[The influence of parents personality and DRD4 and 5HTT genes polymorphisms on predisposition to alcohol dependence in their sons].

Aim: The aim of this work was to investigate differences in parents' personality and dopaminergic and serotoninergic gene polymorphisms which may affect certain predispositions to alcohol dependence as described in the typology developed by R. Cloninger and O.M.

[Anxiety and depression in patients with laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer (preliminary report)].

Occurrence of anxiety and depression was investigated in 76 patients with recognized larynx and/or hypopharynx cancer and with or without alcohol dependence. The patients were treated using total or partial laryngectomy or radiotherapy. Patients were examined three times using questionnaires: SCID, BDI, STAI.

Family-based and case-control association studies of glutamate receptor GRIK3 Ser310Ala polymorphism in Polish patients and families with alcohol dependence.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of the GRIK3 functional polymorphism (Ser310Ala) in the pathogenesis of alcoholism. This polymorphism was investigated in two types of studies: (1) the association study in a whole group of alcoholics (116 patients fulfilling ICD-10 alcohol dependence (AD) criteria and 255 controls, Polish descent) and homogenous overlapping subgroups of patients with: a history of delirium tremens and/or alcohol seizures, early age of onset of alcoholism (AOO<26 years), a co-occurrence of dissocial personality disorder, a history of familial alcoholism; (2) the family-based study (using Transmission Disequilibrium Test (TDT) in 100 Polish families with alcohol dependence). The history of alcoholism was obtained using SSAGA (Polish version).

[The endocrine mask of a developing process of schizophrenia--case study].

In this research psychic and somatic symptoms related to disturbances of hypothalamus-hypophysis-peripheral regulation which may occur in the schizophrenic process were analysed. Authors discussed the problem of relations between hypothalamus neuroregulation and pathogenesis of endocrine disturbances which suggest the organic cause of obesity, hirsutism and secondary amenorrhea among women diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Actual antipsychotic pharmacological treatment, including some side-effects: the metabolic (obesity) and the endocrine (hyperprolactinemia) ones were considered.

Association studies of MAO-A, COMT, and 5-HTT genes polymorphisms in patients with anxiety disorders of the phobic spectrum.

Recent studies provide evidence that anxiety disorders may be linked to malfunction of serotonin neurotransmission or impaired activity of enzymes metabolising the catecholamines. Functional polymorphisms in the MAO-A uVNTR promoter gene, the COMT gene (Val158Met) exon 4, and the 5-HTT promoter gene (44 bp ins/del) were investigated in 101 patients with phobic disorders of the anxiety spectrum and 202 controls matched to the patients for sex, age and ethnicity. There were no significant differences between controls and patients in the allele and genotype frequencies of the 5-HTT and COMT gene polymorphisms.

Polymorphisms in the serotonin transporter and monoamine oxidase A genes and their relationship to personality traits measured by the Temperament and Character Inventory and NEO Five-Factor Inventory in healthy volunteers.

The associations between 5-HTT-linked polymorphic region (5-HTT-LPR), monoamine oxidase A (MAOA)-LPR and the dimensions of temperament evaluated using the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) and NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) were studied. One hundred healthy volunteers (without psychiatric disorders) were recruited to represent a cross-section of the population of Szczecin (Poland) in terms of sex, age and education. No associations between 5-HTT-LPR and the TCI harm avoidance dimension and between 5-HTT-LPR and the NEO-FFI neuroticism dimension were found.

Polymorphisms in the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 1 and 2B subunits are associated with alcoholism-related traits.

Background: This study examined the hypothesis that allelic variants of the ionotropic glutamatergic N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) are associated with vulnerability to alcoholism and some related traits.

Methods: We investigated the silent G2108A and C2664T polymorphisms of the NMDAR1 and the NMDAR2B genes, respectively. The case control study included 367 alcoholic and 335 control subjects of German origin.

Association analysis of the insertion/deletion polymorphism in serotonin transporter gene in patients with affective disorder.

A polymorphism of serotonin transporter was studied in 226 patients with affective disorders (n = 132 for bipolar, n = 94 for unipolar affective disorder) and in 213 healthy subjects. Consensus diagnosis by at least two psychiatrists, according to the ICD-10 and DSM-IV criteria was made for each patient using SCID (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders). A functional polymorphism in the promoter region of serotonin transporter gene, where 44 bp are either inserted (long allele) or deleted (short allele) was analysed.

[PAX-6 gene promoter polymorphism and other factors involved in brain atrophy in alcohol dependent patients].

PAX-6 gene promoter polymorphism, alcohol dependence history and CT were determined in the group of 68 alcoholics. We found negative correlation between numbers of PAX-6 gene promoter B (AC)m (AG)n repeats and atrophy of the brain and the cerebellum. Occurrence of these lesions was correlated with a decrease of alcohol tolerance, withdrawal symptoms--especially delirium tremens.

[Some hormones secretion and personality in anorexia nervosa syndrome].

The relationship between plasma leptin, some hormones (GH, IRI, IGF-1, DHEA-S, LH, FSH, T, E2, TSH, fT3, fT4), glucose level, personality dispositions and adipose tissue content in 22 women with anorexia nervosa were evaluated. Some personality features as: defensiveness, domination and aggression necessities, high self-control, bad self-estimation, retiring, expectation of custody--correlated with some hormones (LH, E2, IGF-1, fT3, F, T) and leptin level. The ascertained relationships suggest that still unexplained causes generate simultaneous disturbances in the endocrine and psychic processes in central nervous system of anorexia nervosa patients.

Association of a CB1 cannabinoid receptor gene (CNR1) polymorphism with severe alcohol dependence.

Due to the involvement of the endogenous cannabinoid system in brain reward mechanisms a silent polymorphism (1359G/A; Thr453Thr) in the single coding exon of the CB1 human cannabinoid receptor gene (CNR1) was analysed in 121 severely affected Caucasian alcoholics and 136 most likely non-alcoholic controls. The observed frequency of the A allele was 31.2% for controls and 42.