scholarly journals Psychiatric Disorders and lncRNAs: A Synaptic Match

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 3030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Rusconi ◽  
Elena Battaglioli ◽  
Marco Venturin
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Behavioral Adaptation ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Synaptic Regulation ◽  
Epigenetic Modifiers ◽  
Mental Diseases ◽  
Psychiatric Conditions ◽  
Non Coding Rnas ◽  
Synaptic Control ◽  
Heterogeneous Class

Psychiatric disorders represent a heterogeneous class of multifactorial mental diseases whose origin entails a pathogenic integration of genetic and environmental influences. Incidence of these pathologies is dangerously high, as more than 20% of the Western population is affected. Despite the diverse origins of specific molecular dysfunctions, these pathologies entail disruption of fine synaptic regulation, which is fundamental to behavioral adaptation to the environment. The synapses, as functional units of cognition, represent major evolutionary targets. Consistently, fine synaptic tuning occurs at several levels, involving a novel class of molecular regulators known as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Non-coding RNAs operate mainly in mammals as epigenetic modifiers and enhancers of proteome diversity. The prominent evolutionary expansion of the gene number of lncRNAs in mammals, particularly in primates and humans, and their preferential neuronal expression does represent a driving force that enhanced the layering of synaptic control mechanisms. In the last few years, remarkable alterations of the expression of lncRNAs have been reported in psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia, autism, and depression, suggesting unprecedented mechanistic insights into disruption of fine synaptic tuning underlying severe behavioral manifestations of psychosis. In this review, we integrate literature data from rodent pathological models and human evidence that proposes the biology of lncRNAs as a promising field of neuropsychiatric investigation.

scholarly journals Atlas of functional connectivity relationships across rare and common genetic variants, traits, and psychiatric conditions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clara A Moreau ◽  
Kuldeep Kumar ◽  
Annabelle Harvey ◽  
Guillaume Huguet ◽  
Sebastian Urchs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Brain Connectivity ◽  
Copy Number Variants ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Genomic Variants ◽  
Common Genetic Variants ◽  
Polygenic Scores ◽  
Genetic Risks ◽  
Psychiatric Conditions

Polygenicity and pleiotropy are key properties of the genomic architecture of psychiatric disorders. An optimistic interpretation of polygenicity is that genomic variants converge on a limited set of mechanisms at some level from genes to behavior. Alternatively, convergence may be minimal or absent. We took advantage of brain connectivity, measured by resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI), as well as rare and common genomic variants to understand the effects of polygenicity and pleiotropy on large-scale brain networks, a distal step from genes to behavior. We processed ten rs-fMRI datasets including 32,988 individuals, to examine connectome-wide effects of 16 copy number variants (CNVs), 10 polygenic scores, 6 cognitive and brain morphometry traits, and 4 idiopathic psychiatric conditions. Although effect sizes of CNVs on connectivity were correlated to cognition and number of genes, increasing polygenicity was associated with decreasing effect sizes on connectivity. Accordingly, the effect sizes of polygenic scores on connectivity were 6-fold lower compared to CNVs. Despite this heterogeneity of connectivity profiles, multivariate analysis identified convergence of genetic risks and psychiatric disorders on the thalamus and the somatomotor network. Based on spatial correlations with transcriptomic data, we hypothesize that excitatory thalamic neurons may be primary contributors to brain alteration profiles shared across genetic risks and conditions. Finally, pleiotropy measured by genetic and transcriptomic correlations between 38 pairs of conditions/traits showed significant concordance with connectomic correlations, suggesting a substantial causal genetic component for shared connectivity. Such findings open avenues to delineate general mechanisms - amenable to intervention - across conditions and genetic risks.

