Predicting change trajectories of neuroticism from baseline brain structure using whole brain analyses and latent growth curve models in adolescents

International audienceAbstract Adolescence is a vulnerable time for personality development. Especially neuroticism with its link to the development of psychopathology is of interest concerning influential factors. The present study exploratorily investigates neuroanatomical signatures for developmental trajectories of neuroticism based on a voxel-wise whole-brain structural equation modelling framework. In 1,814 healthy adolescents of the IMAGEN sample, the NEO-FFI was acquired at three measurement occasions across five years. Based on a partial measurement invariance second-order latent growth curve model we conducted whole-brain analyses on structural MRI data at age 14 years, predicting change in neuroticism over time. We observed that a reduced volume in the pituitary gland was associated with the slope of neuroticism over time. However, no relations with prefrontal areas emerged. Both findings are discussed against the background of possible genetic and social influences that may account for this result

The interaction of child abuse and rs1360780 of the FKBP5 gene is associated with amygdala resting-state functional connectivity in young adults

Extensive research has demonstrated that rs1360780, a common single nucleotide polymorphism within the FKBP5 gene, interacts with early-life stress in predicting psychopathology. Previous results suggest that carriers of the TT genotype of rs1360780 who were exposed to child abuse show differences in structure and functional activation of emotion-processing brain areas belonging to the salience network. Extending these findings on intermediate phenotypes of psychopathology, we examined if the interaction between rs1360780 and child abuse predicts resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) between the amygdala and other areas of the salience network. We analyzed data of young European adults from the general population (N = 774; mean age = 18.76 years) who took part in the IMAGEN study. In the absence of main effects of genotype and abuse, a significant interaction effect was observed for rsFC between the right centromedial amygdala and right posterior insula (p < .025, FWE-corrected), which was driven by stronger rsFC in TT allele carriers with a history of abuse. Our results suggest that the TT genotype of rs1360780 may render individuals with a history of abuse more vulnerable to functional changes in communication between brain areas processing emotions and bodily sensations, which could underlie or increase the risk for psychopathology

The interaction of child abuse and rs1360780 of the FKBP5 gene is associated with amygdala resting‐state functional connectivity in young adults

Extensive research has demonstrated that rs1360780, a common single nucleotide polymorphism within the FKBP5 gene, interacts with early-life stress in predicting psychopathology. Previous results suggest that carriers of the TT genotype of rs1360780 who were exposed to child abuse show differences in structure and functional activation of emotion-processing brain areas belonging to the salience network. Extending these findings on intermediate phenotypes of psychopathology, we examined if the interaction between rs1360780 and child abuse predicts resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) between the amygdala and other areas of the salience network. We analyzed data of young European adults from the general population (N = 774; mean age = 18.76 years) who took part in the IMAGEN study. In the absence of main effects of genotype and abuse, a significant interaction effect was observed for rsFC between the right centromedial amygdala and right posterior insula (p < .025, FWE-corrected), which was driven by stronger rsFC in TT allele carriers with a history of abuse. Our results suggest that the TT genotype of rs1360780 may render individuals with a history of abuse more vulnerable to functional changes in communication between brain areas processing emotions and bodily sensations, which could underlie or increase the risk for psychopathology

Overdominant effect of a CHRNA4 polymorphism on cingulo-opercular network activity and cognitive control

The nicotinic system plays an important role in cognitive control, and is implicated in several neuropsychiatric conditions. Yet, the contributions of genetic variability in this system to individuals' cognitive control abilities are poorly understood, and the brain processes that mediate such genetic contributions remain largely unidentified. In this first large-scale neuroimaging genetics study of the human nicotinic receptor system (two cohorts, males and females, fMRI total N=1586, behavioral total N=3650), we investigated a common polymorphism of the high-affinity nicotinic receptor α4β2 (rs1044396 on the CHRNA4 gene) previously implicated in behavioral and nicotine-related studies (albeit with inconsistent major/minor allele impacts). Based on our prior neuroimaging findings, we expected this polymorphism to impact neural activity in the cingulo-opercular network involved in core cognitive control processes including maintenance of alertness. Consistent across the cohorts, all cortical areas of the cingulo-opercular network showed higher activity in heterozygotes compared to both types of homozygotes during cognitive engagement. This inverted U-shaped relation reflects an overdominant effect, i.e. allelic interaction (cumulative evidence p=1.33*10-5). Furthermore, heterozygotes performed more accurately in behavioral tasks that primarily depend on sustained alertness. No effects were observed for haplotypes of the surrounding CHRNA4 region, supporting a true overdominant effect at rs1044396. As a possible mechanism, we observed that this polymorphism is an expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) modulating CHRNA4 expression levels. This is the first report of overdominance in the nicotinic system. These findings connect CHRNA4genotype, cingulo-opercular network activation and sustained alertness, providing insights into how genetics shapes individuals' cognitive control abilities

