Determinants and Predictors of Grief Severity and Persistence: The Rotterdam Study

Objective: We aimed to explore correlates and predictors of bereavement severity and persistence (triggered by “loss of a loved one”; referent group partner loss) in the Rotterdam cohort. Method: We used linear regression to examine factors associated with grief severity using a cross-sectional analysis and logistic regression to determine prospective associations. Results: Cross-sectionaly, females, child-lost, higher depressive symptoms, lower education, and difficulties in daily activities were independently associated with a higher bereavement severity. Prospectively (6 years; response rate 71%), the baseline value of the grief severity was the single predictor significantly associated with grief persistence. Discussion: Our results suggest that only grief severity is independently associated with grief persistence. Further studies are needed to confirm ou

ADHD-like behavior and entrepreneurial intentions

Little is known about the relation between validated psychiatric symptoms scores and the entrepreneurial decision. Building on the Person-Environment (P-E) fit literature and using data of over 10,000 students, we test whether individuals with higher levels of attention deficit and hyperactivity (ADHD) have higher entrepreneurial career intentions compared to others. We find that students reporting higher levels of ADHD-like behavior (assessed with a symptom score on an ADHD screening scale) are more likely than their peers to display entrepreneurial intentions and become student entrepreneurs. This can be partly explained by their high need for independence and their risk tolerance

Higher education is associated with a lower risk of dementia after a stroke or TIA

__Background:__ Higher education is associated with a lower risk of dementia, possibly because of a higher tolerance to subclinical neurodegenerative pathology. Whether higher education also protects against dementia after clinical stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) remains unknown. __Methods:__ Within the population-based Rotterdam Study, 12,561 participants free of stroke, TIA and dementia were followed for occurrence of stroke, TIA and dementia. Across the levels of education, associations of incident stroke or TIA with subsequent development of dementia and differences in cognitive decline following stroke or TIA were investigated. __Results:__ During 124,862 person-years, 1,463 persons suffered a stroke or TIA, 1,158 persons developed dementia, of whom 186 developed dementia after stroke or TIA. Risk of dementia after a stroke or TIA, compared to no stroke or TIA, was highest in the low education category (hazards ratio [HR] 1.46, 95% CI 1.18-1.81) followed by intermediate education category (HR 1.36, 95% CI 1.03-1.81). No significant association was observed in the high education category (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.25-1.54). In gender stratified analyses, decrease in risk of dementia with increasing education was significant only in men. __Conclusion:__ Higher education is associated with a lower risk of dementia after stroke or TIA, particularly in men, which might be explained by a higher cognitive reserve

Use of antidepressants and the risk of myocardial infarction in middle-aged and older adults: A matched case-control study

Purpose: Antidepressants, specifically selective serotonin reuptake-inhibiting antidepressants (SSRIs), decrease platelet activation and aggregation in in vitro experiments and could therefore decrease the risk of myocardial infarction (MI). However, prior studies addressing this hypothesis showed contradictory results. Our purpose was to investigate the association between the use of any antidepressant drug and incident MI among middle-aged and older adults. Methods: We embedded a case-control study in the prospective Rotterdam Study (1991-2011). Controls were matched to MI cases based on sex and age at the same calendar date, and confounding factors were taken into account as time-varying covariates. The relative risk of MI during current and past use of an antidepressant was analyzed with conditional logistic regression with never use of antidepressant dr

FTO at rs9939609, Food Responsiveness, Emotional Control and Symptoms of ADHD in Preschool Children

