Brain Structure and Subclinical Symptoms: A Dimensional Perspective of Psychopathology in the Depression and Anxiety Spectrum.

Human psychopathology is the result of complex and subtle neurobiological alterations. Categorial DSM or ICD diagnoses do not allow a biologically founded and differentiated description of these diverse processes across a spectrum or continuum, emphasising the need for a scientific and clinical paradigm shift towards a dimensional psychiatric nosology. The subclinical part of the spectrum is, however, of special interest for early detection of mental disorders.

Responses of a legume to inbreeding and the intensity of novel and familiar stresses.

It is often assumed that the negative effects of inbreeding on fitness (inbreeding depression, ID) are particularly strong under stressful conditions. However, ID may be relatively mild under types of stress that plant populations have experienced for a long time, because environment-specific deleterious alleles may already have been purged. We examined the performance of open- and self-pollinated progeny of the short-lived calcareous grassland plant under three intensities of each of five types of stress.

Detection of somatic epigenetic variation in Norway spruce via targeted bisulfite sequencing.

Epigenetic mechanisms represent a possible mechanism for achieving a rapid response of long-lived trees to changing environmental conditions. However, our knowledge on plant epigenetics is largely limited to a few model species. With increasing availability of genomic resources for many tree species, it is now possible to adopt approaches from model species that permit to obtain single-base pair resolution data on methylation at a reasonable cost.

The neural basis of hostility-related dimensions in schizophrenia.

Hostility and related dimensions like anger, urgency, impulsivity and aggressiveness have been described in non-clinical populations and various serious mental illnesses including schizophrenia. Although representing a mental healthcare challenge, the investigation of such constructs is often limited by the presence of complex and multi-factorial causes and lack of agreement in their conceptualisation and measurement. In this review, we aim to clarify the anatomical basis of hostility-related dimensions in schizophrenia.

Common and distinct structural features of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: The European Network on Psychosis, Affective disorders and Cognitive Trajectory (ENPACT) study.

Introduction: Although schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) share elements of pathology, their neural underpinnings are still under investigation. Here, structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data collected from a large sample of BD and SCZ patients and healthy controls (HC) were analyzed in terms of gray matter volume (GMV) using both voxel based morphometry (VBM) and a region of interest (ROI) approach.

Methods: The analysis was conducted on two datasets, Dataset1 (802 subjects: 243 SCZ, 176 BD, 383 HC) and Dataset2, a homogeneous subset of Dataset1 (301 subjects: 107 HC, 85 BD and 109 SCZ).

Brain structural correlates of irritability: Findings in a large healthy cohort.

Irritability and nonviolent aggression are common behavioral features across the population, yet there is limited neurobiological research into subclinical phenotypes representing the lower edge of a symptom continuum ranging from slight irritability to criminal violence. We studied brain structural correlates of irritability in a large healthy cohort to test the hypothesis of associations with fronto-limbic brain structures implicated in mood regulation. In a large multicenter effort, we recruited 409 mentally healthy adults from the community, who received T1-weighted high-resolution 3 T MRI scans.

Hippocampal metabolism and prefrontal brain structure: A combined 1H-MR spectroscopy, neuropsychological, and voxel-based morphometry (VBM) study.

Hippocampal structural and functional integrity impacts on multiple remote areas of the brain, and this connectivity is central to multiple cognitive functions in healthy and disease. We studied associations of hippocampal metabolic markers N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) and glutamate (Glu and Glx; assessed with 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and brain grey matter (studied with voxel-based morphometry, VBM) in 20 healthy subjects. We found a significant correlation between right hippocampal NAA and left ventrolateral prefrontal cortical grey matter (TFCE, p<0.

Acute Levodopa Challenge Test in Patients with de novo Parkinson's Disease: Data from the DeNoPa Cohort.

