Daily mood as a mediator or moderator of the pain-sleep relationship in children with sickle cell disease

OBJECTIVE: To investigate mood as a mediator or moderator of the pain-sleep relationship in children with sickle cell disease (SCD). METHOD: Children with SCD (n = 20; aged 8-12 years) completed daily diaries assessing mood, sleep, and pain for up to 2 months. Data was analyzed using multilevel modeling. Results Results indicate that negative mood partially mediates the relationship between high daily pain and poor sleep that night as well the relationship between poor sleep and high daily pain the following day. The impact of poor sleep on high pain the following day was weakened at increasing levels of positive mood. CONCLUSION: Research is needed to fully explore the ways positive and negative mood may relate to pain and sleep characteristics. This information may be beneficial for developing more effective pain management and sleep interventions.     

Predicting responsiveness to a depressive mood induction procedure

Inducing various mood states—sad or depressed mood in particular—has become a widely employed and accepted means of experimentally examining the link between emotion and cognition, particularly with research on cognitive theory and depression. Using various criteria, studies utilizing mood induction procedures (MIPs) have reported successful induction of the desired mood in participants at rates ranging from 50 to 75%, clearly reflecting substantial individual variation. Individual differences in response to MIPs, however, have received little attention. Drawing on both theory and previous research, the present study identified and examined a range of possible predictors of response to depressive mood induction in a sample of 100 undergraduate students. Results indicated that of the examined predictors, experience with recent negative events prior to the mood induction and participant mood state, including self‐reported symptoms of anxiety, significantly predicted reported mood state following the MIP. The implications of these results for models of vulnerability and resilience to negative mood states are discussed, and future research directions are provided © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 65:1–16, 2009.     

托吡酯预防偏头痛发作的相关研究

偏头痛的反复发作让患者们苦不堪言,而目前偏头痛有各种各样的预防用药,每一类药物有各自的优势和弊端,如何选择适合的用药困扰着医生和患者,主要是因为对各类药物的了解并不多。近年来,新型抗癫痫药物托吡酯(topiramate,TPM)展现了显著的疗效,其能有效安全地预防偏头痛发作,本人综述了TPM在预防偏头痛治疗上的相关研究。     

The effect of mood stabilizer lithium on expression and activity of glutathione s-transferase isoenzymes

Chronic treatment with the mood stabilizer lithium is required to generate its mood stabilizing effect in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Our recent studies have shown that chronic lithium treatment increases mRNA and protein levels of the cytosolic glutathione s-transferase (GST) M1 isoenzyme. Cytosolic GST encompasses a family of detoxification enzymes that include four main classes: alpha (A), mu (M), pi (P) and theta (T). The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of lithium on GST isoenzymes that are expressed in brain, and determine the role of GST in the neuroprotective effects of lithium against oxidative stress. We found in primary cultured rat cerebral cortical cells that chronic lithium treatment not only increased GST M1 mRNA levels, but also increased GST M3, M5 and A4 mRNA levels. Chronic lithium treatment increased GST enzyme activity when 1-chloro-2, 4-dinitrobenzene and 4-hydroxynonenal were used as substrates. In addition, we found that chronic lithium treatment inhibited reactive oxygen metabolite H(2)O(2)-induced cell death and DNA fragmentation in primary cultured rat cerebral cortical cells, while GST inhibitor ethacrynic acid reduced the neuroprotective effect of lithium against H(2)O(2)-induced cell death and DNA fragmentation. Since GST conjugates glutathione, the major antioxidant in brain, with a variety of oxidized products to form nontoxic products, and plays an important role in cellular protection against oxidative stress, our findings suggest that lithium selectively targets GST isoenzymes in order to produce neuroprotective effects against oxidative stress.     

Movement and mood disorder in two brothers with Gaucher disease

Gaucher disease (GD) is a lysosomal storage disorder with a wide spectrum of phenotypic presentations. We report the case histories of two adult brothers with GD who developed both parkinsonism and psychiatric symptoms. Direct sequencing and real-time polymerase chain reaction were used to establish that the patients were homozygous for mutation L444P. While parkinsonism has been described previously in GD, these patients had atypical features, including a complicated mood disorder. The comorbidity of GD and a mood disorder is a new finding, as psychiatric manifestations of GD have been described rarely. The etiology of the mental illness could be related to the processes contributing to the development of parkinsonism.     

