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Members of the family of metabotropic glutamate receptors are involved in the pathomechanism of several disorders of the nervous system. Besides the well-investigated function of dysfunctional glutamate receptor signaling in neurodegenerative diseases, neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), like autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might also be partly caused by disturbed glutamate signaling during development. However, the underlying mechanism of the type III metabotropic glutamate receptor 8 (mGluR8 or GRM8) involvement in neurodevelopment and disease mechanism is largely unknown. Here we show that the expression pattern of the two orthologs of human GRM8, grm8a and grm8b, have evolved partially distinct expression patterns in the brain of zebrafish (Danio rerio), especially at adult stages, suggesting sub-functionalization of these two genes during evolution. Using double in situ hybridization staining in the developing brain we demonstrate that grm8a is expressed in a subset of gad1a-positive cells, pointing towards glutamatergic modulation of GABAergic signaling. Building on this result we generated loss-of-function models of both genes using CRISPR/Cas9. Both mutant lines are viable and display no obvious gross morphological phenotypes making them suitable for further analysis. Initial behavioral characterization revealed distinct phenotypes in larvae. Whereas grm8a mutant animals display reduced swimming velocity, grm8b mutant animals show increased thigmotaxis behavior, suggesting an anxiety-like phenotype. We anticipate that our two novel metabotropic glutamate receptor 8 zebrafish models may contribute to a deeper understanding of its function in normal development and its role in the pathomechanism of disorders of the central nervous system.
Background
Chronic stress is detrimental to health, and children and young people have had to cope with significantly more stress since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, stress at school and in relation to learning is a major problem in this age group. Studies in Germany have indicated that the pandemic has led to a reduced quality of life (QoL) and an increased risk for psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. Schools are an ideal setting for interventions against stress, which is one of the strongest predictors for the development of psychosocial problems. The present study seeks to address stress by means of a short prevention training programme in schools, including emotion regulation, mindfulness, and self-compassion. In addition to information material for self-study, students should have the opportunity to actively deal with the topic of stress and develop coping strategies within a short space of time. In contrast to very long stress reduction programmes that often last several weeks, the programme is delivered in just 90 min.
Methods
The effectiveness of the short and economical prevention programme LessStress will be examined in a cluster-randomised controlled trial (RCT) encompassing 1894 students. At several measurement time points, students from two groups (intervention and control) will be asked about their subjectively perceived stress levels, among other aspects. Due to the clustered nature of the data, mainly multilevel analyses will be performed.
Discussion
In Germany, there are no nationwide universal prevention programmes for students against stress in schools, and this gap has become more evident since the outbreak of the pandemic. Universal stress prevention in schools may be a starting point to promote resilience. By dealing with stress in a healthy way, mental health can be strengthened and maintained. Moreover, to reach at-risk students at an early stage, we advocate for a stronger networking between child psychiatry and schools.
Background: Hyperactivity is one of the core symptoms in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, it remains unclear in which way the motor system itself and its development are affected by the disorder. Movement-related potentials (MRP) can separate different stages of movement execution, from the programming of a movement to motor post-processing and memory traces. Pre-movement MRP are absent or positive during early childhood and display a developmental increase of negativity.
Methods: We examined the influences of response-speed, an indicator of the level of attention, and stimulant medication on lateralized MRP in 16 children with combined type ADHD compared to 20 matched healthy controls.
Results: We detected a significantly diminished lateralisation of MRP over the pre-motor and primary motor cortex during movement execution (initial motor potential peak, iMP) in patients with ADHD. Fast reactions (indicating increased visuo-motor attention) led to increased lateralized negativity during movement execution only in healthy controls, while in children with ADHD faster reaction times were associated with more positive amplitudes. Even though stimulant medication had some effect on attenuating group differences in lateralized MRP, this effect was insufficient to normalize lateralized iMP amplitudes.
Conclusions: A reduced focal (lateralized) motor cortex activation during the command to muscle contraction points towards an immature motor system and a maturation delay of the (pre-) motor cortex in children with ADHD. A delayed maturation of the neuronal circuitry, which involves primary motor cortex, may contribute to ADHD pathophysiology.
Background:
Despite the high persistence rate of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) throughout the lifespan, there is a considerable gap in knowledge regarding effective treatment strategies for adolescents with ADHD. This group in particular often shows substantial psychosocial impairment, low compliance and insufficient response to psychopharmacological interventions. Effective and feasible treatments should further consider the developmental shift in ADHD symptoms, comorbidity and psychosocial adversity as well as family dysfunction. Thus, individualised interventions for adolescent ADHD should comprise a multimodal treatment strategy. The randomised controlled ESCAadol study addresses the needs of this patient group and compares the outcome of short-term cognitive behavioural therapy with parent-based telephone-assisted self-help.
