Subcortical brain volumes, cortical thickness and cortical surface area in families genetically enriched for social anxiety disorder – A multiplex multigenerational neuroimaging study

• Published in: EBioMedicine Vol. 36; pp. 410 - 428
• Main Authors: Bas-Hoogendam, Janna Marie, van Steenbergen, Henk, Tissier, Renaud L.M., Houwing-Duistermaat, Jeanine J., Westenberg, P.Michiel, van der Wee, Nic J.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.10.2018; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Anxiety; Brain - pathology; Brain - physiopathology; Cerebral Cortex - pathology; Cerebral Cortex - physiopathology; Child; Endophenotypes; Family; Family study; Female; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Gray Matter - pathology; Gray Matter - physiopathology; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Neuroimaging - methods; Organ Size; Pedigree; Phenotype; Phobia, Social - diagnosis; Phobia, Social - etiology; Phobia, Social - psychology; Research paper; Social anxiety disorder; Structural MRI; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Young Adult; Structural MRI; Social anxiety disorder; Family study; Endophenotypes
• ISSN: 2352-3964; 2352-3964
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.08.048

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a disabling psychiatric condition with a genetic background. Brain alterations in gray matter (GM) related to SAD have been previously reported, but it remains to be elucidated whether GM measures are candidate endophenotypes of SAD. Endophenotypes are measurable characteristics on the causal pathway from genotype to phenotype, providing insight in genetically-based disease mechanisms. Based on a review of existing evidence, we examined whether GM characteristics meet two endophenotype criteria, using data from a unique sample of SAD-patients and their family-members of two generations. First, we investigated whether GM characteristics co-segregate with social anxiety within families genetically enriched for SAD. Secondly, heritability of the GM characteristics was estimated. Families with a genetic predisposition for SAD participated in the Leiden Family Lab study on SAD; T1-weighted MRI brain scans were acquired (n = 110, 8 families). Subcortical volumes, cortical thickness and cortical surface area were determined for a-priori determined regions of interest (ROIs). Next, associations with social anxiety and heritabilities were estimated. Several subcortical and cortical GM characteristics, derived from frontal, parietal and temporal ROIs, co-segregated with social anxiety within families (uncorrected p-level) and showed moderate to high heritability. These findings provide preliminary evidence that GM characteristics of multiple ROIs, which are distributed over the brain, are candidate endophenotypes of SAD. Thereby, they shed light on the genetic vulnerability for SAD. Future research is needed to confirm these results and to link them to functional brain alterations and to genetic variations underlying these GM changes. Leiden University Research Profile ‘Health, Prevention and the Human Life Cycle’. •Gray matter (GM) characteristics were examined exploring their potential as endophenotypes of social anxiety disorder (SAD).•Several GM characteristics co-segregated with social anxiety within families genetically enriched for SAD and were heritable.•These findings suggest that GM characteristics are candidate endophenotypes of SAD.