Psychiatry Research RSS feed: Current Issue. The journal provides very rapid publication of short but complete research reports in the field of psychiatry. The scope of the journal encompasses: (1) Biochemical, physiological, genetic, psychological, and social determinants of human behavior; (2) assessment of human behavior and subjective state; (3) evaluation of somatic and non-somatic psychiatric treatments. In addition, reports of clinically related basic studies in the fields of neuropharmacology, neurochemistry, neuroendocrinology, electrophysiology, psychology, genetics, and brain imaging are published. Significant methodological advances such as instrumentation, clinical scales, and assays directly applicable to psychiatric research are also appropriate. Brief reviews, theoretical contributions, and letters to the editor will be considered. http://www.psy-journal.com/?rss=yesElsevier Inc.en © 2010 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Psychiatry Research0165-1781179230 September 2010 © 2010 Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. healthpermissions@elsevier.comhttp://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178110005032/abstract?rss=yesEditorial Board10.1016/S0165-1781(10)00503-2Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5IFCIFChttp://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178108002709/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: The gene encoding d-amino acid oxidase (DAO), which acts as a receptor for the schizophrenia-associated neurotransmitter, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), is regarded as a potential candidate gene for schizophrenia. However, the potential association of the DAO gene with schizophrenia has been the subject of some debate. Here, we tested three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of DAO in a group of Korean schizophrenia patients, and found no significant association in the overall study subjects. Interestingly, however, we found gender-specific differences in allele distributions, with SNP rs2070586 appearing to act as a risk allele in female schizophrenia patients, but as a protective allele in males. Our data support the hypothesis that DAO plays a role in schizophrenia, possibly in a gender-dependent manner.Sex-different association of DAO with schizophrenia in KoreansByungsu Kim, Hyunsook Kim, Yeon Ho Joo, Jiyoung Lim, Chang-Yoon Kim, Kyuyoung Song10.1016/j.psychres.2008.08.009Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Schizophrenia Spectrum121125http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109001978/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Schizophrenia is a common disease associated with reduced fertility. Therefore, the existence of common susceptibility alleles not removed by natural selection may be considered an evolutionary paradox. The antagonistic pleiotropy model, proposed to explain this paradox, states that an allele may be common because of its overall selective advantage, in spite of deleterious effects on specific traits. Recent work on DAOA, PPP1R1B, and APOL1 suggests that these genes present common alleles associated to increase risk of schizophrenia but conferring an overall selective advantage, related to better cognitive performance (DAOA and PPP1R1B) or protection against pathogens (APOL1). To test if these genes fit the antagonistic pleiotropy model, we searched for recent natural selection at these loci applying the long-range haplotype test on data from the HapMap Project; and performed case-control association analysis in a well-powered sample, including 301 schizophrenic patients and 604 controls from Spain. For DAOA and PPP1R1B, we genotyped the Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) needed to replicate previous associations, while for APOL1, we genotyped 15 tagSNPs, and seven putative functional SNPs. We did not detect evidence of recent natural selection. Furthermore, we did not find significant associations. Thus, these genes do not fit the antagonistic pleiotropy model.Testing the antagonistic pleiotropy model of schizophrenia susceptibility by analysis of DAOA, PPP1R1B, and APOL1 genesNoa Carrera, Manuel Arrojo, Eduardo Paz, Ramón Ramos-Ríos, Santiago Agra, Mario Páramo, Julio Brenlla, Javier Costas10.1016/j.psychres.2009.05.014Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Schizophrenia Spectrum126129http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109001243/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: In view of the potential importance of self-esteem in schizophrenia, there is a considerable lack of knowledge about the characteristics of specific self-esteem. The literature suggests that the experience of the self might be particularly destabilised in the transition phase between acute and remission points of the illness. Thus, the present study aims at examining the quality and correlates of different self-concepts at the beginning stabilisation phase of schizophrenia. In this study, 135 patients with schizophrenia were assessed 3 weeks after admission to inpatient treatment. Four central self-concepts were measured by the Frankfurt Self-Concept Scales (FSKN; Deusinger, I.M., 1986, Die Frankfurter Selbstkonzeptskalen (FSKN), Göttingen, Hogrefe). Clinical psychopathologic, neuropsychological and sociodemographic factors were analysed in two-step exploratory correlation and regression analyses to determine their relative contribution to self-concepts. The median of the four self-concepts ranged between −0.9 and −1.4 standard deviations below normative