Biological psychiatry
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Biological psychiatry · Mar 2017
Neonatal Cytokine Profiles Associated With Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that can be reliably diagnosed at age 24 months. Immunological phenomena, including skewed cytokine production, have been observed among children with ASD. Little is known about whether immune dysregulation is present before diagnosis of ASD. ⋯ This study is part of a growing effort to identify early biological markers for ASD. We demonstrate that peripheral cytokine profiles at birth are associated with ASD later in childhood and that cytokine profiles vary depending on ASD severity. Cytokines have complex roles in neurodevelopment, and dysregulated levels may be indicative of genetic differences and environmental exposures or their interactions that relate to ASD.
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Biological psychiatry · Feb 2017
Prefrontal Structure Varies as a Function of Pain Symptoms in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is characterized by severe fatigue persisting for ≥6 months and leading to considerable impairment in daily functioning. Neuroimaging studies of patients with CFS have revealed alterations in prefrontal brain morphology. However, it remains to be determined whether these alterations are specific for fatigue or whether they relate to other common CFS symptoms (e.g., chronic pain, lower psychomotor speed, and reduced physical activity). ⋯ CFS, as diagnosed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, is not a clinical entity reliably associated with reduced GMV. Individual variation in the presence of pain, rather than fatigue, is associated with neuronal alterations in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of patients with CFS.
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Biological psychiatry · Jan 2017
Higher C-Reactive Protein Levels Predict Postoperative Delirium in Older Patients Undergoing Major Elective Surgery: A Longitudinal Nested Case-Control Study.
Delirium is a common, morbid, and costly postoperative complication. We aimed to identify blood-based postoperative delirium markers in a nested case-control study of older surgical patients using a proteomics approach followed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) validation. ⋯ Elevated preoperative and postoperative plasma levels of C-reactive protein were associated with delirium, suggesting that a preinflammatory state and heightened inflammatory response to surgery are potential pathophysiologic mechanisms of delirium.
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Biological psychiatry · Sep 2016
Sex Differences in Effects of Ketamine on Behavior, Spine Density, and Synaptic Proteins in Socially Isolated Rats.
The mechanistic underpinnings of sex differences in occurrence of depression and efficacy of antidepressant treatments are poorly understood. We examined the effects of isolation stress (IS) and the fast-acting antidepressant ketamine on anhedonia and depression-like behavior, spine density, and synaptic proteins in male and female rats. ⋯ Our findings implicate a role for synaptic proteins synapsin-1, postsynaptic density protein 95, and glutamate receptor 1 and medial prefrontal cortex spine density in the antidepressant effects of ketamine in male rats subjected to IS but not in female rats subjected to IS, suggesting dissimilar underlying mechanisms for efficacy of ketamine in the two sexes.
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Biological psychiatry · Sep 2016
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyIntravenous Esketamine in Adult Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Double-Blind, Double-Randomization, Placebo-Controlled Study.
The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety and to explore the dose response of esketamine intravenous (IV) infusion in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). ⋯ A rapid onset of robust antidepressant effects was observed in patients with TRD after a 40-minute IV infusion of either .20 mg/kg or .40 mg/kg of esketamine. The lower dose may allow for better tolerability while maintaining efficacy.