scholarly journals Can Peripheral Blood-Derived Gene Expressions Characterize Individuals at Ultra-high Risk for Psychosis?

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 168-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilson Wen Bin Goh ◽  
Judy Chia-Ghee Sng ◽  
Jie Yin Yee ◽  
Yuen Mei See ◽  
Tih-Shih Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Gene Signature ◽  
Biological Data ◽  
Functional Impairments ◽  
Gene Expressions ◽  
Surrogate Variable Analysis ◽  
Surrogate Variable ◽  
Ultra High Risk ◽  
Normalization Gene ◽  
Prediction Reliability

The ultra-high risk (UHR) state was originally conceived to identify individuals at imminent risk of developing psychosis. Although recent studies have suggested that most individuals designated UHR do not, they constitute a distinctive group, exhibiting cognitive and functional impairments alongside multiple psychiatric morbidities. UHR characterization using molecular markers may improve understanding, provide novel insight into pathophysiology, and perhaps improve psychosis prediction reliability. Whole-blood gene expressions from 56 UHR subjects and 28 healthy controls are checked for existence of a consistent gene expression profile (signature) underlying UHR, across a variety of normalization and heterogeneity-removal techniques, including simple log-conversion, quantile normalization, gene fuzzy scoring (GFS), and surrogate variable analysis. During functional analysis, consistent and reproducible identification of important genes depends largely on how data are normalized. Normalization techniques that address sample heterogeneity are superior. The best performer, the unsupervised GFS, produced a strong and concise 12-gene signature, enriched for psychosis-associated genes. Importantly, when applied on random subsets of data, classifiers built with GFS are “meaningful” in the sense that the classifier models built using genes selected after other forms of normalization do not outperform random ones, but GFS-derived classifiers do. Data normalization can present highly disparate interpretations on biological data. Comparative analysis has shown that GFS is efficient at preserving signals while eliminating noise. Using this, we demonstrate confidently that the UHR designation is well correlated with a distinct blood-based gene signature.

scholarly journals Investigating Cognitive and Clinical Predictors of Real-Life Functioning, Functional Capacity, and Quality of Life in Individuals at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Birkedal Glenthøj ◽  
Tina Dam Kristensen ◽  
Christina Wenneberg ◽  
Carsten Hjorthøj ◽  
Merete Nordentoft
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Skills ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Functional Capacity ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Role Functioning ◽  
Functional Impairments ◽  
Ultra High Risk

Abstract A substantial proportion of individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis show long-term functional impairments, which may have profound consequences for the individual and society. Finding predictors of these functional impairments is critical to inform on the individual’s functional prognosis and potentially develop targeted interventions. This study used data from 91 UHR individuals participating in a randomized, clinical trial, that were followed up at 12 months, to elucidate on clinical, neuro- and social-cognitive predictors of UHR individuals’ functional outcome in the domains of social- and role functioning, quality of life, and functional capacity. The proportion of UHR individuals showing a poor social- and role outcome at 12-month follow-up was 50% and 63%, respectively. Worse social outcome was predicted by higher levels of negative symptoms, reduced processing speed, and impaired baseline social functioning explaining 52% of the variance. Worse role outcome was predicted by impaired role functioning at baseline, explaining 25% of the variance. Quality of life impairments were predicted by better theory of mind explaining 4% of the variance, and functional capacity social skills deficits were predicted by impaired baseline social skills explaining 20% of the variance. Our findings indicate that processing speed and negative symptoms may contribute to social- and role-functioning deficits, and while aspects of social cognition may also relate to social- and role functioning, baseline-functional impairments seem to be a strong contributor to persistent impairments in functioning and quality of life. If replicated, our findings suggest the need for future studies investigating the effect of pro-functional interventions targeting baseline functioning and targeted cognitive domains in UHR.

