scholarly journals Cortisol as a Biomarker of Mental Disorder Severity

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (21) ◽  
pp. 5204
Author(s):  
Ewelina Dziurkowska ◽  
Marek Wesolowski
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Biological Marker ◽  
Cortisol Secretion ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Cortisol Levels ◽  
Healthy Participants

Cortisol—the most important steroid hormone with a significant effect on body metabolism—strongly affects peripheral tissues and the central nervous system. Fluctuations in cortisol secretion often accompany psychiatric disorders, and normalization of its levels correlates with improvement in the patient’s health. This indicates that cortisol may be useful as a biological marker that can help determine the likelihood of mental illness, its impending onset, and the severity of symptoms, which is especially important in the face of the increasing prevalence of mental disorders, including those associated with social isolation and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. This publication reviews recent reports on cortisol levels in healthy participants and shows the current state of knowledge on changes in the levels of this hormone in people at risk for depression, bipolar disorder, and psychosis. It shows how people with psychiatric disorders react to stressful situations and how the applied therapies affect cortisol secretion. The influence of antidepressants and antipsychotics on cortisol levels in healthy people and those with mental disorders is also described. Finally, it reviews publications on the patterns of cortisol secretion in patients in remission.

scholarly journals The current state of research on psychiatric genetics in Poland and the world: A report covering recent years

2018 ◽  
Vol 72 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Anna Grzywacz ◽  
Małgorzata Ryder ◽  
Iwona Małecka ◽  
Jolanta Chmielowiec
Keyword(s):  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Unipolar Depression ◽  
Psychiatric Genetics ◽  
Genetic Studies ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
State Of Research ◽  
The Impact

The aim of this article was to review the results of research carried out in recent years in relation to genetic studies in psychiatry. The authors’ focus is on the selected disorders, with particular emphasis on the reports from Poland. For this purpose, the most often mentioned studies describing genes and biomarkers involved in psychiatry were selected. Genetic polymorphisms were described in relation to schizophrenia, alcoholism, addiction to psychoactive substances, autistic spectrum, unipolar depression and bipolar disorder, eating disorders and other psychiatric disorders. Characterizing the impact of inheritance factors on the processes in the central nervous system, it can be observed that some biological mechanisms forms associations with tested genetic variants and this combination is linked with the risk of mental disorders. To understand the role of psychiatric genetics, surveys which join genotype and phenotype associations (endophenotype) are essential. It seems important to study and search for associations of genes polymorphisms and biomarkers with mental and psychiatric disorders in order to better understanding the biological basis of the disease and more effective treatment of patients. In many cases, the variability analysis of selected genes sheds new light on understanding the etiology of diseases and mental disorders. Genetics is a powerful technique which allows us to study the impact of the inherited variance on changes in mental state, even without having prior knowledge about biological changes.

scholarly journals 5-HIAA as a Potential Biological Marker for Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 374-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hridya Jayamohananan ◽  
Maneesha Kalappurackal Manoj Kumar ◽  
Aneesh T P
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Biological Marker ◽  
Cognitive Disorder ◽  
Raphe Nuclei ◽  
Serotonin Level ◽  
Neuronal Synapses ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Critical Requirement ◽  
Raphé Nuclei ◽  
Global Population

Neurological and psychiatric disorders occur in about 6 percent of the global population indicating a significant amount of people suffering from neurological disorder on a varying range in day to day life. On an extensive view, there is a critical requirement for the development of an alternative biomarker for these conditions. The thwart found in developing a biomarker is the difficulty in identifying a serum biomarker as these are mostly limited to the central nervous system (CNS). Serotonin being a neurotransmitter synthesized in the raphe nuclei of the brain could serve as an alternative biomarker. Here, the limitation is that it’s quickly metabolized by the mitochondrial enzyme MAO to 5-hydroxy indole acetic acid (5HIAA). This subsequent metabolite can be used for the analysis of serotonin levels in brain by analysing its concentration in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Many theories suggest that the variations in serotonin level could lead to the development of many neurological and psychiatric disorders like Alzheimer’s disease (AD), schizophrenia, depression and so on. A decreased level is noticed in these patients but this could either be due to decreased production or increased reuptake of serotonin from the neuronal synapses. For instance, we know that a patient with depression shows a significant reduction in the levels of 5HIAA, due to the location of the raphe nuclei within regions of memory and cognition. Similarly, it does shows variation in AD and mild cognitive disorder. Evolving of 5HIAA as a biomarker, could be more delicate and enhanced strategy for monitoring these disorders.

