Temperature dependence of regional heterothermy in a diminutive ectotherm.

Regional heterothermy describes when body regions differ in temperature, which can have important ramifications for performance because most biological processes are temperature dependent. However, the relationship between regional heterothermy and environmental temperature is not well known, particularly for ectotherms. The relationship between environmental heterogeneity and regional heterothermy might also yield insight into how the latter is regulated.

Genetics of preparation and response control in ADHD: the role of DRD4 and DAT1.

Background: Difficulties with performance and brain activity related to attentional orienting (Cue-P3), cognitive or response preparation (Cue-CNV) and inhibitory response control (Nogo-P3) during tasks tapping executive functions are familial in ADHD and may represent endophenotypes. The aim of this study was to clarify the impact of dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) and dopamine transporter (DAT1) gene polymorphisms on these processes in ADHD and control children.

Methods: Behavioural and electrophysiological parameters from cued continuous performance tests with low and high attentional load were assessed in boys with ADHD combined type (N = 94) and controls without family history of ADHD (N = 31).

What can actigraphy add to the concept of labschool design in clinical trials?

Pharmacological intervention with methylphenidate (MPH) is very common and helpful in the treatment of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It ameliorates inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity and improves psychosocial functioning. The core symptoms of ADHD are problematic mainly in demanding structured situations such as in the classroom.

Action monitoring in children with or without a family history of ADHD--effects of gender on an endophenotype parameter.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a frequent and highly heritable disorder overrepresented in boys. In a recent study investigating boys only, we found that action monitoring deficits as reflected by certain behavioral and electrophysiological parameters were familially driven. As gender may also have an important impact, this was examined in the current study with nonaffected children aged 8-15 years having relatives suffering from ADHD (N=37, 21 female symbol) and with age-matched controls without family history of ADHD (N=33, 11 female symbol).

Performance variability, impulsivity errors and the impact of incentives as gender-independent endophenotypes for ADHD.

Background: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common and highly heritable child psychiatric disorders. There is strong evidence that children with ADHD show slower and more variable responses in tasks such as Go/Nogo tapping aspects of executive functions like sustained attention and response control which may be modulated by motivational factors and/or state-regulation processes. The aim of this study was (1) to determine if these executive functions may constitute an endophenotype for ADHD; (2) to investigate for the first time whether known modulators of these executive functions may also be familial; and (3) to explore whether gender has an impact on these measures.

Immunoglobulin therapy in idiopathic hypothalamic dysfunction.

Idiopathic hypothalamic dysfunction is a rare disorder presenting at age 3-7 years. Severe hypothalamic and brainstem dysfunction leads to death in 25% of patients. The disease is presumed to be autoimmune, or in some cases paraneoplastic.

DSM-IV combined type ADHD shows familial association with sibling trait scores: a sampling strategy for QTL linkage.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a discrete clinical syndrome characterized by the triad of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity in the context of marked impairments. Molecular genetic studies have been successful in identifying genetic variants associated with ADHD, particularly with DSM-IV inattentive and combined subtypes. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) approaches to linkage and association mapping have yet to be widely used in ADHD research, although twin studies investigating individual differences suggest that genetic liability for ADHD is continuously distributed throughout the population, underscoring the applicability of quantitative dimensional approaches.

Reaction time performance in ADHD: improvement under fast-incentive condition and familial effects.

Background: Reaction time (RT) variability is one of the strongest findings to emerge in cognitive-experimental research of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We set out to confirm the association between ADHD and slow and variable RTs and investigate the degree to which RT performance improves under fast event rate and incentives. Using a group familial correlation approach, we tested the hypothesis that there are shared familial effects on RT performance and ADHD.

Inverse correlation of intracortical inhibition and brain-stem inhibition in humans.

Objective: To determine whether intracortical inhibition and the conditioned blink reflex R2 inhibition correlate in healthy subjects.

Background: In Parkinson's disease and in focal dystonia the intracortical inhibition and the conditioned blink reflex R2 inhibition are abnormally weak.

Methods: In 10 healthy humans (average age 25.