Genetic findings in obsessive-compulsive disorder in childhood and adolescence and in adulthood

Obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) are on the rise, and affected children, 1-2% of the general population, often are seriously impaired in their development. OCD is characterized by recurrent, intrusive and disturbing thoughts as well as by repetitive stereotypic behaviours. Depending on their age and developmental status, patients usually try unsuccessfully to suppress the obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours. The current state of genetic research on OCD and early-onset OCD is presented and discussed. OCD, especially early-onset OCD, has been shown to be familial. Convincing evidence indicates that both environmental and genetic factors substantially influence OCD. Various approaches, including linkage and association studies, yielded conflicting results as well as the notion that multiple genes of modest effect sizes, in interaction with environmental factors, cause vulnerability to the disorder. The phenotypic and genetic heterogeneity of OCD complicate the identification of specific genetic factors. Further studies have to be designed in consideration of subtypes, e.g. age at onset, symptom dimensions, or comorbid disorders.     

Changes in extra- and intracellular pH in the brain during and following ischemia in hyperglycemic and in moderately hypoglycemic rats

Incomplete forebrain ischemia of 15-min duration was induced in rats made hyperglycemic or moderately hypoglycemic prior to ischemia. Tissue CO2 tension, CO2 content, labile tissue metabolites, and extracellular pH (pHe) were measured, and intracellular pH (pHi) was derived by calculation on the assumption that cerebral intracellular fluids can be lumped into one space. In hypoglycemic animals, mean tissue lactate content increased from 2 to 10 mumol g-1. Tissue CO2 content was virtually unchanged and the CO2 tension increased from approximately 50 to approximately 145 mm Hg. In hyperglycemic animals, tissue lactate content rose to 20 mumol g-1, and the CO2 content decreased by 25%, demonstrating that some CO2 was lost to the blood supplied by the remaining perfusion. Accordingly, tissue CO2 tension did not rise above 200 mm Hg. pHe was reduced in proportion to the amount of lactate accumulated, the values obtained in hypo- and hyperglycemic animals showing relatively little scatter (6.76 +/- 0.03 and 6.25 +/- 0.04, respectively). In hypoglycemic animals the extracellular HCO-3 concentration was virtually unchanged, demonstrating that any influx of lactic acid from the cells must have been accompanied by H+ efflux and/or HCO-3 influx via independent routes. In hyperglycemic animals [HCO-3]e fell by greater than 10 mumol ml-1. In both groups [HCO-3]e was reduced during the first 5 min of recovery. Recovery of pHe was slower in hyper- than in hypoglycemic animals. During ischemia calculated pHi fell to 6.37 +/- 0.04 and 5.95 +/- 0.06 in hypo- and hyperglycemic animals, respectively. Differences in pHi were maintained for the first 15 min of recovery, but in both hypo- and hyperglycemic animals pHi had normalized after 30 min. It is concluded that preischemic hyperglycemia leads to a more pronounced intra- and extracellular acidosis than normo- and hypoglycemia, an acidosis that also resolves more slowly during recirculation.     

Dopamine-derived alkaloids in alcoholism and in Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases

Summary Tetrahydroisoquinoline (TIQ) alkaloids and 1-carboxy TIQ derivatives have been found in human fluids and/or tissues. The possible biosynthetic pathways of salsolinol (Sal), taken as an example of TIQs, are discussed, and the possibility that biosynthesis occurs through a stereospecific enzymatic reaction is considered. In this respect, it is reported that the R enantiomer of Sal predominates in urines of healthy volunteers, whereas the S enantiomer predominates in port wine and possibly in other beverages and foods, suggesting that Sal present in humans could have, at least partially, and endogenous enzymatic origin.TIQs and other dopamine-derived alkaloids are weak MAO inhibitors, the R enantiomer of Sal and salsolidine being more potent than the S form.The changes in monoamine oxidase activity and the nigrostriatal concentrations of dopamine and homovanillic acid in Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases and in alcoholism are reviewed. In these pathological situations, changes in the levels of dopamine-derived alkaloid levels may occur. The possibility that the modifications found might cause or contribute to changes in mental and/or neurophysiological states in these pathological situations is considered.     

Carbamazepine and Its Metabolites in Human Perfused Placenta and in Maternal and Cord Blood

Summary: Placental transfer and metabolism of carbamazepine (CBZ) was studied in a dual recirculating placental cotyledon perfusion system and was also evaluated in 16 pairs of maternal venous and cord blood samples. Among the parameters studied as possible indicators of a successful perfusion, volume changes in perfusate divided the perfusions into two groups, whereas no significant differences between perfusions were noted in blood gas analysis or in antipyrine transfer. CBZ added into the maternal circulation crosses the placenta in the beginning quicker than antipyrine which is in agreement with the different lipid solubilities of these compounds. Because the transfer rates of antipyrine and CBZ were about the same, the mechanism of transfer of CBZ is probably similar to that of antipyrine (passive diffusion). No metabolites of CBZ could be detected in the perfusate by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or gas chromatographyhass spectrometry. With the improved HPLC methodology for CBZ metabolites, six metabolites were detected in clinical samples, including 10-hydroxy-10, 11-dihydro-CBZ (10-OH-CBZ), which has been described earlier in only 1 uremic patient. Relative levels of metabolites showed significant individual differences. CBZ crosses perfused placenta rapidly, but this does not contribute to CBZ metabolites detected in maternal and fetal circulation.     