Collateral damage: cardiovascular consequences of chronic sympathetic activation with human aging

2004 ◽  
Vol 287 (5) ◽  
pp. H1895-H1905 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas R. Seals ◽  
Frank A. Dinenno
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Metabolic Diseases ◽  
Primary Response ◽  
Adrenergic Stimulation ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
Arterial Blood ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Obesity Hypertension ◽  
And Function

Adult aging in humans is associated with marked and sustained increases in sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity to several peripheral tissues, including the heart, the gut-liver circulation, and skeletal muscle. This chronic activation of the peripheral SNS likely is, at least in part, a primary response of the central nervous system to stimulate thermogenesis to prevent further fat storage in the face of increasing adiposity with aging. However, as has been proposed in obesity hypertension, this tonic activation of the peripheral SNS has a number of adverse secondary cardiovascular consequences. These include chronic reductions in leg blood flow and vascular conductance, increased tonic support of arterial blood pressure, reduced limb and systemic α-adrenergic vasoconstrictor responsiveness, impaired baroreflex buffering, large conduit artery hypertrophy, and decreased vascular and cardiac responsiveness to β-adrenergic stimulation. These effects of chronic age-associated SNS activation on the structure and function of the cardiovascular system, in turn, may have important implications for the maintenance of physiological function and homeostasis, as well as the risk of developing clinical cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in middle-aged and older adults.

scholarly journals PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS IN THE COURSE OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (8) ◽  
pp. 1780-1784
Author(s):  
Magdalena Zając ◽  
Patryk Główczyński ◽  
Karina Agnieszka Badura Brzoza
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Anxiety Disorders ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Treatment Process ◽  
Demyelinating Disease ◽  
Mental Diseases ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Disease Experience

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory and demyelinating disease of the central nervous system of a chronic nature, most often with periods of exacerbation and remission, mainly affecting people between 20-40 years of age, with a slight prevalence of women. The aim of the study was to collect and analyze materials published in the literature regarding the prevalence and co-occurrence of mental disorders in patients with multiple sclerosis. Current reports show that as many as 75% of patients with this chronic disease experience various mental disorders, and the incidence of mental diseases - including mood disorders and anxiety disorders - is statistically higher than in the general population. Conclusions: Depending on the literature, depressive symptoms appear in 6.94% -70.1% of patients with MS. Diagnosis of anxiety disorders affects 11.1% of patients, while bipolar disorder affects up to 16.2%. Co-occurrence of MS with schizophrenia is estimated at 1.28%. The incidence of other psychoses is 2-4% in patients with MS. Only in the case of schizophrenia, men with MS are more likely to develop it, while other psychiatric disorders are more common among women. Co-occurrence of mental disorders in the course of multiple sclerosis adversely affects the treatment process and the functioning of patients and their families.

scholarly journals Likely Exacerbation of Psychological Disorders from Covid-19 Response

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 215013272110167
Author(s):  
Tara Rava Zolnikov ◽  
Tanya Clark ◽  
Tessa Zolnikov
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Disorders ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Face ◽  
Adults And Children ◽  
Post Traumatic ◽  
Anxiety Depression

Anxiety and fear felt by people around the world regarding the coronavirus pandemic is real and can be overwhelming, resulting in strong emotional reactions in adults and children. With depressive and anxiety disorders already highly prevalent in the general population (300 million worldwide), depression and/or anxiety specifically because of the pandemic response is likely. Moreover, the current state of panic in the face of uncertainty is apt to produce significant amounts of stress. While this situation has the potential to cause psychological disorders in previously unaffected populations, perhaps more impactful is the exacerbation of symptoms of many existing disorders including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and hoarding disorder.

Endocannabinoid system in the neurodevelopment of GABAergic interneurons: implications for neurological and psychiatric disorders

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chang-geng Song ◽  
Xin Kang ◽  
Fang Yang ◽  
Wan-qing Du ◽  
Jia-jia Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Endocannabinoid System ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Network Activity ◽  
Inhibitory Neurons ◽  
Gabaergic Interneurons ◽  
Neural Stem Progenitor Cells ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Interneuron Development

Abstract In mature mammalian brains, the endocannabinoid system (ECS) plays an important role in the regulation of synaptic plasticity and the functioning of neural networks. Besides, the ECS also contributes to the neurodevelopment of the central nervous system. Due to the increase in the medical and recreational use of cannabis, it is inevitable and essential to elaborate the roles of the ECS on neurodevelopment. GABAergic interneurons represent a group of inhibitory neurons that are vital in controlling neural network activity. However, the role of the ECS in the neurodevelopment of GABAergic interneurons remains to be fully elucidated. In this review, we provide a brief introduction of the ECS and interneuron diversity. We focus on the process of interneuron development and the role of ECS in the modulation of interneuron development, from the expansion of the neural stem/progenitor cells to the migration, specification and maturation of interneurons. We further discuss the potential implications of the ECS and interneurons in the pathogenesis of neurological and psychiatric disorders, including epilepsy, schizophrenia, major depressive disorder and autism spectrum disorder.

