Offspring Of Parents Research Articles

Parental Mental Disorders and Ages of Onset of Severe Mental Disorders in Offspring: A Nationwide Family-link Study

ObjectiveThe current study used a retrospective study design to investigate the association between age of onset of severe mental disorders in offspring and the likelihood of diagnoses of parental mental disorder. MethodWe enrolled 212,333 people with severe mental disorder, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder (BD), or major depressive disorder (MDD) and 2,123,329 controls matched for age, sex, and demographics from the National Health Insurance Database of Taiwan. Poisson regression models were used to examine the likelihood of diagnoses of five mental disorders in their parents compared to the parents of the controls (reported as odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval), including schizophrenia, BD, MDD, alcohol use disorder (AUD), and substance use disorder (SUD). The study cohort was classified into child-onset, adolescent-onset, and adult-onset groups according to the onset of severe mental disorders in the offspring. ResultThe parents of people with child-, adolescent-, and adult-onset schizophrenia (OR range: 1.73-9.08, all p<0.05) or BD (OR range: 1.97-8.17, all p<0.05) were more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, BD, MDD, AUD, and substance use disorder (SUD) than controls except for AUD in the child-onset group. However, the parents of people with child-, adolescent-, and adult-onset depressive disorder were more likely to be diagnosed with schizophrenia, BD, MDD, AUD, and SUD (OR range: 1.82-4.76, all p<0.05) than controls. Sub-analyses stratified by sex showed different patterns of associations between parental mental disorders and offspring mental disorders. ConclusionNo matter when the severe mental disorder of the offsprings occurred at different onset stages, their parents had a higher likelihood of being diagnosed with schizophrenia, BD, MDD, AUD, and SUD.

Cross-talk between tissues is critical for intergenerational acclimation to environmental change in Acanthochromis polyacanthus.

Organisms' responses to environmental changes involve complex, coordinated responses of multiple tissues and potential parental influences. Here using a multi-tissue approach we determine how variation in parental behavioural tolerance and exposure to elevated CO2 influences the developmental and intergenerational molecular responses of their offspring in the coral reef fish Acanthochromis polyacanthus to future ocean acidification (OA) conditions. Gills and liver showed the highest transcriptional response to OA in juvenile fish regardless of parental OA conditioning, while the brain and liver showed the greatest intergenerational acclimation signals. Developmentally induced signals of OA, such as altered neural function in the brain, were restored to control levels after intergenerational exposure. Intergenerational CO2 exposure also enabled the offspring to adjust their metabolic processes, potentially allowing them to better meet the energetic demands of a high CO2 environment. Furthermore, offspring of OA-exposed parents differentially expressed a new complement of genes, which may facilitate intergenerational acclimatory responses. A genetic component of intergenerational plasticity also played a crucial role, with the parental behavioural phenotype largely determining the offspring's transcriptional signals. Overall, our results reveal tissue-specific transcriptional changes underlying intergenerational plastic responses to elevated CO2 exposure, enhancing understanding of organismal acclimation to OA throughout the whole body.

Older mothers produce smaller eggs without compromising offspring quality: a study of a thelytokous mite predator (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Abstract Negative relationships between the parental age and offspring life history traits have been widely observed across diverse animal taxa. However, there is a lack of studies examining the influence of parental age on offspring performance using mites, particularly phytoseiid predators as subjects. This study explored the influence of maternal age on offspring life history traits in Amblyseius herbicolus (Chant) (Acari: Mesostigmata), a phytoseiid predatory mite reproducing through thelytokous parthenogenesis. We hypothesised that increased maternal age negatively impacts offspring traits, including developmental duration, body size, fecundity and lifespan. Amblyseius herbicolus was reared under controlled laboratory conditions, and the life history traits of offspring from mothers of varying ages were analysed using linear mixed-effect models. Our results showed that the increase in maternal age significantly reduced individual egg volume, but did not significantly affect offspring developmental duration, body size, fecundity or lifespan. These findings indicate that while older A. herbicolus females produced smaller eggs, the subsequent performance (i.e. body size, fecundity and lifespan) of offspring remained largely unaffected, suggesting possible compensatory mechanisms in the offspring or alternative maternal provisioning strategies. The results of this study offer useful insights into the reproductive strategies of phytoseiid predators and asexually reproducing species, enhancing our understanding of how maternal age affects offspring fitness. Further studies can examine how offspring of A. herbicolus from mothers of different ages perform under adverse environmental conditions.

