Basolateral amygdala volume in affective disorders using 7T MRI .

Background: The basolateral complex of the amygdala is a crucial neurobiological site for Pavlovian conditioning. Investigations into volumetric alterations of the basolateral amygdala in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) have yielded conflicting results. These may be reconciled in an inverted U-shape allostatic growth trajectory.

Hypothalamic volume in pedophilia with or without child sexual offense.

The hypothalamus regulates sexual behavior and is simultaneously associated with aggression and violence. Consequently, this brain region is relevant in research of pedophilia and child sexual offenses (CSO). The distinction between these two phenomena is of great importance and was the object of consideration of this study.

Serum BDNF levels correlate with regional cortical thickness in minor depression: a pilot study.

Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) reflects state changes in mood disorders. But its relation to brain changes in depression has rarely been investigated in humans. We assessed the association between serum BDNF, cortical thickness, or gray matter volume in 20 subjects with a minor depressive episode and 40 matched healthy subjects.

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Antidepressive Effect of Electroconvulsive Therapy: Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of the Preclinical and Clinical Literature.

Emerging data suggest that Electro-Convulsive Treatment (ECT) may reduce depressive symptoms by increasing the expression of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). Yet, conflicting findings have been reported. For this reason we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the preclinical and clinical literature on the association between ECT treatment (ECS in animals) and changes in BDNF concentrations and their effect on behavior.

First evidence for glial pathology in late life minor depression: S100B is increased in males with minor depression.

Minor depression is diagnosed when a patient suffers from 2 to 4 depressive symptoms for at least 2 weeks. Though minor depression is a widespread phenomenon, its pathophysiology has hardly been studied. To get a first insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this disorder we assessed serum levels of biomarkers for plasticity, glial and neuronal function: brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), S100B and neuron specific enolase (NSE).

BDNF as a biomarker for successful treatment of mood disorders: a systematic & quantitative meta-analysis.

Background: Peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is decreased in acute major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) and recovered after treatment. Here we validated on a meta-analytical level whether BDNF restores differentially according to treatment response and whose measurements could be used as a biomarker, plasma or serum.

Methods: Using strict inclusion criteria, we compared BDNF in healthy controls and patients with MDD (38 studies, n=6619), and BD (17 studies, n=1447).

Internal dose assessment of (-)-18F-flubatine, comparing animal model datasets of mice and piglets with first-in-human results.

Unlabelled: (-)-(18)F-flubatine is a promising tracer for neuroimaging of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), subtype α4β2, using PET. Radiation doses after intravenous administration of the tracer in mice and piglets were assessed to determine the organ doses (ODs) and the effective dose (ED) to humans. The results were compared with subsequent clinical investigations in human volunteers.

Differentiation between free and bound leptin in depressed patients.

The relationship between leptin and affective disorders is still unknown. We measured free and bound leptin in 13 drug naïve subjects. Leptin did not significantly differ between patients and controls.

Serum S100B represents a new biomarker for mood disorders.

Recently, mood disorders have been discussed to be characterized by glial pathology. The protein S100B, a growth and differentiation factor, is located in, and may actively be released by astro- and oligodendrocytes. This protein is easily assessed in human serum and provides a useful parameter for glial activation or injury.

Disease tracking markers for Alzheimer's disease at the prodromal (MCI) stage.

Older persons with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) feature neurobiological Alzheimer's Disease (AD) in 50% to 70% of the cases and develop dementia within the next 5 to 7 years. Current evidence suggests that biochemical, neuroimaging, electrophysiological, and neuropsychological markers can track the disease over time since the MCI stage (also called prodromal AD). The amount of evidence supporting their validity is of variable strength.

Hyperstable regulation of vigilance in patients with major depressive disorder.

Objectives: This study tested the hypothesis that patients with depression show less and later declines into lower EEG vigilance stages (different global functional brain states) under resting conditions than healthy controls, as proposed by the vigilance theory of affective disorders.

Methods: Thirty patients with Major Depressive Disorder (19 female; mean age: 37.2 years, SD: 12.

Cerebrospinal fluid concentrations of functionally important amino acids and metabolic compounds in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers play an important role in the differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and its postulated precursor stage mild cognitive impairment (MCI). While CSF tau protein, phospho-tau protein and beta-amyloid have become part of the diagnostic process in clinical routine, the importance of several other biomarkers remains quite unclear. Among these, amino acids and metabolic compounds have been studied in clinical conditions mostly other than AD and, to our knowledge, never in MCI.

Are psychostimulants a treatment option in mania?

Mania and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show a high degree of symptom overlap and comorbidity. Clinical trials and case reports indicate that psychostimulants do not or only rarely trigger or aggravate manic episodes but can even produce rapid and pronounced antimanic effects. An explanatory model is presented here in which the sensation seeking, hyperactive behaviour observed in mania and ADHD is interpreted as an autoregulatory attempt to stabilize vigilance by increasing external stimulation.

Diffusion tensor imaging of frontal lobe white matter tracts in schizophrenia.

We acquired diffusion tensor and structural MRI images on 103 patients with schizophrenia and 41 age-matched normal controls. The vector data was used to trace tracts from a region of interest in the anterior limb of the internal capsule to the prefrontal cortex. Patients with schizophrenia had tract paths that were significantly shorter in length from the center of internal capsule to prefrontal white matter.

Effect of donepezil in patients with Alzheimer's disease previously untreated or treated with memantine or nootropic agents in Germany: an observational study.

Objective: This open-label, prospective, observational, Post-Marketing Surveillance (PMS) study assessed the efficacy and safety of donepezil in patients who had been switched from therapies currently used in Germany to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD), such as memantine and nootropics, due to insufficient efficacy or poor tolerability. A treatment-naive population was included as a comparator.

Research Design And Methods: Patients with AD were treated with donepezil and observed for a period of approximately 3 months.