Do cognitive functions in obsessive-compulsive disorder change after treatment? A systematic review and a double case report.

Background: Neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies have documented that patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have cognitive difficulties dependent upon fronto-striatal circuits in the brain. It is, however, unclear whether the cognitive difficulties change after treatment. Answering this question could help establish whether cognitive difficulties in OCD are state dependent or more trait-like.

A high-fat diet exacerbates depressive-like behavior in the Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) rat, a genetic model of depression.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and diabetes mellitus type II (T2DM) are two of the major health challenges of our time. It has been shown that MDD and T2DM are highly co-morbid, and recent work has proposed a bi-directional connection between the diseases. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effect of a high-fat diet (HFD) on behavior and metabolism in a genetic rat model of depression, the Flinders Sensitive and Resistant Line (FSL/FRL) rats.

Reduced mobility but unaffected startle response in female rats exposed to prenatal dexamethasone: different sides to a phenotype.

An adverse fetal environment is strongly associated with behavioral and emotional development in later life, and environmental interactions with the genome are essential in the development of pathophysiology. This implicates that a genetic vulnerability or other predisposition may interact with the environment and stressful life events to trigger mental disease. The startle reflex is highly sensitive to fear and anxiety in humans and animals.

Prenatal and adult stress interplay--behavioral implications.

The origin of adult behavior and the possible pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders remain elusive, but extensive research indicates that interaction of genes and environment play a crucial role for adult phenotype. Differences in susceptibility may arise by earlier experiences and genomic variables, either alone or in combination. The acoustic startle response (ASR) has been shown to be altered in patients with several psychiatric diseases, a change that could result from a persistent sensitization caused by chronic arousal secondary to a traumatic incident.

Predictors of poor adherence to medication among patients with first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorder.

Aim: This study sought to identify predictors for poor adherence to medication among patients with first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorder.

Methods: Medication adherence was measured 1 and 2 years after initiation of antipsychotic medication in a follow-up study of 547 patients. Relevant variables were systematically assessed at baseline, 1- and 2-year follow up.

Differential expression of synaptic vesicle proteins after repeated electroconvulsive seizures in rat frontal cortex and hippocampus.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains the treatment of choice for patients with severe or drug-resistant depressive disorders, yet the mechanism behind its efficacy and the effect on neurotransmission is essentially unknown. As synaptic vesicle proteins (SVPs) are required for vesicle fusion and neurotransmitter release, we have examined the effect of single and repeated electroconvulsive seizures (ECS), an animal model of ECT, on the expression of 14 SVPs in the rat frontal cortex and the hippocampus using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time qPCR). Only in the frontal cortex, the mRNA level of synapsin II was significantly upregulated after repeated ECS.