Individual responses of rodents in modelling of affective disorders and in their treatment: prospective review

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 323-333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haim Einat ◽  
Itamar Ezer ◽  
Nirit Z Kara ◽  
Catherine Belzung

AbstractIntroductionLack of good animal models for affective disorders, including major depression and bipolar disorder, is noted as a major bottleneck in attempts to study these disorders and develop better treatments. We suggest that an important approach that can help in the development and use of better models is attention to variability between model animals.ResultsDifferences between mice strains were studied for some decades now, and sex differences get more attention than in the past. It is suggested that one factor that is mostly neglected, individual variability within groups, should get much more attention. The importance of individual differences in behavioral biology and ecology was repeatedly mentioned but its application to models of affective illness or to the study of drug response was not heavily studied. The standard approach is to overcome variability by standardization and by increasing the number of animals per group.ConclusionsPossibly, the individuality of specific animals and their unique responses to a variety of stimuli and drugs, can be helpful in deciphering the underlying biology of affective behaviors as well as offer better prediction of drug responses in patients.

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-18
Author(s):  
Andreas J. Forstner ◽  
Per Hoffmann ◽  
Markus M. Nöthen ◽  
Sven Cichon

Abstract Affective disorders, or mood disorders, are a group of neuropsychiatric illnesses that are characterized by a disturbance of mood or affect. Most genetic research in this field to date has focused on bipolar disorder and major depression. Symptoms of major depression include a depressed mood, reduced energy, and a loss of interest and enjoyment. Bipolar disorder is characterized by the occurrence of (hypo)manic episodes, which generally alternate with periods of depression. Formal and molecular genetic studies have demonstrated that affective disorders are multifactorial diseases, in which both genetic and environmental factors contribute to disease development. Twin and family studies have generated heritability estimates of 58–85 % for bipolar disorder and 40 % for major depression. Large genome-wide association studies have provided important insights into the genetics of affective disorders via the identification of a number of common genetic risk factors. Based on these studies, the estimated overall contribution of common variants to the phenotypic variability (single-nucleotide polymorphism [SNP]-based heritability) is 17–23 % for bipolar disorder and 9 % for major depression. Bioinformatic analyses suggest that the associated loci and implicated genes converge into specific pathways, including calcium signaling. Research suggests that rare copy number variants make a lower contribution to the development of affective disorders than to other psychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia or the autism spectrum disorders, which would be compatible with their less pronounced negative impact on reproduction. However, the identification of rare sequence variants remains in its infancy, as available next-generation sequencing studies have been conducted in limited samples. Future research strategies will include the enlargement of genomic data sets via innovative recruitment strategies; functional analyses of known associated loci; and the development of new, etiologically based disease models. Researchers hope that deeper insights into the biological causes of affective disorders will eventually lead to improved diagnostics and disease prediction, as well as to the development of new preventative, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies. Pharmacogenetics and the application of polygenic risk scores represent promising initial approaches to the future translation of genomic findings into psychiatric clinical practice.


2014 ◽  
Vol 205 (3) ◽  
pp. 183-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yen-Ni Hung ◽  
Shu-Yu Yang ◽  
Ming-Chyi Huang ◽  
For-Wey Lung ◽  
Shih-Ku Lin ◽  
...  

BackgroundCancer is a serious public health problem worldwide, and its relationship with affective disorders is not clear.AimsTo investigate alcohol- and tobacco-related cancer risk among patients with affective disorders in a large Taiwanese cohort.MethodRecords of newly admitted patients with affective disorders from January 1997 through December 2002 were retrieved from the Psychiatric Inpatient Medical Claims database in Taiwan. Cancers were stratified by site and grouped into tobacco- or alcohol-related cancers. Standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated to compare the risk of cancer between those with affective disorders and the general population.ResultsSome 10 207 patients with bipolar disorder and 9826 with major depression were included. The risk of cancer was higher in patients with major depression (SIR = 2.01, 95% CI 1.85–2.19) than in those with bipolar disorder (SIR 1.39, 95% CI 1.26–1.53). The elevated cancer risk among individuals ever admitted to hospital for affective disorders was more pronounced in tobacco- and/or alcohol-related cancers.ConclusionsElevated cancer risk was found in patients who had received in-patient care for affective disorders. They require holistic approaches to lifestyle behaviours and associated cancer risks.


1997 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger C Bland

Objective: To review the epidemiology of affective disorders. Methods: This paper reviews recent studies, many of which have used standardized methodology and classification systems, and summarizes their major findings. It also presents trends with particular reference to major depression. Results: There have been major advances in the last 15 years, with many investigators using standard methods in different countries, cultures, and races. Rates of major depression are probably increasing, and both major depression and bipolar disorder are occurring at younger ages. Conclusions: Affective disorders present a major public health problem with poor recognition, diagnosis, and treatment. There is little coordinated action to reduce untreated morbidity despite the availability of reasonably safe, effective, and economical treatments and the established effectiveness of continuing education programs for providers.


