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Genetics and Molecular Research : GMR Mar 2014Dopamine (DA) has been implicated in the pathophysiol-ogy of several psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. Thus, genes related to the dopaminergic (DAergic)...
Dopamine (DA) has been implicated in the pathophysiol-ogy of several psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. Thus, genes related to the dopaminergic (DAergic) system are good candidate genes for schizophrenia. One of receptors of the DA receptor system is dopa-mine receptor 5 (DRD5). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the regulatory regions of DRD5 gene may affect gene expression, influence biosynthesis of DA and underlie various neuropsychiatric disorders re-lated to DA dysfunction. The present study explored the association of SNPs within the DRD5 gene with paranoid schizophrenia in Han Chinese. A total of 176 patients with schizophrenia and 206 healthy controls were genotyped for four DRD5 SNPs (rs77434921, rs2076907, rs6283, and rs1800762). Significant group differences were observed in the allele and genotype frequencies of rs77434921 and rs1800762 and in the frequen-cies of GC haplotypes corresponding to rs77434921-rs1800762. Our find-ings suggest that common genetic variations of DRD5 are likely to con-tribute to genetic susceptibility to paranoid schizophrenia in Han Chinese. Further studies in larger samples are needed to replicate this association.
Topics: Adult; Alleles; Asian People; Female; Genetic Association Studies; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Genotype; Haplotypes; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Polymorphism, Genetic; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Receptors, Dopamine D5; Schizophrenia, Paranoid
PubMed: 24668635
DOI: 10.4238/2014.March.12.13 -
BMC Psychiatry Jan 2023Most studies agree that the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown had a negative impact on mental health. On the other hand, international studies have shown...
Psychiatric presentations and admissions during the first wave of Covid-19 compared to 2019 in a psychiatric emergency department in Berlin, Germany: a retrospective chart review.
BACKGROUND
Most studies agree that the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown had a negative impact on mental health. On the other hand, international studies have shown that psychiatric emergency departments (pED) experienced a decrease in presentations and admissions.
METHODS
Retrospective chart review of all pED presentations and admissions during the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic in Germany (Covid-19 period: 3/2/20 to 05/24/20) in a psychiatric hospital in Berlin compared to 1 year earlier (pre-Covid-19 period). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were performed.
RESULTS
We observed no statistical significant changes in overall pED presentations and overall hospital admissions during the Covid-19 period compared to the pre-Covid-19 period (813 vs. 894, - 9.1%, p = 0.064 and (363 vs. 437, - 16.9%, p = 0.080 respectively). In the subgroup analysis, less patients with depressive disorders (p = 0.035) and with personality disorders (p = 0.002) presented to the pED, a larger number of presentations with schizophrenia was observed (p = 0.020). In the Covid-19 period, less patients with substance use disorder and paranoid schizophrenia were admitted to the hospital via the pED than in the pre-Covid-19 period (p = 0.035 and p = 0.006, respectively). Bed capacity was reduced in the Covid-19 period by - 32.8% (p < 0.001). Presentations in police custody were 13.7% (p = 0.029) higher during the Covid-19 compared to pre-Covid-19 period, with higher rates in female presentations (p = 0.008) and suicide attempts (p = 0.012) and less hospital admissions (p = 0.048). Logistic regression analyses revealed that positive predictors for pED presentation during Covid-19 period were police custody (p < 0.001), being redirected from another hospital (p < 0.001), suicide attempt (p = 0.038), suicidal thoughts (p = 0.004), presentation with paranoid schizophrenia (p = 0.001) and bipolar and manic disorders (p = 0.004), negative predictors were hospital admission (p < 0.001), depressive disorders (p = 0.021) and personality disorders (p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
A larger number of presentations in police custody during the Covid-19 period may represent untreated medical needs. This was seen predominantly in female patients, suggesting this subgroup might have suffered particularly under lockdown measures. Patients with paranoid schizophrenia were the only subgroup, which increased in absolute numbers, also suggesting a particular lockdown effect. Reduced bed capacity due to infection curbing measures is suggestive to have played an important role in augmenting the threshold for hospital admissions.
Topics: Humans; Female; Retrospective Studies; Berlin; Pandemics; COVID-19; Communicable Disease Control; Bipolar Disorder; Germany; Emergency Service, Hospital
PubMed: 36639626
DOI: 10.1186/s12888-023-04537-x -
BMJ Case Reports Jan 2013Kallmann syndrome (KS) is a genetically heterogeneous and rare disorder characterised by the combination of hypothalamic hypogonadism and anosmia/hyposmia, a variable...
