Childhood maltreatment moderates the influence of genetic load for obesity on reward related brain structure and function in major depression

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Nils Opel - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Ronny Redlich - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Jonathan Repple - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Claas Kaehler - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Dominik Grotegerd - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Katharina Dohm - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Dario Zaremba - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Janik Goltermann - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Lavinia Alexandra M. Steinmann - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Rahel Krughöfer - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Elisabeth J. Leehr - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Joscha Böhnlein - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Katharina Förster - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Christian Bürger - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Susanne Meinert - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Verena Enneking - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Daniel Emden - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Ramona Leenings - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Nils Winter - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Walter Heindel - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Harald Kugel - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Anbupalam Thalamuthu - , University of New South Wales (Author)
  • Tim Hahn - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Volker Arolt - , University of Münster (Author)
  • Bernhard T. Baune - , University of Melbourne (Author)
  • Udo Dannlowski - , University of Münster (Author)

Abstract

Obesity is a clinically relevant and highly prevalent somatic comorbidity of major depression (MDD). Genetic predisposition and history of childhood trauma have both independently been demonstrated to act as risk factors for obesity and to be associated with alterations in reward related brain structure and function. We therefore aimed to investigate the influence of childhood maltreatment and genetic risk for obesity on structural and functional imaging correlates associated with reward processing in MDD. 161 MDD patients underwent structural and functional MRI during a frequently used card guessing paradigm. Main and interaction effects of a polygenic risk score for obesity (PRS) and childhood maltreatment experiences as assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) were investigated. We found that maltreatment experiences and polygenic risk for obesity significantly interacted on a) body mass index b) gray matter volume of the orbitofrontal cortex as well as on c) BOLD response in the right insula during reward processing. While polygenic risk for obesity was associated with elevated BMI as well as with decreased OFC gray matter and increased insular BOLD response in non-maltreated patients, these associations were absent in patients with a history of childhood trauma. No significant main effect of PRS or maltreatment on gray matter or BOLD response could be detected at the applied thresholds. The present study suggests that childhood maltreatment moderates the influence of genetic load for obesity on BMI as well as on altered brain structure and function in reward related brain circuits in MDD.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)18-26
Number of pages9
JournalPsychoneuroendocrinology
Volume100
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2019
Peer-reviewedYes
Externally publishedYes

External IDs

PubMed 30268003