Usp9X Controls Ankyrin-Repeat Domain Protein Homeostasis during Dendritic Spine Development.

Variants in the ANK3 gene encoding ankyrin-G are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, including intellectual disability, autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. However, no upstream regulators of ankyrin-G at synapses are known. Here, we show that ankyrin-G interacts with Usp9X, a neurodevelopmental-disorder-associated deubiquitinase (DUB).

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and emotional and behavioural problems in children: a longitudinal population-based study.

There is evidence that offspring of mothers who have hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are at increased risk of adverse health outcomes. This study aims to examine the association between maternal HDP and emotional- and behavioural problems in offspring at age 11 years as reported by teachers and parents. The current study is based on the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a prospective, population-based study that has followed a cohort of offspring since their mothers were pregnant.

Incidence Rates and Cumulative Incidences of the Full Spectrum of Diagnosed Mental Disorders in Childhood and Adolescence.

Importance: Knowledge about the epidemiology of mental disorders in children and adolescents is essential for research and planning of health services. Surveys can provide prevalence rates, whereas population-based registers are instrumental to obtain precise estimates of incidence rates and risks.

Objective: To estimate age- and sex-specific incidence rates and risks of being diagnosed with any mental disorder during childhood and adolescence.

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D modulates L-type voltage-gated calcium channels in a subset of neurons in the developing mouse prefrontal cortex.

Schizophrenia has been associated with a range of genetic and environmental risk factors. Here we explored a link between two risk factors that converge on a shared neurobiological pathway. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified risk variants in genes that code for L-type voltage-gated calcium channels (L-VGCCs), while epidemiological studies have found an increased risk of schizophrenia in those with neonatal vitamin D deficiency.

Developmental vitamin D and autism spectrum disorders: findings from the Stockholm Youth Cohort.

Animal studies indicate that early life vitamin D is crucial for proper neurodevelopment. Few studies have examined whether maternal and neonatal vitamin D concentrations influence risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Participants were sampled from the Stockholm Youth Cohort, a register-based cohort in Sweden.

Association of Childhood Exposure to Nitrogen Dioxide and Polygenic Risk Score for Schizophrenia With the Risk of Developing Schizophrenia.

Importance: Schizophrenia is a highly heritable psychiatric disorder, and recent studies have suggested that exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) during childhood is associated with an elevated risk of subsequently developing schizophrenia. However, it is not known whether the increased risk associated with NO2 exposure is owing to a greater genetic liability among those exposed to highest NO2 levels.

Objective: To examine the associations between childhood NO2 exposure and genetic liability for schizophrenia (as measured by a polygenic risk score), and risk of developing schizophrenia.

A comprehensive analysis of mortality-related health metrics associated with mental disorders: a nationwide, register-based cohort study.

Background: Systematic reviews have consistently shown that individuals with mental disorders have an increased risk of premature mortality. Traditionally, this evidence has been based on relative risks or crude estimates of reduced life expectancy. The aim of this study was to compile a comprehensive analysis of mortality-related health metrics associated with mental disorders, including sex-specific and age-specific mortality rate ratios (MRRs) and life-years lost (LYLs), a measure that takes into account age of onset of the disorder.

A comparison study of three physical activity measurement tools examining acceptability in people with psychosis.

Objective: To compare the acceptability of three distinct physical activity measurement tools in people with psychosis: an objective measurement tool, a self-report measure, and an exercise capacity test.

Methods: We measured the completion rate for each measurement tool. Participants rated the ease/difficulty of each measure using a 7-point Likert scale.

The contribution of bullying victimisation to the burden of anxiety and depressive disorders in Australia.

Aim: There is now a strong body of literature showing that bullying victimisation during childhood and adolescence precedes the later development of anxiety and depressive disorders. This study aimed to quantify the burden of anxiety and depressive disorders attributable to experiences of bullying victimisation for the Australian population.

Methods: This study updated a previous systematic review summarising the longitudinal association between bullying victimisation and anxiety and depressive disorders.

Maternal prenatal thyroid function and trajectories of offspring emotional and behavioural problems: findings from the ALSPAC cohort.

Maternal thyroid hormone may have impact on fetal brain development and consequently lead to offspring mental health problems. This study examined the role of maternal prenatal thyroid function on trajectories of offspring emotional and behavioural problems. Data were taken from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

Identifying risk of poor physical and mental health recovery following a road traffic crash: An industry-specific screening tool.