17q24.2 microdeletions: a new syndromal entity with intellectual disability, truncal obesity, mood swings and hallucinations

Although microdeletions of the long arm of chromosome 17 are being reported with increasing frequency, deletions of chromosome band 17q24.2 are rare. Here we report four patients with a microdeletion encompassing chromosome band 17q24.2 with a smallest region of overlap of 713 kb containing five Refseq genes and one miRNA. The patients share the phenotypic characteristics, such as intellectual disability (4/4), speech delay (4/4), truncal obesity (4/4), seizures (2/4), hearing loss (3/4) and a particular facial gestalt. Hallucinations and mood swings were also noted in two patients. The PRKCA gene is a very interesting candidate gene for many of the observed phenotypic features, as this gene plays an important role in many cellular processes. Deletion of this gene might explain the observed truncal obesity and could also account for the hallucinations and mood swings seen in two patients, whereas deletion of a CACNG gene cluster might be responsible for the seizures observed in two patients. In one of the patients, the PRKAR1A gene responsible for Carney Complex and the KCNJ2 gene causal for Andersen syndrome are deleted. This is the first report of a patient with a whole gene deletion of the KCNJ2 gene.     

Efficacy of topiramate (Topamax) in epileptic patients of different ages

The aim of the present work was to assess the efficacy and tolerance of topiramate (Topamax) in patients of different ages with different types of epilepsy. This agent was used as monotherapy and combined therapy in 114 patients (53 male, 61 female) of the following age groups: early childhood (16), preschool and school age (20), pubertal (16), young (23), adult (38), and elderly (1). Treatment produced complete clinical remission in 48% of patients and decreases in fit frequency by more than 50% in 44% of patients. In terms of remission, Topamax was more effective in adolescents, youths and adults than in younger children, and this pattern was also seen in the treatment of symptomatic epilepsy. Tolerance was good in patients of all groups, and cases of side effects (weight loss, irritability, allergic skin reactions, paresthesia) were occasional. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S. S. Korsakova, Vol. 106, No. 6, pp. 34–37, June, 2006.     

Progesterone, GABA and mood disorders in women

Summary The hormone progesterone fluctuates widely across the menstrual cycle, postpartum, and in the climacteric. Progesterone and the 5α 3α reduced metabolites of progesterone have been termed neurosteroids because they are synthesized in the central nervous system and affect neurologic functioning, and therefore, mood and behavior. Further study of the relationship of progesterone, allopregnanolone and other progesterone metabolites to the premenstrual dysphoric disorder, anxiety, and depressive disorders is warranted.     

Salivary cortisol, stress and mood in healthy older adults: the Zenith study

The aims of this study were to investigate the relationship between salivary cortisol, stress and mood and to look at the circadian rhythms of positive (PA) and negative (NA) mood in older adults. The participants were 41 healthy adults aged 55-69 years, recruited in Northern Ireland as part of the European Commission-funded Zenith project. Salivary cortisol samples were obtained twice a day (2.30 p.m. and 10.30 p.m.) for 7 consecutive days in conjunction with momentary measures of positive (PA) and negative mood (NA), using PANAS and a trait measure of perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale). Salivary cortisol levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunoassay kit. Higher perceived stress levels were associated with lower afternoon PA (r=-0.46, p=0.003) and higher afternoon (r=0.43, p=0.007) and evening (r=0.45, p=0.004) NA. Lower afternoon PA was correlated with higher evening cortisol concentrations (r=-0.47, p=0.002). Greater afternoon PA variability was associated with higher evening cortisol concentrations (r=0.38, p=0.015). A high intra-class correlation between cortisol and positive mood was found (r=0.67, p=0.009). Previously established rhythms for positive and negative mood were confirmed. Interestingly, there was no association between salivary cortisol levels and perceived stress in these healthy older adults. Further, more extensive research is required to better understand the apparent interplay between these variables and ageing.     

Irritability: the forgotten dimension of female-specific mood disorders

Summary Human proneness to anger, or irritability, has – from the earliest writings on physical health – represented a disturbance in physiological function and manifested itself as a disturbance of mood. Since antiquity, irritability has been associated with a range and variety of irascible verbal and physical behaviours. Yet, for the most part, the literature on irritability lies buried and forgotten. Our current conceptualization of irritability, a symptom present in a variety of mental and physical conditions, might be traced to the "disease model" of mental illness prevalent in medicine in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Irritability, and not depression or anxiety, is frequently the primary presenting complaint in women with premenstrual, perinatal, and perimenopausal mood disturbances. Both the historical writings and contemporary research – in particular research on female-specific mood disorders, suggest congruence with the notion of severe irritability as a distinct mood condition. This overview represents not an introduction but rather a resurrection of a longstanding and familiar, yet elusive phenomenon.     