Gravitational Radiation Theory and Light Propagation

The paper gives an introduction to the gravitational radiation theory of isolated sources and to the propagation properties of light rays in radiative gravitational fields. It presents a theoretical study of the generation, propagation, back-reaction, and detection of gravitational waves from astrophysical sources. After reviewing the various quadrupole-moment laws for gravitational radiation in the Newtonian approximation, we show how to incorporate post-Newtonian corrections into the source multipole moments, the radiative multipole moments at infinity, and the back-reaction potentials. We further treat the light propagation in the linearized gravitational field outside a gravitational wave emitting source. The effects of time delay, bending of light, and moving source frequency shift are presented in terms of the gravitational lens potential. Time delay results are applied in the description of the procedure of the detection of gravitational waves

Psychosocial stress and brain function in adolescent psychopathology

Objective: To explore how conduct, hyperactivity/inattention, and emotional symptoms are associated with neural reactivity to social-emotional stimuli, and the extent to which psychosocial stress modulates these relationships. Method: Participants were community adolescents recruited as part of the European IMAGEN study. Bilateral amygdala regions of interest were used to assess the relationship between the three symptom domains with fMRI neural reactivity during passive viewing of dynamic angry and neutral facial expressions. Exploratory functional connectivity and whole-brain multiple regression approaches were used to analyze how the symptoms and psychosocial stress relate to other brain regions. Results: In response to the social-emotional stimuli, adolescents with high levels of conduct or hyperactivity/inattention symptoms showed hyperactivity of the amygdala, and several regions across the brain, when they experienced a greater number of stressful life events. This effect was not observed with emotional symptoms. A cluster in the mid-cingulate was found to be common to both conduct problems and hyperactivity symptoms. Exploratory functional connectivity analyses suggested amygdala-precuneus connectivity is associated with hyperactivity/inattention symptoms. Conclusions: The results link hyperactive amygdala responses, and regions critical for top-down emotional processing, with high levels of psychosocial stress in individuals with greater conduct and hyperactivity/inattention symptoms. This work highlights the importance of studying how psychosocial stress impacts functional brain responses to social-emotional stimuli, particularly in adolescents with externalizing symptoms

The spiritual organization: critical reflections on the instrumentality of workplace spirituality

Authors' draft of article. Final version published by Routledge in Journal of Management, Spirituality and Religion available online at: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/14766086.aspThis paper offers a theoretical contribution to the current debate on workplace spirituality by: (a) providing a selective critical review of scholarship, research and corporate practices which treat workplace spirituality in performative terms, that is, as a resource or means to be manipulated instrumentally and appropriated for economic ends; (b) extending Ezioni’s analysis of complex organizations and proposing a new category, the ‘spiritual organization’, and; (c) positing three alternative positions with respect to workplace spirituality that follow from the preceding critique. The spiritual organization can be taken to represent the development of a trajectory of social technologies that have sought, incrementally, to control the bodies, minds, emotions and souls of employees. Alternatively, it might be employed to conceptualize the way in which employees use the workplace as a site for pursuing their own spiritualities (a reverse instrumentalism). Finally, we consider the possible incommensurability of ‘work organization’ and ‘spirituality’ discourses

Measurement of Exclusive rho+rho- Production in Mid-Virtuality Two-Photon Interactions and Study of the gamma gamma* -> rho rho Process at LEP

Exclusive rho+rho- production in two-photon collisions between a quasi-real photon, gamma, and a mid-virtuality photon, gamma*, is studied with data collected at LEP at centre-of-mass energies root(s)=183-209GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 684.8pb^-1. The cross section of the gamma gamma* -> rho+ rho- process is determined as a function of the photon virtuality, Q^2, and the two-photon centre-of-mass energy, W_gg, in the kinematic region: 0.2GeV^2 < Q^2 <0.85GeV^2 and 1.1GeV < W_gg < 3GeV. These results, together with previous L3 measurements of rho0 rho0 and rho+ rho- production, allow a study of the gamma gamma* -> rho rho process over the Q^2-region 0.2GeV^2 < Q^2 < 30 GeV^2

Measurement of Exclusive rho^0 rho^0 Production in Mid-Virtuality Two-Photon Interactions at LEP

Exclusive rho^0 rho^0 production in two-photon collisions between a quasi-real and a mid-virtuality photon is studied with data collected at LEP at centre-of-mass energies 183GeV < sqrt{s} < 209GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 684.8/pb. The cross section of the process gamma gamma* -> rho^0 rho^0 is determined as a function of the photon virtuality, q^2, and the two-photon centre-of-mass energy, Wgg, in the kinematic region: 0.2GeV^2 < q^2 < 0.85GeV^2 and 1.1GeV < Wgg < 3GeV