Differential Genetic Effect of the Norepinephrine Transporter Promoter Polymorphisms on Attention Problems in Clinical and Non-clinical Samples.

Among the monoaminergic modulatory neurotransmitters, norepinephrine is involved in task orienting, hence noradrenergic genetic variants have been studied in connection to attentional processes. The role of this catecholamine system is also highlighted by the selective norepinephrine transporter blocking atomoxetine, which has proved to be effective in the pharmacological treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In the present genetic association study three single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs28386840, rs2242446, rs3785143 SNPs) were analyzed from the 5' region of the norepinephrine transporter (, ) gene, which have been linked to ADHD previously.

Maternal bonding styles in smokers and non-smokers: a comparative study.

Background: Parental bonding has been implicated in smoking behavior, and the quality of maternal bonding (MB) has been associated with poor mental health and substance use. However, little is known about the association of MB and the smoking of the offspring.

Methods: In our study, 129 smokers and 610 non-smoker medical students completed the parental bonding instrument, which measures MB along two dimensions: care and overprotection.

Career motivation and burnout among medical students in Hungary - could altruism be a protection factor?

Background: Burnout is a major issue among medical students. Its general characteristics are loss of interest in study and lack of motivation. A study of the phenomenon must extend beyond the university environment and personality factors to consider whether career choice has a role in the occurrence of burnout.

The Role of Health Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms in Dry Eye Disease.

Purpose: To investigate the associations between health anxiety, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and the severity of the subjective and objective symptoms of dry eye disease (DED).

Methods: Participants completed the following psychological questionnaires: Shortened Health Anxiety Inventory, Shortened Beck Depression Inventory, and Beck Anxiety Inventory. Dry eye symptoms were evaluated using the ocular surface disease index (OSDI).

The effects of dissection-room experiences and related coping strategies among Hungarian medical students.

Background: Students get their first experiences of dissecting human cadavers in the practical classes of anatomy and pathology courses, core components of medical education. These experiences form an important part of the process of becoming a doctor, but bring with them a special set of problems.

Methods: Quantitative, national survey (n = 733) among medical students, measured reactions to dissection experiences and used a new measuring instrument to determine the possible factors of coping.

[Screening childhood behavior problems using short questionnaires II.: The Hungarian version of the SWAN-scale (Strength and Weakness of ADHD-symptoms and Normal-behavior) for screening attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder].

Introduction: The SWAN (Strength and Weakness of ADHD-symptoms and Normal-behavior) Questionnaire is a short instrument suitable for screening attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Its completion by parents or teachers requires a few minutes. Positive re-wording of attention- and activity-related behaviors and the extended 7- point rating scale anchored to average behavior make the instrument especially suitable for normal populations.

[Screening childhood behavior problems using short questionnaires I.: the Hungarian version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire].

Introduction: The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a short questionnaire suitable for screening childhood behavior problems. Completing the questionnaire requires 5 minutes of parents' or teachers' time. The scales of the original version showed good agreement with relevant scales of the much longer Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).

Age-related differences in distraction and reorientation in an auditory task.

Behavioral and event-related potential measures of distraction and reorientation were obtained from children (6 years), young (19-24 years) and elderly adults (62-82 years) in an auditory distraction-paradigm. Participants performed a go/nogo duration discrimination task on a sequence of short and long (50-50%) tones. In children, reaction times were longer and discrimination (d') scores were lower than in adults.

Association between dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) gene polymorphisms and novelty-elicited auditory event-related potentials in preschool children.

We investigated associations of the exon III repeat and the -521 C/T polymorphisms of the DRD4 gene with novelty-elicited auditory ERP components and behavioral resistance to distraction in 57 healthy, typically developing 6-year-old children. Dopamine-related gene polymorphisms have previously been linked to processes directing focused attention. We did not find associations between the 7-repeat allele or the T.

The relationship of biological and psychological risk factors of cardiovascular disorders in a large-scale national representative community survey.

A large-scale national representative community survey of 11,122 persons aged more than 35 years included the investigation of the coincidence of depressive symptoms, vital exhaustion, cardiovascular disorders, stroke, and myocardial infarction. A total of 20.3% of the survey participants reported having experienced a cardiovascular disorder (CVD).

[Effects of the D4 dopamine receptor gene variation on behavior problems at 6 years of age].

Association of the 7-repeat allele of the D4 dopamine receptor (DRD4) exon 3 polymorphism with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is well-established, and a link with mother-reported aggressiveness was also found in healthy pre-schoolers assessed by the quantitative scale of the Child Behavior Checklist. In the present study, we hypothesized that children carrying the 7-repeat allele would show more attention problems and externalizing (aggressive and delinquent) behavior at 6 years of age. Further, we hypothesized a potential mediating role of early temperament in the relationship of DRD4 gene with behavior problems.

Living in fear of experiencing physical and sexual abuse is associated with severe depressive symptomatology among young women.

Purpose: To analyze the relationship among fear of being abused, direct experience of physical and sexual abuse, and severe depressive symptoms among young women.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in schools and households among 3615 young Hungarian women, ages 15-24 years, of whom 2016 were students. A multistage stratified sampling method was applied.

Physical and sexual abuse: risk factors for substance use among young Hungarian women.

The authors used a multistage stratified sampling method to conduct a cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of 3,615 Hungarian women aged 15 to 24 years to acquire epidemiologic data on physical and sexual abuse and analyze the relationship between abuse and health-risk behaviors. Just over 30% of the young women reported having experienced some type of abuse in their lifetimes. All maladaptive coping strategies, especially sedative use, were more prevalent among those who had experienced physical abuse.

Test-retest reliability of auditory ERP components in healthy 6-year-old children.

One prerequisite of using auditory event-related brain potentials (ERP) in developmental and clinical research is to determine their reliability. We examined the individual stability and test-retest reliability of the ERP responses elicited by repetitive, slightly deviant, and novel sounds over 3 months in healthy 6-year-old children. When broken down to 20 ms intervals, the standard-stimulus ERP responses shared > 77%, the deviant-stimulus responses 17-31%, and the novel-stimulus responses > 33% of the individual variation over the two testing sessions; the mean amplitude differences (novel/deviant-standard) did not change significantly between sessions.