The development of a dyadic family life review intervention for the Asian diaspora: A practice article.

Intergenerational family conflict is a commonly identified issue in the Asian diaspora; however, there are limited interventions designed to address this concern. Given this gap in the literature, the authors present a practice article outlining the conceptualization, development, and delivery of a dyadic life review intervention called (Re)Cultivating Family Stories (RFS). RFS is a clinician-facilitated family intervention designed to promote connection and foster successive communication through the joint activity of developing a family story. Life review is a structured approach for reminiscing and evaluating one's life experiences and includes dyadic variants. RFS builds on dyadic life review by facilitating collaborative dialogs between a parent and adult offspring, incorporating culturally responsive elements, and focusing on developing family stories. This article provides an overview of the intervention and its theoretical foundations, along with formative feedback from a field test. Considerations for future implementation and research directions are described.

Intergenerational crosstalk of brain-gut axis in parental Nd2O3 exposure-induced offspring neurotoxicity and cognitive dysfunction: a mechanistic study

IntroductionRare earth elements (REEs) are widely used in plenty of fields. REEs have significant neurotoxicity and it may adversely affect the development of cognitive. For example, neodymium will causing neurological damage through penetrate the blood–brain barrier (BBB). However, whether it disrupts the balance of brain-gut axis (BGA) crosstalk and affects the intestinal microecology disorder of host is still unclear. This study investigated the neural damage on children caused by maternal exposure to Neodymium oxide (Nd2O3) during pregnancy, and its involved mechanism of BGA injury.MethodsWe used rat model to investigated the mechanisms of the offspring’s neural damage that Nd2O3 exposure in pregnancy. To verify the neural damage of offspring rats, we examed BBB-related factors, such like glutamate and ROS levels in brain tissue, behavioral tests, hippocampal and cortical damage, as well as changes in gut microbiota, intestinal mucosal barrier, and SCFAs in the intestine. Also, we observed some specific indicators of intestinal immune barrier function and gut nerve-related indicators.ResultsMaternal Nd2O3 exposure reduced the content of offspring tight junction proteins, increased BBB permeability, leading to Nd accumulation and brain tissue inflammation, affecting offspring’s neural development and weakening their spatial learning ability. Nd2O3 also disrupted BBB integrity by regulating SCFAs and BGA. Probiotic intervention in the offspring rats exposed to 2% Nd2O3 showed significant recovery of inflammation in both brain and colon tissues, and reduced BBB permeability.ConclusionMaternal exposure to Nd2O3 affects the offspring’s BGA, targeting brain and colon tissues, increasing BBB permeability, affecting neural development, causing damage to the intestinal mucosa, and impacting children’s gut development. Probiotics can alleviate these effects. These findings provide valuable insights into understanding the neurodevelopmental and intestinal developmental toxicity of Nd2O3 and its prevention and treatment. It also calls for a comprehensive assessment of the health risks of susceptible populations to Nd2O3, such as pregnant women. It may providing theoretical basis for preventing and controlling neodymium-induced harm in children by examing the repair mechanism of the damage through probiotic intervention.

Parental separation penalties among university students in Italy

AbstractThis paper addresses the long-standing question of whether parental separation shapes offspring school performance drawing on retrospective data from a group of university students in Italy, a country that has historically had very low separation rates yet has experienced an important rise in family dissolution over the last two decades. Using survey data from 1st-year enrollees in undergraduate courses in Economics and Statistics at two points in time (2000 and 2017), we explore whether the association between parental separation and children’s school performance (i) is observed both at the level of middle school (MS) and high school (HS); (ii) varies according to the age at which students experienced separation, and (iii) varies by parental socio-economic status (SES). Our results suggest that students whose parents separated before MS completion score on average 2 points less on the end-of-middle-school exam relative to students whose parents did not separate or separated after MS completion. Similarly, students whose parents separated before HS completion score 1 point less on the end-of-high-school exam relative to their counterpart. As such, we document a parental separation penalty both at the level of MS and HS, yet lower by half when separation occurs later in students’ life course. Moreover, for HS grade parental separation is associated with more negative consequences when students experience it at very young ages (0–5), while for MS grade heterogeneity by age is less clear-cut. Such penalties are concentrated among children of low-educated mothers, particularly for HS, providing support to the “compensatory advantage” hypothesis predicting smaller penalties for children of high-SES parents. Overall, findings from this study corroborate existing evidence suggesting that the consequences of parental separation vary depending on a combination of social background and the “selectivity” of the educational outcome considered.

