Gut Microbiome Composition and Its Association with Sleep in Major Psychiatric Disorders.

Introduction: Sleep disturbances are highly prevalent across most major psychiatric disorders. Alterations in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, neuroimmune mechanisms, and circadian rhythm disturbances partially explain this connection. The gut microbiome is also suspected to play a role in sleep regulation, and recent studies suggest that certain probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, and fecal microbiome transplantation can improve sleep quality.

Novel approaches for the assessment of relative body weight and body fat in diagnosis and treatment of anorexia nervosa: A cross-sectional study.

Background & Aims: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe psychosomatic disease that seriously affects nutritional status. Therapeutic approaches primarily aim for rapid weight restoration by high caloric diets and activity restriction. This often promotes abdominal body fat gain, which potentially negatively influences the patient's compliance and increases the risk of relapse.

Gut microbiota, dietary intakes and intestinal permeability reflected by serum zonulin in women.

Purpose: Increased gut permeability causes the trespass of antigens into the blood stream which leads to inflammation. Gut permeability reflected by serum zonulin and diversity of the gut microbiome were investigated in this cross-sectional study involving female study participants with different activity and BMI levels.

Methods: 102 women were included (BMI range 13.

Sleep habits and sleep complaints in Austria: current self-reported data on sleep behaviour, sleep disturbances and their treatment.

Objectives: To acquire current information on sleep habits, disturbances and treatment options in the adult population of Austria and compare results with previously collected data.

Materials And Methods: A representative sample of the Austrian population (women: n = 522, men: n = 478).

Results: Seventy-five percent reported daily sleep-duration between 6 and 8 h.

Baseline plasma epinephrine levels predict Wisconsin Card Sorting Test scores in healthy volunteers.

The present study was undertaken to further explore the potential neuropsychological information associated with baseline plasma levels of catecholamines and dopamine D3 receptor (DRD3) mRNA expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). Baseline plasma norepinephrine and epinephrine levels and PBL DRD3 mRNA expression were compared with performance in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) in n=79 healthy volunteers (mean+/-S.D.

Quetiapine in combination with citalopram in patients with unipolar psychotic depression.

This 6-week, open-label, multicenter study evaluated the efficacy and safety of quetiapine in combination with citalopram in adult patients (n=25) with ICD-10/DSM-IV unipolar psychotic depression. The primary endpoint was change from baseline to Week 6 in the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D-21) score. Secondary endpoints were change from baseline to Week 6 in the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) Scale scores.

[35S]GTPgammaS binding at the human dopamine D4 receptor variants hD4.2, hD4.4 and hD4.7 following stimulation by dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Aim of the present study was to investigate possible differences between the human dopamine D4 receptor 48 bp polymorphism variants hD4.2, hD.4.

[A systemic view on psychosis].

The experience of time changes during life. In the youth time changes slowly from the longitudinal point of view, looking cross on life very fast. In older ages regularly it is the opposite matter, although there are throughout all ages significant intra- and interindividually differences.

Test-retest reliability of a lifetime drug use questionnaire.

By adopting the investigational principle of the Lifetime Drinking History (LDH) interview, we developed a Lifetime Drug Use (LDU) Questionnaire to assess the amount and frequency of lifetime drug consumption. The Pearson Correlation Coefficients for test-retest reliability, investigated in a sample of N=47 residents of a drug rehabilitation center and averaged over the investigated seven drug categories, were r=.95 for the abstinence-corrected total duration of regular use, r=.

Dopamine receptor D3 mRNA expression in human lymphocytes is negatively correlated with the personality trait of persistence.

It has been proposed that neurotransmitter receptor expression in peripheral immune cells reflects expression of these receptors in the brain. To test this "peripheral marker hypothesis", we compared mRNA expression of the dopamine receptors D3 (DRD3) and D4 (DRD4) in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) to personality traits assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in 50 healthy and unmedicated Caucasian individuals. A shared variance of at least 17% (p=0.

Reduced dopamine D3 receptor expression in blood lymphocytes of smokers is negatively correlated with daily number of smoked cigarettes: a peripheral correlate of dopaminergic alterations in smokers.

The mesolimbic dopaminergic system is known to mediate rewarding effects of nicotine administration, and dysfunctions of this system may underlie failure to stop cigarette smoking. Expression of dopamine receptors in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) has been indicated as a peripheral correlate of brain status. Dopamine receptor D(3) (DRD3) and D(4) (DRD4) mRNA expression in PBLs was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction in smokers (n=26) and former smokers (n=14), compared with nonsmoking control subjects (n=35).

