Generalised Anxiety Disorder – A Twin Study of Genetic Architecture, Genome-Wide Association and Differential Gene Expression

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is a common anxiety-related diagnosis, affecting approximately 5% of the adult population. One characteristic of GAD is a high degree of anxiety sensitivity (AS), a personality trait which describes the fear of arousal-related sensations. Here we present a genome-wide association study of AS using a cohort of 730 MZ and DZ female twins. The GWAS showed a significant association for a variant within the RBFOX1 gene. A heritability analysis of the same cohort also confirmed a significant genetic component with h2 of 0.42. Additionally, a subset of the cohort (25 MZ twins discordant for AS) was studied for evidence of differential expression using RNA-seq data. Significant differential expression of two exons with the ITM2B gene within the discordant MZ subset was observed, a finding that was replicated in an independent cohort. While previous research has shown that anxiety has a high comorbidity with a variety of psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, our analysis suggests a novel etiology specific to AS

Occupational functioning and work impairment in association with personality disorder trait-scores

PURPOSE: According to the DSM, functional impairment is a main criterion for the general definition of personality disorders (PDs), but research suggests that some PDs might not be related to impaired functioning. Occupational functioning has rarely been examined in all ten DSM PDs. METHODS: We analysed 511 adults aged 20-41 years from the general population of the canton of Zurich, Switzerland, using data from the Epidemiology Survey of the Zurich Programme for Sustainable Development of Mental Health Services. All PDs were assessed with dimensional trait-scores and associations with indicators of occupational functioning were analysed with generalised linear models. RESULTS: Each PD revealed at least a weak association with some form of occupational impairment. Most PDs, especially from cluster A and B, were significantly related to occupational dysfunction, in particular low education level, conflicts in the workplace, dismissal or demotion, and unemployment. In contrast, obsessive-compulsive PD was mostly unrelated to occupational functioning. A total personality pathology dose-response relationship was observed for low education level, conflicts in the workplace, dismissal or demotion, and unemployment. CONCLUSIONS: Impairment in occupational functioning is an important aspect particularly of cluster A and B PDs. Assuming that functional impairment is a predictor of illness severity, we advocate that clinicians should carefully explore indicators of occupational functioning in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of PDs. The findings discussed herein have implications for general treatment, interventions in the work environment, or re-integration of patients into the labour force

Inkjet printed arrays of pressure sensors based on all-organic field effect transistors

In this paper we propose totally flexible organic field effect transistors (OFETs) assembled on plastic films as sensors for mechanical variables. First mechanical sensors for pressure and bending detection are presented. A sharp and reversible sensitivity of the output current of the device to an elastic deformation induced by means of a mechanical stimulus on the device channel has been observed and suggested the idea of employing arrays of such sensors for detecting the deformation applied onto a planar surface. Second the possibility of using similar devices for bio- and chemo-detection is described. By exploiting the properties of the basic structure, the device can be combined with any kind of substrate to detect for instance the pressure applied by people walking or standing on a functionalized carpet. This emerging technology seems to be promising for applications in the field of remote and non invasive monitoring of elderly and disabled people