@article{BremGruenblattDrechsleretal.2014,
  author    = {Brem, Silvia and Gr{\"u}nblatt, Edna and Drechsler, Renate and Riederer, Peter and Walitza, Susanne},
  title     = {The neurobiological link between OCD and ADHD},
  series = {Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders},
  volume    = {6},
  journal   = {Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders},
  number    = {3},
  doi       = {10.1007/s12402-014-0146-x},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-121312},
  pages     = {175-202},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two of the most common neuropsychiatric diseases in paediatric populations. The high comorbidity of ADHD and OCD with each other, especially of ADHD in paediatric OCD, is well described. OCD and ADHD often follow a chronic course with persistent rates of at least 40-50 \%. Family studies showed high heritability in ADHD and OCD, and some genetic findings showed similar variants for both disorders of the same pathogenetic mechanisms, whereas other genetic findings may differentiate between ADHD and OCD. Neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies suggest that partly similar executive functions are affected in both disorders. The deficits in the corresponding brain networks may be responsible for the perseverative, compulsive symptoms in OCD but also for the disinhibited and impulsive symptoms characterizing ADHD. This article reviews the current literature of neuroimaging, neurochemical circuitry, neuropsychological and genetic findings considering similarities as well as differences between OCD and ADHD.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{GruenblattOnedaEkicietal.2017,
  author    = {Gr{\"u}nblatt, Edna and Oneda, Beatrice and Ekici, Arif B. and Ball, Juliane and Geissler, Julia and Uebe, Steffen and Romanos, Marcel and Rauch, Anita and Walitza, Susanne},
  title     = {High resolution chromosomal microarray analysis in paediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder},
  series = {BMC Medical Genomics},
  volume    = {10},
  journal   = {BMC Medical Genomics},
  number    = {68},
  doi       = {10.1186/s12920-017-0299-5},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-172791},
  year      = {2017},
  abstract  = {Background Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common and chronic disorder in which a person has uncontrollable, reoccurring thoughts and behaviours. It is a complex genetic condition and, in case of early onset (EO), the patients manifest a more severe phenotype, and an increased heritability. Large (>500 kb) copy number variations (CNVs) previously associated with autism and schizophrenia have been reported in OCD. Recently, rare CNVs smaller than 500 kb overlapping risk loci for other neurodevelopmental conditions have also been reported in OCD, stressing the importance of examining CNVs of any size range. The aim of this study was to further investigate the role of rare and small CNVs in the aetiology of EO-OCD. Methods We performed high-resolution chromosomal microarray analysis in 121 paediatric OCD patients and in 124 random controls to identify rare CNVs (>50 kb) which might contribute to EO-OCD. Results The frequencies and the size of the observed rare CNVs in the patients did not differ from the controls. However, we observed a significantly higher frequency of rare CNVs affecting brain related genes, especially deletions, in the patients (OR = 1.98, 95\% CI 1.02-3.84; OR = 3.61, 95\% CI 1.14-11.41, respectively). Similarly, enrichment-analysis of CNVs gene content, performed with three independent methods, confirmed significant clustering of predefined genes involved in synaptic/brain related functional pathways in the patients but not in the controls. In two patients we detected \(de-novo\) CNVs encompassing genes previously associated with different neurodevelopmental disorders \(\textit{NRXN1, ANKS1B, UHRF1BP1}\)). Conclusions Our results further strengthen the role of small rare CNVs, particularly deletions, as susceptibility factors for paediatric OCD.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{GruenblattBartlIuhosetal.2015,
  author    = {Gr{\"u}nblatt, Edna and Bartl, Jasmin and Iuhos, Diana-Iulia and Knezovic, Ana and Trkulja, Vladimir and Riederer, Peter and Walitza, Susanne and Salkovic-Petrisic, Melita},
  title     = {Characterization of cognitive deficits in spontaneously hypertensive rats, accompanied by brain insulin receptor dysfunction},
  series = {Journal of Molecular Psychiatry},
  volume    = {3},
  journal   = {Journal of Molecular Psychiatry},
  number    = {6},
  doi       = {10.1186/s40303-015-0012-6},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-149593},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Background The spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) has been used to model changes in the central nervous system associated with cognitive-related disorders. Recent human and animal studies indicate a possible relationship between cognitive deficits, insulin resistance and hypertension. We aimed to investigate whether cognitively impaired SHRs develop central and/or peripheral insulin resistance and how their cognitive performance is influenced by the animal's sex and age as well as strains used for comparison (Wistar and Wistar-Kyoto/WKY). Methods Three and seven-month-old SHR, Wistar, and WKY rats were studied for their cognitive performance using Morris Water Maze (MWM) and Passive Avoidance tests (PAT). Plasma glucose and insulin were obtained after oral glucose tolerance tests. Cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and striatum status of insulin-receptor (IR) β-subunit and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) and their phosphorylated forms were obtained via ELISA. Results SHRs performed poorly in MWM and PAT in comparison to both control strains but more pronouncedly compared to WKY. Females performed poorer than males and 7-month-old SHRs had poorer MWM performance than 3-month-old ones. Although plasma glucose levels remained unchanged, plasma insulin levels were significantly increased in the glucose tolerance test in 7-month-old SHRs. SHRs demonstrated reduced expression and increased activity of IRβ-subunit in cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and striatum with different regional changes in phospho/total GSK3β ratio, as compared to WKYs. Conclusion Results indicate that cognitive deficits in SHRs are accompanied by both central and peripheral insulin dysfunction, thus allowing for the speculation that SHRs might additionally be considered as a model of insulin resistance-induced type of dementia.},
  language  = {en}
}