Parental Birth Order and the First Stage of Tracking Into Schools: Evidence From General Upper Secondary Educational Attainment in Finland

ABSTRACTNo previous study on the interrelation between parental birth order and offspring educational attainment has analysed the first stage of tracking into schools, which in many countries is highly selective of persons who aim for university studies. We do so and examine how parental birth order is associated with attainment of general upper secondary education in Finland. Three‐generational register data on the total population are used to assess how the probability of having the matriculation examination at age 20 is associated with parental birth order. The total number of individuals in the child generation is 377,038. We find that the probability of having the matriculation examination decreases with parental birth order. Within‐family analyses using cousin fixed effects models, which account for unobserved characteristics in the extended family, show that having later‐born parents, and in particular a later‐born father, is negatively associated with first tracking into schools. These patterns can solely be attributed to the fact that earlier‐born parents are highly educated and found in higher social classes than later‐born parents. The results largely corroborate findings from similar analyses of length of schooling in Sweden, although the contribution of parental education and social class is notably stronger in our study context.

HEART RATE VARIABILITY IN OFFSPRING OF NORMOTENSIVE AND HYPERTENSIVE PARENTS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the differences in heart rate variability (HRV), a biomarker of autonomic nervous system, between offspring of normotensive and hypertensive parents to understand the genetic predisposition of autonomic dysfunction. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional observational study.Two groups of healthy adults, offspring of parents with hypertension (n = 50) and offspring of parents with normal blood pressure (n = 50). Short-term HRV was measured using 5-minute electrocardiogram (ECG). HRV indices such as time and frequency domainwere measured. Data were compared by using independent t-tests, with p &lt; 0.05 being considered as statistically significant. Results:The offspring of parents with hypertension showed significantly lower HRV, with SDNN (30.5 ± 8.2 ms) compared to offspring of parents with normal blood pressure (45.2 ± 7.1 ms, p &lt; 0.001). RMSSD also was significantly lower in offspring of hypertensive group. Low-frequency (LF) power was higher in offspring of parents with hypertension,while high-frequency (HF) power was significantly reduced in them compared to the normotensive group. The LF:HF ratio was higher in offspring of parents with hypertension (2.80 ± 0.85) compared to the normotensive group (1.40 ± 0.60, p &lt; 0.001), indicating sympathovagal imbalance. Conclusion: Offspring of parents with hypertension hadlower HRV, suggesting autonomic dysfunction even in the absence of clinical hypertension. These findings emphasize the potential role of genetic predisposition in the early onset of autonomic dysregulation Further studies are required to understand mechanisms contributing to these differences in HRV.

Adverse health outcomes in offspring of parents with alcohol-related liver disease: Nationwide Danish cohort study.

Parental drinking can cause harm to the offspring. A parent's diagnosis of alcohol-related liver disease (ALD) might be an opportunity to reach offspring with preventive interventions. We investigated offspring risk of adverse health outcomes throughout life, their association with their parent's educational level and diagnosis of ALD. We used nationwide health registries to identify offspring of parents diagnosed with ALD in Denmark 1996 to 2018 and age- and sex-matched comparators (20:1). We estimated the incidence rate ratios (IRRs) of hospital contacts with adverse health outcomes, overall and in socioeconomic strata. We used a self-controlled design to examine whether health outcomes were more likely to occur during the first year after the parent's ALD diagnosis. The 60,804 offspring of parents with ALD had a higher incidence rate of hospital contacts from age 15 to 60 years for psychiatric disease, poisoning, fracture or injury, alcohol-specific diagnoses, other substance abuse, and of death than comparators. Associations were stronger for offspring with low compared to high socioeconomic position: The IRR for admission due to poisoning was 2.2 versus 1.0 for offspring of an ALD parent with a primary level versus a highly educated ALD parent. Offspring had an increased risk for admission with psychiatric disease and poisoning in the year after their parent's ALD diagnosis. For example, among offspring whose first hospital contact with psychiatric disease was at age 13 to 25 years, the IRR in the first year after their parent's ALD diagnosis versus at another time was 1.29 (95% CI 1.13, 1.47). Main limitation was inability to include adverse health outcomes not involving hospital contact. Offspring of parents with ALD had a long-lasting higher rate of health outcomes associated with poor mental health and self-harm that increased shortly after their parent's diagnosis of ALD. Offspring of parents of low educational level were particularly vulnerable. This study highlights an opportunity to reach out to offspring in connection with their parent's hospitalization with ALD.

