[What do Patients Experience between Group Sessions during Inpatient Psychotherapy? An Application of the Inter-Session-Questionnaire in Psychotherapeutic Hospitals].

The study describes an application of the Inter-Session-Questionnaire (ISF) related to inpatient group psychotherapy. The instrument should be tested with the extension of differentiating intersession experiences related to the person of the therapist as well as the group. In a cross sectional study performed in 13 different hospitals, 702 patients were assessed.

The influence of negative mood on heart rate complexity measures and baroreflex sensitivity in healthy subjects.

Background: Decreased cardiac vagal function is linked with increased cardiac mortality and depression is associated with decreased heart rate variability. We have previously shown that the Mood Induction Procedure (MIP) in healthy subjects alters pain perception and thalamic activity during pain perception.

Aim: To study the effect of negative emotion on heart rate variability and complexity measures as well as on baroreceptor sensitivity, as these parameters reflect cardiac autonomic function.

The altered complexity of cardiovascular regulation in depressed patients.

Major depressive disorders (MDD) are associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Even if it is known that MDD are accompanied by an autonomic dysbalance with increased sympathetic and/or reduced parasympathetic activity, to date only limited information is available about the degree and complexity of cardiovascular regulation. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of MDD on the autonomous nervous system and cardiovascular complexity by means of linear and nonlinear indices from heart rate and blood pressure variability (HRV, BPV).

Increased QT variability in patients with anorexia nervosa--an indicator for increased cardiac mortality?

Objective: Increased mortality in anorexia nervosa is associated with autonomic dysfunction and prolongation of the QT interval. In this study, we examined the relative importance of repolarization abnormalities and vagal modulation of heart rate. In particular, we hypothesized that patients with anorexia nervosa show increased QT interval variability, particularly since this measure has been shown to correlate with serious cardiac arrhythmias.

Autonomy of autonomic dysfunction in major depression.

Objective: To investigate cardiac autonomic dysfunction in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Research in this area has faced several limitations because of the heterogeneity of the disease, the influence of medication, and methodological shortcomings.

Methods: Participants were 75 patients suffering from an acute recurrent episode of MDD and 75 matched controls.

[Development of the "Mannheim Multicomponent Stress Test" (MMST)].

The aim of the present study was to develop and evaluate an economical stress paradigm, which can be used for the investigation of stress reactions in a laboratory setting. Different stressors were combined to investigate the changes of heart frequency and subjective stress levels as response to stressful stimulation. A combination of mental stress, noise and emotional pictures presented in the background during performing a mental arithmetic task showed significant increases in heart rate and subjective stress levels.

Correlations between the autonomic modulation of heart rate, blood pressure and the pupillary light reflex in healthy subjects.

Information on autonomic modulation can be derived from different organs that are innervated by the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system, when assessing e.g. heart rate or blood pressure fluctuations or the pupil's reaction to light.

Reduced heat pain thresholds after sad-mood induction are associated with changes in thalamic activity.

Negative affective states influence pain processing in healthy subjects in terms of augmented pain experience. Furthermore, our previous studies revealed that patients with major depressive disorder showed increased heat pain thresholds on the skin. Potential neurofunctional correlates of this finding were located within the fronto-thalamic network.

Influence of olanzapine on QT variability and complexity measures of heart rate in patients with schizophrenia.

Previous studies have shown that untreated patients with acute schizophrenia present with reduced heart rate variability and complexity as well as increased QT variability. This autonomic dysregulation might contribute to increased cardiac morbidity and mortality in these patients. However, the additional effects of newer antipsychotics on autonomic dysfunction have not been investigated, applying these new cardiac parameters to gain information about the regulation at sinus node level as well as the susceptibility to arrhythmias.

Gastric dysmotility in patients with major depression.

Background: Depressed patients frequently complain about vegetative symptoms. The aim of the present study was to evaluate gastric electrical activity in patients suffering from major depression in relation to their symptoms.

Methods: Electrogastrography (EGG) was performed before and after a test meal ingestion in 21 patients suffering from major depression and control subjects.

Non-linear complexity measures of heart rate variability in acute schizophrenia.

Objective: Cardiovascular mortality is significantly increased in patients suffering from schizophrenia. The mechanisms currently discussed contain unhealthy lifestyle with obesity and smoking, increased incidence of diabetes, adverse pro-arrhythmic effects of antipsychotic medication and altered autonomic function. It is therefore likely that the adaptation of the heart rate to different requirements is faulty in schizophrenia.

Acute psychosis leads to increased QT variability in patients suffering from schizophrenia.

Patients with schizophrenia have been reported to experience sudden cardiac death 3 times more likely than individuals from the general population. One important factor related to an increased risk of cardiac arrhythmias and sudden death is the prolongation of the QTc interval. This study examined whether acute psychosis might influence the beat-to-beat variability of the QT interval, which reflects effectively cardiac repolarization lability.

Increased prefrontal activation during pain perception in major depression.

Background: To further elucidate the close interrelation of pain and depression, we investigated cerebral responses to parametrically varied thermal pain intensities in female patients suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) (n = 13) and matched control subjects (n = 13) by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Methods: After the assessment of the individual thermal pain threshold, an fMRI-compatible thermode was used to deliver thermal painful stimuli to the right arm. All stimuli were initiated for 10 sec from a baseline resting temperature (32 degrees C) in three different conditions (37 degrees C, 42 degrees C, 45 degrees C).

Increased QT interval variability index in acute alcohol withdrawal.

Objective: Acute alcohol withdrawal is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality, most likely due to cardiac arrhythmias. As the QT interval reflects the most critical phase for the generation of reentry and thus for arrhythmia, we examined QT variability in patients suffering from acute alcohol withdrawal.

Methods: High resolution electrocardiographic recordings were performed in 18 male unmedicated patients suffering from acute alcohol withdrawal, 18 matched controls and 15 abstained alcoholics.