level. The relationship between negative symptoms and self-concepts was consistently significant, even when the contribution of depression was partialed out. In the multivariate analyses, these two symptom clusters explained up to 39% of the variances in our patients' self-evaluation. Neuropsychological dysfunctions were of relatively subordinate relevance for the patients' self-concepts. Thus, our results suggest that specific self-esteem at the point of beginning stabilisation of schizophrenia is significantly confounded not only by depression but also by negative symptoms.Quality and correlates of specific self-esteem at the beginning stabilisation phase of schizophreniaAndreas Wittorf, Georg Wiedemann, Gerhard Buchkremer, Stefan Klingberg10.1016/j.psychres.2009.03.024Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Schizophrenia Spectrum130138http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109001358/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Changes in cortical γ-aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) receptors and muscarinic receptors have been reported in schizophrenia, a disorder treated with antipsychotic drugs and benzodiazepines. As there is a reported functional relationship between the GABAergic and cholinergic systems in the human central nervous system we have investigated whether there are changes in the GABAA and muscarinic receptors in the cortex of subjects from APD-treated subjects with schizophrenia and whether changes were different in subjects who had also received benzodiazepine treatment. We failed to show any strong correlations between changes in GABAA and muscarinic receptors in the CNS of subjects with schizophrenia. We showed that subjects with schizophrenia treated with benzodiazepines had lower levels of muscarinic receptors; which was not the case in rats treated with APDs, benzodiazepines or a combination of both drugs. Further, the benzodiazepine binding site, but not the muscimol binding site, was decreased in the parietal cortex of subjects with schizophrenia independent of benzodiazepine status at death. These data would therefore support our previously stated hypotheses that changes in the cortical cholinergic and GABAergic systems are involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.Effects of benzodiazepine treatment on cortical GABAA and muscarinic receptors: Studies in schizophrenia and ratsMark C. McLeod, Elizabeth Scarr, Brian Dean10.1016/j.psychres.2009.03.034Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Schizophrenia Spectrum139146http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109001309/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Negative symptoms commonly seen in chronic schizophrenia are related to prefrontal hypodopaminergia. Dysfunction of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene has long been thought to confer susceptibility to schizophrenia because of its catalytic activity for dopamine degradation. The present study is an attempt to perform a quantitative trait test for genetic association between the COMT gene and negative symptoms in a Chinese population. A total of 290 unrelated individuals with schizophrenia patients were recruited and their symptoms were assessed through the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The quantitative trait test was performed by the UNPHASED programme to examine the correlation between the scored negative symptoms and the coding single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) present in the COMT gene. The rs4633-rs4680 haplotype showed significant association with the overall score of negative symptoms, and four individual negative symptoms, including blunted affect, emotional withdrawal, poor rapport and passive/apathetic social withdrawal. SNP rs4680 (Val/Met) showed significant association with blunted affect. The present finding suggests that the COMT gene may a etiologically contribute to the severity of negative symptoms in schizophrenia, but its precise mechanism needs further investigating.Analysis of association between the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene and negative symptoms in chronic schizophreniaYan Wang, Yue Fang, Yan Shen, Qi Xu10.1016/j.psychres.2009.03.029Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Schizophrenia Spectrum147150http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109001656/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: This study was designed to assess cognitive functioning in a clinical sample of adolescents with heterogeneous psychiatric diagnoses, with a specific focus on patients at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis. The sample comprised 22 patients identified at CHR for psychosis, 67 psychotic and 187 non-psychotic, non-CHR patients. Neuropsychological assessment was conducted as part of the clinical examination and treatment, including Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC)-III and/or Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)-III measures of verbal comprehension, perceptual organisation, working memory and processing speed, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) measures of executive function, and the Rorschach Comprehensive System measures of perceptual and thinking accuracy. Patients at CHR for psychosis did not significantly differ from other patient groups in terms of intellectual or executive functions. The Rorschach Perceptual Thinking Index (PTI) distinguished patients at CHR for psychosis from those diagnosed as having non-psychotic disorders, but not from those