Development and validation of a screening scale for depression in Korea: the Lee and Rhee Depression Scale.

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop a culturally sensitive instrument that addressed how individuals express and experience depression to detect this disorder in Koreans. We also assessed the validity, reliability, and diagnostic utility of this scale (Lee and Rhee Depression Scale; LRDS).

Methods: The sample consisted of 3,697 normal adults selected from 12 administrative districts (Do) and 448 Korean patients diagnosed with depression using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders (SCID-I).

MRP1 polymorphisms associated with citalopram response in patients with major depression.

Multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1, ABCC1) transports antidepressive agents in the endothelial cells of the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, polymorphisms in the MRP1 gene may affect the treatment response of antidepressants. This study was aimed to identify the association between genetic variations in MRP1/ABCC1 and the therapeutic response to the antidepressant citalopram.

Trial of aripiprazole in the treatment of first-episode schizophrenia.

Aims: Aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic indicated for the treatment of adult patients with schizophrenia. It is effective and well tolerated in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. The aim of the present study was to investigate therapeutic efficacy and tolerability of aripiprazole in patients with first-episode schizophrenia.

Effects of CYP2D6 and CYP3A5 genotypes on the plasma concentrations of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone in Korean schizophrenic patients.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of the CYP2D6 and CYP3A5 genotypes on the steady-state plasma levels of risperidone (RIS), 9-hydroxyrisperidone (9-OH-RIS), and the active moiety (RIS plus 9-OH-RIS) in Korean schizophrenic patients. Sixty-four Korean schizophrenic patients were enrolled. CYP2D6 and CYP3A5 genotypes were determined, and the plasma levels of RIS and 9-OH-RIS were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography.

Association of the adrenergic alpha 2a receptor--1291C/G polymorphism with weight change and treatment response to mirtazapine in patients with major depressive disorder.

Background: Adrenergic alpha2a receptors (ADRA2A) are expressed in the central nervous system and peripheral tissues. The primary mechanism of action of mirtazapine is the antagonism of central presynaptic alpha2 receptors. Mirtazapine is reportedly associated with weight gain.

Association of glucocorticoid receptor polymorphisms with the susceptibility to major depressive disorder and treatment responses in Korean depressive patients.

Objective: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is closely related to stress reactions and serotonin probably underpins the pathophysiology of MDD. Alterations of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis at the gene level have reciprocal consequences on serotonin neurotransmission. Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) polymorphisms affect glucocorticoid sensitivity, which is associated with cortisol feedback effects.

The neural substrates of affective face recognition in patients with Hwa-Byung and healthy individuals in Korea.

Hwa-Byung (HB) is a Korean culture-bound psychiatric syndrome caused by the suppression of anger. HB patients have various psychological and somatic symptoms, such as chest discomfort, a sensation of heat, and the sensation of having an epigastric mass. In this study, we measured brain activity in HB patients and healthy individuals in response to affective facial stimuli.

Effect of serotonin receptor 2A gene polymorphism on mirtazapine response in major depression.

The 5-HTR2A gene is a candidate gene for influencing the clinical response to treatment with antidepressants. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the -1438A/G polymorphism of the 5-HTR2A gene and the response to mirtazapine in a Korean population with major depressive disorder. Mirtazapine was administered for eight weeks to the 101 patients who completed the study, during which we evaluated the clinical outcome using repeated-measures ANCOVA.

Relationship between G-protein beta-3 subunit C825T polymorphism and mirtazapine responses in Korean patients with major depression.

Aims: This study aimed to determine the relationship between the C825T polymorphism in the G-protein beta 3 subunit (GNB3) gene and the response to mirtazapine in a Korean population with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Method: Mirtazapine was administered for 8 weeks to the 101 MDD patients who completed this study. All subjects were examined using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, and the severity of depression was assessed using the 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating (HAMD-21) scale.

Association study of the serotonin transporter promoter polymorphism and mirtazapine antidepressant response in major depressive disorder.

Modulations of serotonergic and noradrenergic systems are thought to be critical to the therapeutic effect of most antidepressants, and their efficacies have been shown to depend on a functional polymorphism within the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR). Mirtazapine has a dual-action profile, combining the enhancement of the noradrenergic neurotransmitter system with specific actions on particular serotonergic receptor subtypes. The goal of this study was to elucidate whether the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism is associated with the mirtazapine antidepressant response in subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Association between the tryptophan hydroxylase-1 gene A218C polymorphism and citalopram antidepressant response in a Korean population.

Tryptophan hydroxylase-1 (TPH1) is the rate-limiting enzyme in serotonin biosynthesis, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) exert their activity enhancing the general serotonergic tone. Citalopram is the most selective SSRI, with little or no affinity for a variety of receptor types. The goal of this study was to investigate whether the A218C polymorphism of the TPH1 gene is associated with the citalopram antidepressant response in subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene polymorphism (Val66Met) and citalopram response in major depressive disorder.

The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene is a candidate gene for influencing the clinical response to treatment with antidepressants. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the Val66Met polymorphism in the BNDF gene and the response to citalopram in a Korean population with major depressive disorder (MDD). Citalopram was administered for 8 weeks to the 83 patients who completed this study.

No association between the tryptophan hydroxylase gene polymorphism and major depressive disorders and antidepressant response in a Korean population.

The serotonergic neurotransmitter system has been implicated in major depressive disorder (MDD) and appears to be the target of a variety of antidepressants. Tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) is the rate-limiting enzyme in serotonin biosynthesis, and selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors exert their activity enhancing the general serotonergic tone. The goal of this study was to investigate whether the A218C polymorphism of the TPH gene is associated with MDD or antidepressant response.

Serotonin receptor 2A gene polymorphism (-1438A/G) and short-term treatment response to citalopram.

The 5-HTR2A gene is a candidate gene for influencing the clinical response to antidepressant treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the -1438A/G polymorphism in the 5-HTR2A gene and the response to citalopram in a Korean population with major depressive disorder (MDD). Citalopram was administered for 4 weeks to the 71 patients who completed this study.

Influence of the serotonin transporter promoter gene polymorphism on susceptibility to posttraumatic stress disorder.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent anxiety disorder marked by behavioral, physiologic, and hormonal alterations. The etiology of PTSD is unknown, although exposure to a traumatic event constitutes a necessary, but not sufficient, factor. Serotonergic dysfunction has been implicated in PTSD.

Reward dependence is related to norepinephrine transporter T-182C gene polymorphism in a Korean population.

It is well established that approximately 50% of the variance in personality traits is genetic. The goal of this study was to investigate a relationship between personality traits and the T-182C polymorphism in the norepinephrine transporter gene. The participants included 115 healthy adults with no history of psychiatric disorders and other physical illness during the past 6 months.