Proposal summaries
B4193 - Examining the aetiology of alcohol use in autistic adults - 14/11/2022
Alcohol use is a major issue for the UK healthcare system. Little is known about the link between autism and alcohol use, but preliminary research suggests that autistic adults who drink are twice as likely to become dependent as their neurotypical counterparts (1; 2). This does not seem to be the case for autistic adolescents (but existing studies are limited methodologically by small sample sizes and cross-sectional study designs) (3). Using longitudinal population-based studies to understand alcohol use in autistic adolescents going into young adulthood could address these issues. Doing this while controlling for potential confounders will help us understand what influences the development of this association over time.
Further, it is unclear whether genetics influence this association. Exposure-outcome associations are often estimated without accounting for genetic confounding in epidemiological studies, leading to potential inaccuracies (4). A genetic variant in the autism susceptibility candidate 2 gene (AUTS2) has been found to be associated with alcohol consumption (5), but it is unclear whether there are other genetic variants associated with autism that influence alcohol use. To assess this, we could calculate polygenic risk scores for autism and explore their association with alcohol use. This will help us ascertain whether genetic overlap plays a role in the aetiology of this association and potentially improve the accuracy of future causal estimates.
(1) Bowri, M., Hull, L., Allison, C., Smith, P., Baron-Cohen, S., Lai, M. C., & Mandy, W. (2021). Demographic and psychological predictors of alcohol use and misuse in autistic adults. Autism, 25(5), 1469–1480. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361321992668
(2) Butwicka, A., Långström, N., Larsson, H., Lundström, S., Serlachius, E., Almqvist, C., Frisén, L., & Lichtenstein, P. (2017). Increased Risk for Substance Use-Related Problems in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Population-Based Cohort Study. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(1), 80–89. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-016-2914-2
(3) Arnevik, E. A., & Helverschou, S. B. (2016). Autism spectrum disorder and co-occurring substance use disorder - A systematic review. In Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment (Vol. 10, pp. 69–75). Libertas Academica Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4137/SART.S39921
(4) Pingault, J. B., Rijsdijk, F., Schoeler, T., Choi, S. W., Selzam, S., Krapohl, E., O’Reilly, P. F., & Dudbridge, F. (2021). Genetic sensitivity analysis: Adjusting for genetic confounding in epidemiological associations. PLOS Genetics, 17(6), e1009590. https://doi.org/10.1371/JOURNAL.PGEN.1009590
(5) Schumann, G., Coin, L. J., Lourdusamy, A., Charoen, P., Berger, K. H., Stacey, D., Desrivières, S., Aliev, F. A., Khan, A. A., Amin, N., Aulchenko, Y. S., Bakalkin, G., Bakker, S. J., Balkau, B., Beulens, J. W., Bilbao, A., de Boer, R. A., Beury, D., Bots, M. L., … Elliott, P. (2011). Genome-wide association and genetic functional studies identify autism susceptibility candidate 2 gene (AUTS2) in the regulation of alcohol consumption. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108(17), 7119–7124. https://doi.org/10.1073/PNAS.1017288108
B4190 - Social behaviour and communication in context A multivariate genomic study of precursors and later-life outcomes - 21/11/2022
Background
Mastering motor milestones and social personal skills may lead to a developmental transition that initiates a cascade of developmental changes, including social interaction and language learning(1). For example, the onset of walking(1,2) and sitting skills(3) but also social-personal skills can predict children's vocabulary size, which may potentially affect literacy-related abilities in later life. Similarly, early abilities to distinguish prosody and rhythm may affect children’s progress in learning language and (social) communication. For example, musical rhythmicity is strongly linked to cognition due to the synchronization of the partner's language expression in social communication(4).
Various studies have shown the genetic overlap between interpersonal milestone development and neurodevelopmental disorders. For example, individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show delayed development of cognitive and social functioning and, therefore, may reach early developmental milestones later (smiling, walking, spoon feeding themselves, crawling) or not at all(5).
