Work

The Causal Relationship Between Neurotrophic Factors and Delirium: A Mendelian Randomization Study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Several observational studies have revealed that different neurotrophic factors (NTFs) are associated with delirium, yet the direction and magnitude of the causal association remain poorly understood. Herein, we performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to investigate the causal relationship between these factors and delirium. METHODS: GWAS data for delirium were sourced from the FINN10 database; GWAS data for risk factors (protein kinase C-binding protein NELL1, neurotrophin-3, neurotrophin-4, brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels, nerve growth factor, ciliary neurotrophic factor, and glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor levels) were from the IEU Open GWAS. Inverse-variance weighted (IVW) was used as a primary analysis. MR-Egger, weighted median (WM), and weighted model were applied to validate the robustness of the results. The MR-Egger regression method was used to explore the presence of horizontal pleiotropy, and the MR pleiotropy residual sum, and outlier (MR-PRESSO) method was applied to detect potential outliers. Cochran's Q test assessed heterogeneity among instrumental variables (IVs). The leave-one-out (LOO) method was used to enhance the precision and veracity of our findings. RESULTS: IVW analyses revealed no association between risk factors and delirium. MR Egger, WM, and the weighted mode approach further confirmed these data. MR-Egger regression analysis confirmed the absence of directional pleiotropy in our analysis. Heterogeneity and sensitivity analyses showed reliable results. CONCLUSION: No association between other factors and delirium was identified; however, further research is needed to determine if these results apply to other races. Also, advances in molecular biology and epigenetics may shed light on this topic.

Source: Brain and Behavior

DOI: 10.1002/brb3.70494

Authors: Han Wu, Ruilai Jiang, Xiaocheng Huang, Xiaogang Hu

Institution: Zhejiang Chinese Medical University

Language: English

Topic: Intensive Care Unit Cognitive Disorders

Subfield: Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,630