| 1. |
- Annerbrink, Kristina, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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Acute and chronic treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors exert opposite effects on respiration in rats: possible implications for panic disorder.
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England). - : SAGE Publications. - 1461-7285 .- 0269-8811. ; 24:12, s. 1793-1801
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Prompted by the suggested importance of respiration for the pathophysiology of panic disorder, we studied the influence of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) as well as other serotonin-modulating compounds on respiration in freely moving rats. The effect on respiration after acute administration of compounds enhancing synaptic levels of serotonin, that is, the serotonin reuptake inhibitors paroxetine and fluoxetine, the serotonin-releasing agents m-chlorophenylpiperazine and d-fenfluramine, and the selective 5-HT1A antagonist WAY-100635, were investigated. All serotonin-releasing substances decreased respiratory rate in unrestrained, awake animals, suggesting the influence of serotonin on respiratory rate under these conditions to be mainly inhibitory. In line with a previous study, rats administered fluoxetine for 23 days or more, on the other hand, displayed an enhanced respiratory rate. The results reinforce the assumption that the effect of subchronic administration of a serotonin reuptake inhibitor on certain serotonin-regulated parameters may be opposite to that obtained after acute administration. We suggest that our observations may be of relevance for the fact that acute administration of SRIs, d-fenfluramine, or m-chlorophenylpiperazine often is anxiogenic in panic disorder patients, and that weeks of administration of an SRI leads to a very effective prevention of panic.
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| 2. |
- Annerbrink, Kristina, 1974, et al.
(författare)
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Catechol O-methyltransferase val158-met polymorphism is associated with abdominal obesity and blood pressure in men.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Metabolism. - : Elsevier BV. - 0026-0495 .- 1532-8600. ; 57:5, s. 708-711
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) degrades catecholamines and estrogens, both of which are of known importance for cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity and hypertension. The gene coding for COMT contains a val158-met polymorphism that exerts a considerable influence on enzymatic activity. We hypothesized that this polymorphism might influence risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Deoxyribonucleic acid samples and data regarding blood pressure and anthropometry were collected from 240 Swedish men, all 51 years old. Subjects homozygous for the low-activity allele (met) displayed higher blood pressure, heart rate, waist-to-hip ratio, and abdominal sagittal diameter as compared with heterozygous subjects, who in turn displayed higher blood pressure, heart rate, waist-to-hip ratio, and abdominal sagittal diameter than subjects homozygous for the high-activity allele (val). All measured variables were significantly correlated; however, the associations between COMT val158-met and cardiovascular variables, and the association between COMT val158-met and anthropometry, respectively, were partly independent of each other, as revealed by multiple linear regression.
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| 3. |
- Annerbrink, Kristina, 1974
(författare)
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On the association between panic disorder and autonomic regulation – With special focus on the roles of respiration and on the catechol-O-methyltransferase gene
- 2009
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Background and aims: Panic disorder is a psychiatric disorder characterized by sudden attacks of intense anxiety. It displays a lot of features suggesting that it may be associated with an underlying aberration in the autonomic regulation of heart activity and respiration: i) the attacks are often characterized by respiratory symptoms and symptoms from the heart, ii) the attacks can be elicited by respiratory stimulants, iii) between attacks, patients with panic disorder often display enhanced respiratory variability and reduced heart rate variability, and iv) patients with panic disorder display enhanced prevalence of respiratory disorders and enhanced mortality in cardiovascular disease. Addressing the reasons for these physiological aberrations may help in elucidating the pathophysiology underlying panic disorder, and shed light on why this disorder is associated with enhanced mortality in cardiovascular disease. Serotonin is believed to be a neurotransmitter of great importance for panic disorder, as well as for the regulation of respiration: one main purpose of the animal studies presented in this thesis hence was to increase our knowledge regarding the role of serotonin in respiratory regulation, the hypothesis being that aberrations in respiration may cause the anxiety attacks, and that serotonin-modulating drugs may prevent panic attacks partly by stabilizing the regulation of respiration. In the first part of the thesis, data is presented on the effects on respiration in freely moving rats of various serotonergic compounds. The second part of this thesis is focused on genetic variations that may be associated with panic disorder. Orexin is a neuropeptide of suggested importance for both respiratory regulation and arousal. We investigated two polymorphisms in the orexin receptors 1 and 2, HCRTR1 Ile408Val and HCRTR2 Val308Iso, in panic disorder patients and healthy controls. Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) is an enzyme that degrades catecholamines such as dopamine and noradrenaline, and may thus be of importance for both autonomic control and psychiatric symptoms. The functional Val158Met polymorphism in this gene has been associated with panic disorder in several studies; in an attempt to replicate this finding, we genotyped this polymorphism in the same group of panic disorder patients. In a separate cohort, we also explored if the same polymorphism is associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Observations: 1) Serotonin depletion with para-chlorophenylalanine decreased respiratory rate and increased respiratory variability. 2) Chronic treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors increased respiratory rate. 3) Acute treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors, as well as the serotonin releasing drugs d-fenfluramine and m-CPP, and the 5-HT1A antagonist WAY-100635, decreased respiratory rate. 4) The HCRTR2 Val308Iso polymorphism was significantly associated with panic disorder in women. 5) In line with previous studies in Caucasian samples, the COMT Val158 allele was significantly more frequent in PD patients than controls. 6) Met158 allele carriers displayed significantly higher waist-hip-ratio, sagittal diameter, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate, than Val158 allele carriers in a population of healthy men. Conclusions: Our results suggest that serotonin exert a modulatory role on respiration, and support the notion that an influence on respiration may contribute both to the anxiogenic and the anti-panic effects of serotonergic drugs. The association between panic disorder and the hypocretin receptor-2 Val308Iso polymorphism is a novel finding in need of replication, whereas the association between panic disorder and the COMT Val158 allele can by now be regarded as confirmed. The association between the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and cardiovascular risk factors is of interest, but does not support the theory that this polymorphism contributes to the enhanced mortality in cardiovascular disease seen in panic disorder patients.