This project will use data from ALSPAC and other large cohorts to investigate the genetic architecture of early social/communicative/language abilities as well as social /social communication abilities during the life course within large consortia (e.g. meta-Genome Wide Association Analyses (GWAS) within the EAGLE consortium) including in-depth structural models of genetic factors. The study will biologically annotate the genetic architecture of early social/communicative abilities as well as social abilities through genetic enrichment and variance partitioning analyses. Once social behaviour has been modelled genetically, we will derive genetic tools to identify genetic overlap with neuro-developmental disorders and other health-related, educational and (social) behavioural outcomes in later life, as well as brain-related encodings (e.g. brain structure and function). The project will finally assess evidence for correlation and causal mechanisms linking precursors of social/communicative abilities (e.g. musicality, motor behaviour and temperament) to social performance and, in turn, social behaviour and social communication skills to later-life outcomes (e.g. health, education, behaviour).
1. Walle, E. A. Infant Social Development across the Transition from Crawling to Walking. Front. Psychol. 7, (2016).
2. Walle, E. A. & Campos, J. J. Infant language development is related to the acquisition of walking. Dev. Psychol. 50, 336–348 (2014).
3. Libertus, K. & Violi, D. A. Sit to Talk: Relation between Motor Skills and Language Development in Infancy. Front. Psychol. 7, (2016).
4. Ravignani, A., Honing, H. & Kotz, S. A. Editorial: The Evolution of Rhythm Cognition: Timing in Music and Speech. Front. Hum. Neurosci. 11, 303 (2017).
5. Kuo, S. S. et al. Developmental Variability in Autism Across 17 000 Autistic Individuals and 4000 Siblings Without an Autism Diagnosis: Comparisons by Cohort, Intellectual Disability, Genetic Etiology, and Age at Diagnosis. JAMA Pediatr. 176, 915–923 (2022).
B4195 - What makes clocks tick Mapping determinants of epigenetic age acceleration in early life - 15/11/2022
DNA methylation, the binding of a methyl-group to the DNA structure, can affect gene transcription and is related to aging. So strongly, in fact, that DNA methylation at specific sites (i.e. ‘CpGs’) can be used to estimate a persons’ age through the use of so-called ‘epigenetic clocks’. Not only do the age estimates produced by epigenetic clocks relate highly to chronological age, but the extent to which they deviate from chronological age is an important predictor of health: in adults, epigenetic age acceleration (i.e. being epigenetically older than one’s age) relates to greater disease risk and mortality, whereas conversely, deceleration relates to better health and longevity.
Research from our group suggests that an individual’s epigenetic age acceleration might be determined early on. We brought together the world’s largest developmental datasets with repeated epigenetic assessments to map how DNA methylation patterns change over the first two decades of life. We found that sites that make up epigenetic clocks already show substantial differences between individuals in early life, sometimes even from birth. This raises the possibility that longevity differences apparent in old age may already be influenced by factors occurring at a young age, opening new opportunities for early detection and intervention.
Here, we aim to identify the early origins of epigenetic aging, by examining the contribution of genetic and environmental influences, beginning in pregnancy. To do so, we use individual-level DNA methylation patterns of change at clock CpGs, already created. In addition, we will study early outcomes of inter-individual variation in early epigenetic age acceleration at the molecular and system-level.
B4194 - Genetic Determinants of Longitudinal Changes in Anthropometric Traits - 09/11/2022
This project aims to identify and characterize the contribution of genetic variation to growth-related traits. One part of this project will be conducted in collaboration with international consortia to identify genetic variants associated with height and body mass index (BMI) variation across childhood. The other part of the project will focus on genetic variants already associated with adult traits (height and BMI) and will characterise the critical time periods in childhood development when these variants start and stop to exert their effects.
B4187 - Inter-generational transmission of intimate partner violence and abuse IPVA influence of IPVA measures patterns and timing - 08/11/2022
Around one-quarter of young people in the UK report intimate partner violence and abuse (IPVA, that is, physical or sexual violence, or emotional abuse) among their parents by age 16. Research in US student samples suggests that for these young people, they are more likely to be victimised in their own intimate relationships as adolescents and young adults, this association my vary according to the timing of exposure to parental IPVA, and may be even higher for those with other adverse childhood experiences, such as maltreatment or parental mental illness. However, this has rarely been studied in a general population sample, or in the UK. Further, little is known about the burden
of continued IPVA over the life-course on later health, that is, witnessing IPVA among parents to then experiencing IPVA in one’s own relationship. However, IPVA among parents does not guarantee future IPVA, and many go on to not to experience this in their own intimate relationships. Understanding what factors (e.g. parent-child relationships, school, peers) help to break the cycle of intimate partner violence, can inform policies and interventions to prevent further violence and improve quality of life in these families.