Cannabinoids and neuroprotection in global and focal cerebral ischemia and in neuronal cultures.

Marijuana and related drugs (cannabinoids) have been proposed as treatments for a widening spectrum of medical disorders. R(+)-[2, 3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-[(morpholinyl)methyl]pyrrolo[1,2,3-de]-1, 4-benzoxazin-yl]-(1-naphthalenyl)methanone mesylate (R(+)-WIN 55212-2), a synthetic cannabinoid agonist, decreased hippocampal neuronal loss after transient global cerebral ischemia and reduced infarct volume after permanent focal cerebral ischemia induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats. The less active enantiomer S(-)-WIN 55212-3 was ineffective, and the protective effect of R(+)-WIN 55212-2 was blocked by the specific central cannabinoid (CB1) cannabinoid receptor antagonist N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2, 4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide-hydrochloride. R(+)-WIN 55212-2 also protected cultured cerebral cortical neurons from in vitro hypoxia and glucose deprivation, but in contrast to the receptor-mediated neuroprotection observed in vivo, this in vitro effect was not stereoselective and was insensitive to CB1 and CB2 receptor antagonists. Cannabinoids may have therapeutic potential in disorders resulting from cerebral ischemia, including stroke, and may protect neurons from injury through a variety of mechanisms.     

Platelet MAO activity and monoamine metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid in depressed and suicidal patients and in healthy controls

Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA), homovanillic acid (HVA), and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylglycol (HMPG) were simultaneously measured in 20 currently depressed patients, 11 recovered depressed patients, 15 nondepressed suicide attempters, and 42 healthy control subjects. Both 5HIAA and HVA were positively and significantly correlated to platelet MAO activity in the healthy subjects, but not in any of the patient groups. Suicide attempters had significantly lower CSF 5HIAA than nonsuicidal patients.     

Cellular origin and regulation of D- and L-serine in in vitro and in vivo models of cerebral ischemia

D-Serine is known to be essential for the activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in the excitation of glutamatergic neurons, which have critical roles in long-term potentiation and memory formation. D-Serine is also thought to be involved in NMDA receptor-mediated neurotoxicity. The deletion of serine racemase (SRR), which synthesizes D-serine from L-serine, was recently reported to improve ischemic damage in mouse middle cerebral artery occlusion model. However, the cell type in which this phenomenon originates and the regulatory mechanism for D-/L-serine remain elusive. The D-/L-serine content in ischemic brain increased until 20 hours after recanalization and then leveled off gradually. The results of in vitro experiments using cultured cells suggested that D-serine is derived from neurons, while L-serine seems to be released from astroglia. Immunohistochemistry studies of brain tissue after cerebral ischemia showed that SRR is expressed in neurons, and 3-phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (3-PGDH), which synthesizes L-serine from 3-phosphoglycerate, is located in astrocytes, supporting the results of the in vitro experiments. A western blot analysis showed that neither SRR nor 3-PGDH was upregulated after cerebral ischemia. Therefore, the increase in D-/L-serine was not related to an increase in SRR or 3-PGDH, but to an increase in the substrates of SRR and 3-PGDH.     

Perceiving and acting in depth in Williams syndrome and typical development

Individuals with the neurodevelopmental disorder Williams syndrome (WS) often report difficulty processing and acting in depth, such as crossing roads or reaching for objects; however little research attention has been directed at understanding depth perception and action in depth in WS and whether deficits in depth perception have an ocular or perceptual root in this group. This study assessed the extent and relationship of deficits in stereopsis (binocular, three dimensional vision) and actions performed in depth in WS, as well as in typically developing participants (TD) matched for non-verbal ability. Stereoacuity was age-appropriate in the TD group but at the level of a TD three year old in WS; one third of the WS group did not show evidence of stereopsis. When monocularly acting in depth there was no difference between the WS and TD groups. When binocularly acting in depth the WS group that did not exhibit stereopsis were significantly poorer than the TD group and the WS group that exhibited stereopsis. When assessing the relationship between stereoacuity and action in depth, stereoacuity negatively correlated with binocular action in depth for the WS group with stereopsis, but not the TD group. Therefore, no deficits in monocular depth perception in WS were evidenced, yet significant deficits are exhibited in binocular depth perception and action. Importantly action in depth under binocular viewing may be a useful gross screening measure for stereodeficits in WS. Remediation of depth perception deficits in WS could train further understanding of monocular cues to compensate for poor stereopsis.     

Lexical and child-related factors in word variability and accuracy in infants

The present study investigated the effects of lexical age of acquisition (AoA), phonological complexity, age and expressive vocabulary on spoken word variability and accuracy in typically developing infants, aged 1;9–3;1. It was hypothesized that later-acquired words and those with more complex speech sounds would be produced more variably and less accurately than earlier-acquired words and those with less complex speech sounds. It was also hypothesized that word variability would decrease and word accuracy would increase with increasing age and vocabulary knowledge. Participants' productions of 20 target words, experimentally controlled for AoA and phonological complexity, were audio-recorded during a play session. Results revealed a nonsignificant effect of AoA on variability and accuracy, a significant effect of phonological complexity on variability and accuracy, a significant effect of age on variability and accuracy and a significant effect of vocabulary on variability. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.