Kallmann syndrome (KS) is a genetically heterogeneous and rare disorder characterised by the combination of hypothalamic hypogonadism and anosmia/hyposmia, a variable degree of intellectual disability and several somatic anomalies. In about one-third of the patients, mutations have been identified in at least seven different genes. Virtually no data are available about possible neuropsychiatric symptoms in KS. Here, a young adult male is described with a previous clinical diagnosis of KS and recent paranoid schizophrenia of which positive, but not negative symptoms, fully remitted upon treatment with antipsychotics. Neither genome-wide array analysis nor mutation analyses disclosed imbalances or mutations in any of presently known KS disease genes. This is the first report on a patient with KS and paranoid schizophrenia in whom extensive genetic analyses were performed. It is concluded that further studies are warranted in order to elucidate a possible increased risk for psychiatric symptoms in patients with KS.
Topics: Adult; DNA; DNA Mutational Analysis; Diagnosis, Differential; Humans; Kallmann Syndrome; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Mutation; Phenotype; Schizophrenia, Paranoid
PubMed: 23329708
DOI: 10.1136/bcr-2012-007387 -
Case Reports in Psychiatry 2012The treatment of choice for acute schizophrenia is antipsychotic drug treatment and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and should only be considered as an option for...
The treatment of choice for acute schizophrenia is antipsychotic drug treatment and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and should only be considered as an option for treatment-resistant schizophrenia, where treatment with clozapine has already proven ineffective or intolerable. The use of ECT as a maintenance treatment for patients with schizophrenia and comorbid epilepsy is uncommon as scant evidence exists to support this. We describe a patient with a serious case of paranoid schizophrenia and comorbid epilepsy who had not responded to typical and atypical antipsychotic medication, but responded remarkably to acute ECT and required maintenance ECT to sustain a positive therapeutic response.
PubMed: 22953149
DOI: 10.1155/2012/374752 -
Current Health Sciences Journal 2018Schizophrenia is a neurodegenerative disease with personality degradation, changes in behavior, cognition, affective disorder and reduced socio-professional insertion....
Schizophrenia is a neurodegenerative disease with personality degradation, changes in behavior, cognition, affective disorder and reduced socio-professional insertion. Early diagnosis is necessary and maintenance is ensured by antipsychotic treatment and for non-compliant patients there is an alternative to depot medication that greatly improves therapeutic adherence. The study presents the case of a 43-year-old patient diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V-TR criteria that showed a favorable evolution under depot treatment.
PubMed: 30647956
DOI: 10.12865/CHSJ.44.03.19 -
Schizophrenia Bulletin Mar 2024
Topics: Humans; Delusions; Paranoid Disorders; Schizophrenia, Paranoid
PubMed: 38309718
DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbae012 -
Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment 2014Dysregulation of dopaminergic neurotransmission at the D1 receptor in the prefrontal cortex has been implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Genetic...
OBJECTIVE
Dysregulation of dopaminergic neurotransmission at the D1 receptor in the prefrontal cortex has been implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Genetic polymorphisms of the dopamine D1-receptor gene have a plausible role in modulating the risk of schizophrenia. To determine the role of DRD1 genetic polymorphisms as a risk factor for schizophrenia, we undertook a case-control study to look for an association between the DRD1 gene and schizophrenia.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We genotyped eleven single-nucleotide polymorphisms within the DRD1 gene by deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing involving 173 paranoid schizophrenia patients and 213 unrelated healthy individuals. Statistical analysis was performed to identify the difference of genotype, allele, or haplotype distribution between cases and controls.
RESULTS
A significantly lower risk of paranoid schizophrenia was associated with the AG + GG genotype of rs5326 and the AG + GG genotype of rs4532 compared to the AA genotype and the AA genotype, respectively. Distribution of haplotypes was no different between controls and paranoid schizophrenia patients. In the males, the genotype distribution of rs5326 was statistically different between cases and controls. In the females, the genotype distribution of rs4532 was statistically different between cases and controls. However, the aforementioned statistical significances were lost after Bonferroni correction.
CONCLUSION
It is unlikely that DRD1 accounts for a substantial proportion of the genetic risk for schizophrenia. As an important dopaminergic gene, DRD1 may contribute to schizophrenia by interacting with other genes, and further relevant studies are warranted.
PubMed: 24790447
DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S61227 -
Industrial Psychiatry Journal Jul 2011Very few studies have evaluated the neurocognitive functions of patients with persistent delusional disorder.
