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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Neurol.
Sec. Applied Neuroimaging
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1444885

Mendelian randomization analyses support causal relationships between systemic lupus erythematosus and brain imaging-derived phenotypes

Provisionally accepted
Yan Ma Yan Ma Rui Li Rui Li Qianqian Li Qianqian Li Wanyi Lin Wanyi Lin Liangjing Lu Liangjing Lu *
  • Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Dongyuan, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Neuropsychiatric disorders in systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) are often accompanied by alterations in brain structure and function. Subtle changes in brain structure also can be observed in non-NPSLE patients. MRI can be used as a non-invasive tool to detect nervous system involvement in SLE. However, the causal relationship between SLE and brain MRI remains unclear.We designed two-sample MR analyses to identify brain IDPs associated with SLE. The GWAS summary data of 3935 IDPs from the UK Biobank were used as outcomes in MR analyses.Results: There were 22 statistically significant causal relationships between SLE and brain IDPs, in which the several cortical area, anterior corona radiata, and posterior limb of internal capsule were included. These results may suggest the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with SLE.Conclusions: The findings revealed strong genetic evidence for causal links between SLE and neuroimaging phenotypes. Our results provide new diagnostic markers for early stage neuropsychiatric lupus.

    Keywords: Mendelian randomization, neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic lupus erythematosus, Neuroimaging phenotypes, Brain IDPs, MRI

    Received: 06 Jun 2024; Accepted: 05 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Ma, Li, Li, Lin and Lu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Liangjing Lu, Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Dongyuan, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.