Personality traits and escitalopram treatment outcome in major depression.

Background: Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRI) have proven to be effective in treatment of depression. Still, treatment efficacy varies significantly from patient to patient and about 40% of patients do not respond to initial treatment. Personality traits have been considered one source of variability in treatment outcome.

Association between personality traits and Escitalopram treatment efficacy in panic disorder.

Background: There is strong evidence to suggest that personality factors may interact with the development and clinical expression of panic disorder (PD). A greater understanding of these relationships may have important implications for clinical practice and implications for searching reliable predictors of treatment outcome.

Aims: The study aimed to examine the effect of escitalopram treatment on personality traits in PD patients, and to identify whether the treatment outcome could be predicted by any personality trait.

Associations between personality traits and CCK-4-induced panic attacks in healthy volunteers.

In this study we examined how personality disposition may affect the response to cholecystokinin tetrapeptide (CCK-4; 50 microg) challenge in healthy volunteers (n=105). Personality traits were assessed with the Swedish universities Scales of Personality (SSP). Statistical methods employed were correlation analysis and logistic regression.

Spectral features of EEG in depression.

The aim of this study was to find distinctions of the EEG signal in female depression. Experiments were carried out on two groups of 18 female volunteers each: a group of patients with depressive disorder who were not on medication and a group of control subjects. Patients who had Hamilton depression rating scores higher than 14 were selected.

Electroencephalographic spectral asymmetry index for detection of depression.

This study is aimed to compare sensitivity of different electroencephalographic (EEG) indicators for detection of depression. The novel EEG spectral asymmetry index (SASI) was introduced based on balance between the powers of two special EEG frequency bands selected lower and higher of the EEG spectrum maximum and excluding the central frequency from the calculations. The efficiency of the SASI was compared to the traditional EEG inter-hemispheric asymmetry and coherence methods.

Evaluation of personality traits in panic disorder using Swedish universities Scales of Personality.

Personality factors may interact with development and expressions of panic disorder (PD). This study sought to identify differences in personality traits between patients with PD and healthy individuals and explore the relationships between personality domains and various demographic and clinical variables of PD. Personality traits were evaluated in 193 patients and 314 matched healthy subjects using the Swedish universities Scales of Personality (SSP).

Personality traits measured by the Swedish universities Scales of Personality: factor structure and position within the five-factor model in an Estonian sample.

The study aims to test the reliability and validity of the Estonian version of the Swedish universities Scales of Personality (SSP), and to characterize the position of the SSP-measured traits within the basic personality dimensions of the five-factor model. A total of 529 participants completed the Estonian version of the SSP. A subsample of 197 persons completed the SSP together with the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R).

Early-life respiratory viral infections, atopic sensitization, and risk of subsequent development of persistent asthma.

Background: Severe lower respiratory infections (LRIs) and atopic sensitization have been identified as independent risk factors for asthma.

Objective: The nature of potential interactions between these risk factors was the subject of this study.

Methods: A community-based cohort of 198 children at high atopic risk was followed from birth to 5 years.