Biomedical subjects

Gerald Nestadt

Publications and source records attributed to Gerald Nestadt.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Genome scan meta-analysis of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, part II: Schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a common disorder with high heritability and a 10-fold increase in risk to siblings of probands. Replication has been inconsistent for reports of significant genetic linkage. To assess evidence for linkage across studies, rank-based genome scan meta-analysis (GSMA) was applied to data from 20 schizophrenia genome scans. Each marker for each scan was assigned to 1 of 120 30-cM bins, with the bins ranked by linkage scores (1 = most significant) and the ranks averaged across studies (R(avg)) and then weighted for sample size (N(sqrt)[affected casess]). A permutation test was used to compute the probability of observing, by chance, each bin's average rank (P(AvgRnk)) or of observing it for a bin with the same place (first, second, etc.) in the order of average ranks in each permutation (P(ord)). The GSMA produced significant genomewide evidence for linkage on chromosome 2q (PAvgRnk<.000417). Two aggregate criteria for linkage were also met (clusters of nominally significant P values that did not occur in 1,000 replicates of the entire data set with no linkage present): 12 consecutive bins with both P(AvgRnk) and P(ord)<.05, including regions of chromosomes 5q, 3p, 11q, 6p, 1q, 22q, 8p, 20q, and 14p, and 19 consecutive bins with P(ord)<.05, additionally including regions of chromosomes 16q, 18q, 10p, 15q, 6q, and 17q. There is greater consistency of linkage results across studies than has been previously recognized. The results suggest that some or all of these regions contain loci that increase susceptibility to schizophrenia in diverse populations.

Bipolar Disorder↗

PubMed2003

The identification of OCD-related subgroups based on comorbidity.

BACKGROUND: Individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) frequently have other psychiatric disorders. This study employed latent class analysis (LCA) to explore whether there are underlying clinical constructs that distinguish "OCD-related" subgroups. METHODS: The study included 450 subjects, case and control probands and their first-degree relatives, and LCA was used to derive empirically based subgroups of 10 disorders: OCD, obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), recurrent major depressive disorder (RMDD), separation anxiety disorder, panic disorder or agoraphobia (PD/AG), tic disorders (TD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), somatoform disorders (hypochondriasis or body dysmorphic disorder), pathologic skin picking or nail biting (PSP/NB), and eating disorders (EDs). The derived classes were compared on several clinical variables. RESULTS: The best fitting model is a four-class structure: minimal disorder, predominant RMDD and GAD, "highly comorbid," and PD/AG and TD. The nature and number of disorders represented suggests that the first classes are distributed ordinarily on a dimension of severity, and the fourth class is qualitatively distinct. Support for this structure is based on the number of disorders, age at onset of OCD, neuroticism, and extraversion. CONCLUSIONS: In this OCD enriched sample, LCA identified four classes of disorder. These classes appear to conform to two subgroups that may prove useful in investigating the etiology of OCD.

Age of Onset↗

PubMed2002

Influences of parenting on normal personality traits.

There is a considerable literature linking aspects of experienced parenting to later personality disorders. Because dimensionally measured personality disorders are associated with variations in normal personality traits, it is important to understand the contribution of parenting experienced in childhood to later normal personality traits. In this report, 742 community-based individuals, subjects from the Hopkins Epidemiology of Personality Disorders Study, were assessed for normal personality traits, as measured by the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), and for parental behavior experienced as children, as measured by the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). The PBI dimensions were significantly, but moderately, correlate with measures of normal personality, the strongest associations being with the NEO-PI-R factors, neuroticism and conscientiousness, and with the TCI factors, self-directedness and harm avoidance. Subjects who reported lower parental care and higher parental intrusiveness were more likely to be higher in neuroticism, lower in conscientiousness, lower in self-directedness, and higher in harm avoidance. Also, trends emerged suggesting both parent-specific and gender-specific differences in the relationship between the PBI dimensions and normal adult personality traits. As variations in normal personality traits are associated with dimensionally measured personality disorders, it is conceivable that the role of parenting in later personality disorder may be mediated by associations between parenting and normal personality traits.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

No major schizophrenia locus detected on chromosome 1q in a large multicenter sample.