Background: The precise clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) can be difficult in the early stages. Diagnostic criteria include the response of key motor features to levodopa as a supportive prospective criterion. Data are sparse on the diagnostic value of the acute levodopa challenge test (LDCT) in patients with PD.

Diffusion tensor imaging of cingulum bundle and corpus callosum in schizophrenia vs. bipolar disorder.

Both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder show abnormalities of white matter, as seen in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) analyses of major brain fibre bundles. While studies in each of the two conditions have indicated possible overlap in anatomical location, there are few direct comparisons between the disorders. Also, it is unclear whether phenotypically similar subgroups (e.

BrainAGE score indicates accelerated brain aging in schizophrenia, but not bipolar disorder.

BrainAGE (brain age gap estimation) is a novel morphometric parameter providing a univariate score derived from multivariate voxel-wise analyses. It uses a machine learning approach and can be used to analyse deviation from physiological developmental or aging-related trajectories. Using structural MRI data and BrainAGE quantification of acceleration or deceleration of in individual aging, we analysed data from 45 schizophrenia patients, 22 bipolar I disorder patients (mostly with previous psychotic symptoms / episodes), and 70 healthy controls.

Cortical complexity in bipolar disorder applying a spherical harmonics approach.

Recent studies using surface-based morphometry of structural magnetic resonance imaging data have suggested that some changes in bipolar disorder (BP) might be neurodevelopmental in origin. We applied a novel analysis of cortical complexity based on fractal dimensions in high-resolution structural MRI scans of 18 bipolar disorder patients and 26 healthy controls. Our region-of-interest based analysis revealed increases in fractal dimensions (in patients relative to controls) in left lateral orbitofrontal cortex and right precuneus, and decreases in right caudal middle frontal, entorhinal cortex, and right pars orbitalis, and left fusiform and posterior cingulate cortices.

Effects of subclinical depression, anxiety and somatization on brain structure in healthy subjects.

Background: Dimensional approaches in highly prevalent psychiatric disorders like depression or anxiety could lead to a better understanding of pathogenesis and advantages in early detection and prevention. In an effort to better understand associations of brain structural variation across the depression/anxiety spectra, we investigated minor subclinical symptoms in a non-clinical healthy population.

Methods: We studied 177 healthy subjects from the community, who underwent high-resolution T1-weighted 3T MRI and completed the symptom-checklist-90 (SCL-90-R).

Wide Distribution of Foxicin Biosynthetic Gene Clusters in Strains - An Unusual Secondary Metabolite with Various Properties.

Tü6028 is known to produce the polyketide antibiotic polyketomycin. The deletion of the oxygenase gene led to a non-polyketomycin-producing mutant. Instead, novel compounds were produced by the mutant, which have not been detected before in the wild type strain.

Cafedrine/Theodrenaline (20:1) Is an Established Alternative for the Management of Arterial Hypotension in Germany-a Review Based on a Systematic Literature Search.

A 20:1 combination of cafedrine:theodrenaline (Akrinor®) is widely used in Germany for the treatment of hypotensive states during anesthesia and in emergency medicine. Although this drug formulation has been available since 1963, there are few studies relating to its use and many of the data are only available in German. In this article, we summarize the available data and propose mechanisms for the effects of cafedrine/theodrenaline on cardiac muscle cells and vascular smooth muscle cells.

Trustworthy Tricksters: Violating a Negative Social Expectation Affects Source Memory and Person Perception When Fear of Exploitation Is High.

People who are high in victim-sensitivity-a personality trait characterized by a strong fear of being exploited by others-are more likely to attend to social cues associated with untrustworthiness rather than to cues associated with trustworthiness compared with people who are low in victim-sensitivity. But how do these people react when an initial expectation regarding a target's trustworthiness turns out to be false? Results from two studies show that victim-sensitive compared with victim-insensitive individuals show enhanced source memory and greater change in person perception for negatively labeled targets that violated rather than confirmed negative expectations (the "trustworthy trickster"). These findings are in line with recent theorizing on schema inconsistency and expectancy violation effects in social cognition and with research on the different facets of justice sensitivity in personality psychology.