diagnosed as psychotic. Our results suggest perceptual and thought disturbance as an important indicator of vulnerability to psychosis.Differentiating adolescents at clinical high risk for psychosis from psychotic and non-psychotic patients with the RorschachTuula Ilonen, Markus Heinimaa, Jyrki Korkeila, Tanja Svirskis, Raimo K.R. Salokangas10.1016/j.psychres.2009.04.011Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Schizophrenia Spectrum151156http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109004156/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Cognitive deficits are a key feature of recent-onset psychosis, but there is no consensus on whether such deficits are generalized or confined to specific domains. Besides, it is unclear whether cognitive deficits: a) are found in psychotic patients in samples from outside high-income countries; and b) whether they progress uniformly over time in schizophrenia and affective psychoses. We applied 12 tests organized into eight cognitive domains, comparing psychosis patients (n=56, time from initial contact=677.95±183.27days) versus healthy controls (n=70) recruited from the same area of São Paulo, Brazil. Longitudinal comparisons (digit span and verbal fluency) were conducted between a previous assessment of the subjects carried out at their psychosis onset, and the current follow-up evaluation. Psychosis patients differed significantly from controls on five domains, most prominently on verbal memory. Cognitive deficits remained detectable in separate comparisons of the schizophrenia subgroup and, to a lesser extent, the affective psychosis subjects against controls. Longitudinal comparisons indicated significant improvement in schizophrenia, affective psychoses, and control subjects, with no significant group-by-time interactions. Our results reinforce the view that there are generalized cognitive deficits in association with recent-onset psychoses, particularly of non-affective nature, which persist over time.Cognitive functioning in subjects with recent-onset psychosis from a low-middle-income environment: Multiple-domain deficits and longitudinal evaluationAdriana de Mello Ayres, Marcia Scazufca, Paulo Rossi Menezes, Eduardo Yoshio Nakano, Ana Carolina B. Regina, Maristela S. Schaufelberger, Robin M. Murray, Philip K. McGuire, Teresa Rushe, Geraldo F. Busatto10.1016/j.psychres.2009.11.001Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Schizophrenia Spectrum157164http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109000870/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Thinking and Perceptual Style Questionnaire (TPSQ) and the Multidimensional Schizotypal Traits Questionnaire-Reduced (MSTQ-R) in non-clinical adolescents. The final sample consisted of 991 participants with a mean age of 14.7 years (S.D.=1.8). The internal consistency of the TPSQ subscales ranged from 0.77 to 0.89, and that of the MSTQ-R subscales ranged from 0.62 to 0.81. Construct validity analysis from the TPSQ subscales showed a three-dimensional solution based on the factors social disorganisation, aberrant processing and anhedonia. For its part, factor analysis of the MSTQ-R also showed a three-dimensional solution based on the factors: positive symptoms, negative symptoms and impulsive-nonconformity. The TPSQ and MSTQ-R appear to have good psychometric properties and to be useful instruments for the measurement of schizotypy in adolescence. Moreover, the factor structure of these measures resembles that seen in young adult samples and provides further empirical evidence of the multidimensional structure of the instruments that we use to measure the complex schizotypy construct. Future research should explore in more depth the psychometric properties of these self-report instruments and improve our understanding of schizotypy in adolescents.Psychometric properties of two measures for the assessment of schizotypy in adolescentsEduardo Fonseca-Pedrero, Richard Linscott, Serafín Lemos-Giráldez, Mercedes Paino, José Muñiz10.1016/j.psychres.2009.02.012Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Schizophrenia Spectrum165170http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109004375/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) is a symptom with high public health importance. Within psychiatric settings, depression is the most significant risk factor for EDS; however, this relationship has not been clearly detailed. The aim of this study was to describe the quality of sleep of depressed patients with and without EDS and to investigate the association between EDS and depression severity. A cross-sectional study with 78 female depressed outpatients (34.17±11.37years; range 18–60) was performed. The Epworth Sleepiness Scale, the Athens Insomnia Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) were administered. Patients were classified in two groups: with (43.5%) and without (56.5%) EDS. There were no differences with regard to comorbidity, socio-demographic (except for employment), or HRSD variables. The two groups were homogeneous in sleep patterns, with no difference in quality or sleep efficiency. EDS was not associated with reduced sleep efficiency or severity of depressive symptoms. Limitations of the present study include the small sample size and the use of self-report measurements. These results offer valuable information to clinicians in the sense of the need to deeply investigate the etiology of EDS before attributing it to bad sleep quality or depression severity.Excessive daytime sleepiness in depressed womenRaffaella