The FTO minor allele at rs9939609 has been associated with body mass index (BMI: weight (kg)/height (m)2) in children from 5 years onwards, food intake, and eating behaviour. The high expression of FTO in the brain suggests that this gene may also be associated with behavioural phenotypes, such as impulsivity and control. We examined the effect of the FTO minor allele (A) at rs9939609 on eating behaviour, impulsivity and control in young children, thus before the BMI effect becomes apparent. This study was embedded in the Generation R Study, a population-based cohort from fetal life onwards. 1,718 children of European descent were genotyped for FTO at rs9939609. With logistic regression assuming an additive genetic model, we examined the association between the FTO minor allele and eating behaviour, impulsivity and control in preschool children. There was no relation between FTO at rs9939609 and child BMI at this age. The A allele at rs9939609 was associated with increased food responsiveness (OR 1.21, p = 0.03). Also, children with the A allele were less likely to have symptoms of ADHD (OR 0.74, p = 0.01) and showed more emotional control (OR 0.64, p = 0.01) compared to children without the A allele. Our findings suggest that before the association between FTO and BMI becomes apparent, the FTO minor allele at rs9939609 leads to increased food responsiveness, a decreased risk for symptoms of ADHD and better emotional control. Future studies are needed to investigate whether these findings represent one single mechanism or reflect pleiotropic effects of FTO

Genetic associations with childhood brain growth, defined in two longitudinal cohorts

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) are unraveling the genetics of adult brain neuroanatomy as measured by cross-sectional anatomic magnetic resonance imaging (aMRI). However, the genetic mechanisms that shape childhood brain development are, as yet, largely unexplored. In this study we identify common genetic variants associated with childhood brain development as defined by longitudinal aMRI. Genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data were determined in two cohorts: one enriched for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (LONG cohort: 458 participants; 119 with ADHD) and the other from a population-based cohort (Generation R: 257 participants). The growth of the brain's major regions (cerebral cortex, white matter, basal ganglia, and cerebellum) and one region of interest (the right lateral prefrontal cortex) were defined on all individuals from two aMRIs, and a GWAS and a pathway analysis were performed. In addition, association between polygenic risk for ADHD and brain growth was determined for the LONG cohort. For white matter growth, GWAS meta-analysis identified a genome-wide significant intergenic SNP (rs12386571, P = 9.09 × 10-9 ), near AKR1B10. This gene is part of the aldo-keto reductase superfamily and shows neural expression. No enrichment of neural pathways was detected and polygenic risk for ADHD was not associated with the brain growth phenotypes in the LONG cohort that was enriched for the diagnosis of ADHD. The study illustrates the use of a novel brain growth phenotype defined in vivo for further study

Bone mineral density and chronic lung disease mortality: the Rotterdam study

Context: Low bone mineral density (BMD) has been associated with increased all-cause mortality. Cause-specific mortality studies have been controversial. Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate associations between BMD and all-cause mortality and in-depth cause-specific mortality. Design and Setting: We studied two cohorts from the prospective Rotterdam Study (RS), initiated in 1990 (RS-I) and 2000 (RS-II) with average follow-up of 17.1 (RS-I) and 10.2 (RS-II) years until January 2011. Baseline femoral neck BMD was analyzed in SD values. Deaths were classified according to International Classification of Diseases into seven groups: cardiovascular diseases, cancer, infections, external, dementia, chronic lung diseases, and other causes. Gender-stratified Cox and competing-risks models were adjusted for age, body mass index, and smoking. Participants: The study included 5779 subjects from RS-I and 2055 from RS-II. Main Outcome Measurements: We measured all-cause and cause-specific mortality. Results: A significant inverse association between BMD and all-cause mortality was found in males [expressed as hazard ratio (95% confidence interval)]: RS-I, 1.07 (1.01-1.13), P = .020; RS-II, 1.31 (1.12-1.55), P = .001); but it was not found in females: RS-I, 1.05 (0.99-1.11), P = .098; RS-II, 0.91 (0.74-1.12), P = .362. An inverse association with chronic lung disease mortality was found in males [RS-I, 1.75 (1.34-2.29), P < .001; RS-II, 2.15 (1.05-4.42), P = .037] and in RS-I in females [1.72 (1.16-2.57); P = .008], persisting after multiple adjustments and excluding prevalent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A positive association between BMD and cancer mortality was detected in females in RS-I [0.89 (0.80-0.99); P = .043]. No association was found with cardiovascular mortality. Conclusions: BMD is inversely associated with mortality. The strong association of BMD with chronic lung disease mortality is a novel finding that needs further analysis to clarify underlying mechanisms