scholarly journals The Skeletal Muscle Emerges as a New Disease Target in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 671
Author(s):  
Oihane Pikatza-Menoio ◽  
Amaia Elicegui ◽  
Xabier Bengoetxea ◽  
Neia Naldaiz-Gastesi ◽  
Adolfo López de Munain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Muscle Tissue ◽  
Motor Neurons ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorder ◽  
Disease Onset ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that leads to progressive degeneration of motor neurons (MNs) and severe muscle atrophy without effective treatment. Most research on ALS has been focused on the study of MNs and supporting cells of the central nervous system. Strikingly, the recent observations of pathological changes in muscle occurring before disease onset and independent from MN degeneration have bolstered the interest for the study of muscle tissue as a potential target for delivery of therapies for ALS. Skeletal muscle has just been described as a tissue with an important secretory function that is toxic to MNs in the context of ALS. Moreover, a fine-tuning balance between biosynthetic and atrophic pathways is necessary to induce myogenesis for muscle tissue repair. Compromising this response due to primary metabolic abnormalities in the muscle could trigger defective muscle regeneration and neuromuscular junction restoration, with deleterious consequences for MNs and thereby hastening the development of ALS. However, it remains puzzling how backward signaling from the muscle could impinge on MN death. This review provides a comprehensive analysis on the current state-of-the-art of the role of the skeletal muscle in ALS, highlighting its contribution to the neurodegeneration in ALS through backward-signaling processes as a newly uncovered mechanism for a peripheral etiopathogenesis of the disease.

scholarly journals Analysis of Educational Data in the Current State of University Learning for the Transition to a Hybrid Education Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 2068
Author(s):  
William Villegas-Ch. ◽  
Xavier Palacios-Pacheco ◽  
Milton Roman-Cañizares ◽  
Sergio Luján-Mora
Keyword(s):  
Online Education ◽  
Educational Model ◽  
Hybrid Education ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Current State ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face ◽  
Education Model

Currently, the 2019 Coronavirus Disease pandemic has caused serious damage to health throughout the world. Its contagious capacity has forced the governments of the world to decree isolation and quarantine to try to control the pandemic. The consequences that it leaves in all sectors of society have been disastrous. However, technological advances have allowed people to continue their different activities to some extent while maintaining isolation. Universities have great penetration in the use of technology, but they have also been severely affected. To give continuity to education, universities have been forced to move to an educational model based on synchronous encounters, but they have maintained the methodology of a face-to-face educational model, what has caused several problems in the learning of students. This work proposes the transition to a hybrid educational model, provided that this transition is supported by data analysis to identify the new needs of students. The knowledge obtained is contrasted with the performance presented by the students in the face-to-face modality and the necessary parameters for the transition to this modality are clearly established. In addition, the guidelines and methodology of online education are considered in order to take advantage of the best of both modalities and guarantee learning.

scholarly journals Telomere Shortening and Psychiatric Disorders: A Systematic Review

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1423
Author(s):  
Pedro A. Pousa ◽  
Raquel M. Souza ◽  
Paulo Henrique M. Melo ◽  
Bernardo H. M. Correa ◽  
Tamires S. C. Mendonça ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Traumatic Stress ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Telomere Shortening ◽  
Anxiety Depression

Telomeres are aging biomarkers, as they shorten while cells undergo mitosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether psychiatric disorders marked by psychological distress lead to alterations to telomere length (TL), corroborating the hypothesis that mental disorders might have a deeper impact on our physiology and aging than it was previously thought. A systematic search of the literature using MeSH descriptors of psychological distress (“Traumatic Stress Disorder” or “Anxiety Disorder” or “depression”) and telomere length (“cellular senescence”, “oxidative stress” and “telomere”) was conducted on PubMed, Cochrane Library and ScienceDirect databases. A total of 56 studies (113,699 patients) measured the TL from individuals diagnosed with anxiety, depression and posttraumatic disorders and compared them with those from healthy subjects. Overall, TL negatively associates with distress-related mental disorders. The possible underlying molecular mechanisms that underly psychiatric diseases to telomere shortening include oxidative stress, inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction linking. It is still unclear whether psychological distress is either a cause or a consequence of telomere shortening.

Isolated premature menarche in two siblings with Neurofibromatosis type 1

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 813-816
Author(s):  
James Blackburn ◽  
Mohammed Didi ◽  
Shivaram Avula ◽  
Senthil Senniappan
Keyword(s):  
Neurofibromatosis Type 1 ◽  
Pubertal Timing ◽  
Genetic Disorder ◽  
Pubertal Development ◽  
Neurofibromatosis Type ◽  
Malignant Tumours ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
Paediatric Endocrinology ◽  
The Central Nervous System

AbstractObjectivesNeurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder, caused by mutation in NF1. The condition is typified by the development of benign and malignant tumours in both the central nervous system and peripheral tissues. Isolated menarche is a sub-classification of incomplete isosexual precocious puberty typified by menarche in girls with no other features of pubertal development. The effects of NF1 on pubertal timing are poorly understood, we report two siblings with NF1 and apparent abnormal pubertal development.Case PresentationTwo siblings were referred to the tertiary paediatric endocrinology clinic at 6 and 7 years of age with recurrent, cyclical vaginal bleeding. There was a strong family history of NF1, the mother of the siblings and two brothers were also diagnosed at a young age. On examination both patients were prepubertal at presentation. Both siblings underwent a gonadotrophin releasing hormone test, which revealed a follicle-stimulating hormone dominant (prepubertal) response. The features were suggestive of isolated premature menarche as no other cause was identified. The elder sibling established menarche and developed signs of consonant pubertal development at 12 years of age. The younger sibling remains under regular follow-up.ConclusionsNF1 has previously been associated with alterations in pubertal timing. We report, for the first time, two siblings with NF1 who presented with isolated menarche.

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