This study aimed to develop an industry-specific tool to identify risk of poor physical and mental recovery following minor to moderate injuries sustained in a road traffic crash (RTC). Existing tools are often designed for implementation by health professionals rather than insurer case managers who may not have a background in health. This study is a secondary analysis of a longitudinal cohort study using data collected at 2-6 months and 24 months post-RTC.

The association between early-onset schizophrenia with employment, income, education, and cohabitation status: nationwide study with 35 years of follow-up.

Purpose: Individuals with schizophrenia have been reported to have low employment rates. We examined the associations of schizophrenia with employment, income, and status of cohabitation from a work life course perspective.

Methods: Nationwide cohort study including all individuals (n = 2,390,127) born in Denmark between 1955 and 1991, who were alive at their 25th birthday.

Physical activity of people with mental disorders compared to the general population: a systematic review of longitudinal cohort studies.

Purpose: We investigated if (a) people with lower physical activity have an increased risk of subsequent mental disorders (compared to those with higher physical activity); and (b) people with mental disorders have reduced subsequent physical activity (compared to those without mental disorders).

Methods: A systematic review of population-based longitudinal studies examining physical activity and mental disorders was conducted. Mental disorders were defined by International Classification of Diseases or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

The cost-effectiveness of stepped care for the treatment of anxiety disorders in adults: A model-based economic analysis for the Australian setting.

Objective: To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of stepped care compared to care as usual (CAU) for the treatment of adults with mild-to-moderate anxiety disorders from a health sector perspective in the Australian setting.

Method: A decision tree model was constructed to estimate the cost per disability adjusted life year (DALY) averted over a 12-month time horizon. The model compared a three-step stepped care intervention to CAU.

Is there a role for antibodies targeting muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia?

Objective: Muscarinic receptor dysfunction has been suggested to play an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Recently, it has also become clear that immune reactivity directed against neurotransmitter receptors may play a pathogenic role in some cases of schizophrenia. The aim of this review is to summarize the case for muscarinic receptor dysfunction in schizophrenia and the evidence supporting the hypothesis that this dysfunction is related to the development of muscarinic receptor-targeting antibodies.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and the risk of offspring depression in childhood: Findings from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) may increase the risk of offspring depression in childhood. Low birth weight is also associated with increased risk of mental health problems, including depression. This study sought to investigate (a) whether there is an association between HDP and the risk of depression in childhood and (b) whether low birth weight mediates this association.

Paternal-age-related de novo mutations and risk for five disorders.

There are established associations between advanced paternal age and offspring risk for psychiatric and developmental disorders. These are commonly attributed to genetic mutations, especially de novo single nucleotide variants (dnSNVs), that accumulate with increasing paternal age. However, the actual magnitude of risk from such mutations in the male germline is unknown.

Insight and capacity to consent to electroconvulsive therapy.

Objective: To critically examine a recent decision of the Victorian Supreme Court that found that the Mental Health Tribunal and the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal erred in the application of the capacity test in the (Vic) and that compulsory electroconvulsive therapy would infringe upon the human rights of two patients who had no insight into their chronic schizophrenia.

Conclusions: After considering the concepts of insight and capacity to consent to treatment, the paper concludes that the decision in [2018] VSC 564 is problematic clinically.

The Sydney Lindt café siege: The role of the consultant psychiatrist.

Background: In December 2014, after a 16-hour siege of the Lindt café in Sydney, Iranian-born gunman Man Haron Monis shot dead a hostage precipitating the police action which broke the siege.

Objective: This paper reviews the demographic and other factual details of Monis as documented by the NSW Coroner's Inquest and critically analyses the published findings of the Coroner particularly in relation to the role of the psychiatrist who advised senior police and negotiators during the siege.

Results: At the time of the siege, there was no formal protocol that delineated the role of a psychiatrist in hostage negotiations.

Employment disadvantage and associated factors for informal carers of adults with mental illness: are they like other disability carers?

Background: Providing unpaid support to family and friends with disabling health conditions can limit a carer's capacity to participate in employment. The emotional support needs and unpredictability of caring for people with mental illness may be particularly demanding. While previous research suggests variable employment rates across carers for different conditions, there are limited data on mental health carers specifically.