Early metabolic and hemodynamic indicators of kidney dysfunction in mice offspring from parental low protein diet

BackgroundParental malnutrition, particularly a low-protein diet (LPD), causes oligonephropathy at birth and predisposes offspring to hypertension and chronic kidney disease later in life. The onset of adult kidney disease varies based on genetics and environmental factors, often with subclinical alterations in kidney function being overlooked. This study aimed to examine changes in kidney morphology before significant kidney function decline in the offspring of mice fed a low-protein diet.MethodsUsing a combination of histological analysis, kidney metabolic and hemodynamic panel assessments, and advanced statistical techniques such as Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Principal Component Analysis (PCA), we investigated the initial impact of a maternal low-protein diet (LPD) on kidney development and function. Our study utilized 12-week-old F1 mice from F0 parents fed either a low-protein diet (LPD) or a normal-protein diet (NPD) before the onset of hypertension.ResultsThe offspring (F1 generation) of parents (F0 generation) fed an LPD show reduced body weight from birth to P20. The kidney weight was also reduced compared to F1 offspring from parents fed an NPD. At 12 weeks of age, body weight normalized, but kidney weight remained low. Offspring of parents fed an LPD displayed abnormal kidney morphology, including dilated tubules, oligonephropathy, and fluid-filled cysts which had worsened with age. A kidney metabolic panel analysis at 12 weeks revealed a slight but consistent increase in urine albumin, plasma creatinine, mean urea, and BUN concentrations. Although no significant changes in hemodynamic variables were observed, 2/12 mice, both males, showed alterations in systolic blood pressure, suggesting sex-specific effects when comparing F1 mice from F0 fed either diet. Overall, kidney metabolic changes were strongly correlated to parental LPD.ConclusionOur findings indicate that significant kidney damage must accumulate in the F1 generation from parents fed an LPD before any detectable changes in blood pressure occur. Our study suggests that small variations in kidney metabolic function may point to early kidney damage and should not be overlooked in the offspring of these malnourished mice and likely humans.

The microbiome and metatranscriptome of a panel from the Sarracenia mapping population reveal complex assembly and function involving host influence.

Sarracenia provide an optimal system for deciphering the host-microbiome interactions at various levels. We analyzed the pitcher microbiomes and metatranscriptomes of the parental species, and F1 and F2 generations from the mapping population (Sarracenia purpurea X Sarracenia psittacina) utilizing high-throughput sequencing methods. This study aimed to examine the host influences on the microbiome structure and function and to identify the key microbiome traits. Our quality datasets included 8,892,553 full-length bacterial 16s rRNA gene sequences and 65,578 assembled metatranscripts with microbial protein annotations. The correlation network of the bacterial microbiome revealed the presence of 3-7 distinct community clusters, with 8 hub and 19 connector genera. The entire microbiome consisted of viruses, bacterial, archaea, and fungi. The richness and diversity of the microbiome varied among the parental species and offspring genotypes despite being under the same greenhouse environmental conditions. We have discovered certain microbial taxa that are genotype-enriched, including the community hub and connector genera. Nevertheless, there were no significant differences observed in the functional enrichment analysis of the metatranscriptomes across the different genotypes, suggesting a functional convergence of the microbiome. We found that the pitcher microcosm harbors both rhizosphere and phyllosphere microbiomes within its boundaries, resulting in a structurally diverse and functionally complex microbiome community. A total of 50,424 microbial metatranscripts were linked to plant growth-promoting microbial proteins. We show that this complex pitcher microbiome possesses various functions that contribute to plant growth promotion, such as biofertilization, bioremediation, phytohormone signaling, stress regulation, and immune response stimulation. Additionally, the pitcher microbiome exhibits traits related to microbe-microbe interactions, such as colonization of plant systems, biofilm formation, and microbial competitive exclusion. In summary, the demonstrated taxonomical divergence and functionally convergence of the pitcher microbiome are impacted by the host genetics, making it an excellent system for discovering novel beneficial microbiome traits.

