Objective: Chronic stress is a risk factor for developing stress-induced mental disorders like major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Low-grade inflammatory processes seem to mediate this association. The sphingolipid metabolism with its most important lipid messengers ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) was shown to play an important role in the pathophysiology of affective disorders and inflammation.
Method: We conducted an exploratory trial to investigate the effect of intensive psychosomatic - psychotherapeutic treatment of stress-induced disorders on the biological level. Before and after eight weeks of treatment, blood plasma of 67 patients was analyzed for sphingolipid levels and their metabolizing enzymes. Symptom severity of depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), and somatization (PHQ-15) was assessed in parallel.
Results: During psychosomatic - psychotherapeutic treatment, symptom severity of depression, anxiety, and somatization decreased significantly. Levels of the stress molecule cortisol decreased upon treatment. Enzymatic activities of secreted acid sphingomyelinase (S-ASM) and neutral sphingomyelinase (NSM) increased significantly upon treatment, as well as of neutral ceramidase (NC). Regarding the lipid level, the molar ratio of ceramide species Cer16:0 and Cer18:0 decreased upon treatment, whereas sphingosine and S1P levels increased.
Conclusions: Psychosomatic - psychotherapeutic treatment was associated with a reduction in specific ceramide ratios and an increase in sphingosine and S1P levels potentially resulting from increased activity of sphingolipid metabolizing enzymes. Stress-induced mental disorders might be associated with disturbed sphingolipid levels that seem to be balanced during psychosomatic treatment. This study offers a further piece of evidence that the sphingolipid metabolism could be involved in the pathophysiology of stress-induced disorders, and its analysis could be helpful for treatment monitoring.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00406-025-01985-2 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Psychosomatic - psychotherapeutic treatment of stress-related disorders impacts the sphingolipid metabolism towards increased sphingosine and sphingosine-1-phosphate levels.
Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci
March 2025
Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Friedrich-Alexander- Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany.
Objective: Chronic stress is a risk factor for developing stress-induced mental disorders like major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Low-grade inflammatory processes seem to mediate this association. The sphingolipid metabolism with its most important lipid messengers ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) was shown to play an important role in the pathophysiology of affective disorders and inflammation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAcute Schizophrenia-like Psychotic Disorder Against the Background of COVID-19.
Medicina (Kaunas)
February 2025
Psychiatric Hospital No. 1 Named After N.A. Alexeev of the Department of Health of Moscow, 115191 Moscow, Russia.
: Research in this area focuses on acute schizophrenia-like psychotic disorder, as more than half of cases progress to a chronic course, manifesting as schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Research has shown a link between viral infection and the onset of psychosis, and the influence of viruses on the clinical course of the disease is also being studied. Consequently, in cases where this type of psychosis co-occurs with a viral illness, there is a compelling rationale for identifying commonalities in both treatment and outcome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTherapeutic effects of short-term trauma stabilization techniques combined with escitalopram in treating adolescent major depressive disorder: a pilot randomised controlled trial.
BMC Psychiatry
February 2025
Psychosomatic Department, Taizhou Second People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Taizhou University, Taizhou, Zhejiang, 318000, China.
Objective: To explore the efficacy of short-term trauma stabilization techniques combined with escitalopram in the treatment of adolescent major depressive disorder (MDD).
Methods: A total of 80 patients with MDD who were hospitalized in the Psychosomatic Department of our hospital were selected and randomly divided into two groups: the escitalopram combined with short-term trauma stabilization technique group (study group) and the escitalopram combined with mental health education group (control group). Upon hospitalization, patients completed the adolescent self-rating life events check list (ASLEC), impact of event scale-revised (IES-R), 17-item Hamilton depression scale (HAMD-17) and Hamilton anxiety scale (HAMA).
Disturbance of neurotransmitter metabolites in peripheral blood of schizophrenia patients treated with olanzapine: a preliminary targeted metabolomic study.
BMC Psychiatry
February 2025
Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Mental Health Center of Jiangnan University, Wuxi City, 214151, China.
Background: The aim of this research was to characterize changes in peripheral blood neurotransmitter metabolites in olanzapine-treated schizophrenia (SCZ) and to identify potential biomarkers for SCZ. Concurrently, the relationship between these differential neurotransmitters and cognitive function is explored.
Methods: We recruited 40 SCZ treated with single-agent olanzapine and 40 healthy controls (HC).
Personality Functioning in Inpatients With Eating Disorders: Association With Symptom Severity and Treatment Outcome.
Eur Eat Disord Rev
February 2025
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Center for Mental Health, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Objective: Impairment in personality functioning (PF) has been linked to a number of mental disorders, including eating disorders (EDs). However, the precise relationship between PF and symptom severity, as well as the potential impact on outcome, remains unclear. The study aimed to analyse the association of PF and its change with severity of ED symptomatology as well as outcome of hospital treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!