Patrick Sullivan

Oct 14, 2024 | nature.com | Todd Lencz |Brian J Mickey |James W Murrough |Sean M. Nestor |Thomas Nickl-Jockschat |Sina Nikayin | +6 more

AbstractGenome-wide association studies (GWASs) of major depressive disorder (MDD) have recently achieved extremely large sample sizes and yielded substantial numbers of genome-wide significant loci. Because of the approach to ascertainment and assessment in many of these studies, some of these loci appear to be associated with dysphoria rather than with MDD, potentially decreasing the clinical relevance of the findings.

Jul 29, 2024 | nature.com | Tyrone D. Cannon |Patrick Sullivan |Michael Gill |Cathal Ormond |Niamh M. Ryan

AbstractMonozygotic (MZ) twins are often thought to have identical genomes, but recent work has shown that early post-zygotic events can result in a spectrum of DNA variants that are different between MZ twins. Such variants may explain phenotypic discordance and contribute to disease etiology. Here we performed whole genome sequencing in 17 pairs of MZ twins discordant for a psychotic disorder (schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder or bipolar disorder).

Jul 19, 2024 | nature.com | Patrick Sullivan

AbstractDetermining the causes of schizophrenia has been a notoriously intractable problem, resistant to a multitude of investigative approaches over centuries. In recent decades, genomic studies have delivered hundreds of robust findings that implicate nearly 300 common genetic variants (via genome-wide association studies) and more than 20 rare variants (via whole-exome sequencing and copy number variant studies) as risk factors for schizophrenia.

Jun 16, 2024 | nature.com | Jacob Bergstedt |Ziyan Ma |Shuyang Yao |Nadine Staples Parker |Oleksandr Frei |Joeri J. Meijsen | +12 more

AbstractMajor depressive disorder (MDD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are often comorbid, resulting in excess morbidity and mortality. Here we show that CVDs share most of their genetic risk factors with MDD. Multivariate genome-wide association analysis of shared genetic liability between MDD and atherosclerotic CVD revealed seven loci and distinct patterns of tissue and brain cell-type enrichments, suggesting the involvement of the thalamus.

Jun 15, 2024 | mdpi.com | Stefanie D. Livers |Kristin E. Harbour |Patrick Sullivan

1. IntroductionIn the quest for teaching mathematics for understanding, the connection between learning and assessment often becomes disjointed if the assessment practices are based on compliance and completion. The call for assessment practices of teacher candidates that mirror K-12 began in the 1990s [1] as standards-based instruction became the focus. The standards-based movement was grounded in learning theory and environments that support constructivist practices [2].