Moderators of the relationship between depression and cardiovascular disorders: a systematic review.

Objective: A bidirectional relationship between depression and cardiovascular disease (CVD) including biological mechanisms has been proposed; however, the potential role of clinical and sociodemographic moderators in this relationship remains unclear. We aim to systematically review the moderating influence of the clinical and sociodemographic variables on the observed interrelationship between depressive disorders and CVD.

Method: We systematically reviewed MEDLINE, The Cochrane Library and PsycINFO databases.

Childhood maltreatment is associated with an automatic negative emotion processing bias in the amygdala.

Unlabelled: Major depression has been repeatedly associated with amygdala hyper-responsiveness to negative (but not positive) facial expressions at early, automatic stages of emotion processing using subliminally presented stimuli. However, it is not clear whether this "limbic bias" is a correlate of depression or represents a vulnerability marker preceding the onset of the disease. Because childhood maltreatment is a potent risk factor for the development of major depression in later life, we explored whether childhood maltreatment is associated with amygdalar emotion processing bias in maltreated but healthy subjects.

Interleukin-6 gene (IL-6): a possible role in brain morphology in the healthy adult brain.

Background: Cytokines such as interleukin 6 (IL-6) have been implicated in dual functions in neuropsychiatric disorders. Little is known about the genetic predisposition to neurodegenerative and neuroproliferative properties of cytokine genes. In this study the potential dual role of several IL-6 polymorphisms in brain morphology is investigated.

Detecting psychotic symptoms in Indigenous populations: a review of available assessment tools.

As efforts to shorten the duration of untreated psychosis increase, there is a need for short screening instruments to identify those at-risk. It is feared that remote Indigenous populations, manifesting many of the risk factors associated with schizophrenia and often lacking access to adequate mental health services, may be overlooked as the general population effort shifts towards early detection. This article aimed to review studies investigating psychotic symptoms in Indigenous communities in Australia, New Zealand, Canada and United States of America and aimed to evaluate the usefulness of the instruments.

Neuroimmunomodulation in unipolar depression: a focus on chronobiology and chronotherapeutics.

The rising burden of unipolar depression along with its often related sleep disturbances, as well as increasing rates of sleep restriction in modern society, make the search for an extended understanding of the aetiology and pathophysiology of depression necessary. Accumulating evidence suggests an important role for the immune system in mediating disrupted neurobiological and chronobiological processes in depression. This review aims to provide an overview of the neuroimmunomodulatory processes involved with depression and antidepressant treatments with a special focus on chronobiology, chronotherapeutics and the emerging field of immune-circadian bi-directional crosstalk.

Tumor necrosis factor gene variation predicts hippocampus volume in healthy individuals.

Background: Cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α have been implicated in neurodegeneration relevant to various neuropsychiatric disorders. Little is known about the genetic predisposition to neurodegenerative properties of cytokine genes on brain function and on hippocampus (HC) function in particular. In this study we investigate the neurodegenerative role of TNF polymorphisms on brain morphology in healthy individuals.

Neuroplastic changes in depression: a role for the immune system.

Accumulating evidence suggests that there is a rich cross-talk between the neuroimmune system and neuroplasticity mechanisms under both physiological conditions and pathophysiological conditions in depression. Anti-neuroplastic changes which occur in depression include a decrease in proliferation of neural stem cells (NSCs), decreased survival of neuroblasts and immature neurons, impaired neurocircuitry (cortical-striatal-limbic circuits), reduced levels of neurotrophins, reduced spine density and dendritic retraction. Since both humoral and cellular immune factors have been implicated in neuroplastic processes, in this review we present a model suggesting that neuroplastic processes in depression are mediated through various neuroimmune mechanisms.

Neuropsychological performance in a sample of 13-25 year olds with a history of non-psychotic major depressive disorder.

Background: There is evidence for neuropsychological dysfunction in depression among adult and elderly participants but little research has been conducted on the neuropsychological functioning of youth with depression. The aim of the present study was to investigate the neuropsychological functioning of outpatient young participants with depression.

