Body, Mind & Spirit Articles and Latest News

Association of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and atopic eczema modified by sleep disturbance in a large population-based sample.

J Epidemiol Community Health. 2010 Mar;64(3):269-73

Authors: Romanos M, Gerlach M, Warnke A, Schmitt J

A cross-sectional study was performed in a population-based German sample (n=13 318 children and adolescents aged 3-17) to replicate the recently reported independent association of atopic eczema (AE) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to further investigate the role of environmental and behavioural factors.

PMID: 19692717 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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A functional NOS1 promoter polymorphism interacts with adverse environment on functional and dysfunctional impulsivity.

Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2011 Mar;214(1):239-48

Authors: Reif A, Kiive E, Kurrikoff T, Paaver M, Herterich S, Konstabel K, Tulviste T, Lesch KP, Harro J

Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1) knockout results in increased impulsive aggression in mice under adverse housing conditions. In line with this, we have previously shown that a functional promoter polymorphism of NOS1, termed NOS1 ex1f-VNTR, is associated with impulsivity-related traits and related disorders.

PMID: 20589495 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Memory performance in acute and weight-restored anorexia nervosa patients.

Psychol Med. 2011 Apr;41(4):829-38

Authors: Nikendei C, Funiok C, Pfüller U, Zastrow A, Aschenbrenner S, Weisbrod M, Herzog W, Friederich HC

Anorexia nervosa (AN), at the stage of starvation and emaciation, is characterized by abnormalities in cognitive function, including memory performance. It is unclear whether memory impairment persists or is reversible following weight restoration, and whether memory function differs between AN subtypes. The aim of the present study was to investigate general memory performance in currently ill and fully weight-restored patients of different AN subtypes.

PMID: 20529417 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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A review of treating depression in diabetes: emerging findings.

Psychosomatics. 2011 Jan-Feb;52(1):1-18

Authors: Markowitz SM, Gonzalez JS, Wilkinson JL, Safren SA

Depression in patients with diabetes is associated with poorer adherence and worse health outcomes, however treating depression may help improve these outcomes.

PMID: 21300190 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2) in disorders of cognitive control and emotion regulation: a perspective.

Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2011 Apr;36(3):393-405

Authors: Waider J, Araragi N, Gutknecht L, Lesch KP

Based on genetic variation, there is accumulating evidence that altered function of tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2), the enzyme critical for synthesis of serotonin (5-HT) in the brain, plays a role in anxiety-, aggression- and depression-related personality traits and in the pathogenesis of disorders featuring deficits in cognitive control and emotion regulation. Here, we appraise the genetic and neurobiological evidence to illustrate the critical role of TPH2 in central 5-HT system function and in the pathophysiology of a wide spectrum of disorders of cognitive control and emotion regulation, ranging from depression to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a phenotype commonly associated with difficulties in the control of emotion and with a high co-morbidity of depression. Findings from psychophysiological and functional imaging studies are indicative of various TPH2 polymorphisms directly influencing serotonergic function and thus impacting on mood disorders and on the response to antidepressant treatment. Especially a combination with uncontrollable stress seems to potentiate these effects linking gene-environment interaction directly with behavioral dysfunction in human and animal models. TPH2-deficient mice display alterations in anxiety-like behavior which is accompanied by adaptational changes of 5-HT(1A) receptors and its associated signaling pathway. Mouse models in conjunction with cognitive neuroscience approaches in humans are providing unexpected results and it may well be that future research on TPH2 will provide an entirely new view of 5-HT in brain development and function related to neuropsychiatric disorders.

PMID: 21257271 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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What is alcohol per capita consumption of adults telling us about drinking and smoking among adolescents? A population-based study across 68 countries.

Alcohol Alcohol. 2011 Jan-Feb;46(1):88-92

Authors: Fuhr DC, Gmel G

To investigate whether recorded alcohol per capita consumption of adults could be linked with alcohol drinking and smoking among adolescents.

PMID: 21059695 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Stress management interventions in the workplace improve stress reactivity: a randomised controlled trial.

Occup Environ Med. 2011 Feb;68(2):126-33

Authors: Limm H, Gündel H, Heinmüller M, Marten-Mittag B, Nater UM, Siegrist J, Angerer P

To examine the long-term effects of a stress management intervention (SMI) based on the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model, on psychological and biological reactions to work stress.

PMID: 20833759 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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The illness and everyday living: close interplay of psychopathological syndromes and psychosocial functioning in chronic schizophrenia.

Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2011 Mar;261(2):85-93

Authors: Schaub D, Brüne M, Jaspen E, Pajonk FG, Bierhoff HW, Juckel G

The interaction of psychopathological states and psychosocial functioning determine the long-term course of schizophrenia and its treatment. To be able to achieve this interplay better, exact assessment of psychosocial functioning is needed besides measurement of psychopathology. Using the Personal and Social Performance (PSP) Scale, examination of the association between psychosocial functioning and psychopathology was conducted in a sample of 103 patients with chronic schizophrenia. Rating instruments were in addition Global Assessment of Functioning Scale and Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale, as well as Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Clinical Global Impression Scale, and Mini-ICF-APP-Rating for Mental Disorders (Mini-ICF-APP). Besides good psychometric properties for the PSP scale in this chronic sample, we found, as expected, significant associations between the two relevant outcome domains: results showed significant negative correlations between PSP and PANSS. Findings prove the close interplay between social functioning and psychopathology in the chronic course of schizophrenia.

PMID: 20652295 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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A collaborative care depression management program for cardiac inpatients: depression characteristics and in-hospital outcomes.

Psychosomatics. 2011 Jan-Feb;52(1):26-33

Authors: Huffman JC, Mastromauro CA, Sowden GL, Wittmann C, Rodman R, Januzzi JL

Depression in cardiac patients is common, under-recognized, and independently associated with mortality.

PMID: 21300192 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Survivors of self-inflicted gunshot wounds: a 20-year chart review.

Psychosomatics. 2011 Jan-Feb;52(1):34-40

Authors: Williams ST, Kores RC, Currier JM

Due to the small number of individuals who survive self-inflicted gunshot wounds (SIGSWs), little is known about this population. This study describes a sample of 497 survivors of SIGSWs, and examines patterns of demographics (gender, ethnicity, and age) and circumstances surrounding the incident (location of wound, intoxication, intentionality, and psychiatric diagnosis), which may bear on clinical work with this at-risk population.

PMID: 21300193 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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