Epigenetic factors associated with the clinical overlap between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder

• Grant number: 24/00083-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 19, 2024
• End date: December 18, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Psychiatry
• Principal Investigator: Diego Luiz Rovaris
• Grantee: Iago Junger Santos
• Supervisor: Gabriel Rodrigo Fries
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/10133-7 - Interactions between Polygenic Risk Scores and Environmental and Epigenomic Background in the Susceptibility and Severity of Mental Disorders, BP.IC

Abstract

Psychosocial factors can impact epigenetic mechanisms, resulting in changes in gene expression. Disorders such as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Recently, the relationship between these disorders and epigenetic changes has been explored, although the results are still preliminary and heterogeneous. The high genetic correlation between ADHD and MDD suggests that ADHD genetics may increase the risk of a "potentially less environment-related MDD", besides being significantly associated with an increased risk of early depression. This project aims to conduct an EWAS in a sample with an ADHD background focused on understanding the clinical overlap between this disorder and MDD from clinical and population samples within the Brazilian exposome. For this purpose, data from two samples from southern Brazil will be used, one clinical - from the Adult ADHD Porto Alegre Cohort -, and one populational - from the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre's blood bank. The data are being processed and normalized, with the application of various statistical quality control methods. The focus during the period in Houston will be on improving the EWAS analysis pipeline and applying PRS-CS. The goal of the internship abroad is to bring new ideas and insights to the project. UT Health was chosen as the research institution due to the partnership between Dr. Gabriel R. Fries and Dr. Diego Luiz Rovaris. Furthermore UTHealth offers a valuable training opportunity in modern areas for research in human health.