Effect of Calorie Restriction and Intermittent Fasting Regimens on Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels and Cognitive Function in Humans: A Systematic Review.

The potential positive interaction between intermittent fasting (IF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on cognitive function has been widely discussed. This systematic review tried to assess the efficacy of interventions with different IF regimens on BDNF levels and their association with cognitive functions in humans. Interventions with different forms of IF such as caloric restriction (CR), alternate-day fasting (ADF), time-restricted eating (TRE), and the Ramadan model of intermittent fasting (RIF) were targeted.

The Efficacy and Therapeutic Alliance of Augmented Reality Exposure Therapy in Treating Adults With Phobic Disorders: Systematic Review.

Background: Phobic disorders are characterized by excessive fear of a stimulus that can affect the quality of a patient's life. The lifetime prevalence in adults is 7.7% to 12.

Integrative bioinformatics and artificial intelligence analyses of transcriptomics data identified genes associated with major depressive disorders including .

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common mental disorder and is amongst the most prevalent psychiatric disorders. MDD remains challenging to diagnose and predict its onset due to its heterogeneous phenotype and complex etiology. Hence, early detection using diagnostic biomarkers is critical for rapid intervention.

Pharmacogenomics in Psychiatry Practice: The Value and the Challenges.

The activity of cytochrome P450 enzymes is influenced by genetic and nongenetic factors; hence, the metabolism of exogenous psychotropic medications and potentially some endogenous neuropeptides is variably affected among different ethnic groups of psychiatric patients. The aim of this review is to highlight the most common cytochrome P450 isoenzymes associated with the metabolism of psychotropic medications (antidepressants, antipsychotics, and mood stabilizers), their variations among different populations, their impact on endogenous neurotransmitters (dopamine and serotonin), and the effect of nongenetic factors, particularly smoking, age, and pregnancy, on their metabolic activity. Furthermore, the adverse effects of psychiatric medications may be associated with certain human leukocytic antigen (HLA) genotypes.

In memory of Professor Iain Wilkinson: cognitive and neuroimaging endophenotypes in a consanguineous schizophrenia multiplex family.

Background: Schizophrenia endophenotypes may help elucidate functional effects of genetic risk variants in multiply affected consanguineous families that segregate recessive risk alleles of large effect size. We studied the association between a schizophrenia risk locus involving a 6.1Mb homozygous region on chromosome 13q22-31 in a consanguineous multiplex family and cognitive functioning, haemodynamic response and white matter integrity using neuroimaging.

A Recessively Inherited Risk Locus on Chromosome 13q22-31 Conferring Susceptibility to Schizophrenia.

We report a consanguineous family in which schizophrenia segregates in a manner consistent with recessive inheritance of a rare, partial-penetrance susceptibility allele. From 4 marriages between 2 sets of siblings who are half first cousins, 6 offspring have diagnoses of psychotic disorder. Homozygosity mapping revealed a 6.

No association between Val158Met of the COMT gene and susceptibility to schizophrenia in the Syrian population.

Background: The Val158Met single nucleotide polymorphism of the COMT gene has been implicated in the aetiology of schizophrenia, although results from different populations have been conflicting.

Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate possible association between schizophrenia and Val158Met in a novel Arab population from Syria.

Methods And Materials: 71 unrelated schizophrenic subjects (45 men) and 102 unrelated healthy controls (62 men) were recruited to take part in this case- control study.

Effect of low-dose acute tryptophan depletion on the specificity of autobiographical memory in healthy subjects with a family history of depression.

Rationale: Low-dose acute tryptophan depletion (LD-ATD), while having no effect on mood, has been shown to reduce specificity of autobiographical memory in patients who have recovered from a depressive episode.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore if reduced specificity of autobiographical memory with LD-ATD is common to other groups of individuals at risk of depression, specifically a healthy population with a family history of depression.

Methods: Nineteen healthy young adults with at least one first-degree relative with a history of major depression were recruited.

Central glucocorticoid receptor-mediated effects of the antidepressant, citalopram, in humans: a study using EEG and cognitive testing.

Our previous work in cellular and animal models has shown that antidepressants activate glucocorticoid receptor (GR) translocation, induce GR down-regulation, and decrease GR-mediated effects in the presence of GR agonists. However, whether these effects can be extrapolated to the human brain is still unclear. In this study, the effects of four days of treatment with the antidepressant, citalopram (20 mg/day), or placebo, were assessed in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study.

The use of the EEG in measuring therapeutic drug action: focus on depression and antidepressants.

A major issue in proof of concept studies and early clinical trials of novel therapeutic agents is that the active drugs can often have a relatively small additional effect compared with placebo. This is especially the case in psychiatry when we usually have no direct method of measuring the pathology underlying the disorder being studied but, rather, have to rely on the subjective assessment of psychiatric symptoms. The use of the electroencephalogram (EEG) offers two potential major means of addressing this problem.

Effects of cortisol on the laterality of the neural correlates of episodic memory.

Alterations in the laterality of cortical activity have been shown in depressive illnesses. One possible pathophysiological mechanism for this is an effect of corticosteroids. We have previously demonstrated that endogenous cortisol concentrations correlate with the asymmetry of cortical activity related to episodic memory in healthy subjects and depressed patients.

A study of the neural correlates of episodic memory and HPA axis status in drug-free depressed patients and healthy controls.

Altered laterality of cortical activity, neuropsychological impairment and hypercortisolaemia have been shown in depression. The neural correlates of episodic memory in healthy subjects demonstrate hemispheric laterality but it is not known whether this is affected by depression and/or hypercortisolaemia. Twenty-seven drug-free depressed patients and 29 matched healthy controls were studied.

Effects of DHEA administration on episodic memory, cortisol and mood in healthy young men: a double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

Rationale: Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has been reported to enhance cognition in rodents, although there are inconsistent findings in humans.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of DHEA administration in healthy young men on episodic memory and its neural correlates utilising an event-related potential (ERP) technique.

Methods: Twenty-four healthy young men were treated with a 7-day course of oral DHEA (150 mg b.