Methods/design:
In step 1, 160 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years with a diagnosis of ADHD will undergo a treatment as usual (TAU) observation phase of 1 month. In step 2, those still severely affected are randomised to the intervention group with an Individualised Modular Treatment Programme (IMTP) or a telephone-assisted self-help programme for parents (TASH) as an active control condition. The IMTP was specifically designed for the needs of adolescent ADHD. It comprises 10 sessions of individual cognitive behavioural therapy with the adolescents and/or the parents, for which participants choose three out of 10 available focus modules (e.g. organisational skills and planning, emotion regulation, problem solving and stress management, dysfunctional family communication). TASH combines a bibliotherapeutic component with 10 counselling sessions for the parents via telephone. Primary outcome is the change in ADHD symptoms in a clinician-rated diagnostic interview. Outcomes are assessed at inclusion into the study, after the TAU phase, after the intervention phase and after a further 12-week follow-up period. The primary statistical analysis will be by intention-to-treat, using linear regression models. Additionally, we will analyse psychometric and biological predictors and moderators of treatment response.
Discussion:
ESCAadol compares two short-term non-pharmacological interventions as cost-efficient and feasible treatment options for adolescent ADHD, addressing the specific needs and obstacles to treatment success in this group. We aim to contribute to personalised medicine for adolescent ADHD intended to be implemented in routine clinical care.
Recent advances in the genetics of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) have identified the transcription factor FOXP2 as one of numerous risk genes, e.g. in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). FOXP2 function is suggested to be involved in GABAergic signalling and numerous studies demonstrate that GABAergic function is altered in NDDs, thus disrupting the excitation/inhibition balance. Interestingly, GABAergic signalling components, including glutamate-decarboxylase 1 (Gad1) and GABA receptors, are putative transcriptional targets of FOXP2. However, the specific role of FOXP2 in the pathomechanism of NDDs remains elusive. Here we test the hypothesis that Foxp2 affects behavioural dimensions via GABAergic signalling using zebrafish as model organism. We demonstrate that foxp2 is expressed by a subset of GABAergic neurons located in brain regions involved in motor functions, including the subpallium, posterior tuberculum, thalamus and medulla oblongata. Using CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing we generated a novel foxp2 zebrafish loss-of-function mutant that exhibits increased locomotor activity. Further, genetic and/or pharmacological disruption of Gad1 or GABA-A receptors causes increased locomotor activity, resembling the phenotype of foxp2 mutants. Application of muscimol, a GABA-A receptor agonist, rescues the hyperactive phenotype induced by the foxp2 loss-of-function. By reverse translation of the therapeutic effect on hyperactive behaviour exerted by methylphenidate, we note that application of methylphenidate evokes different responses in wildtype compared to foxp2 or gad1b loss-of-function animals. Together, our findings support the hypothesis that foxp2 regulates locomotor activity via GABAergic signalling. This provides one targetable mechanism, which may contribute to behavioural phenotypes commonly observed in NDDs.
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.
Background: Approximately 10% of children, adolescents and young adults with an intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) in Bavaria live in residential institutions. 2015 saw media reports raising suspicions about excessive use of coercive measures (cM) in those institutions. Until a law reform at the end of 2017 made permission from family courts mandatory for cM, their use was governed by parental consent. The REDUGIA project conducted a representative survey comparing cM and their relation to challenging behaviour (cB) and employee stress in Bavaria pre and post reform.
Methods: We sent questionnaires to 65 residential institutions for children, adolescents and young adults with IDD in 2017 (pre reform, T1) and 2019 (post reform, T2). To assess changes, we analysed data from all available questionnaire pairs (T1 and T2, N = 43). We calculated paired t-test and correlative analyses concerning the relationship between cB, cM, and employee stress.
Results: The number of residents overall (T1: N = 1,661; T2: N = 1,673) and per institution (T1: m = 38.6 ± 32.0; T2: m = 38.9 ± 34.5, p = 0.920) remained stable. We did not see any changes in the Index cB (p = 0.508) or the proportion of residents per institution displaying various types of challenging behaviour (all ps>0.220). There was no change in the Index cM (p = 0.089) or any indicator of employee stress, all ps > 0.323. At follow-up, the Index cB correlated positively with the Index cM (r = 0.519 p < 0.001). Regarding employee stress, the Index cB correlated positively with the frequency of sick leave (r = 0.322, p = 0.037) and physical attacks on employees (r = 0.552, p < 0.001). The Index cM also correlated positively with the frequency of sick leave (r = 0.340, p = 0.028) and physical attacks on employees (r = 0.492, p = 0.001).