Global fractional anisotropy predicts transition to psychosis after 12 months in individuals at ultra‐high risk for psychosis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina D. Kristensen ◽  
Louise B. Glenthøj ◽  
Karen Ambrosen ◽  
Warda Syeda ◽  
Jayachandra M. Ragahava ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Fractional Anisotropy ◽  
Ultra High Risk

scholarly journals Treating sleep problems in young people at ultra-high-risk of psychosis: study protocol for a single-blind parallel group randomised controlled feasibility trial (SleepWell)

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. e045235
Author(s):  
Felicity Waite ◽  
Thomas Kabir ◽  
Louise Johns ◽  
Jill Mollison ◽  
Apostolos Tsiachristas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Young People ◽  
Sleep Problems ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Feasibility Trial ◽  
Psychotic Experiences ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Ultra High Risk ◽  
Randomised Controlled

BackgroundEffective interventions, targeting key contributory causal factors, are needed to prevent the emergence of severe mental health problems in young people. Insomnia is a common clinical issue that is problematic in its own right but that also leads to the development and persistence of psychotic experiences. The implication is that treating sleep problems may prevent the onset of psychosis. We collected initial case series data with 12 young people at ultra-high-risk of psychosis. Post-intervention, there were improvements in sleep, depression and psychotic experiences. Now we test the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial, with a clinical aim to treat sleep problems and hence reduce depression, psychotic experiences, and prevent transition to psychosis.Methods and analysisA randomised controlled feasibility trial will be conducted. Forty patients aged 14 to 25 years who are at ultra-high-risk of psychosis and have sleep disturbance will be recruited from National Health Service (NHS) mental health services. Participants will be randomised to receive either a novel, targeted, youth-focussed sleep intervention in addition to usual care or usual care alone. Assessor-blinded assessments will be conducted at baseline, 3 months (post-intervention) and 9 months (follow-up). The eight-session psychological intervention will target the key mechanisms which disrupt sleep: circadian rhythm irregularities, low sleep pressure, and hyperarousal. To gain an in-depth understanding of participants’ views on the acceptability of the intervention and study procedures, 16 participants (n=10 intervention, n=6 control) will take part in qualitative interviews. Analyses will focus on feasibility outcomes (recruitment, retention, and treatment uptake rates) and provide initial CI estimates of intervention effects. Thematic analysis of the qualitative interviews will assess the acceptability of the intervention and trial procedures.Ethics and disseminationThe trial has received ethical approval from the NHS Health Research Authority. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and lay networks.Trial registration numberISRCTN85601537.

scholarly journals Fluvoxamine may prevent onset of psychosis: a case report of a patient at ultra-high risk of psychotic disorder

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shigenori Tadokoro ◽  
Nobuhisa Kanahara ◽  
Shuichi Kikuchi ◽  
Kenji Hashimoto ◽  
Iyo Masaomi
Keyword(s):  
Case Report ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Psychotic Disorder ◽  
Ultra High Risk

scholarly journals A novel application of bubble-eye strain of Carassius auratus for ex vivo fish immunological studies

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hiroto Nakajima ◽  
Atsushi Miyashita ◽  
Hiroshi Hamamoto ◽  
Kazuhisa Sekimizu
Keyword(s):  
Inflammatory Cytokines ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Large Bubble ◽  
Suitable Model ◽  
Bacterial Cells ◽  
Functional Impairments ◽  
Gene Expressions ◽  
Pro Inflammatory Cytokines

AbstractIn this study, we investigated a new application of bubble-eye goldfish (commercially available strain with large bubble-shaped eye sacs) for immunological studies in fishes utilizing the technical advantage of examining immune cells in the eye sac fluid ex vivo without sacrificing animals. As known in many aquatic species, the common goldfish strain showed an increased infection sensitivity at elevated temperature, which we demonstrate may be due to an immune impairment using the bubble-eye goldfish model. Injection of heat-killed bacterial cells into the eye sac resulted in an inflammatory symptom (surface reddening) and increased gene expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines observed in vivo, and elevated rearing temperature suppressed the induction of pro-inflammatory gene expressions. We further conducted ex vivo experiments using the immune cells harvested from the eye sac and found that the induced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines was suppressed when we increased the temperature of ex vivo culture, suggesting that the temperature response of the eye-sac immune cells is a cell autonomous function. These results indicate that the bubble-eye goldfish is a suitable model for ex vivo investigation of fish immune cells and that the temperature-induced infection susceptibility in the goldfish may be due to functional impairments of immune cells.

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