Cancer mortality risk in the Urals Cohort of Exposed Population Offspring

The objective of the study is to analyze solid cancer mortality and estimate the risk value of solid cancer mortality in the offspring of parents irradiated in the Southern Urals, depending on the dose to the parents' gonads as well as to conduct a preliminary assessment of the mortality risk from cancer of individual locations depending on the gonadal dose. The issue of the transgenerational effects of the human gonad exposure is still very important. There exists conclusive evidence of the presence of such effects in experimental animals. However, there is no proof of the existence of these effects in humans despite a great number of research on this subject. International scientific community and international organizations, UNSCEAR and ICRP being among them, regard this issue as the one that has not been solved yet and requires further studies. Urals Cohort of offspring of the population exposed on the Techa River and on the territory of the East Ural radioactive trace was established in the Urals research Center for Radiation medicine in 2022. The key feature of the cohort is the exclusion of the offspring with postnatal exposure. The size of the cohort as of September 2023 is 31,154 persons. The number of person-years over the whole follow-up period from 1950 through 2020 is 1 226 380. Mean dose to the gonads of mothers of all the cohort members is 41 mGy, to those of the fathers' — 35 mGy, mean combined gonad dose is 76 mGy. Over the whole follow-up period 3,774 deaths from all causes including 284 deaths from solid cancers were registered in the cohort. The mean age of the cohort members at the end of the follow-up period was 42 years. The risk of death was analyzed using Poisson regression by the programs of the EPICURE statistical software package. Three models of dose dependence were tested: linear, quadratic, and linear-quadratic models of paternal gonadal dose, maternal gonadal dose, and total gonadal dose. Mortality risk analysis of all solid cancers in the offspring cohort showed no statistically significant effect with parental gonadal dose (we have obtained positive although statistically insignificant values of solid cancers mortality risk) which is consistent with the results of other studies in human populations. At the same time, the analysis for the first time obtained a statistically significant linear dependence of the solid cancer mortality risk in offspring with father's age over 45 years depending on the dose to the father's gonads. The excess relative risk of death was 8.09/Gy, (0.51-22.93), p &lt; 0.05. Also, for the first time, evidence of dose dependence of the mortality risk of lung cancer in male offspring on maternal gonadal dose, paternal gonadal dose, and combined gonadal dose was obtained. The values of excess relative risk of lung cancer and 95% confidence intervals according to the linear model were 5.39/Gy (0.46; 15.56) from paternal gonad dose, 4.36/Gy (0.15; 13.48) from maternal gonad dose, and - 3.95/Gy (0.55; 12.14) from combined gonad dose. Point risk estimates of lung cancer at this stage are characterized by wide confidence intervals and require additional studies to assess the influence of possible effect modifiers, but with a high degree of probability indicate the presence of dose dependence of this effect. Increasing the follow-up period and attained age, will increase the number of cancers in the future and will reduce dose response uncertainties and provide more accurate estimates of the risk of death in the offspring cohort.

A demographic assessment of the Lansing Effect in duckweed ( Lemna turionifera Landolt)

The Lansing Effect is the propensity for offspring of older parents to have shorter lifespans than offspring of younger parents. A recent review identified two demographic patterns that can produce the Lansing Effect: (i) a greater offspring mortality rate at all offspring ages in offspring of older versus younger parents (greater initial mortality parameter); and (ii) an offspring mortality rate that increases more rapidly with offspring age in offspring of older versus younger parents (greater mortality rate parameter). Here, we report on a longitudinal study designed to investigate these patterns, using the duckweed Lemna turionifera . We tracked asexually produced offspring that detached from parents that were comparatively young versus old (first versus fifth offspring, respectively). Offspring of older parents lived 15% shorter, on average, than offspring of younger parents, providing evidence of the Lansing Effect. A model-selection approach revealed that the difference between survival curves of first versus fifth offspring was mainly attributable to greater initial mortality in fifth compared to first offspring, though alternative models also received some support. Our study provides a demographic explanation for the Lansing Effect in L. turionifera in particular and provides a method for assessing the survival patterns underpinning the Lansing Effect in general.

Intergenerational and genetic influences on physical activity: family data from the HUNT study, Norway

ObjectivesThe objectives of this study are to examine the association of physical activity in parents with physical activity in their adult offspring and explore if the offspring’s genetic liability (ie,...