Calati, Enrique Gaspar-Barba, Carlos S. Cruz-Fuentes, Alejandro Nenclares, Alejandro Jimenez-Genchi, Diana De Ronchi, Alessandro Serretti10.1016/j.psychres.2009.11.021Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Depression, Anxiety and Suicidality171175http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109002224/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Anhedonia is one of the key symptoms of major depression. The present study examined whether depressive symptoms and trait anhedonia are associated with deficits in anticipated, experienced, or recalled pleasure and satisfaction (hedonic responses, HR). Sixty-one college students tasted chocolate samples in the lab. Participants' anticipated, experienced, and recalled HR were obtained prior to the task, during the task, and 1 day later, respectively. Anticipatory anhedonia, but not consummatory anhedonia or depression, predicted anticipated HR. In contrast, participants' levels of anticipatory and consummatory anhedonia and depression were not predictive of their experienced and recalled HRs. Depressed individuals showed lower tendency to overpredict their HRs to the task relative to nondepressed individuals. We conclude that clinical reports of anhedonia and depression in a college student population primarily reflect low levels of anticipation of reward, and tendency to accurately estimate their enjoyment of future rewards. If replicated, these results may have important implications for assessing and managing anhedonia associated with depression in clinical settings.The effects of anhedonia and depression on hedonic responsesYulia Chentsova-Dutton, Kaitlin Hanley10.1016/j.psychres.2009.06.013Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Depression, Anxiety and Suicidality176180http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178110001708/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: This study investigated whether an analysis of narrative style (word use and cross-clausal syntax) of patients with symptoms of generalised anxiety and depression disorders can help predict the likelihood of successful participation in guided self-help. Texts by 97 people who had made contact with a primary care mental health service were analysed. Outcome measures were completion of the guided self-help programme, and change in symptoms assessed by a standardised scale (CORE-OM). Regression analyses indicated that some aspects of participants' syntax helped to predict completion of the programme, and that aspects of syntax and word use helped to predict improvement of symptoms. Participants using non-finite complement clauses with above-average frequency were four times more likely to complete the programme (95% confidence interval 1.4 to 11.7) than other participants. Among those who completed, the use of causation words and complex syntax (adverbial clauses) predicted improvement, accounting for 50% of the variation in well-being benefit. These results suggest that the analysis of narrative style can provide useful information for assessing the likelihood of success of individuals participating in a mental health guided self-help programme.Analysis of syntax and word use to predict successful participation in guided self-help for anxiety and depressionJörg Zinken, Katarzyna Zinken, J. Clare Wilson, Lisa Butler, Timothy Skinner10.1016/j.psychres.2010.04.011Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Depression, Anxiety and Suicidality181186http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109001693/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: The present study investigated whether autonomic flexibility predicted future anxiety levels in adolescent boys and girls. This study is part of the TRacking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS), a prospective cohort study of Dutch adolescents. The current study included a subsample of 965 individuals. Measures of autonomic flexibility, i.e., heart rate (HR) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), were determined during the first assessment wave (T1: participants 10–12 years old). Self-reported anxiety was assessed at the first and second assessment wave (T2: participants 12–14 years old). Possible gender differences and co-occurring depressive problems were examined. In girls, low RSA predicted anxiety levels 2 years later. In boys, no associations between HR and RSA and future anxiety were found. We conclude that in adolescent girls from the general population, signs of reduced autonomic flexibility (i.e., low RSA) predict future anxiety levels. Since the effect size was small, at this point, RSA reactivity alone cannot be used to identify individuals at risk for anxiety, but should be regarded as one factor within a large group of risk factors. However, if the present findings are replicated in clinical studies, intervention programmes – in the future – aimed at normalising autonomic functioning may be helpful.Reduced autonomic flexibility as a predictor for future anxiety in girls from the general population: The TRAILS studyKirstin Greaves-Lord, Joke Tulen, Andrea Dietrich, Frouke Sondeijker, Arie van Roon, Albertine Oldehinkel, Johan Ormel, Frank Verhulst, Anja Huizink10.1016/j.psychres.2009.04.014Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Depression, Anxiety and Suicidality187193http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS016517810900239X/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of history of suffocation, state-trait anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity on response to a 