B4188 - Parental Type 2 Diabetes and Cardiovascular disease polygenic risk scores by offspring birthweight and placental weight - 14/11/2022
Birth weight (BW) and placental weight (PW) have been associated with adult health outcomes, and a genetic component for this relationship has been established. Similar associations between offspring BW and PW and parental health have been found in observational studies. We aim to investigate the association of parental diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk variants with offspring BW and PW.
B4021 - longitudinal modeling of high-dimensional molecular measurements in birth cohort studies - 07/11/2022
Our group at the Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences and the University of Manchester have received funding from the Wellcome Trust to investigate the machine learning modelling techniques for high-dimensional measurements from population studies. Recently, high-throughput 'omics technologies have allowed us to collect large numbers of molecular measurements from a single sample. Analysing these large datasets poses a problem, because existing techniques do not allow us to analyse all measurements jointly as outcomes. We will develop a statistical technique for jointly analysing large numbers of molecular measurements, using recent advances in statistical inference, as well as applying prior knowledge to reduce the number of relationships between measurements that needs to be explored. Additionally, we will develop a method for designing longitudinal studies to gain optimal information about these high-dimensional outcomes. The benefits of our approach will be two-fold: First, in allowing us to gain additional information about the relationships between longitudinal measurements, and second in improving the design of future studies, which will lead to time and cost savings.
B4178 - Validation of selected candidate blood metabolites biomarkers for age at menopause - 07/11/2022
Female reproductive longevity, controlled by the timing of menarche and menopause, can vary greatly depending on genetics, lifestyle, and environmental exposures. While variations in age at menarche (AAM) and age at natural menopause (ANM) have a complex multi-factorial aetiology, the biological mechanisms underlying these variations are still not fully understood. Identifying biomarkers allows for a better understanding of the pathophysiology underpinning variations in AAM and ANM and their interconnection, while the same molecules could represent potential targets to pharmacologically modify timing of these events. High-throughput metabolomics studies have led to the discovery of a number of candidate biomarkers for a variety of traits. However, simultaneous measurement of hundreds of circulating metabolites in case-control studies is cost prohibitive and subject to confounding and reverse causation. Large genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have become available for both metabolites and AAM and ANM, advancing our knowledge on the genetic determinants of these traits. Mendelian randomisation (MR) is an established method in genetic epidemiology that explores whether a modifiable exposure is causally linked to an outcome by using genetic variants for this exposure as instrumental variables. The MR design can avoid potential bias from confounding that are typical in conventional observational studies by taking advantage of the fact that inherent genetic variants are not susceptible to environmental risk factors and reverse causation. In a setting known as two-sample MR, GWAS data for an exposure and an outcome measured in independent populations can be used to test causality of risk factors on complex health outcomes.
By employing two-sample MR, we screened hundreds of previously measured circulating metabolites for causal association with AAM and ANM. Genetic variants associated with each metabolite were extracted from four large metabolomic GWAS and effects of these variants on AAM and ANM were retrieved from the largest GWAS conducted for AAM (N = 329,345), and ANM (N = 200,000). We discovered 12 blood metabolites with evidence of a causal relationship with the AAM and 114 metabolites associated with ANM. Using multivariable MR, we found that the majority of these metabolites affect the timing of AAM or ANM regardless of body mass index (BMI). These molecules cluster in specific pathways, such as that of amino acid synthesis and glycerophosphocholine synthesis. We identified two of the candidate metabolites for AAM as significantly associated with ANM in ALSPAC participants (data requested as part of a separate project [B3667], aiming to predict AAM using a combination of genetic and non-genetic risk factors). Specifically we found an association between higher phosphatidylcholine levels and a later onset of AAM, and a link between lower isoleucine levels and an earlier onset of AAM, and the magnitude of the effects were comparable with those of the MR study. In this proposal, we request data on metabolites levels and AAM of ALSPAC mothers, in order to seek validation for a portion of the 114 candidate metabolites for ANM prioritized by our MR study, which have been measured in ALSPAC. This validation will provide further support to our MR findings, suggesting a causal role of the above metabolites in ANM.