Psychiatric Disorders and Reactions: Definitions and Manner of Recording

1946 ◽  
Vol 92 (387) ◽  
pp. 425-441
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Specific Reaction ◽  
Generic Group ◽  
General Plan ◽  
Psychiatric Conditions ◽  
Specific Reactions

In setting up the definitions of psychiatric conditions, the term “disorder” has been used for the designation of the generic group of the specific reactions, while the specific reaction types have been termed “reactions.” In classifying psychoneuroses, the dynamics of the psychopathology was chosen as the basis. Of necessity, a few terms remained descriptive (symptomatic). In general, an attempt has been made to retain only such formerly used terms as could be fitted into this general plan and omit categories which are “catch-alls,” such as “Simple adult maladjustment,” “Constitutional psychopathic state,” etc.

‘Soother of mind’ – meditation in psychiatric disorders: a narrative review

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Vinod Kumar ◽  
Shree Raksha Bhide ◽  
Rashmi Arasappa ◽  
Shivarama Varambally ◽  
Bangalore N. Gangadhar
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Psychotic Disorders ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
Complete Absorption ◽  
Psychiatric Conditions ◽  
Biological Aspects ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Anxiety Depression ◽  
Meditative Practices

SUMMARY Meditation, a component of ashtanga yoga, is an act of inward contemplation in which the mind fluctuates between a state of attention to a stimulus and complete absorption in it. Some forms of meditation have been found to be useful for people with psychiatric conditions such as anxiety, depression and substance use disorder. Evidence for usefulness of meditation for people with psychotic disorders is mixed, with reported improvements in negative symptoms but the emergence/precipitation of psychotic symptoms. This article narrates the benefits of meditation in psychiatric disorders, understanding meditation from the yoga perspective, biological aspects of meditation and practical tips for the practice of meditation. We also explain possible ways of modifying meditative practices to make them safe and useful for the patient population and useful overall as a society-level intervention.

scholarly journals Non-Coding RNAs in Endometrial Physiopathology

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (7) ◽  
pp. 2120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro La Ferlita ◽  
Rosalia Battaglia ◽  
Francesca Andronico ◽  
Salvatore Caruso ◽  
Antonio Cianci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endometrial Cancer ◽  
Human Genome ◽  
Human Genome Project ◽  
Embryo Implantation ◽  
Genome Project ◽  
Rna Molecules ◽  
Cellular Processes ◽  
Non Coding Rnas ◽  
The Human Genome Project ◽  
Heterogeneous Class

The Human Genome Project led to the discovery that about 80% of our DNA is transcribed in RNA molecules. Only 2% of the human genome is translated into proteins, the rest mostly produces molecules called non-coding RNAs, which are a heterogeneous class of RNAs involved in different steps of gene regulation. They have been classified, according to their length, into small non-coding RNAs and long non-coding RNAs, or to their function, into housekeeping non-coding RNAs and regulatory non-coding RNAs. Their involvement has been widely demonstrated in all cellular processes, as well as their dysregulation in human pathologies. In this review, we discuss the function of non-coding RNAs in endometrial physiology, analysing their involvement in embryo implantation. Moreover, we explore their role in endometrial pathologies such as endometrial cancer, endometriosis and chronic endometritis.

scholarly journals HOUT-29. THE INFLUENCE OF PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS ON OUTCOME AND CANCER CARE RECEIVED IN PATIENTS WITH GLIOMAS

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (Supplement_6) ◽  
pp. vi118-vi118
Author(s):  
Palak Patel ◽  
Terry Li ◽  
Janice Chou ◽  
Amie Patel ◽  
Sylvia Crispino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Cancer Care ◽  
Psychiatric Illness ◽  
Adjustment Disorder ◽  
Tumor Diagnosis ◽  
Panic Attacks ◽  
Psychiatric Diagnoses ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Psychiatric Conditions