Acromesomelic Dysplasia With Homozygosity for a Likely Pathogenic BMPR1B Variant: Postaxial Polydactyly as a Novel Clinical Finding.

Acromesomelic chondrodysplasias are a rare subgroup of the clinically and genetically heterogeneous osteochondrodysplasias that are characterised by abnormalities in the limb development and short stature. Here, we report a 2-year-old boy, offspring of consanguineous parents, with acromesomelic dysplasia and postaxial polydactyly in which exome sequencing identified a novel homozygous missense variant in BMPR1B. The patient showed skeletal malformation of both hands and feet that included complex brachydactyly with the thumbs most severely affected, postaxial polydactyly of both hands, shortened toes as well as a bilateral hypoplasia of the fibula. Whole trio exome sequencing was conducted to identify potential genetic variants in the patient. The analysis identified the biallelic variant NM_001203.3:c.821A > G;p.(Gln274Arg) in BMPR1B, a gene encoding bone morphogenetic protein receptor 1B. The skeletal phenotype can be brought in line with the phenotypes of previously reported cases of BMPR1B-associated chondrodysplasias. However, the postaxial polydactyly described here is a novel clinical finding in a BMPR1B-related case; notably, it has previously been reported in other acromesomelic dysplasia cases caused by homozygous pathogenic variants in GDF5-a gene which encodes for growth differentiation factor 5, a high-affinity ligand to BMPR1B.

The effect of parental pain, disability benefits and education on risk of long-term sick leave due to musculoskeletal disorders and the modifying effect of sleep and physical activity: the HUNT study

BackgroundFamily factors, sleep, and physical activity have previously been associated with risk of sick leave and disability benefits due to musculoskeletal disorders. However, how these factors act during adolescence and young adulthood is unclear. The aim of this study was to (i) examine if chronic pain, disability benefits and education in parents influence the risk of long-term sick leave due to musculoskeletal disorders in young adulthood, and (ii) to explore if offspring sleep problems and physical activity modify these effects.MethodsA population-based prospective study of 18,552 adolescents and young adults (≤ 30 years) in the Norwegian HUNT Study. Survey data was linked to national registry data on sick leave, disability benefits, family relations and educational attainment. We used Cox regression to estimate hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) for long-term (≥ 31 days) sick leave due to a musculoskeletal disorder in offspring associated with parental factors and the joint effect of parental factors and offspring lifestyle factors.ResultsParental chronic pain (HR 1.36, 95% CI 1.27–1.45), disability benefits (HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.33–1.48) and low educational attainment (HR 1.78, 95% CI 1.67–1.90) increased the risk of long-term sick leave due to musculoskeletal disorders among offspring. There was no strong evidence that sleep and physical activity modified these effects.ConclusionChronic pain, disability benefit and low education in parents increased the risk of long-term sick leave due to musculoskeletal disorders among offspring, but these effects were not modified by offspring sleep problems or physical activity level. The findings suggest that efforts beyond individual lifestyle factors might be important as preventive measures.

Parental psychopathology and offspring anxiety disorders in childhood and adolescence: A Finnish nationwide register study

BackgroundResearch suggests an association between parental psychiatric disorders and offspring anxiety disorders, yet comprehensive studies are limited. This study aims to investigate the associations between various parental psychiatric disorders and anxiety disorders in their offspring. MethodUsing Finnish register data, this nested case-control study analyzed 867,175 singleton live births from 1992 to 2006, identifying 21,671 cases of anxiety disorders diagnosed between 1998 and 2016. Matched with four controls each (n = 72,414) based on age and biological sex, the study adjusted for demographic and prenatal factors using conditional logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios (aORs). ResultsThere was a significant association between parental psychiatric disorders and increased risk of anxiety disorders in offspring. The risk was notably higher when both parents had psychiatric disorders (aOR = 5.04; 95 % CI, 4.70‐5.39; p < .001). Maternal psychiatric disorders were strongly associated with offspring anxiety than paternal disorders (aOR 1.52; 95 % CI 1.43–1.61; p < .001). This association was consistent regardless of timing of parental diagnosis. Significant associations were observed between any parental psychiatric disorder and increased risks in offspring for specific phobia, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety, and panic disorder. Maternal psychiatric disorders showed elevated risk for panic disorder and social phobia among girls and separation anxiety and generalized anxiety among boys. ConclusionThe findings emphasize the significant impact of parental psychiatric health on offspring anxiety disorders, highlighting the influence of genetic and environmental factors. Addressing parental mental health is crucial in preventing childhood anxiety disorders.

