Dear colleagues,
I am delighted to introduce our sixth issue of 2013 featuring latest research results on the biological treatment of depression as well as biomarkers and cognitive markers in eating disorders.
By targeting melatonergic receptors, the antidepressant agomelatine plays a crucial role in synchronizing circadian rhythms, which are known to be altered in depressed subjects. Pompili and colleagues reviewed current literature focusing on the efficacy, safety and tolerability of agomelatine in major affective disorders as well as studies scrutinizing the potential of agomelatine in enhancing neuroplasticity mechanisms and promote neurogenesis. The authors draw the conclusion that agomelatine not only is clinically efficient, safe and tolerable, but also enhances neuroplasticity mechanisms and adult neurogenesis in brain areas such as hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, and therefore represents an intriguing option in the treatment of affective disorders.
Loh and colleagues documented the present situation of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in Germany and compared its handling with regard to other industrialized countries and with regard to a survey from 12 years ago. By administering electronic questionnaires on the frequency and type of administration of ECT to 423 psychiatric hospitals, the authors found, among other results, that a total of 43% of these institutions administered ECT and about 1% of all inpatients are treated with ECT in Germany. It is reported that the frequency of application has increased during the last 12 years by a factor of more than 2.5.
Heralding the second thematic focus of this issue, Brandys and colleagues performed both an association study and a meta-analysis on the association of the Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265) of the BNDF gene with anorexia nervosa (AN). For genotyping, 235 patients with AN and 643 controls were examined, for the meta-analysis, nine case–control and family-based studies were included. Results indicated that the BDNF Val66Met variant is not associated with AN at detectable levels.
Roberts and colleagues set out to investigate whether attention to detail is a similar strong candidate endophenotype of AN and bulimia nervosa (BN). By assessing neuropsychological measures of attention to detail in 266 women, including patients with AN, BN and recovered AN, as well as unaffected sisters of AN/BN patients and control women, the authors found superior attention to detail in all AN groups and profiles more consistent with poor global integration in BN groups. The authors conclude that attention to detail is a stronger candidate endophenotype of AN compared to BN and emphasize the importance of specifically integrating cognitive remediation of these traits into treatment for the subsets of patients.
Finally, Kanakam and colleagues examined the role of weak central coherence and poor set shifting as risk markers for eating disorders more closely in a sample of twins with eating disorders. By administering neuropsychological tests to 114 female twins comprising individuals with AN, BN, Binge Eating Disorder and eating disorders not otherwise specified, they disclosed the highest genetic base for weak central coherence, whereas poor set shifting was related to obsessive compulsive symptoms in both affected and non-affected individuals.
Yours sincerely,
Siegfried Kasper, MD
Chief Editor