BACKGROUND
Very few studies have evaluated the neurocognitive functions of patients with persistent delusional disorder.
AIM
To study the neurocognitive profile of patients with delusional disorder and compare it with those of patients with paranoid schizophrenia and healthy control subjects.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Attention concentration, executive functions, memory, and IQ were assessed in 20 patients with delusional disorder and were compared with 20 patients with paranoid schizophrenia and 20 healthy controls. All three groups were matched on age, sex, and level of education. The two patient groups were also matched on duration of illness.
RESULTS
In general, patients with delusional disorder performed worst than healthy controls and patients with paranoid schizophrenia performed in between the other two groups. Compared with healthy controls, both patients with delusional disorder and patients with paranoid schizophrenia were significantly impaired on different tests of attention and visual learning and memory. Compared with patients with paranoid schizophrenia, patients with delusional disorder had more impairment different tests of attention, visual learning and memory, verbal working memory, and executive functions.
CONCLUSION
Patients with delusional disorder exhibit cognitive dysfunctions that are very similar to schizophrenia, but are more severe in intensity. The resemblance of cognitive profiles suggests that the two disorders may have similar etiological basis.
PubMed: 23271865
DOI: 10.4103/0972-6748.102499 -
Schizophrenia Bulletin May 2012This article tries to give an answer to the question of whether International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) persistent delusional disorder (PDD) or Diagnostic and... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
OBJECTIVES
This article tries to give an answer to the question of whether International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) persistent delusional disorder (PDD) or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) delusional disorder (DD) is simply paranoid schizophrenia (PS). Because ICD-10 PDD and DSM-IV DD are identical, we use DD as a synonym.
METHODS
A prospective and longitudinal study compared all inpatients with DD treated at the Halle-Wittenberg university hospital during a 14-year period with a previously investigated selected cohort of patients with PS. Sociodemographic data, symptomatology, course, and outcome parameters were examined using standardized instruments. The duration of the follow-up period in patients with DD was 10.8 years and for the PS patients 12.9 years.
RESULTS
Significant differences between DD and PS were found: DD patients are, in comparison to patients with PS, significantly older at onset. Less of their first-degree relatives have mental disorders. They less frequently come from a broken home situation. First-rank symptoms, relevant negative symptoms, and primary hallucinations did not occur in patients with DD. Patients with DD were less frequently hospitalized, and the duration of their hospitalization was shorter. Their outcome is much better regarding employment, early retirement due to the disorder, and psychopharmacological medication. They more often had stable heterosexual partnerships and were autarkic. They had lower scores in the Disability Assessment Scale and in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. The diagnosis of DD is very stable over time.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings of this study support the assumption that DDs are a separate entity and only exceptionally can be a prodrome of schizophrenia.
Topics: Adult; Age Factors; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; International Classification of Diseases; Male; Middle Aged; Prospective Studies; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Schizophrenia, Paranoid; Sex Factors
PubMed: 21078814
DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbq125 -
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric... Aug 2014Persecutory delusions are a central psychotic experience, at the severe end of a paranoia spectrum in the general population. The aim of the review is to provide an... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
Persecutory delusions are a central psychotic experience, at the severe end of a paranoia spectrum in the general population. The aim of the review is to provide an introduction to the understanding of persecutory delusions, highlight key putative causal factors that have the potential to be translated into efficacious treatment, and indicate future research directions.
METHODS
A narrative literature review was undertaken to highlight the main recent areas of empirical study concerning non-clinical and clinical paranoia.
RESULTS
Six main proximal causal factors are identified: a worry thinking style, negative beliefs about the self, interpersonal sensitivity, sleep disturbance, anomalous internal experience, and reasoning biases. Each has plausible mechanistic links to the occurrence of paranoia. These causal factors may be influenced by a number of social circumstances, including adverse events, illicit drug use, and urban environments.
CONCLUSIONS
There have been numerous replicated empirical findings leading to a significant advance in the understanding of persecutory delusions, now beginning to be translated into cognitive treatments. The first trials specifically focussed on patients who have persecutory delusions in the context of psychotic diagnoses are occurring. Initial evidence of efficacy is very promising.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Anxiety; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Culture; Delusions; Female; Humans; Internal-External Control; Male; Middle Aged; Paranoid Disorders; Psychotic Disorders; Risk Factors; Schizophrenia, Paranoid; Severity of Illness Index; Thinking
PubMed: 25005465
DOI: 10.1007/s00127-014-0928-7