Estimating effective population size using close‐kin mark–recapture

Abstract Close‐kin mark–recapture (CKMR) is a method that allows estimating population census size, among other parameters, through the observed number of pairs that are close‐kin including parent–offspring pairs (POPs) and half‐sibling pairs (HSPs). CKMR models are capable of estimating abundance, fecundity and survival at age using POPs and HSPs from different cohorts. The link between effective population size (Ne) and the number of ‘within‐cohort’ sibling pairs has been noted before but how to actually achieve such an estimate with CKMR has not been previously demonstrated. We show it is possible to use the number of ‘within‐cohort’ sibling pairs along with POPs and ‘different‐cohort’ HSPs to estimate Ne. These can be combined with an estimate of annual variance in number of offspring to estimate the lifetime variance of total reproductive success which can be used to find Ne. We show that the variance in number of offspring produced by adults in a given year is related to the within‐cohort comparisons. Our approach is demonstrated on an individual‐based simulation where we show that the CKMR Ne estimate offers similar results to Ne estimated from methods like linkage disequilibrium. Our methods allow estimating Ne using CKMR while also estimating demographic parameters.

Person-level contributions of bipolar polygenic risk score to the prediction of new-onset bipolar disorder in at-risk offspring

BackgroundPrevious work indicates that polygenic risk scores (PRS) for bipolar disorder (BD) are elevated in adults and youth with BD, but whether BD-PRS can inform person-level diagnostic prediction is unknown. Here, we test whether BD-PRS improves performance of a previously published risk calculator (RC) for BD. Methods156 parents with BD-I/II and their offspring ages 6–18 were recruited and evaluated with standardized diagnostic assessments every two years for >12 years. DNA was extracted from saliva samples, genotyping performed, and BD-PRS calculated based on a 2021 meta-analysis. Using a bootstrapped and cross-validated penalized Cox regression, we assessed whether BD-PRS (alone and interacting with clinical variables) improved RC performance. ResultsOf 227 offspring, 38 developed BD during follow-up. The penalized regression selected BD-PRS and interactions between BD-PRS and parental age at mood disorder onset (AAO), depression, and anxiety. The resulting RC discriminated offspring who developed BD (vs. those that did not) with good accuracy (AUC = 0.81); removing BD-PRS and its interaction terms was associated with a significant decrement to the AUC (decrement = 0.07, p = 0.039). Further exploration of selected interaction terms indicated that all were significant (p-values<0.02), indicating that BD-PRS has a larger effect on the outcome in offspring with depression and anxiety, whose affected parent had a younger AAO. ConclusionsThe addition of BD-PRS to clinical/demographic predictors in the RC significantly improved its accuracy. BD-PRS predicted BD on the person-level, particularly in offspring of parents with earlier AAO who already had symptoms of anxiety and depression at intake.

Association of Parental Prenatal Mental Health on Offspring Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Parental prenatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMAD) are linked to child neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), but evaluations of the magnitude and mechanisms of this association are limited. This study estimates the strength of the association and whether it is impacted by genetic and environmental factors. A systematic search of PubMed, CENTRAL, PsycINFO, OVID, and Google Scholar was performed for articles published from January 1988 to January 2024. Of 2,170 articles screened, 64 met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analyses were conducted on 20 studies, and 44 were included in the narrative synthesis. We conducted random-effects meta-analyses, along with tests for heterogeneity (I2) and publication bias (Egger's test). The review followed PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines. Maternal PMADs were associated with a significantly increased risk of ADHD (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.45-2.52) and ASD (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.37-1.81) in children. Paternal PMADs were also associated with the risk of NDDs, with combined odds for ASD and ADHD (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.15-1.34). Several studies suggested that the link between parental PMADs and offspring NDDs might be impacted by both genetic and environmental factors, including the impact of ongoing parental depression on child behavior. Parental PMADs are significantly associated with an increased risk of NDDs in children. These associations may be influenced by both genetic predispositions and environmental factors. Understanding these pathways is important for informing interventions aimed at mitigating mental health risks in families and supporting child development.