Genetic Epidemiology, Translational Neurogenomics, Psychiatric Genetics and Statistical Genetics Laboratories investigate the pattern of disease in families, particularly identical and non-identical twins, to assess the relative importance of genes and environment in a variety of important health problems.
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PMID
25373892
TITLE
Associations between depression and anxiety symptoms and retinal vessel caliber in adolescents and young adults.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE NlmCategory: OBJECTIVE
Previous longitudinal studies suggest that depression and anxiety are associated with risk for cardiovascular disease. The aim of the present study was to test whether an association between depression and anxiety symptoms and retinal vessel caliber, an indicator of subclinical cardiovascular risk, is apparent as early as adolescence and young adulthood.
METHODS NlmCategory: METHODS
Previous longitudinal studies suggest that depression and anxiety are associated with risk for cardiovascular disease. The aim of the present study was to test whether an association between depression and anxiety symptoms and retinal vessel caliber, an indicator of subclinical cardiovascular risk, is apparent as early as adolescence and young adulthood. Participants were 865 adolescents and young adults who participated in the Brisbane Longitudinal Twin Study and the Twin Eye Study in Tasmania. Participants completed an assessment of depression/anxiety symptoms (the Somatic and Psychological Health Report) when they were 16.5 years old (mean age), and they underwent retinal imaging, on average, 2.5 years later (range, 2 years before to 7 years after the depression/anxiety assessment). Retinal vessel caliber was assessed using computer software.
RESULTS NlmCategory: RESULTS
Previous longitudinal studies suggest that depression and anxiety are associated with risk for cardiovascular disease. The aim of the present study was to test whether an association between depression and anxiety symptoms and retinal vessel caliber, an indicator of subclinical cardiovascular risk, is apparent as early as adolescence and young adulthood. Participants were 865 adolescents and young adults who participated in the Brisbane Longitudinal Twin Study and the Twin Eye Study in Tasmania. Participants completed an assessment of depression/anxiety symptoms (the Somatic and Psychological Health Report) when they were 16.5 years old (mean age), and they underwent retinal imaging, on average, 2.5 years later (range, 2 years before to 7 years after the depression/anxiety assessment). Retinal vessel caliber was assessed using computer software. Depression and anxiety symptoms were associated with wider retinal arteriolar caliber in this sample of adolescents and young adults (β = 0.09, p = .016), even after adjusting for other cardiovascular risk factors (β = 0.08, p = .025). Multiple regression analyses revealed that affective symptoms of depression/anxiety were associated with retinal vessel caliber independently of somatic symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS NlmCategory: CONCLUSIONS
Previous longitudinal studies suggest that depression and anxiety are associated with risk for cardiovascular disease. The aim of the present study was to test whether an association between depression and anxiety symptoms and retinal vessel caliber, an indicator of subclinical cardiovascular risk, is apparent as early as adolescence and young adulthood. Participants were 865 adolescents and young adults who participated in the Brisbane Longitudinal Twin Study and the Twin Eye Study in Tasmania. Participants completed an assessment of depression/anxiety symptoms (the Somatic and Psychological Health Report) when they were 16.5 years old (mean age), and they underwent retinal imaging, on average, 2.5 years later (range, 2 years before to 7 years after the depression/anxiety assessment). Retinal vessel caliber was assessed using computer software. Depression and anxiety symptoms were associated with wider retinal arteriolar caliber in this sample of adolescents and young adults (β = 0.09, p = .016), even after adjusting for other cardiovascular risk factors (β = 0.08, p = .025). Multiple regression analyses revealed that affective symptoms of depression/anxiety were associated with retinal vessel caliber independently of somatic symptoms. Depression and anxiety symptoms are associated with measurable signs in the retinal microvasculature in early life, suggesting that pathological microvascular mechanisms linking depression/anxiety and cardiovascular disease may be operative from a young age.
DATE PUBLISHED
2014 Nov-Dec
HISTORY
PUBSTATUS PUBSTATUSDATE
entrez 2014/11/07 06:00
pubmed 2014/11/07 06:00
medline 2015/07/18 06:00
AUTHORS
NAME COLLECTIVENAME LASTNAME FORENAME INITIALS AFFILIATION AFFILIATIONINFO
Meier MH Meier Madeline H MH From the Department of Psychology (M.H.M.), Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona; Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics (N.A.G.), Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia; QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute (N.A.G., N.K.H., Y.L., S.M., S.E.M., M.W., G.Z., N.G.M.), Brisbane, Australia; Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) (A.W.H., D.A.M.), University of Melbourne, Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Centre for Ophthalmology and Visual Science (A.W.H., D.A.M.), Lions Eye Institute, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Brain and Mind Research Institute (I.B.H.), University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia; Environmental and Genetic Epidemiology Research (C.S.), Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Department of Paediatrics (C.S), University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia; Singapore Eye Research Institute (T.Y.W.), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; Department of Ophthalmology (T.Y.W.) and Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore; and Office of Clinical Sciences (T.Y.W.), Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore.
Gillespie NA Gillespie Nathan A NA
Hansell NK Hansell Narelle K NK
Hewitt AW Hewitt Alex W AW
Hickie IB Hickie Ian B IB
Lu Y Lu Yi Y
MacGregor S MacGregor Stuart S
Medland SE Medland Sarah E SE
Sun C Sun Cong C
Wong TY Wong Tien Y TY
Wright MJ Wright Margaret J MJ
Zhu G Zhu Gu G
Martin NG Martin Nicholas G NG
Mackey DA Mackey David A DA
INVESTIGATORS
JOURNAL
VOLUME: 76
ISSUE: 9
TITLE: Psychosomatic medicine
ISOABBREVIATION: Psychosom Med
YEAR:
MONTH:
DAY:
MEDLINEDATE: 2014 Nov-Dec
SEASON:
CITEDMEDIUM: Internet
ISSN: 1534-7796
ISSNTYPE: Electronic
MEDLINE JOURNAL
MEDLINETA: Psychosom Med
COUNTRY: United States
ISSNLINKING: 0033-3174
NLMUNIQUEID: 0376505
PUBLICATION TYPE
PUBLICATIONTYPE TEXT
Journal Article
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Twin Study
COMMENTS AND CORRECTIONS
GRANTS
GRANTID AGENCY COUNTRY
R00 DA023549 NIDA NIH HHS United States
U54 EB020403 NIBIB NIH HHS United States
R00DA023549 NIDA NIH HHS United States
GENERAL NOTE
KEYWORDS
MESH HEADINGS
DESCRIPTORNAME QUALIFIERNAME
Adolescent
Adult
Anxiety epidemiology
Cardiovascular Diseases epidemiology
Depression epidemiology
Diseases in Twins epidemiology
Female epidemiology
Humans epidemiology
Longitudinal Studies epidemiology
Male epidemiology
Retinal Vessels pathology
Risk pathology
Tasmania epidemiology
Young Adult epidemiology
SUPPLEMENTARY MESH
GENE SYMBOLS
CHEMICALS
OTHER ID's