Abstract BACKGROUND Data related to the prevalence of different psychiatric disorders and their impact on survival and compliance in patients with glioma is scarce and mostly anecdotal. We aimed to study the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in glioma patients and the possible influence on compliance with cancer care and outcome. METHODS We performed a retrospective, observational study and compared compliance with medical care and outcome in patients who had or did not have a psychiatric illness at time of diagnosis. Kaplan-Meier method was used to compare survival between groups. RESULTS We identified 22 subjects (M=13, F=9) with intracranial glioma with psychiatric diagnosis and 22 matched control subjects (M=13, F=9) without psychiatric illness. Psychiatric diagnoses included depression (12%), anxiety disorder (6%), Adjustment disorder & substance use problems (2% each), bipolar disorder (1%) and panic attacks (1%). Psychiatric diagnoses were predating tumor diagnosis in 9/22 (41%) subjects and occurred around tumor diagnosis in 11/22 (50%) patients. The time of diagnosis with psychiatric illness was unknown in 2/22 (9%) of cases. Tumor diagnoses were glioblastoma in 50%, anaplastic astrocytoma in 9%, anaplastic oligodendroglioma in 13%, oligodendroglioma in 4%, and astrocytoma in 9% of cases. MedianOS was not reached for cases with psychiatric illness (not reached due to censoring) but was 4.2 years (95% CI 1.1 – 7.4) in controls (p=0.263). Subjects with psychiatric illness had an increased risk (OR 7.5, 95% CI 0.81 -68.8) of poor compliance with cancer care (medication, clinic and MRI follow-up compliance) compared to controls (p=0.046). CONCLUSION A variety of psychiatric conditions were observed in patients with glioma and presence of psychiatric illness may influence compliance with treatment and follow-up. Studies with larger population and longer follow-up are warranted to clarify true association between psychiatric conditions and compliance and survival.

scholarly journals Neuroinflammation and cognition across psychiatric conditions

CNS Spectrums ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Célia Fourrier ◽  
Gaurav Singhal ◽  
Bernhard T. Baune
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Cognitive Impairments ◽  
Kynurenine Pathway ◽  
Homeostatic Plasticity ◽  
Cytokine Levels ◽  
Inflammatory Processes ◽  
Psychiatric Conditions ◽  
First Time

Cognitive impairments reported across psychiatric conditions (ie, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and posttraumatic stress disorder) strongly impair the quality of life of patients and the recovery of those conditions. There is therefore a great need for consideration for cognitive dysfunction in the management of psychiatric disorders. The redundant pattern of cognitive impairments across such conditions suggests possible shared mechanisms potentially leading to their development. Here, we review for the first time the possible role of inflammation in cognitive dysfunctions across psychiatric disorders. Raised inflammatory processes (microglia activation and elevated cytokine levels) across diagnoses could therefore disrupt neurobiological mechanisms regulating cognition, including Hebbian and homeostatic plasticity, neurogenesis, neurotrophic factor, the HPA axis, and the kynurenine pathway. This redundant association between elevated inflammation and cognitive alterations across psychiatric disorders hence suggests that a cross-disorder approach using pharmacological and nonpharmacological (ie, physical activity and nutrition) anti-inflammatory/immunomodulatory strategies should be considered in the management of cognition in psychiatry.

scholarly journals Comprehensive exploration of the genetic contribution of the dopaminergic and serotonergic pathways to psychiatric disorders

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Judit Cabana-Domínguez ◽  
Bàrbara Torrico ◽  
Andreas Reif ◽  
Noèlia Fernàndez-Castillo ◽  
Bru Cormand
Keyword(s):  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Genetic Contribution ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Gene Set ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
Kegg Pathways ◽  
Gene Sets ◽  
Psychiatric Conditions

