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

Abstract

Background:Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a disabling psychiatric condition with a genetic background. Brainalterations in gray matter (GM) related to SAD have been previously reported, but it remains to be elucidatedwhether GM measures are candidate endophenotypes of SAD. Endophenotypes are measurable characteristicson 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 endophenotypecriteria, using data from a unique sample of SAD-patients and their family-members of two generations. First,we investigatedwhether GMcharacteristics co-segregate with socialanxiety within families genetically enrichedfor SAD. Secondly, heritability of the GM characteristics was estimated.Methods: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 andcortical surface area were determined for a-priori determined regions of interest (ROIs). Next, associationswith social anxiety and heritabilities were estimated.Findings: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.Interpretation:Thesefindings provide preliminary evidence that GM characteristics of multiple ROIs, which aredistributed over the brain, are candidate endophenotypes of SAD. Thereby, they shed light on the genetic vulner-ability for SAD. Future research is needed to confirm these results and to link them to functional brain alterationsand to genetic variations underlying these GM changes.Fund:Leiden University Research Profile‘Health, Prevention and the Human Life Cycle’.