B4174 - Better understanding the inter-generational transmission of intimate partner violence and abuse - 07/11/2022
Around one-quarter of young people in the UK report intimate partner violence and abuse (IPVA, that is, physical or sexual violence, or emotional abuse) among their parents by age 16. Research in US student samples suggests that for these young people, they are more likely to be victimised in their own intimate relationships as adolescents and young adults, this association my vary according to the timing of exposure to parental IPVA, and may be even higher for those with other adverse childhood experiences, such as maltreatment or parental mental illness. However, this has rarely been studied in a general population sample, or in the UK. Further, little is known about the burden of continued IPVA over the life-course on later health, that is, witnessing IPVA among parents to then experiencing IPVA in one’s own relationship. However, IPVA among parents does not guarantee future IPVA, and many go on to not to experience this in their own intimate relationships. Understanding what factors (e.g. parent-child relationships, school, peers) help to break the cycle of intimate partner violence, can inform policies and interventions to prevent further violence and improve quality of life in these families.
B4182 - Neurodevelopmental characteristics of children with genetic risk for epilepsy - 31/10/2022
Epilepsy is the most common primary neurological disorder worldwide, with 10% of people experiencing a seizure during their life. Seizures often occur in combination with other neurological or behavioural traits indicating altered brain development. Seizures might also themselves negatively impact the neurocognitive development in early life. Understanding the links between epilepsy and other neurodevelopmental and neurological conditions is key to understanding the mechanism and impact of the disease. Large genome-wide association studies of epilepsy have found specific genes that are linked to brain function and might therefore explain the vulnerability of specific brain circuits in people experiencing seizures. It is not clear though how these genetic predispositions to epilepsy would affect other brain properties, for instance neurocognitive development. Therefore, we propose to investigate the molecular, neurodevelopmental and cognitive outcomes of having a genetic predisposition for epilepsy in the ALSPAC children.
B4185 - To investigate pathways relating to environmental risk factors immune markers and mental health outcomes in early adulthood - 31/10/2022
We and others have identified numerous factors that influence mental health in young adults and early adulthood. These include obstetric complications, adversity, cannabis use, population density, immigrant status (PMID: 29352556, 12091183, 31563981) and most recently exposure to COVID (PMID: 35987197). Additionally, in the ALSPAC cohort, we recently identified that suicidal ideation at age 17 is associated with 7-fold increased odds of psychotic disorder, and with depressive disorder and generalised anxiety disorder at age 24. Indeed, over 40% of those with psychotic disorder in early adulthood had experienced this symptom in late adolescence (Mongan et al, 2022, unpublished).
We and others have also identified evidence for inflammatory marker dysregulation both preceding and in association with psychiatric disorders including psychosis, depression and recently, long COVID (PMID: 36085284 , 35472304). Dysregulation of acute inflammatory markers [such as Interleukin (IL)-6 and C-Reactive Protein] and complement proteins has been reported prior to and in association with these outcomes (PMID: 25133871, PMID: 32857162). Using ALSPAC data we identified for the first time the cross-sectional association of suPAR (soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor- an established marker of chronic inflammation) and IL-6 (an established marker of primarily acute inflammation) with psychotic disorder in young adults (Mongan et al 2022, under review). We previously found an inverse association between the antiinflammatory marker n-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) at age 17 and psychotic disorder at age 24 in the ALSPAC cohort (PMID 34059620). Using ALSPAC data we have also shown for the first time that elevated suPAR is associated cross-sectionally with cannabis exposure, itself a marker for mental illhealth (Power et al 2022 (under review)). We now seek to expand our knowledge to mental health outcomes in early adulthood (at age 24 and also at age 30 (when available)). We wish to examine not only associations between risk factors and inflammation in relation to clinical thresholds of psychiatric disorders, but also in relation to specific symptoms and symptom severity.
We hypothesise that exposure to environmental risk factors and early-life adversity is associated with chronic inflammatory dysregulation, in line with recent evidence (PMID: 31682707, 26033244, 34990745). We also hypothesise that inflammatory dysregulation will be more common in those who go on to report mental disorders in adulthood (PMID: 25133871, PMID: 32857162). Crucially, we hypothesise that inflammatory dysregulation mediates the relationship between environmental exposures and adult mental disorders, which could provide evidence for a biological mechanism by which environmental exposures influences the risk of adult mental disorder. Alternatively, environmental exposures and biological risk factors may operate independently, but have a cumulative effect on the risk of mental disorders.