Reports of substantial evidence for genetic linkage of schizophrenia to chromosome 1q were evaluated by genotyping 16 DNA markers across 107 centimorgans of this chromosome in a multicenter sample of 779 informative schizophrenia pedigrees. No significant evidence was observed for such linkage, nor for heterogeneity in allele sharing among the eight individual samples. Separate analyses of European-origin families, recessive models of inheritance, and families with larger numbers of affected cases also failed to produce significant evidence for linkage. If schizophrenia susceptibility genes are present on chromosome 1q, their population-wide genetic effects are likely to be small.

Africa↗

PubMed2002

Prevalence and correlates of personality disorders in a community sample.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of the prevalence and correlates of personality disorders in the community is important for identifying treatment needs and for provision of psychiatric services. AIMS: To estimate the prevalence of personality disorders in a community sample and to identify demographic subgroups with especially high prevalence. METHOD: Clinical psychologists used the International Personality Disorder Examination to assess DSM-IV and ICD-10 personality disorders in a sample of 742 subjects, ages 34-94 years, residing in Baltimore, Maryland. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between demographic characteristics and DSM-IV personality disorder clusters. RESULTS: The estimated overall prevalence of DSM-IV personality disorders was 9%. Cluster A disorders were most prevalent in men who had never married. Cluster B disorders were most prevalent in young men without a high school degree, and cluster C disorders in high school graduates who had never married. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately 9% of this community sample has a DSM-IV personality disorder. Personality disorders are over-represented in certain demographic subgroups of the community.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Obsessive-compulsive disorder: defining the phenotype.

Characterizing the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) phenotype is important for treatment and etiologic studies. This article describes a family-study approach for identifying the spectrum of conditions related to OCD and subtyping OCD cases into homogeneous subtypes.

Age of Onset↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Personality dimensions and criminal arrest.

Previous studies have implicated antisocial personality disorder in criminal behavior, but little is known about the association between "normal" personality dimensions and arrest. We investigated the relationships between these personality dimensions and prior arrest in a sample of adults participating in a longitudinal epidemiological study. Between 1993 and 1999, psychiatrists re-examined subjects who were originally interviewed in Baltimore in 1981 as part of the Epidemiologic Catchment Area study; the psychiatrists diagnosed axis I and axis II disorders according to DSM-IV criteria. A total of 611 subjects also completed the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R), which assesses five broad factors and 30 facets of normal personality. History of criminal arrest in Maryland in the period 1981 to 1993 was determined from the state criminal justice database. Student's t test and logistic regression were used to evaluate relationships between NEO personality scores and prior arrest. Controlling for demographic characteristics, alcohol or drug use disorders, and DSM-IV personality disorder scores, the odds of prior arrest increased with scores on angry hostility, impulsiveness, and excitement-seeking dimensions. Prior arrest was inversely related to scores on trust, straightforwardness, compliance, modesty, dutifulness, and deliberation dimensions. The results suggest that specific dimensions of normal personality are related to criminal arrest in the community.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Latent structure of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition personality disorder criteria.

AIMS: This study investigated the internal construct validity of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) personality disorders and explored alternative models to characterize the personality disorder traits. The relationship between the obtained personality disorder dimensions and measures of functioning and disability was examined. METHODS: The subjects in the study were 742 community-residing individuals who participated in the Hopkins Epidemiology of Personality Disorders Study. The presence of DSM-IV personality disorder traits was assessed by psychologists using the International Personality Disorder Examination (IPDE). Confirmatory factor analysis was performed on all the IPDE criteria for each of the 10 personality disorders using the Mplus program. Exploratory factor analysis of all personality disorder traits was completed using the same program. Factor scores were correlated with subjects' GAF ratings and number of missed days from work for physical and psychological reasons. RESULTS: A single underlying factor was found for the IPDE item criteria of avoidant and dependent personality disorder, with less evidence for the other 8 personality disorders. Five factors were retained as the dimensional accounting for the personality disorder criteria. These factors were named compulsive, neurotic avoidant, aloof, impulsive callous, and egocentric. Of the five factors, 4 were associated with evidence of diminished functioning. CONCLUSIONS: The IPDE pathological personality traits did not empirically cluster according to the current DSM-IV axis II diagnostic system but instead defined 5 relatively independent PD symptom dimensions that were related to functional impairments.

Adult↗