroshi Kunugi, Yuko Okahisa, Tohru Ohnuma, Norio Ozaki, Toshiyuki Someya, Ryota Hashimoto, Takeo Yoshikawa, Michiaki Kubo, Nakao Iwata

Schizophrenia bulletin   Vol. 45 ( 4 ) page： 824 - 834   2019.7

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Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified >100 susceptibility loci for schizophrenia (SCZ) and demonstrated that SCZ is a polygenic disorder determined by numerous genetic variants but with small effect size. We conducted a GWAS in the Japanese (JPN) population (a) to detect novel SCZ-susceptibility genes and (b) to examine the shared genetic risk of SCZ across (East Asian [EAS] and European [EUR]) populations and/or that of trans-diseases (SCZ, bipolar disorder [BD], and major depressive disorder [MDD]) within EAS and between EAS and EUR (trans-diseases/populations). Among the discovery GWAS subjects (JPN-SCZ GWAS: 1940 SCZ cases and 7408 controls) and replication dataset (4071 SCZ cases and 54479 controls), both comprising JPN populations, 3 novel susceptibility loci for SCZ were identified: SPHKAP (Pbest = 4.1 × 10-10), SLC38A3 (Pbest = 5.7 × 10-10), and CABP1-ACADS (Pbest = 9.8 × 10-9). Subsequent meta-analysis between our samples and those of the Psychiatric GWAS Consortium (PGC; EUR samples) and another study detected 12 additional susceptibility loci. Polygenic risk score (PRS) prediction revealed a shared genetic risk of SCZ across populations (Pbest = 4.0 × 10-11) and between SCZ and BD in the JPN population (P ~ 10-40); however, a lower variance-explained was noted between JPN-SCZ GWAS and PGC-BD or MDD within/across populations. Genetic correlation analysis supported the PRS results; the genetic correlation between JPN-SCZ and PGC-SCZ was ρ = 0.58, whereas a similar/lower correlation was observed between the trans-diseases (JPN-SCZ vs JPN-BD/EAS-MDD, rg = 0.56/0.29) or trans-diseases/populations (JPN-SCZ vs PGC-BD/MDD, ρ = 0.38/0.12). In conclusion, (a) Fifteen novel loci are possible susceptibility genes for SCZ and (b) SCZ "risk" effect is shared with other psychiatric disorders even across populations.

DOI： 10.1093/schbul/sby140

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Methylation analysis for postpartum depression: a case control study. Reviewed International journal

Yukako Nakamura, Masahiro Nakatochi, Shohko Kunimoto, Takashi Okada, Branko Aleksic, Miho Toyama, Tomoko Shiino, Mako Morikawa, Aya Yamauchi, Akira Yoshimi, Yoko Furukawa-Hibi, Taku Nagai, Masako Ohara, Chika Kubota, Kiyofumi Yamada, Masahiko Ando, Norio Ozaki

BMC psychiatry   Vol. 19 ( 1 ) page： 190 - 190   2019.6

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BACKGROUND: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a major depressive disorder that occurs after childbirth. Objective diagnostic and predictive methods for PPD are important for early detection and appropriate intervention. DNA methylation has been recognized as a potential biomarker for major depressive disorder. In this study, we used methylation analysis and peripheral blood to search for biomarkers that could to lead to the development a predictive method for PPD. METHODS: Study participants included 36 pregnant women (18 cases and 18 controls determined after childbirth). Genome-wide DNA methylation profiles were obtained by analysis with an Infinium Human Methylation 450BeadChip. The association of DNA methylation status at each DNA methylation site with PPD was assessed using linear regression analysis. We also conducted functional enrichment analysis of PPD using The Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery 6.8 to explore enriched functional-related gene groups for PPD. RESULTS: In the analysis with postpartum depressed state as an independent variable, the difference in methylation frequency between the postpartum non-depressed group and the postpartum depressed group was small, and sites with genome-wide significant differences were not confirmed. After analysis by The Database for Annotation, Visualization and Integrated Discovery 6.8, we revealed four gene ontology terms, including axon guidance, related to postpartum depression. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may help with the development of an objective predictive method for PPD.

