Successful Electroconvulsive Therapy in a Patient With Catatonia and Maternal Duplication 15q11-13 Syndrome.

The 15q11-q13 chromosomal region contains genes encoding for GABA-A receptor subunits and is a known region of epigenetic modification associated with the development of neurodevelopmental disorders. The presence of at least one additional copy of the maternal 15q11-q13 results in a syndrome (maternal dup15q) characterized by intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, mood disorders, and epilepsy. Catatonia is a serious syndrome of behavioral and motor dysfunction, which occurs across a variety of psychiatric, neurologic, and general medical conditions, which has successfully been treated with benzodiazepines and electroconvulsive therapy.

Maternal Duplication 15q11-13 Syndrome with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Mood Stabilization by Carbamazepine.

Maternal 15q11-13 duplication syndrome (dup15q) is one of the most frequently observed and penetrant genetic abnormalities associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and commonly presents with psychiatric symptoms and seizures. Although carbamazepine has been reported as effective in managing comorbid seizures in dup15q, it has not been reported to be used as a mood stabilizer in this population. We retrospectively reviewed the charts of five consecutive patients presenting with previously diagnosed dup15q and ASD seeking treatment for psychiatric symptoms and, in four of the patients, seizures.

De novo unbalanced translocation (4p duplication/8p deletion) in a patient with autism, OCD, and overgrowth syndrome.

Chromosomal abnormalities, such as unbalanced translocations and copy number variants (CNVs), are found in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) [Sanders et al. (2011) Neuron 70: 863-885]. Many chromosomal abnormalities, including sub microscopic genomic deletions and duplications, are missed by G-banded karyotyping or Fragile X screening alone and are picked up by chromosomal microarrays [Shen et al.

Escitalopram pharmacogenetics: CYP2C19 relationships with dosing and clinical outcomes in autism spectrum disorder.

Background And Aim: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as escitalopram are commonly used to treat patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but there are individual differences in treatment response and tolerability. CYP2C19 encodes the primary enzyme responsible for escitalopram metabolism and we investigated whether polymorphisms in CYP2C19 were related to symptoms and dosing in a pharmacogenetic study of ASD.

Participants And Methods: Participants completed the Aberrant Behavior Checklist--Community Version (ABC-CV) weekly for 6 weeks.

Pharmacogenetic Study of Serotonin Transporter and 5HT2A Genotypes in Autism.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine whether polymorphisms in the serotonin transporter (SLC6A4) and serotonin-2A receptor (HTR2A) genes are associated with response to escitalopram in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Methods: Forty-four participants with ASD were enrolled in a 6 week, forced titration, open label examination of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) escitalopram. Doses increased at weekly intervals starting at 2.

Post-traumatic stress disorder and its treatment in children and adolescents.

This article reviews current concepts of and treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children and adolescents. We discuss the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria and their applicability to children and adolescents. We also review the history of PTSD and the development of its diagnostic criteria.

Trends in psychotropic drug use in a child psychiatric hospital from 1991-1998.

Objective: This study was undertaken to analyze inpatient prescribing patterns of psychotropic drugs in a child psychiatric hospital from 1991-1998.

Methods: Hospital pharmacy dispensing data were reviewed. Total admissions, first admissions, and readmissions were identified, and medication status of all patients at admission and at discharge was ascertained.

An open-label study of citalopram in body dysmorphic disorder.

Background: Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), a preoccupation with an imagined or slight defect in appearance, is a relatively common and impairing disorder. While available data suggest that serotonin reuptake inhibitors are effective for BDD, investigation of this disorder's response to pharmacotherapy is limited, and there are no published reports on the efficacy of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor citalopram. In addition, there are no published reports on change in quality of life and multiple domains of psychosocial functioning with pharmacologic treatment for patients with BDD.