Publications by authors named "Mariko Sembo"
Background: Research activity is especially critical in the field of psychiatry as it is evolving rapidly thanks to advances in neuroscience.
Results: We administered a 34-item survey regarding research experiences targeted at psychiatry residents and postgraduate residency program directors in Canada. One hundred and nineteen participants answered the survey (16 program directors, 103 residents) allowing for a margin of error of 8.
Background: Smaller hippocampal volumes, as assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (H-MRS) indexed alterations in brain metabolites have been identified in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). Our group has found similar effects in MDD youth. However, this has not been studied in youth with treatment resistant MDD (TRD), nor has the interaction between regional N-acetyl-aspartate and volume deficits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: Structural, functional, and metabolic changes in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) are implicated in the pathogenesis of major depressive disorder (MDD). We used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1) H-MRS) to examine the metabolite choline (glycerophosphocholine plus phosphocholine), which is used as an index of membrane integrity in the left DLPFC, in adolescents and young adults with MDD who were treatment-resistant and had a positive family history compared to healthy controls. Differences in the choline resonance indicate an imbalance between synthesis and degradation activity of neuronal and glia membrane phospholipids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Many studies have reported that adults with recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD) have smaller hippocampal volumes than control participants. The data are more variable in youth with MDD, where findings have been inconsistent and the effects of factors such as age and co-morbidity have not been systematically examined. This study therefore assessed hippocampus and subgenual anterior cingulate (sgACC) morphometry in 168 youth, aged 12-25, with or without MDD and comorbid anxiety.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Recent research indicates the corpus callosum, which connects the brain's hemispheres, matures alongside cognitive skills, and its disruptions may be linked to cognitive deficits in bipolar disorder (BD).
- The study compared the corpus callosum size and its specific regions in 14 adolescents with BD to 18 healthy controls, revealing a significantly smaller corpus callosum in those with BD.
- Findings suggest that earlier disruptions in the development of the corpus callosum could lead to challenges with motor skills and inhibition, highlighting the importance of white matter integrity in early-onset BD.
Objective: We hypothesized an increase in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) glutamate levels would occur after 3 weeks of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) treatment and a decrease in major depressive disorder (MDD) symptoms.
Methods: We report 6 patients (4 females) 15 to 21 years of age with treatment-resistant MDD. Participants had a mean (SD) age of 18.