[Are too Many Temporarily Placed Non-culpable Offenders Committed to Forensic Psychiatric Hospitals in Germany? Thoughts on the Relationship of Forensic and General Psychiatry].

From the perspective of the forensic clinics, the judiciary is increasingly ordering temporary placements according to Sec. 126a of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Three hypotheses are proposed that could (partly) explain this increase: 1) Courts' tendency to hand down this decision even in cases involving minor offences.

Associations of NEUROD2 polymorphisms and change of cognitive dysfunctions in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder after eight weeks of antipsychotic treatment.

Introduction: NEUROD2 is a neurospecific helix-loop-helix transcription factor which has an impact on the regulation of glutamatergic and GABAergic genes. We investigated an association of NEUROD2 with neurocognitive dysfunctions in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder patients before and during treatment with different second-generation antipsychotics.

Methods: Patients were genotyped for four different polymorphisms of the NEUROD2 gene ((rs9889354(A/G), rs1877032(C/T), rs12453682(C/T) and rs11078918(C/G)).

Increased γ oscillations during voluntary selection processes in adult patients with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

Executive dysfunctions (regarding behavioural inhibition, decision making, flexibility or voluntary selection) rank among the core symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Several studies demonstrated functional variations in patients with ADHD especially during response inhibition and flexibility. However, information about functional correlates of other aspects of executive functions such as voluntary selection processes is limited.

Homer-1 polymorphisms are associated with psychopathology and response to treatment in schizophrenic patients.

The HOMER 1 protein plays a crucial role in mediating glutamatergic neurotransmission. It has previously shown to be a candidate gene for etiology and pathophysiology of different psychiatric diseases such as schizophrenia. To identify genes involved in response to antipsychotics, subgroups of animals were treated with haloperidol (1 mg/kg, n = 11) or saline (n = 12) for one week.

Neural correlates (ERP/fMRI) of voluntary selection in adult ADHD patients.

Deficits in executive functions, e.g. voluntary selection, are considered central to the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Effects of risperidone and quetiapine on cognition in patients with schizophrenia and predominantly negative symptoms.

Evidence suggests that neurocognitive impairment is a key factor in the pathology of schizophrenia and is linked with the negative symptoms of the disease. In this study the effects of the atypical antipsychotics quetiapine and risperidone on cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia and with predominantly negative symptoms were compared. Patients were randomly assigned to double-blind treatment with quetiapine or risperidone for 12 weeks.