Can Psychological Expectation Models Be Adapted for Placebo Research?

Placebo responses contribute substantially to the effect and clinical outcome of medical treatments. Patients' expectations have been identified as one of the major mechanisms contributing to placebo effects. However, to date a general theoretical framework to better understand how patient expectations interact with features of medical treatment has not been developed.

Microglomerular Synaptic Complexes in the Sky-Compass Network of the Honeybee Connect Parallel Pathways from the Anterior Optic Tubercle to the Central Complex.

While the ability of honeybees to navigate relying on sky-compass information has been investigated in a large number of behavioral studies, the underlying neuronal system has so far received less attention. The sky-compass pathway has recently been described from its input region, the dorsal rim area (DRA) of the compound eye, to the anterior optic tubercle (AOTU). The aim of this study is to reveal the connection from the AOTU to the central complex (CX).

Identification of Differentially Expressed Genes during Spore Outgrowth in High-Salinity Environments Using RNA Sequencing.

In its natural habitat, the soil bacterium often has to cope with fluctuating osmolality and nutrient availability. Upon nutrient depletion it can form dormant spores, which can revive to form vegetative cells when nutrients become available again. While the effects of salt stress on spore germination have been analyzed previously, detailed knowledge on the salt stress response during the subsequent outgrowth phase is lacking.

Different Cortical Mechanisms for Spatial vs. Feature-Based Attentional Selection in Visual Working Memory.

The limited capacity of visual working memory (VWM) necessitates attentional mechanisms that selectively update and maintain only the most task-relevant content. Psychophysical experiments have shown that the retroactive selection of memory content can be based on visual properties such as location or shape, but the neural basis for such differential selection is unknown. For example, it is not known if there are different cortical modules specialized for spatial vs.

Prodromal Markers in Parkinson's Disease: Limitations in Longitudinal Studies and Lessons Learned.

A growing body of evidence supports a prodromal neurodegenerative process preceding the clinical onset of Parkinson's disease (PD). Studies have identified several different prodromal markers that may have the potential to predict the conversion from healthy to clinical PD but use considerably different approaches. We systematically reviewed 35 longitudinal studies reporting prodromal PD features and evaluated the methodological quality across 10 different predefined domains.

Bono Bo and Fla Mingo: Reflections of Speech Prosody in German Second Graders' Writing to Dictation.

Written German is characterized by an underrepresentation of prosody. During writing acquisition, children have to tackle the question which prosodic features are realized by what means - if any. We examined traces of speech prosody in German children's writing to dictation.

DistAMo: A Web-Based Tool to Characterize DNA-Motif Distribution on Bacterial Chromosomes.

Short DNA motifs are involved in a multitude of functions such as for example chromosome segregation, DNA replication or mismatch repair. Distribution of such motifs is often not random and the specific chromosomal pattern relates to the respective motif function. Computational approaches which quantitatively assess such chromosomal motif patterns are necessary.

Children of mentally ill parents-a pilot study of a group intervention program.

Objective: The transgenerational transmission of mental disorders is one of the most prominent risk factors for the development of psychological disorders. Children of mentally ill parents are a vulnerable high risk group with overall impaired development and high rates of psychological disorders. To date there are only a few evidence based intervention programs for this group overall and hardly any in Germany.

Does Cognitive Behavior Therapy for psychosis (CBTp) show a sustainable effect on delusions? A meta-analysis.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy for psychosis (CBTp) is an effective treatment resulting in small to medium effect sizes with regard to changes in positive symptoms and psychopathology. As a consequence, CBTp is recommended by national guidelines for all patients with schizophrenia. However, although CBTp was originally developed as a means to improve delusions, meta-analyses have generally integrated effects for positive symptoms rather than for delusions.