We propose to investigate this using a combination of existing ALSPAC data, and new data derived from assays undertaken by us which assessed levels of the robust marker of chronic inflammation, suPAR, in age 24 plasma samples donated by ALSPAC participants.
Only data from B4168 will be used.
B4186 - Investigating pathways relating to environmental risk factors immune markers and mental health outcomes in early adulthood - 31/10/2022
We and others have identified numerous factors that influence mental health in young adults and early adulthood. These include obstetric complications, adversity, cannabis use, population density, immigrant status (PMID: 29352556, 12091183, 31563981) and most recently exposure to COVID (PMID: 35987197). Additionally, in the ALSPAC cohort, we recently identified that suicidal ideation at age 17 is associated with 7-fold increased odds of psychotic disorder, and with depressive disorder and generalised anxiety disorder at age 24. Indeed, over 40% of those with psychotic disorder in early adulthood had experienced this symptom in late adolescence (Mongan et al, 2022, unpublished).
We and others have also identified evidence for inflammatory marker
dysregulation both preceding and in association with psychiatric disorders
including psychosis, depression and recently, long COVID (PMID: 36085284 ,
35472304). Dysregulation of acute inflammatory markers [such as Interleukin
(IL)-6 and C-Reactive Protein] and complement proteins has been reported prior to
and in association with these outcomes (PMID: 25133871, PMID: 32857162).
Using ALSPAC data we identified for the first time the cross-sectional association of suPAR (soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor- an established marker of chronic inflammation) and IL-6 (an established marker of primarily acute inflammation) with psychotic disorder in young adults (Mongan et al 2022, under review). We previously found an inverse association between the anti-inflammatory marker n-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) at age 17 and psychotic disorder at age 24 in the ALSPAC cohort (PMID 34059620). Using ALSPAC data we have also shown for the first time that elevated suPAR is associated cross-sectionally with cannabis exposure, itself a marker for mental illhealth (Power et al 2022 (under review)).
We now seek to expand our knowledge to mental health outcomes in early adulthood (at age 24 and also at age 30 (when available)). We wish to examine not only associations between risk factors and inflammation in relation to clinical thresholds of psychiatric disorders, but also in relation to specific symptoms and symptom severity.
We hypothesise that exposure to environmental risk factors and early-life adversity is associated with chronic inflammatory dysregulation, in line with recent evidence (PMID: 31682707, 26033244, 34990745). We also hypothesise that inflammatory dysregulation will be more common in those who go on to report mental disorders in adulthood (PMID: 25133871, PMID: 32857162). Crucially, we hypothesise that inflammatory dysregulation mediates the relationship between environmental exposures and adult mental disorders, which could provide evidence for a
biological mechanism by which environmental exposures influences the risk of adult mental disorder. Alternatively, environmental exposures and biological risk factors may operate independently, but have a cumulative effect on the risk of mental disorders.
We propose to investigate this using a combination of existing ALSPAC data, and new data derived from assays undertaken by us which assessed levels of the robust marker of chronic inflammation, suPAR, in age 24 plasma samples donated by ALSPAC participants.
Only data from B4168 will be used
B4180 - Exploring the social transmissibility of smoking between parents and offspring - 27/10/2022
We aim to explore if parental smoking causes offspring to smoke more. Estimating the effect of social transmissibility of traits is methodologically difficult because people relatives generally share similar genetics and environmental exposures. This can make issues around confounding difficult to control for.
Children inherit a random half of each parent’s genetic liability. Mendelian randomisation (MR) is a study design in epidemiology which leverages this to analogise with a randomised controlled trial (RCT). In an RCT some people are randomised to an exposure, and then followed up over a period of time. In an MR study people are randomised to a genetic variant which increases their liability to an exposure at conception, and then recruited into a study some time after birth.
Although understanding the effects of second-hand smoking has important public health implications, it would be unethical to randomise someone to exposure to second hand smoking because of the definite harm on the individual who would have to smoke, and the probable harm on the person exposure to second-hand smoking.