Discussion: Coercive measures are not a general phenomenon, but are focused on specialised institutions. The law reform did not lead to changes in the number of children, adolescents and young adults with IDD affected by coercive measures in residential institutions in Bavaria. There were still large discrepancies between institutions in the prevalence of challenging behaviour and coercive measures. Coercive measures were associated with challenging behaviour and employee stress. Taken together, findings from REDUGIA emphasise the need to prevent challenging behaviour and thus coercive measures.
Fragestellung: In Bayern leben etwa 10 % aller jungen Menschen mit Intelligenzminderung in Heimeinrichtungen. 2016 wurde in Presseberichten der Vorwurf unzulässiger freiheitsentziehender Maßnahmen formuliert. Im Rahmen des Projekts REDUGIA wurde in bayerischen Heimeinrichtungen eine repräsentative Erhebung zu freiheitsentziehenden Maßnahmen (FeM), herausforderndem Verhalten (hfV) und der Mitarbeiterbelastung (MaB) durchgeführt. Methodik: 65 Einrichtungen für junge Menschen mit Intelligenzminderung in Bayern wurde ein Fragebogen zu strukturellen Gegebenheiten sowie MaB, hfV und FeM zugesendet. Neben deskriptiven Auswertungen wurden korrelative Analysen bzw. Regressionsanalysen zum Zusammenhang zwischen hfV, FeM und MaB durchgeführt. Ergebnisse: Es wurden Daten zu 1839 Personen in 61 Einrichtungen erhoben. 84.3 % der Einrichtungen berichteten geringe Raten an hfV und FeM, während 15.7 % ein gehäuftes Vorkommen von hfV und FeM angaben. Auf n = 1809 Vollzeitäquivalente kam es innerhalb von 14 Tagen zu 639 körperlichen Angriffen durch Bewohner_innen. In 12 Monaten wurden problemverhaltensassoziiert 85 Krankmeldungen sowie 33 Versetzungsanträge/Kündigungen berichtet. Es zeigte sich ein signifikant positiver Zusammenhang zwischen hfV und FeM (R² = .307, F = 21.719, p < .001). Die Mitarbeiterbelastung korrelierte positiv mit hfV (r = .507, p < .001). Schlussfolgerungen: Die Studienbefunde weisen darauf hin, dass hfV sowie FeM bei jungen Menschen mit Intelligenzminderung kein flächendeckendes Phänomen darstellen, sondern sich auf wenige spezialisierte Einrichtungen fokussieren. Mögliche Maßnahmen zur Prävention von Problemverhalten und Freiheitsentzug werden diskutiert.
Fractal phenomena can be found in numerous scientific areas including neuroscience. Fractals are structures, in which the whole has the same shape as its parts. A specific structure known as pink noise (also called fractal or 1/f noise) is one key fractal manifestation, exhibits both stability and adaptability, and can be addressed via the Hurst exponent (H). FMRI studies using H on regional fMRI time courses used fractality as an important characteristic to unravel neural networks from artificial noise. In this fMRI-study, we examined 103 healthy male students at rest and while performing the 5-choice serial reaction time task. We addressed fractality in a network associated with waiting impulsivity using the adaptive fractal analysis (AFA) approach to determine H. We revealed the fractal nature of the impulsivity network. Furthermore, fractality was influenced by individual impulsivity in terms of decreasing fractality with higher impulsivity in regions of top-down control (left middle frontal gyrus) as well as reward processing (nucleus accumbens and anterior cingulate cortex). We conclude that fractality as determined via H is a promising marker to quantify deviations in network functions at an early stage and, thus, to be able to inform preventive interventions before the manifestation of a disorder.
Family relationships in selective mutism — a comparison group study of children and adolescents
(2022)
Selective mutism (SM) mostly develops early in childhood and this has led to interest into whether there could be differences in relationships in families with SM compared to a control group without SM. Currently, there are merely few empirical studies examining family relationships in SM. A sample of 28 children and adolescents with SM was compared to 33 controls without SM. The groups were investigated using self-report questionnaires (Selective Mutism Questionnaire, Child-Parent Relationship Test—Child Version) for the assessment of SM and family relationships. Children with SM did not report a significantly different relationship to their mothers compared with the control group without SM. However, the scores in respect to the relationship to their fathers were significantly lower in cohesion, identification and autonomy compared with children without SM. Relationships in families with SM should be considered more in therapy.