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| 4. |
- de Frias, Cindy M, et al.
(författare)
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Catechol O-methyltransferase Val158Met polymorphism is associated with cognitive performance in nondemented adults.
- 2005
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Ingår i: Journal of cognitive neuroscience. - Cambridge : MIT Press - Journals. - 0898-929X .- 1530-8898. ; 17:7, s. 1018-25
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene is essential in the metabolic degradation of dopamine in the prefrontal cortex. In the present study, we examined the effect of a Val158Met polymorphism in the COMT gene on individual differences and changes in cognition (executive functions and visuospatial ability) in adulthood and old age. The participants were 292 nondemented men (initially aged 35-85 years) from a random sample of the population (i.e., the Betula study) tested at two occasions with a 5-year interval. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to test the underlying structure of three indicators of executive functions (verbal fluency, working memory, and Tower of Hanoi). Associations between COMT, age, executive functioning, and visuospatial (block design) tasks were examined using repeated-measures analyses of variance. Carriers of the Val allele (with higher enzyme activity) compared with carriers of the Met/Met genotype (with low enzyme activity) performed worse on executive functioning and visuospatial tasks. Individuals with the Val/Val genotype declined in executive functioning over the 5-year period, whereas carriers of the Met allele remained stable in performance. An Age x COMT interaction for visuospatial ability located the effect for middle-aged men only. This COMT polymorphism is a plausible candidate gene for executive functioning and fluid intelligence in nondemented middle-aged and older adults.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Lochner, Christine, et al.
(författare)
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Genetics and personality traits in patients with social anxiety disorder: a case-control study in South Africa.
- 2007
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Ingår i: European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0924-977X. ; 17:5, s. 321-7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is among the most common of all psychiatric disorders with lifetime prevalence estimates ranging from 7% to 13%. Although there is evidence that SAD has a strong familial basis, there are few studies of potential candidate genes. In addition to a genetic association, there is also the possibility that temperamental risk factors for the disorder may be genetically transmitted. Against this background, our aims were threefold: i.) to compare patients and controls with respect to personality traits, ii.) to genotype a subgroup of these participants to investigate the role of genes encoding components of serotonergic (5-HT) and dopaminergic (DA) pathways in patients with SAD and iii.) to compare differences in temperament dimensions between carriers of different (dominant vs. recessive) alleles for selected polymorphisms in SAD patients. METHODS: Sixty-three patients (n=63; 35 male, 28 female) with a DSM-IV diagnosis of generalized SAD and SPIN-scores >18, and age-matched control participants (n=150; 31 male, 119 female) were included in the study. The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) was used to measure behaviours associated with specific personality dimensions (i.e. temperament/character). DNA was extracted and genotyped to investigate the role of select candidate genes encoding components in serotonergic and dopaminergic pathways in mediating the development of SAD. To achieve this, the frequency of variants in 5-HT and DA genes was compared between a Caucasian subset of SAD patients (n=41) and a convenience sample of Caucasian controls (n=88), using case-control association analyses. We also investigated the frequency of variants in 5-HT and DA-related genes across temperament characteristics in SAD patients, using analyses of variance (ANOVA). RESULTS: Patients scored significantly higher on harm avoidance (p<0.001) but lower on novelty seeking (p=0.04) and self-directedness (p=0.004) compared to controls. In the Caucasian subset, there was a difference between patients and controls in distribution of the 5-HT(2A)T102C polymorphism, with significantly more patients harboring T-containing genotypes (T-containing genotypes: [T/T+T/C] vs. [C/C]) (chi2=7.55; p=0.012). Temperament dimensions did not, however, differ significantly between carriers of different (dominant vs. recessive) alleles for the 5-HT(2A)T102C polymorphism in SAD patients. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest a possible role for the 5-HT(2A)T102C polymorphism in the development of SAD. To date genetic findings in SAD have been inconsistent; nevertheless, serotonergic variants, and their associations with temperaments (e.g. reward dependence) deserve further exploration, in the hope that endophenotypes relevant to SAD can ultimately be delineated.
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| 7. |
- Westberg, Lars, 1973, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of androgen receptor repeat polymorphisms on personality traits in men
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience. - 1488-2434 .- 1180-4882. ; 34:3, s. 205-213
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background Testosterone has been attributed importance for various aspects of behaviour. The aim of our study was to investigate the potential influence of 2 functional polymorphisms in the amino terminal of the androgen receptor on personality traits in men. Methods We assessed and genotyped 141 men born in 1944 recruited from the general population. We used 2 different instruments: the Karolinska Scales of Personality and the Temperament and Character Inventory. For replication, we similarly assessed 63 men recruited from a forensic psychiatry study group. Results In the population-recruited sample, the lengths of the androgen receptor repeats were associated with neuroticism, extraversion and self-transcendence. The association with extraversion was replicated in the independent sample. Limitations Our 2 samples differed in size; sample 1 was of moderate size and sample 2 was small. In addition, the homogeneity of sample 1 probably enhanced our ability to detect significant associations between genotype and phenotype. Conclusion Our results suggest that the repeat polymorphisms in the androgen receptor gene may influence personality traits in men.
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