Methods: Computerised neuropsychological tests requiring executive functioning, working memory, attention, verbal memory and learning, planning, and visuospatial skills were carried out in a sample of 13-25year-olds with a lifetime history of non-psychotic major depression (n=32) and in healthy age balanced controls (n=65).

Inflammatory biomarkers predict depressive, but not anxiety symptoms during aging: the prospective Sydney Memory and Aging Study.

This study addresses the paucity of research on the prospective relationship between a range of inflammatory markers and symptoms of depression and anxiety during aging. In the Sydney Memory and Aging Study, the relationships between remitted depression, current and first onset of symptoms of depression or anxiety (Geriatric Depression Scale and Goldberg Anxiety Scale (GDS, GAS), and markers of systemic inflammation (C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukins-1β, -6, -8, -10, -12, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), serum amyloid A, tumor necrosis factor-α, and vascular adhesion molecule-1) were investigated. The sample consists of N=1037 non-demented community-dwelling elderly participants aged 70-90 years assessed at baseline and after 2-years.

Catechol-O-methyltransferase gene variation: impact on amygdala response to aversive stimuli.

The functional catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) val158met polymorphism has been found to be associated with anxiety disorders and depression as well as with neural correlates of emotional processing, with, however, contradictory results. Thus, the aim of the present study was to re-evaluate the impact of the COMT val158met variant on neural activation correlates of emotional face processing in a sample of healthy probands. In 85 healthy subjects genotyped for the COMT val158met polymorphism, amygdala responses were assessed by means of fMRI.

Psychosis in Indigenous populations of Cape York and the Torres Strait.

Objective: To describe and characterise treated psychotic disorders in the Indigenous populations of Cape York and the Torres Strait.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of patients with a psychotic disorder identified by treating psychiatrists.

Setting And Participants: Indigenous patients aged≥15 years in Cape York and Torres Strait communities receiving treatment for a psychotic disorder over 3 months in 2010.

Dopamine D₃ receptor gene variation: impact on electroconvulsive therapy response and ventral striatum responsiveness in depression.

Dysfunction of dopamine D₃ receptors, particularly in the mesocorticolimbic system, has been linked to the pathogenesis of major depression. Preclinical data show enhanced D₃ receptor binding in the striatum upon antidepressant medication and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Thus, the potential impact of dopamine D₃ receptor gene (DRD3) variation on ECT outcome in treatment-resistant major depression was evaluated by applying a combined molecular and imaging genetic approach.

Depression and type 2 diabetes: inflammatory mechanisms of a psychoneuroendocrine co-morbidity.

Unipolar depression and diabetes mellitus each account for a significant proportion of the global burden of disease. Epidemiological literature suggests a bi-directional relationship between these two common disorders, and evidence from the molecular sciences supports a role for inflammation in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of each disorder individually. Recent advances in understanding the neurobiology of depression have implicated dysfunction of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, neurotrophins, and inflammatory mediators in the development of this disorder.

Neuroimmunological effects of physical exercise in depression.

The search for an extended understanding of the causes of depression, and for the development of additional effective treatments is highly significant. Clinical and pre-clinical studies suggest stress is a key mediator in the pathophysiology of depression. Exercise is a readily available therapeutic option, effective as a first-line treatment in mild to moderate depression.

Obesity and nutrition behaviours in Western and Palestinian outpatients with severe mental illness.

Background: While people with severe mental illness have been found to be more overweight and obese in Western nations, it is unknown to what extent this occurs in Middle Eastern nations and which eating behaviours contribute to obesity in Middle Eastern nations.

Method: A total of 665 responses were obtained from patients with serious mental illness attending out-patient clinics in Western developed countries (Germany, UK and Australia; n = 518) and Palestine (n = 147). Patients were evaluated by ICD-10 clinical diagnosis, anthropometric measurements and completed a self-report measure of frequencies of consuming different food items and reasons for eating.