AbstractPsychiatric disorders are highly prevalent and display considerable clinical and genetic overlap. Dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmission have been shown to play an important role in many psychiatric disorders. Here we aim to assess the genetic contribution of these systems to eight psychiatric disorders (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anorexia nervosa (ANO), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), bipolar disorder (BIP), major depression (MD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), schizophrenia (SCZ) and Tourette’s syndrome (TS)) using publicly available GWAS analyses performed by the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium that include more than 160,000 cases and 275,000 controls. To do so, we elaborated four different gene sets: two ‘wide’ selections for dopamine (DA) and for serotonin (SERT) using the Gene Ontology and KEGG pathways tools, and two’core’ selections for the same systems, manually curated. At the gene level, we found 67 genes from the DA and/or SERT gene sets significantly associated with one of the studied disorders, and 12 of them were associated with two different disorders. Gene-set analysis revealed significant associations for ADHD and ASD with the wide DA gene set, for BIP with the wide SERT gene set, and for MD with the core SERT set. Interestingly, interrogation of a cross-disorder GWAS meta-analysis of the eight psychiatric conditions displayed association with the wide DA gene set. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic examination of genes encoding proteins essential to the function of these two neurotransmitter systems in these disorders. Our results support a pleiotropic contribution of the dopaminergic and serotonergic systems in several psychiatric conditions.

From the Madhouse to the Docu-Museum

Nuncius ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabetta Sirgiovanni ◽  
Alessandro Aruta
Keyword(s):  
History Of Medicine ◽  
Psychiatric Disorders ◽  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Mental Diseases ◽  
History Of ◽  
The 1960S

Abstract The first electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) device for the treatment of psychiatric disorders was introduced in 1938 by Ugo Cerletti and Lucio Bini, two neuropsychiatrists at the Clinic for Nervous and Mental Diseases, La Sapienza University (Rome). No trace of what became of this device after its use at the clinic can be found until the 1960s, when it appears in a silent black-and-white video dedicated to the university’s recently rehoused and completely renovated Museum of the History of Medicine (MHM), where Cerletti’s original prototype is on display today. However, there is no record of the circumstances under which the electroshock apparatus prototype was transferred from the Clinic of Neuropsychiatry to the museum. Our investigation of this intriguing mystery has uncovered a number of pertinent details that allow us to view the history of the ECT device in a new light. It also emerges that Adalberto Pazzini, the founder of the MHM, played a larger role than was previously thought in this story.

scholarly journals Pathogenic Roles of Autoantibodies and Aberrant Epigenetic Regulation of Immune and Connective Tissue Cells in the Tissue Fibrosis of Patients with Systemic Sclerosis

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 3069
Author(s):  
Chang-Youh Tsai ◽  
Song-Chou Hsieh ◽  
Tsai-Hung Wu ◽  
Ko-Jen Li ◽  
Chieh-Yu Shen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systemic Sclerosis ◽  
Th2 Cells ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Autoantibody Production ◽  
Tissue Fibrosis ◽  
Epigenetic Modifiers ◽  
Non Coding Rnas ◽  
Collagen Genes ◽  
Molecular Bases

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multi-system autoimmune disease with tissue fibrosis prominent in the skin and lung. In this review, we briefly describe the autoimmune features (mainly autoantibody production and cytokine profiles) and the potential pathogenic contributors including genetic/epigenetic predisposition, and environmental factors. We look in detail at the cellular and molecular bases underlying tissue-fibrosis which include trans-differentiation of fibroblasts (FBs) to myofibroblasts (MFBs). We also state comprehensively the pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic cytokines relevant to MFB trans-differentiation, vasculopathy-associated autoantibodies, and fibrosis-regulating microRNAs in SSc. It is conceivable that tissue fibrosis is mainly mediated by an excessive production of TGF-β, the master regulator, from the skewed Th2 cells, macrophages, fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, and keratinocytes. After binding with TGF-β receptors on MFB, the downstream Wnt/β-catenin triggers canonical Smad 2/3 and non-canonical Smad 4 signaling pathways to transcribe collagen genes. Subsequently, excessive collagen fiber synthesis and accumulation as well as tissue fibrosis ensue. In the later part of this review, we discuss limited data relevant to the role of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in tissue-fibrosis in SSc. It is expected that these lncRNAs may become the useful biomarkers and therapeutic targets for SSc in the future. The prospective investigations in the development of novel epigenetic modifiers are also suggested.

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