DOI： 10.1186/s12888-019-2172-x

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Effects of Snoezelen-Multisensory environment on CARS scale in adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder. Reviewed International journal

Neda Novakovic, Milica Pejovic Milovancevic, Slavica Djukic Dejanovic, Branko Aleksic

Research in developmental disabilities   Vol. 89   page： 51 - 58   2019.6

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BACKGROUND: New classification system Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5th ed.(DSM - 5) includes sensory problems as one of the symptoms in diagnostic profile of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Researching the effects of sensory integration treatment may improve new approaches to the individuals with ASD. The objective of this study is to determine the effects of Snoezelen, multisensory environment on the severity of ASD and stereotyped/repetitive behaviours in adolescents and adults using CARS scale. METHOD: The study involved 40 subjects with ASD associated with intellectual difficulties of both sexes, aged 15-35. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups: a control one (without treatment) and an experimental one (with treatment). The assessments were rated by CARS (Childhood Autism Rating Scale) before and after the three-month treatment. RESULTS: In the experimental group, there was a statistically significant difference of the total CARS score before and after the treatment (p < 0.0005). Comparing the results of both experimental and control groups, a statistically significant difference was found on total CARS score (p < 0.0005). Conslusion: The results in the present study indicate that the continual sessions in Snoezelen room had effects on reducing severity of ASD and repetitive and stereotyped behaviours on CARS scale.

DOI： 10.1016/j.ridd.2019.03.007

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統合失調症と自閉スペクトラム症におけるDAB1遺伝子内の稀な一塩基変異の探索

名和 佳弘, 木村 大樹, 石塚 佳奈子, 久島 周, アレクシッチ・ブランコ, 尾崎 紀夫

精神神経学雑誌   ( 2019特別号 ) page： S759 - S759   2019.6

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KDM4C遺伝子における稀なバリアントと統合失調症および自閉スペクトラム症との関連

加藤 秀一, 石塚 佳奈子, 木村 大樹, 久島 周, アレクシッチ・ブランコ, 尾崎 紀夫

精神神経学雑誌   ( 2019特別号 ) page： S614 - S614   2019.6

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Author Correction: Proteomic analysis of lymphoblastoid cell lines from schizophrenic patients. Reviewed International journal

Akira Yoshimi, Shinnosuke Yamada, Shohko Kunimoto, Branko Aleksic, Akihiro Hirakawa, Mitsuki Ohashi, Yurie Matsumoto, Kazuhiro Hada, Norimichi Itoh, Yuko Arioka, Hiroki Kimura, Itaru Kushima, Yukako Nakamura, Tomoko Shiino, Daisuke Mori, Satoshi Tanaka, Shuko Hamada, Yukihiro Noda, Taku Nagai, Kiyofumi Yamada, Norio Ozaki

Translational psychiatry   Vol. 9 ( 1 ) page： 146 - 146   2019.5

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The original Article required a few updates; one co-author name, which was given as Hiroki Kiumura, has been updated to Hiroki Kimura. Furthermore, supplementary information has been updated, and grant numbers have been added. These updates have been made to both the PDF and HTML versions of this Article.

DOI： 10.1038/s41398-019-0479-5

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Joint Degree Program for Graduate Students at the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine. Reviewed

Hideki Kasuya, Branko Aleksic, Seiji Sumigama, Itzel Bustos, Hitoki Hasegawa, Mika P Kasai, Miho Kobayashi, Yumiko Samizo

Nagoya journal of medical science   Vol. 81 ( 2 ) page： 183 - 192   2019.5

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In a world of increasing academic mobility, most universities seek to give their students opportunities to experience education in different countries, which is especially true for senior research students. The Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine started a joint degree program (JDP) for PhD students with the University of Adelaide, Faculty of Health Science (Australia) in 2015 and with Lund University Faculty of Medicine (Sweden) in 2017. Furthermore, we have started a new JDP with the University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine (Germany) in 2018. This article reports the issues specific to counterpart medical schools, including student's recruitment, the curriculum, and the general differences between each schools. JDPs are not only important for educational collaboration, but also as a strategy to encourage international research collaboration, which is a core criterion to a university's world-ranking reputation. Acquiring knowledge about educational strategies that are implemented in different foreign medical schools represents a unique opportunity to improve our own curriculum.

DOI： 10.18999/nagjms.81.2.183

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