2000 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 99-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Lloyd ◽  
P.B. Jones

ABSTRACTThe past 20 years have seen much research into affective disorders, reflecting advances in both pharmacological and psychological treatments. However, there has been little basic epidemiological research into bipolar illness. This is particularly apparent regarding its basic occurrence and possible epigenetic causes. This presentation will attempt to bring together and integrate the available evidence regarding the basic epidemiology of bipolar disorder, define areas where further research is needed, and outline a large epidemiological study including bipolar affective disorder that has been supported by the Stanley Foundation.


2004 ◽  
Vol 185 (5) ◽  
pp. 372-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars Vedel Kessing ◽  
Mette Gerster Hansen ◽  
Per Kragh Andersen

BackgroundNewer antidepressants have increasingly been used during the past decade. These drugs may increase compliance and reduce the risk of cycle acceleration in affective disorders.AimsTo investigate the naturalistic longitudinal course of illness in patients with depressive or bipolar disorder following the use of recently introduced drugs.MethodThe rates of relapse leading to hospitalisation after successive episodes were calculated in a case register study including all hospital admissions of patients with primary affective disorder in Denmark during 1994–1999. Altogether, 9417 patients had a diagnosis of depressive disorder and 1106 patients had a diagnosis of mania or bipolar disorder, at first-ever discharge.ResultsThe rate of relapse leading to hospitalisation increased with the number of previous episodes in both depressive and bipolar disorders. However, the effect of episodes was not significant for men. The rate of relapse did not decline during the study period.ConclusionsThe course of severe depressive and bipolar disorders has remained roughly the same despite introduction of new treatments.


2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (04) ◽  
pp. 222-237
Author(s):  
Lena Schneider ◽  
Andreas Walther

ZusammenfassungHintergrund: Frauen erkranken fast doppelt so häufig wie Männer an einer Major Depression. Eine Hyperaktivität der Hypothalamus-Hypophysen-Nebennierenrinden-Achse (HHNA) und eine chronisch niedrig-gradige Inflammation sind 2 der konsistentesten biologischen Befunde bei schweren Depressionen. Inwiefern diese Parameter für die Existenz von Geschlechtsunterschieden bei Depression eine Rolle spielen, ist noch unzureichend untersucht worden. Methoden: Es wurde eine systematische Literaturrecherche mittels der elektronischen Fachdatenbanken (PubMed, Web of Science, PsycARTICLES) durchgeführt. Die Suche umfasste alle englischsprachigen Artikel, die bis zum 29. Juni 2019 aufgenommen wurden. Als MeSH terms wurden depression, sex differences, inflammation, hpa axis, mit Zusätzen wie cortisol, crp, IL-6, TNF-alpha, dex/crh oder tsst verwendet. Ergebnisse: Insgesamt konnten 62 Primärstudien mit einem Total von 91318 Probanden (52 % Frauen) eingeschlossen werden. Basale Glucocorticoidkonzentrationen scheinen für beide Geschlechter tendenziell positiv mit dem Vorliegen oder der Schwere einer Depressionssymptomatik assoziiert zu sein. Konsistente Geschlechtsunterschiede konnten für die Cortisolreaktion auf einen Stressor sowie für Entzündungsmarker identifiziert werden. Fazit: Geschlechtsunterschiede in der Neurobiologie der Depression sind identifizierbar und geben Anlass für geschlechtsspezifische Untersuchungen der Pathophysiologie von Depressionen und deren geschlechtsspezifischer Behandlungen.


2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 40-50
Author(s):  
Hugo Enrique Hernández-Martínez ◽  
Marta Georgina Ochoa-Madrigal

The diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorders (BPD) in children is currently one of the biggest challenges and area of controversy in the field of child psychiatry. Bipolar disorders encompass several affective disorders that involve alterations in the degree of activity, content and form of thinking that are characterized by biphasic episodes of mood. This group of disorders affect approximately 1% of the world population and begin in youth (the average age of onset of ~20 years). However, in some studies a delay of 5 years has been observed since the presentation of symptoms at the beginning of the treatment. Currently, the diagnosis of TBP in children and adolescents should be based on the same set of symptoms applied to adults, as well as the general principles of the treatment. The research carried out around this disorder has resulted in changes in the conceptualization and approach of this pathology, now conceived as a group of disorders that share changes in mood and other cardinal symptoms, of a chronic and progressive nature that impacts in a negative way in those who suffer them. Key words: Bipolar disorder; childhood; mania; hypomania; depression.


2001 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan H. Busch ◽  
Ernst R. Berndt ◽  
Richard G. Frank

Economists have long suggested that to be reliable, a preferred medical care price index should employ time-varying weights to measure outcomes-adjusted changes in the price of treating an episode of illness. In this article, we report on several years of research developing alternative indexes for the treatment of the acute phase of major depression, for the period 1991–1996. The introduction of new treatment technologies in the past two decades suggests well-known measurement issues may be prominent in constructing such a price index.We report on the results of four successively re


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