Dear colleagues,
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the first issue of 2012.
In our first article Hadi et al. provide a review on obsessive-compulsive symptoms in schizophrenia. They concluded that the prevalence of these symptoms in schizophrenia and their effect on clinical symptoms yielded inconsistent results and further studies with larger samples are needed.
Higuma and colleagues investigated the efficacy of aripiprazole augmentation therapy in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The results suggest that adding aripiprazole to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy may be effective for treatment-refractory OCD. However, antiparkisonian medication was needed to control extrapyramidal symptoms.
Hong et al. assessed the impact of apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) polymorphisms on serum triglyceride (TG) levels in schizophrenic patients under long-term atypical antipsychotic treatment. According to their findings, a gene and drug interaction with TG levels was detected. Increased TGs were found in patients treated with risperidone, but not with clozapine or olanzapine.
Riedel and colleagues sought to evaluate depressive symptoms regarding their association with acute treatment outcome in first-episode schizophrenia patients. They concluded that patients with depressive symptoms achieved remission significantly less often than non-depressed patients.
Bus et al. explored the potential determinants of serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in a community population of middle-aged and elderly people. It emerged that BDNF levels decline with age in women, whereas in men levels remain stable. Given the age–sex interaction on BDNF levels and the known association between BDNF and gonadal hormones, further studies are required to delineate the effects of the latter interaction on the risk of psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases.
Retz and colleagues examined the efficacy and safety of an extended-release formulation of methylphenidate (MPH ER) in adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They concluded that MPH ER demonstrated significant and clinically relevant effects in ADHD patients.
Biederman et al. addressed the question of whether exposure to maternal smoking during pregnancy may affect the clinical features of ADHD. No significant differences were found between ADHD children with and without exposure in the clinical features of ADHD and associated disorders.
Zai and colleagues investigated dopaminergic system genes in childhood aggression. Their preliminary results suggest that three polymorphisms in DRD2 are associated with childhood aggression.
Matthies et al. present a brief report on the role of the amygdala in modulating aggression in healthy subjects. They concluded that there was a significant negative correlation between amygdala volumes and trait aggression, which suggests that amygdala volumes might be a surrogate marker for aggressive behaviour.
Yours sincerely,
Siegfried Kasper, MD
Chief Editor