Cohort profile: BioMD-Y (biopsychosocial factors of major depression in youth) - a biobank study on the molecular genetics and environmental factors of depression in children and adolescents in Munich.

Purpose: BioMD-Y is a comprehensive biobank study of children and adolescents with major depression (MD) and their healthy peers in Germany, collecting a host of both biological and psychosocial information from the participants and their parents with the aim of exploring genetic and environmental risk and protective factors for MD in children and adolescents.

Participants: Children and adolescents aged 8-18 years are recruited to either the clinical case group (MD, diagnosis of MD disorder) or the typically developing control group (absence of any psychiatric condition).

Findings To Date: To date, four publications on both genetic and environmental risk and resilience factors (including , glucocorticoid receptor activation, polygenic risk scores, psychosocial and sociodemographic risk and resilience factors) have been published based on the BioMD-Y sample.

Sex differences in the genetic regulation of the blood transcriptome response to glucocorticoid receptor activation.

Substantial sex differences have been reported in the physiological response to stress at multiple levels, including the release of the stress hormone, cortisol. Here, we explore the genomic variants in 93 females and 196 males regulating the initial transcriptional response to cortisol via glucocorticoid receptor (GR) activation. Gene expression levels in peripheral blood were obtained before and after GR-stimulation with the selective GR agonist dexamethasone to identify differential expression following GR-activation.

Psychosocial stressors and protective factors for major depression in youth: evidence from a case-control study.

Background: Severe adverse life events, such as traumatic experiences, are well-known stressors implicated in (youth) major depression (MD). However, to date, far less is known about the role of more common psychosocial stressors in the context of MD, which are part of everyday life during youth. In addition, it is not well-understood whether and how distinct stressors interact with protective factors in youths diagnosed with MD.

Interactions between FKBP5 variation and environmental stressors in adolescent Major Depression.

Objective: Major Depression (MD) results from a complex interplay between environmental stressors and biological factors. Previous studies in adults have shown that adverse life events interact with genetic variation in FKBP5, a gene implicated in the stress-response system, to predict depressive symptoms and MD. This is the first study to investigate interactions between FKBP5 variants and a range of environmental stressors in adolescents with a clinical diagnosis of MD.

Polygenic Risk: Predicting Depression Outcomes in Clinical and Epidemiological Cohorts of Youths.

Objective: Identifying risk factors for major depression and depressive symptoms in youths could have important implications for prevention efforts. This study examined the association of polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for a broad depression phenotype derived from a large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS) in adults, and its interaction with childhood abuse, with clinically relevant depression outcomes in clinical and epidemiological youth cohorts.

Methods: The clinical cohort comprised 279 youths with major depression (mean age=14.

Transcranial direct current stimulation in children and adolescents: a comprehensive review.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation method that has shown promising results in various neuropsychiatric disorders in adults. This review addresses the therapeutic use of tDCS in children and adolescents including safety, ethical, and legal considerations. There are several studies addressing the dosage of tDCS in children and adolescents by computational modeling of electric fields in the pediatric brain.

[Addictive internet use as a comorbid disorder among clients of an adolescent psychiatry - prevalence and psychopathological symptoms].

Objectives: Excessive and addictive internet use fulfilling criteria of nonsubstance related addiction disorder is increasingly being discussed by scientists and clinicians alike. Its prevalence of about 3 % among minors points to a relatively frequent phenomenon that can lead to functional impairment and distress. However, there is still no evidence concerning its prevalence among underaged patients in psychiatric treatment.

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.

Effectiveness and tolerability of olanzapine in the treatment of adolescents with schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders: results from a large, prospective, open-label study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess effectiveness and tolerability of oral olanzapine treatment of adolescents with schizophrenic disorders.

Method: Adolescent patients (12-19 years) with schizophrenia, schizoaffective, or schizophreniform disorders according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4(th) edition (DSM-IV) were enrolled in a multicenter, prospective, open-label study. Following a 2- to 9-day washout period, patients initially received 10 mg/day olanzapine.

Quetiapine in the treatment of psychotic adolescents: a case series of 23 patients with severe early onset psychosis.

Clinical efficacy, safety and tolerability of quetiapine in the treatment of 23 hospitalized psychotic adolescents were evaluated retrospectively. Twelve patients were changed to quetiapine from another antipsychotic medication during their hospital stay. In these patients, CGI-S improved from 4.

Comparative efficacy of once-a-day extended-release methylphenidate, two-times-daily immediate-release methylphenidate, and placebo in a laboratory school setting.

Background: Given the dosing limitations of methylphenidate short-acting preparations in treating ADHD, galenics with longer release of the substance were developed mainly to avoid drug intake during school hours.

Objectives: This investigation was conducted to assess the efficacy and the duration of action of a new extended-release formulation of methylphenidate (Medikinet retard) as a once-daily treatment for children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Method: This was a randomized, double-blind, crossover multicentre study with three treatment conditions: once-daily extended-release methylphenidate, twice-daily immediate-release methylphenidate and placebo given to 79 children (8-14 years old) with ADHD.

Training of slow cortical potentials in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: evidence for positive behavioral and neurophysiological effects.

Background: Learned self-control of slow cortical potentials (SCPs) may lead to behavioral improvement in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Hence, training effects should also be reflected at the neurophysiological level.

Methods: Thirteen children with ADHD, aged 7-13 years, performed 25 SCP training sessions within 3 weeks.