35% carbon dioxide (CO2) challenge in panic disorder patients, their healthy first-degree relatives and healthy comparisons. Thirty-two patients with panic disorder, 32 first-degree relatives, and 34 healthy volunteers underwent the 35% CO2 challenge. We assessed baseline anxiety with the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI1), and panic symptoms with the Panic Symptom List (PSL III-R). A history of suffocation was associated with greater risk of CO2 reactivity in the combined sample. Patients had more anxiety sensitivity and state and trait anxiety than relatives and healthy comparisons; the difference between relatives and healthy comparisons was not significant. In female patients, trait anxiety predicted CO2-induced panic. Having a CO2-sensitive panic disorder patient as a first-degree relative did not predict CO2-induced panic in a healthy relative. History of suffocation may be an important predictor of CO2-induced panic. Trait anxiety may have a gender-specific relation to CO2 reactivity.History of suffocation, state-trait anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity in predicting 35% carbon dioxide-induced panicE. Serap Monkul, Elif Onur, Ümit Tural, John P. Hatch, Tunç Alkın, Baris Yücel, Hüray Fidaner10.1016/j.psychres.2009.06.015Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Depression, Anxiety and Suicidality194197http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109001607/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of different dimensions of obsessive–compulsive symptoms, of co-morbid anxious depressive symptoms, and of sociodemographic characteristics on the quality of life of patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). We evaluated 53 patients with OCD and 53 age- and gender-matched individuals from the community with a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnosis of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth Edition, (DSM-IV), the Short-Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36), the Saving Inventory–Revised, the Obsessive–Compulsive Inventory–Revised, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. A series of stepwise linear regression analyses were performed, having the SF-36 dimensions as the dependent variables and the sociodemographic and clinical features as the independent ones. Patients with OCD displayed significantly lower levels of quality of life in all dimensions measured by the SF-36, except bodily pain. A model that included depressive symptoms, hoarding and employment status predicted 62% of the variance of the social functioning dimension of the quality of life of patients with OCD. Washing symptoms explained 31% of the variance of limitation due to physical health problems. Further, a series of models that included depressive, but not obsessive–compulsive symptoms, explained the remaining SF-36 dimensions. The severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms seems, therefore, to be powerful determinants of the level of quality of life in patients with OCD.Quality of life and symptom dimensions of patients with obsessive–compulsive disorderIsabela S. Fontenelle, Leonardo F. Fontenelle, Manuela C. Borges, Angélica M. Prazeres, Bernard P. Rangé, Mauro V. Mendlowicz, Marcio Versiani10.1016/j.psychres.2009.04.005Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Depression, Anxiety and Suicidality198203http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109002194/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Family accommodation is the term used to indicate the process whereby family members of patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) assist or participate in the patients' rituals. Family accommodation is a relatively under-researched phenomenon in OCD but an important one because it may be predictive of poor treatment outcome. This study systematically examined several socio-demographic and clinical variables that are associated with family accommodation in a well-characterized sample of adult patients and their healthy family members. Experienced clinicians administered the Family Accommodation Scale (FAS) to 141 psychopathology-free family members cohabiting with 97 patients with OCD. The items of the FAS were first subjected to principal component analysis (PCA) and the resulting domains of family accommodation (Participation, Modification, and Distress and Consequences) introduced as dependent variables in a series of multiple regression models assessing the relationship between family accommodation domains and a wide range of clinical variables, including Axis I and II psychopathology and symptom dimensions derived from the Yale–Brown Obsessive–Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) Symptom Checklist. The results showed that family accommodation was common, with the provision of reassurance, participation in rituals and assisting the patient in avoidance being the most frequent practices (occurring on a daily basis in 47%, 35%, and 43% of family members, respectively). The PCA of the YBOCS Symptom Checklist yielded four symptom dimensions, which were identical to those previously identified in the international literature. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that a higher score on the contamination/washing symptom dimension and a positive family history for an anxiety disorder other than OCD (referring to a family member other than the participant in this study) predicted greater scores on several domains of family accommodation. Our study confirms that family accommodation is frequent and distressing in psychopathology-free family members cohabiting with adult OCD patients. Family accommodation is particularly frequent and distressing when the patient has prominent contamination/washing symptoms and/or when another family member has a history of an anxiety disorder. Such families may be more likely to benefit from family-based interventions but this remains to be tested in controlled trials.Family accommodation in obsessive–compulsive disorder: Relation to symptom dimensions, clinical and family characteristicsUmberto Albert, Filippo Bogetto, Giuseppe Maina, Paola Saracco, Cinthia Brunatto, David Mataix-Cols10.1016/j.psychres.2009.06.008Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Depression, Anxiety and Suicidality204211http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178108002576/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: The present study explored both socioeconomic and climatic factors to obtain a more comprehensive view of the asymmetric regional suicide death rate during 1998–2006 in Taiwan. The annual suicide death rate, population and meteorological data from 19 cities/counties in Taiwan were analysed by multiple regression. Five socioeconomic (sex ratio, no spouse, aged, unemployment and low income) and three climatic (temperature, rainfall and sunshine) factors were identified as significant, explaining 59.0% of the variance in the total suicide death rate. ‘Without spouse’ and ‘aged’ were associated with the highest risk, while ‘low income with financial aids’ was strongly protective. The most influential climatic factor was ‘temperature,’ which was negatively correlated with suicide. ‘Sunshine’ was positively associated with suicide. The socioeconomic and climatic factors contributed 52.7% and 6.8%, respectively, to the variance of the total suicide death rate. Limitations of the study included the fact that no individual events were considered, the study was of relatively short duration and it was confined to the territory of Taiwan. Socioeconomic factors outweighed climatic factors in explaining regional differences in the suicide death rate in Taiwan. Temperature weighed more than sunshine. ‘Thermotherapy’ seems more clinically relevant than the popular light therapy, at least in Taiwan.Socioeconomic factors outweigh climate in the regional difference of suicide death rate in TaiwanJui-Feng Tsai10.1016/j.psychres.2008.06.044Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Depression, Anxiety and Suicidality212216http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109004880/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Suicide is a leading cause of death in individuals 15–34years of age in China. Highly lethal pesticides are a common method used for suicide in Chinese rural areas. This case-control study aimed to test hypotheses concerning the suicide risks associated with pesticide access. Subjects included 370 rural completed suicides aged 15–34years and 370 living controls matched on age, gender and residence (rural/urban location). Data were collected by a psychological autopsy design with proxy respondents. Pesticide access was a significant risk factor for suicide even after controlling for other known risk factors in social and psychiatric domains, such as education level, living situation, marital status, family annual income and mental disorder. Increased risk was accounted for by access to insecticide rather than other types of pesticides. Suicide intervention in China should focus on restricting access to pesticides, especially highly toxic insecticide, improving the resuscitation skills of rural primary-care health providers, promoting psychological and social support networks in rural areas and educating the general public about the suicide risk of having pesticides stored at the households.Access to farming pesticides and risk for suicide in Chinese rural young peopleYuanyuan Kong, Jie Zhang10.1016/j.psychres.2009.12.005Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Depression, Anxiety and Suicidality217221http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109001231/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Suicide is a public health problem all around the world. Family studies showed a strong heritability but, to date, few genetic data are available. Thus, in the present study we investigated whether a panel of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in neuronal cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM) 1 was associated with suicidal behaviour as well as specific traits related to suicide. A total of two hundred and fifty-nine individuals with a positive history of suicidal behaviour and 312 healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. Rs2301228, rs1884, rs1245113, rs1369816, rs2196456 and rs584427 in NCAM1 were genotyped. No marker was significantly associated with suicidal behaviour vs. controls or with sub-types of attempted vs. completed, violent vs. non-violent, impulsive vs. non-impulsive suicide. Nonetheless rs1884 and rs2196456 SNPs were both marginally associated with the trait “inhibition of aggressiveness” in suicide attempters. Even though the investigated SNPs in NCAM1 do not seem to be directly associated with suicidal behaviour, our results could suggest that SNP variants in NCAM1 may impact on related traits, particularly by mediating inhibition of aggressiveness. However, independent studies are needed to validate these results.Influence of neuronal cell adhesion molecule (NCAM1) variants on suicidal behaviour and correlated traitsIna