Translational research approach to biological and modifiable risk factors of psychosis and affective disorders.

Objectives: This review summarizes the literature on (molecular-) biological, medical, environmental and modifiable risk factors for psychosis and mood disorders with the view of their suitability for translational research and mental health practice from preventative and clinical treatment perspectives.

Methods: This review summarized literature on biological, medical, environmental and modifiable risk factors for psychosis and mood disorders evaluating their potential for translational research and clinical practice.

Results: Based on the concept of the gene - environment interaction in the development of mental disorders, we highlight the numerous risk factors reported to contribute to an increased susceptibility to schizophrenia and mood disorders of young adults to late-life.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene polymorphisms, neurotransmitter levels, and depressive symptoms in an elderly population.

A large number of studies have examined associations between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene polymorphisms and depressive symptoms. However, results still remain controversial. Recent studies suggested a significant age and gender effect on the heritability of depression.

The association between systemic inflammation and cognitive performance in the elderly: the Sydney Memory and Ageing Study.

Inflammation may contribute to cognitive decline and dementia. This study examined the cross-sectional relationships between markers of systemic inflammation (C-reactive protein, interleukins-1β, -6, -8, -10, -12, plasminogen activator inhibitor, serum amyloid A, tumour necrosis factor-α and vascular adhesion molecule-1) and cognitive function in 873 non-demented community-dwelling elderly participants aged 70-90 years. Regression analyses were performed to determine the relationships between cognitive domains and inflammatory markers, controlling for age, sex, education, cardiovascular risk factors, obesity and other metabolic factors, smoking, alcohol consumption, depression and presence of the apolipoprotein ε4 genotype.

Neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with aortic aneurysms.

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that vascular disease confers vulnerability to a late-onset of depressive illness and the impairment of specific cognitive functions, most notably in the domains of memory storage and retrieval. Lower limb athero-thrombosis and abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) have both been previously associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms possibly due to associated intracerebral vascular disease or systemic inflammation, hence suggesting that these illnesses may be regarded as models to investigate the vascular genesis of neuropsychiatric symptoms. The aim of this study was to compare neuropsychiatric symptoms such as depression, anxiety and a variety of cognitive domains in patients who had symptoms of peripheral athero-thrombosis (intermittent claudication) and those who had an asymptomatic abdominal aortic aneurysm AAA.

Mineral trioxyde aggregate versus calcium hydroxide in apexification of non vital immature teeth: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Pulp necrosis is one of the main complications of dental trauma. When it happens on an immature tooth, pulp necrosis implies a lack of root maturation and apical closure. A therapy called apexification is required to induce the formation of a calcified apical barrier allowing a permanent and hermetic root filling.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene: a gender-specific role in cognitive function during normal cognitive aging of the MEMO-Study?

Cognitive aging processes are underpinned by multiple processes including genetic factors. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been suggested to be involved in age-related cognitive decline in otherwise healthy individuals. The gender-specific role of the BDNF gene in cognitive aging remains unclear.

Cross-disorder analysis of bipolar risk genes: further evidence of DGKH as a risk gene for bipolar disorder, but also unipolar depression and adult ADHD.

Recently, several genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on bipolar disorder (BPD) suggested novel risk genes. However, only few of them were followed up and further, the specificity of these genes is even more elusive. To address these issues, we genotyped SNPs in ANK3, CACNA1C, CMTM8, DGKH, EGFR, and NPAS3, which were significantly associated with BPD in previous GWAS, in a sample of 380 BPD patients.

Dementia: opportunities for risk reduction and early detection in general practice.

This project aimed to measure general practitioner (GP), practice nurse and patient health literacy about memory problems, dementia and its risk factors. Data were collected from general practices across Australia and a smaller sample in England. Questionnaires explored sources and adequacy of dementia knowledge and a randomised controlled trial tested the intervention of a dementia risk reduction pamphlet on patient knowledge of dementia risk reduction strategies.