Here we aim to explore an extension of MR to explore the social transmissibility of traits, and specifically whether parental smoking influences their children to smoke. Although we only inherit half of each of our parent’s genetic variants, the other half can still influence us via our parents. For example, if a parent has a variant which causes them to smoke, this variant in effect exposes their child to second-hand smoking. Thus, randomly not inheriting a smoking variant, is analogous to being randomised to second-hand smoking. Our research here will build on theoretical and simulation research already conducted to demonstrating the theoretical utility of this approach.
B4179 - Allomaternal care and cooperation - 31/10/2022
A large literature has explored the implications of allomaternal care (care of children by people other than their mother) on child human capital development. This project will describe parental network of help in a developed country setting, and how help received with childcare from different caregivers influence child outcomes. We will also explore how such networks predict mother return to work decisions and wellbeing. Our findings will have implications to understand how social support networks influence child and maternal outcomes.
B4183 - Separating adiposity from hormonal changes at menopause and investigating their causal relationship with cancer - 31/10/2022
Cancer is a leading cause of death, responsible for one in six deaths worldwide. Of these, breast is most common cancer and the 5th leading cause of death among all cancers. Breast cancer can be categorised as a hormone-sensitive cancer, along with prostate, endometrial and ovarian cancer, meaning the development of these cancers is driven by hormones. Menopause marks the end of a woman’s reproductive life and is characterised by changes in a woman’s biology including in the levels of sex hormones circulating their body. The levels of these hormones have been implicated in the risk of these hormone-sensitive cancers. The amount and distribution of fat (adiposity) are also known to change across the menopausal transition and in addition are known major risk factors for cancer. What is not currently known is how the changes in hormones and fat, specifically due to the menopause, affect the risk of cancer. Both hormone levels and fat quantity and distribution are known to be regulated, to some extent, by genetics. This project aims to use genetics of changes in hormone levels and fat quantity and distribution to determine their causal role in cancer risk, both independently and through their interaction. This research will help to identify the causal role of risk factors for cancer at a specific time-point which could then be targeted to prevent cancer.
B4168 - Investigating pathways relating to environmental risk factors immune markers and mental health outcomes in early adulthood - 27/10/2022
We and others have identified numerous factors that influence mental health in young adults and early adulthood. These include obstetric complications, adversity, cannabis use, population density, immigrant status (PMID: 29352556, 12091183, 31563981) and most recently exposure to COVID (PMID: 35987197). Additionally, in the ALSPAC cohort, we recently identified that suicidal ideation at age 17 is associated with 7-fold increased odds of psychotic disorder, and with depressive disorder and generalised anxiety disorder at age 24. Indeed, over 40% of those with psychotic disorder in early adulthood had experienced this symptom in late adolescence (Mongan et al, 2022, unpublished).
We and others have also identified evidence for inflammatory marker dysregulation both preceding and in association with psychiatric disorders including psychosis, depression and recently, long COVID (PMID: 36085284 , 35472304). Dysregulation of acute inflammatory markers [such as Interleukin (IL)-6 and C-Reactive Protein] and complement proteins has been reported prior to and in association with these outcomes (PMID: 25133871, PMID: 32857162). Using ALSPAC data we identified for the first time the cross-sectional association of suPAR (soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor- an established marker of chronic inflammation) and IL-6 (an established marker of primarily acute inflammation) with psychotic disorder in young adults (Mongan et al 2022, under review). We previously found an inverse association between the anti-inflammatory marker n-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) at age 17 and psychotic disorder at age 24 in the ALSPAC cohort (PMID 34059620). Using ALSPAC data we have also shown for the first time that elevated suPAR is associated cross-sectionally with cannabis exposure, itself a marker for mental ill-health (Power et al 2022 (under review)).
We now seek to expand our knowledge to mental health outcomes in early adulthood (at age 24 and also at age 30 (when available)). We wish to examine not only associations between risk factors and inflammation in relation to clinical thresholds of psychiatric disorders, but also in relation to specific symptoms and symptom severity.
We hypothesise that exposure to environmental risk factors and early-life adversity is associated with chronic inflammatory dysregulation, in line with recent evidence (PMID: 31682707, 26033244, 34990745). We also hypothesise that inflammatory dysregulation will be more common in those who go on to report mental disorders in adulthood (PMID: 25133871, PMID: 32857162). Crucially, we hypothesise that inflammatory dysregulation mediates the relationship between environmental exposures and adult mental disorders, which could provide evidence for a biological mechanism by which environmental exposures influences the risk of adult mental disorder. Alternatively, environmental exposures and biological risk factors may operate independently, but have a cumulative effect on the risk of mental disorders.