Giegling, Alberto Chiesa, Laura Mandelli, Sara Gibiino, Annette M. Hartmann, Hans-Jürgen Möller, Barbara Schneider, Axel Schnabel, Konrad Maurer, Diana De Ronchi, Dan Rujescu, Alessandro Serretti10.1016/j.psychres.2009.03.028Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Depression, Anxiety and Suicidality222225http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109003291/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Although a suboptimal prenatal environment has been linked with schizophrenia and depression, possible associations with personality disorders remain unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the associations of body size at birth and length of gestation with hospitalization for personality disorders in a cohort study of 6506 men and 5857 women born in Helsinki, Finland, between 1934 and 1944. International Classification of Diseases (-8, -9, -10) diagnoses of personality disorders were extracted from the national Finnish Hospital Discharge Register since 1969. 102 men and 80 women had been hospitalized due to any personality disorder. 41 men and 30 women had dramatic personality disorders. Among men, head circumference showed an inverse J-shaped, nonlinear association with hospitalization for personality disorders. Men with a small head circumference were at increased risk. Also in men, a smaller head-to-length ratio linearly predicted personality disorders. Among women, a smaller placental area predicted increased risk of hospitalization for dramatic personality disorders. Vulnerability to personality disorders may be programmed during fetal life.Prenatal origins of hospitalization for personality disorders: The Helsinki Birth Cohort StudyMarius Lahti, Katri Räikkönen, Kristian Wahlbeck, Kati Heinonen, Tom Forsén, Eero Kajantie, Anu-Katriina Pesonen, Clive Osmond, David J.P. Barker, Johan G. Eriksson10.1016/j.psychres.2009.08.024Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Personality Disorders226230http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109001449/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Angiotensin II has been suggested to influence central dopamine and serotonin turnover. Since the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) plays a key role in angiotensin regulation by converting inactive angiotensin I to active angiotensin II, we hypothesised that the functional insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in the ACE gene, which has previously been suggested to be associated with, depression and panic disorder, may influence monoamine activity. A well-established technique for assessing brain monoamine turnover in humans is to measure concentrations of monoamine metabolites in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). We thus investigated possible associations between the ACE I/D polymorphism and CSF monoamine metabolite concentrations in a population of healthy male subjects. After having found such an association between the ACE I/D polymorphism and CSF levels of the dopamine metabolite homovanillic acid and the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in this sample, I carriers displaying lower levels, we tried to replicate this observation in a population of violent male offenders from which also both CSF and DNA were available. Also in this sample, the same associations were found. Our results suggest that the ACE I/D polymorphism may play a role in the modulation of serotonergic and dopaminergic turnover in men.Associations between the angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion/deletion polymorphism and monoamine metabolite concentrations in cerebrospinal fluidKristina Annerbrink, Erik G. Jönsson, Marie Olsson, Staffan Nilsson, Göran C. Sedvall, Henrik Anckarsäter, Elias Eriksson10.1016/j.psychres.2009.04.018Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Personality Disorders231234http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109003898/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: We previously identified a small region on chromosome 5p13 related to schizophrenia in a Puerto Rican pedigree. We screened one of the positional candidate genes, C1QTNF3, for mutations in affected family members. The direct sequencing identified 10 sequence variants, including five shared by all affected family members. Genotyping of the shared variants in a Puerto Rican sample of 118 cases and 136 controls did not reveal either allelic or genotype association with schizophrenia.Mutation analysis of the C1QTNF3 gene in patients with schizophreniaIrina Bespalova, Gary Angelo, Benjamin Ritter, Enrique Rossy-Fullana, Jose Carrion-Baralt, Martina Durner, Jeremy Silverman10.1016/j.psychres.2009.10.011Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Brief Reports235237http://www.psy-journal.com/article/PIIS0165178109002820/abstract?rss=yesAbstract: Genetic variants may modulate dopamine transporter (DAT) availability in the brain. A polymorphism within the intron 8 of the DAT1 gene was evaluated in 27 healthy men. No correlation between Int8 VNTR and either the inter-individual variability of the sleep architecture, or the DAT availability, as measured by single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and [99mTc]TRODAT-1 was observed.Influence of genotype on dopamine transporter availability in human striatum and sleep architectureCamila Guindalini, Raquel Cristina Martins, Monica L. Andersen, Sergio Tufik10.1016/j.psychres.2009.07.017Psychiatry Research 179, 2 (2010)2010-09-30Psychiatry Research2010-09-301792S0165-1781(10)X0010-5Brief Reports238240