TY  - JOUR
A1  - van de Kerkhof, Nora WA
A1  - Fekkes, Durk
A1  - van der Heijden, Frank MMA
A1  - Hoogendijk, Witte JG
A1  - Stöber, Gerald
A1  - Egger, Jos IM
A1  - Verhoeven, Willem MA
T1  - Cycloid psychoses in the psychosis spectrum: evidence for biochemical differences with schizophrenia
JF  - Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment
N2  - Cycloid psychoses (CP) differ from schizophrenia regarding symptom profile, course, and prognosis and over many decades they were thought to be a separate entity within the psychosis spectrum. As to schizophrenia, research into the pathophysiology has focused on dopamine, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and glutamate signaling in which, concerning the latter, the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor plays a crucial role. The present study aims to determine whether CP can biochemically be delineated from schizophrenia. Eighty patients referred for psychotic disorders were assessed with the Comprehensive Assessment of Symptoms and History, and (both at inclusion and after 6 weeks of antipsychotic treatment) with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and Clinical Global Impression. From 58 completers, 33 patients were diagnosed with schizophrenia and ten with CP according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, and Leonhard criteria, respectively. Fifteen patients were diagnosed with other disorders within the psychosis spectrum. At both time points, blood levels of the dopamine metabolite homovanillic acid, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and amino acids related to glutamate neurotransmission were measured and compared with a matched control sample. Patients with CP showed a significantly better response to antipsychotic treatment as compared to patients with schizophrenia. In CP, glycine levels were elevated and tryptophan levels were lowered as compared to schizophrenia. Glutamate levels were increased in both patient groups as compared to controls. These results, showing marked differences in both treatment outcome and glutamate-related variable parameters, may point at better neuroplasticity in CP, necessitating demarcation of this subgroup within the psychosis spectrum.
KW  - cycloid psychoses
KW  - schizophrenia
KW  - glutamate
KW  - glycine
KW  - tryptophan
KW  - neuroplasticity
Y1  - 2016
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-166255
VL  - 12
ER  - 
TY  - JOUR
A1  - Poh, Eugenia Z.
A1  - Green, Courtney
A1  - Agostinelli, Luca
A1  - Penrose-Menz, Marissa
A1  - Karl, Ann-Kathrin
A1  - Harvey, Alan R.
A1  - Rodger, Jennifer
T1  - Manipulating the level of sensorimotor stimulation during LI-rTMS can improve visual circuit reorganisation in adult ephrin-A2A5\(^{-/-}\) Mice
JF  - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
N2  - Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that has the potential to treat a variety of neurologic and psychiatric disorders. The extent of rTMS-induced neuroplasticity may be dependent on a subject’s brain state at the time of stimulation. Chronic low intensity rTMS (LI-rTMS) has previously been shown to induce beneficial structural and functional reorganisation within the abnormal visual circuits of ephrin-A2A5\(^{-/-}\) mice in ambient lighting. Here, we administered chronic LI-rTMS in adult ephrin-A2A5\(^{-/-}\) mice either in a dark environment or concurrently with voluntary locomotion. One day after the last stimulation session, optokinetic responses were assessed and fluorescent tracers were injected to map corticotectal and geniculocortical projections. We found that LI-rTMS in either treatment condition refined the geniculocortical map. Corticotectal projections were improved in locomotion+LI-rTMS subjects, but not in dark + LI-rTMS and sham groups. Visuomotor behaviour was not improved in any condition. Our results suggest that the beneficial reorganisation of abnormal visual circuits by rTMS can be significantly influenced by simultaneous, ambient visual input and is enhanced by concomitant physical exercise. Furthermore, the observed pathway-specific effects suggest that regional molecular changes and/or the relative proximity of terminals to the induced electric fields influence the outcomes of LI-rTMS on abnormal circuitry.
KW  - LI-rTMS
KW  - neuroplasticity
KW  - visual pathways
KW  - topography
KW  - visual activity
KW  - locomotion
KW  - brain state
Y1  - 2022
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-284090
SN  - 1422-0067
VL  - 23
IS  - 5
ER  -