Reduced dopamine D4 receptor mRNA expression in lymphocytes of long-term abstinent alcohol and heroin addicts.

Aim: It has been repeatedly suggested that dopamine receptor expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes reflects, to some extent, brain status. The aim of the present study was to investigate dopamine receptor expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes of long-term abstinent alcohol and heroin addicts against the background of the hypothesis, that a persisting dysfunction of the dopaminergic system contributes a biological cause to the chronic character of addiction.

Design: Dopamine D3 and D4 receptor mRNA expression in peripheral blood lymphocytes was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in 19 alcohol addicts, abstinent for 6.

Influence of age on the parasympatholytic property of tricyclic antidepressants.

Clinical evidence indicates that parasympatholytic effects of tricyclic antidepressants increase with age. The aim of the present study was to determine the possible physiological reason for this phenomenon. Subjects included 23 patients (14 female) with major depression, melancholic type, and 23 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects.

Circadian rhythm of the soluble p75 tumor necrosis factor (sTNF-R75) receptor in humans--a possible explanation for the circadian kinetics of TNR-alpha effects.

Circadian alterations of several immune functions in vivo are well established, and may have important physiological and clinical implications. In line with this, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha has been implicated in the circadian regulation of body temperature. As soluble TNF receptors (TNF-R) act as naturally occurring competitive inhibitors of this cytokine, we investigated plasma levels of the soluble sTNF-R55 and sTNF-R75 in comparison with plasma cortisol and body temperature in nine healthy male volunteers during a defined 16 h light/8 h dark cycle.

Nervousness and pain sensitivity: II. Changed relation in ex-addicts as a predictor for early relapse.

We recently demonstrated a coupling between nervousness and pain sensitivity in healthy volunteers, and we defined a mean ratio of nervousness/log pain threshold of 1.95 +/- 1.47 for healthy humans.

Nervousness and pain sensitivity: I. A positive correlation.

Neuroanatomical studies suggest a close interrelationship between brainstem centers regulating arousal and pain sensitivity. Nervousness, as assessed with a Visual Analog Scale, and pain sensitivity, as assessed with a cold pressor test, were used to clarify whether a physiological association of nervousness and pain sensitivity can be found in healthy subjects. Forty healthy volunteers were included in the study.

Increased heart rate in depressed subjects in spite of unchanged autonomic balance?

A clinical study was conducted to examine the effects of depression on cardiac autonomic control. Cardiac autonomic control was measured in 26 nonmedicated patients (19 females) suffering from Major Depression, melancholic type, and in 26 age- and sex-matched normal controls. We measured heart rate and high frequency heart rate variability (respiratory sinus arrhythmia), pulsewave velocity and blood pressure, during 10 min of supine rest under controlled conditions.

Major depression and cardiac autonomic control.

We investigated autonomic control of heart rate in patients with major depression, melancholic type. Twenty-three depressed inpatients who were being treated with tricyclic antidepressants and 23 depressed patients who were taking no medications were compared with age- and sex-matched control groups on resting cardiac vagal tone and heart rate. In unmedicated depressed patients, cardiac vagal tone was comparable to that of control subjects, but heart rate was significantly higher.

Decreased nociceptive sensitivity: a biological risk marker for opiate dependence?

In recent studies using a cold pressor test we could show that former opiate addicts are persistently less pain-sensitive than healthy controls, indicating a neurophysiologic dysfunction in these patients. In the present study we addressed the issue of whether this dysfunction was caused by the drug abuse or already existed prior to the heroin addiction, and whether it is restricted to pain sensitivity or affects somatosensory or nociceptive sensitivity in general. After validating the method we obtained retrospective ratings for the pain, cold and warmth sensitivity for the time before addiction, during addiction and during detoxification.

Long-term imprisonment leads to cognitive impairment.

The effects of long-term imprisonment on cognitive functions are investigated in a longitudinal study. Twenty-four serious offenders in an Austrian penitentiary underwent concentration and memory performance measurements via a questionnaire presented to them under controlled conditions in two sessions at a 42 month interval. The difference in the parameters indicated cognitive impairment after this period that was highly significant (P < 0.

[Drug screening in an Austrian prison].

In the Austrian prison Graz, a randomized group of 64 prisoners (12.5% out of 512 total) was selected to investigate patterns of drug abuse. From this group.