About the Project
This project seeks to investigate effects of stressful life events, genetic variants and their interactions on depressive symptoms, food consumption, physical activity and inactivity, and obesity in a representative sample of Chinese adolescents living in Wuhan, China. We intend to delineate effects of a battery of stressful life events assessed on four domains (school, family, peer and individual) on depressive symptom experience, food consumption, physical activity and inactivity, and overweight and obesity status; to systematically examine the potential impacts of specific candidate genes regulating brain serotonin and dopamine systems on depressive symptoms, eating, physical activity and overweight and obesity phenotypes; to investigate gene X stressful events interactions on depressive symptoms, eating, physical activity and overweight and obesity phenotypes; and to explore other potential moderating effects of gender, family harmony and perceived availability of social support with stressful events and specific genes on depressive symptoms, eating, physical activity and overweight and obesity phenotypes.
Investigators
Bin Xie, PhD
Principal Investigator
Email address: bin.xie@cgu.edu
C. Anderson Johnson, PhD
Co-Investigator
Email Address: andy.johnson@cgu.edu
Paula Palmer
Co-Investigator
Email address: paula.palmer@cgu.edu
Investigators at Partner Institutions
David Conti, PhD
Co-Investigator
Email address: david.conti@keck.usc.edu
Dalin Li, PhD
Co-Investigator
Email address: dalinli@usc.edu
Ongoing Activities
This research project is currently in the process of analysis and manuscript preparation. Student internship opportunity is currently available. For more information, please contact Dr. Bin Xie at bin.xie@cgu.edu.
Findings
Data manipulation and analysis is currently on-going. For more information, please contact Bin Xie at bin.xie@cgu.edu.
Acknowledgements
Funding for Stressful Life Events, Genetic Variants and Obesity Among Chinese Adolescents was provided by Award Number R21DK088313 from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute Of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases or the National Institutes of Health.