High altitude exposure impairs sleep patterns, mood, and cognitive functions

This work evaluated the importance of sleep on mood and cognition after 24 h of exposure to hypoxia. Ten males, aged 23–30 years, were placed in a normobaric chamber simulating an altitude of 4,500 m. Sleep assessments were conducted from 22:00–6:00; all mood and cognitive assessments were performed 20 min after awakening. The assessments were conducted in normoxic conditions and after 24 h of hypoxia. Sleep was reevaluated 14 h after the start of exposure to hypoxic conditions, and mood state and cognitive functions were reevaluated 24 h after the start of exposure to hypoxic conditions. Hypoxia reduced total sleep time, sleep efficiency, slow‐wave sleep, and rapid eye movement. Depressive mood, anger, and fatigue increased under hypoxic conditions. Vigor, attention, visual and working memory, concentration, executive functions, inhibitory control, and speed of mental processing worsened. Changes in sleep patterns can modulate mood and cognition after 24 h.     

Clinical and medial temporal features in a family with mood disorders

It is debated whether non-affected relatives of patients with affective disorders share a specific brain structure endophenotype. Aim of this work is to explore the medial temporal morphology in affected and non-affected members of a family with mood disorders. Hippocampi and amygdalae were manually traced from the 3D magnetic resonance imaging of five affected family members, 10 non-affected relatives, and 15 unrelated matched controls. Affected and non-affected relatives were characterized by larger left amygdalae (18%, p = 0.030), smaller right hippocampus (up to 18%, p < 0.0005), and reduced hippocampal asymmetry (p < 0.001) than controls. Abnormal, albeit non significant, positive correlations of MTL volumes with age were observed, with the exception of smaller volume of the left hippocampus with advancing age (r = −0.76) in the affected relatives. These data add to the evidence that abnormal medial temporal structures may constitute an endophenotype for affective disorders.     

Effects of music therapy on mood in stroke patients

Purpose

To investigate the effects of music therapy on depressive mood and anxiety in post-stroke patients and evaluate satisfaction levels of patients and caregivers.

Materials and Methods

Eighteen post-stroke patients, within six months of onset and mini mental status examination score of over 20, participated in this study. Patients were divided into music and control groups. The experimental group participated in the music therapy program for four weeks. Psychological status was evaluated with the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) before and after music therapy. Satisfaction with music therapy was evaluated by a questionnaire.

Results

BAI and BDI scores showed a greater decrease in the music group than the control group after music therapy, but only the decrease of BDI scores were statistically significant (p=0.048). Music therapy satisfaction in patients and caregivers was affirmative.

Conclusion

Music therapy has a positive effect on mood in post-stroke patients and may be beneficial for mood improvement with stroke. These results are encouraging, but further studies are needed in this field.     

The effect of sleep deprivation and restriction on mood,emotion, and emotion regulation: three meta-analyses in one

Study ObjectivesNew theory and measurement approaches have facilitated nuanced investigation of how sleep loss impacts dimensions of affective functioning. To provide a quantitative summary of this literature, three conceptually related meta-analyses examined the effect of sleep restriction and sleep deprivation on mood, emotion, and emotion regulation across the lifespan (i.e. from early childhood to late adulthood).MethodsA total of 241 effect sizes from 64 studies were selected for inclusion, and multilevel meta-analytic techniques were used when applicable.ResultsThere was a moderate, positive effect of sleep loss on negative mood (g = 0.45), which was stronger for studies with younger samples, as well as a large, negative effect of sleep loss on positive mood (g = −0.94). For negative mood only, studies that used total sleep deprivation had larger effect sizes than studies that restricted sleep. After correcting for publication bias, a modest but significant negative effect for sleep loss on emotion (g = −0.11) was found; the valence of emotional stimuli did not change the direction of this effect, and type of sleep manipulation was also not a significant moderator. Finally, sleep restriction had a small, negative effect on adaptive emotion regulation (g = −0.32), but no significant impact on maladaptive emotion regulation (g = 0.14); all studies on adaptive emotion regulation were conducted with youth samples.ConclusionsSleep loss compromises optimal affective functioning, though the magnitude of effects varies across components. Findings underscore the importance of sleep for healthy affective outcomes.