We propose to investigate this using a combination of existing ALSPAC data, and new data derived from assays undertaken by us which assessed levels of the robust marker of chronic inflammation, suPAR, in age 24 plasma samples donated by ALSPAC participants.
B4171 - Biopsychosocial stress in pregnancy birth outcomes motor mental health trajectories in childhood - 27/10/2022
Stress in pregnancy has been linked with adverse cognitive, motor and mental health outcomes in the offspring. In previous research studies stress has been represented by major life events, maternal mental health, economic hardship or stress biomarkers. Due to the wide variability in how stress has been quantified to date we do not know what types of stress or how much stress matters for whom and for which specific developmental outcomes. In addition, far less research has focused on sensorimotor outcomes despite the fact that the central nervous system is most vulnerable as it develops earliest in gestation and for the longest duration in-utero. Furthermore, adequate sensorimotor development may be a protective factor for later mental health. This study aims to quantify stress across biopsychosocial domains both independently and cumulatively, examining its influence on specific adverse birth outcomes (e.g. gestational age, birthweight, mode of delivery and neonatal complications), fine and gross motor trajectories in early childhood and mental health trajectories in middle/late childhood. Moderators such as infant sex, post-natal environment and activity engagement will also be considered.
B4176 - The composition of physical activity in youth with and without a diagnosis of asthma - 13/03/2023
Daily movement behaviours can be broadly classified into four categories, dependent largely on intensity, namely sleep, sedentary behaviour, light physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. The government recommend children and young people partake in an average of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day, in order to maintain good health. Whilst current research supports the need to improve physical activity engagement in childhood, interventions thus far have shown little to no significant improvement. Furthermore, whilst it is suggested that children with asthma follow the same guidelines in regard to engagement in physical activities, but no guidance is given as to the type of exercise, or whether different intensities are more suitable for different clinical groups.
The aim of this project is to characterise the composition, and level of, physical activity behaviours throughout the day, with specific interest in exploring whether those diagnosed with asthma show similar patterns to those without asthma. The data set will be combined with data from the Millennium Cohort Study and the Commando Joes/X4A Trial, and analysis will consider age, sex and asthma status.
B4170 - Assessing the impact of missing data in auxiliary variables on multiple imputation estimates - 02/11/2022
Data are frequently missing in observational cohorts which can lead to bias in estimates of effect sizes between exposure and outcome. We use a method called multiple imputation to try to correct for this. Auxiliary methods are often essential for removing bias in multiple imputation analyses, but are frequently missing themselves. We aim to apply simulations and an empirical example (using ALSPAC data) to assess how missing data in auxiliary variables can impact multiple imputation analyses.
B4172 - Understanding pathways from environmental risk to internalising problems for autistic young people - 21/11/2022
This project will investigate the role of the social and physical environment in the development of internalising problems (i.e., anxiety and depression) in autistic young people (AYP), thereby contributing new insights to inform prevention and treatment. Internalising problems are common in autistic people, with a lifetime prevalence around four times that of non-autistic people. They typically arise by adolescence, persist across the lifespan and have substantial negative effects on wellbeing, functioning, physical health and mortality. The need for work that informs care for internalising problems has been highlighted by the autism community as their top priority for autism research. This reflects the fact that evidence-based interventions for autistic internalising problems are lacking because, currently, our understanding of how and why these difficulties develop and persist is limited. In particular, we lack understanding of how features of the social and physical environment influence the development of internalising problems of AYP.
Across the whole project, we take an ecological approach to understanding the development of internalizing problems in AYP. We seek to understand the development of mental health problems by modelling the dynamic interplay of environmental and personal factors and elucidating how diverse factors at different levels operate over time.
By enhancing understanding of autistic mental health, the study will help improve the wellbeing and life chances of autistic people by informing the development of interventions to treat and prevent their mental health problems. Our focus on environmental risk is especially likely to yield practical results, as it promises the identification of modifiable risk factors (e.g., parenting, peer victimisation, neighbourhood built environment) as putative targets for intervention.