Neuropsychobiology
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Resilience refers to the individual positive capacity to cope with stress and to restore homeostasis, which may be mediated by adaptive neurobiological changes in the brain. We investigated the genetic influence of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met for individual differences in resilience in healthy Korean college students. ⋯ These findings suggest the effects of COMT Val158Met polymorphism on resilience could be modulated by BDNF Val66Met polymorphism in males.
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Modified rock, paper, scissors (RPS) tasks have previously been used in neuroscience to investigate activity of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). In this study, we investigated hemodynamic changes in the PFC using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during a modified RPS task in which each subject's successful performance rate was equalized; the workload was increased parametrically in order to reveal the resulting pattern of PFC activation. ⋯ These results suggest that PFC activation may linearly increase with increased workload during a modified RPS task in which successful performance rates of subjects are equalized.
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Clinical studies have shown that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is effective in a certain percentage of treatment-resistant depression (TRD). The left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) 10 Hz rTMS stimulation received FDA approval in 2008, although different rTMS protocols have also shown their effectiveness in reducing depressive symptoms. We investigated the clinical, cognitive and neurophysiologic effects of a 3 weeks' protocol of low-frequency rTMS applied over the right DLPFC in resistant depression. ⋯ Low-frequency rTMS over the right DLPFC appeared effective in 42.9% of depressive resistant subjects in this sample. A significant decrease in left hemisphere resting motor threshold was observed only in responders, while a trend for improvement in cognitive function has been found and appeared independent from clinical response.
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Neuropeptide S (NPS) exerts a dual arousal and anxiolytic effect in rodents, which may indicate the potential of a novel class of therapeutic agents in psychiatry. The purpose of this study is to fully describe the nature of electroencephalogram (EEG)-defined waking that mediates these arousal effects. ⋯ The findings suggest that NPS enhanced a consolidated waking associated with a subsequent compensatory EEG slow-wave homeostatic drive rather than rebound sleep duration. The characteristics of NPS-induced waking coupled with enhanced EEG theta oscillations without rebound in sleep are desirable therapeutic features in wake-promoting agents.
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In this study, we investigated serum protein levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB) in patients with bipolar disorder. ⋯ These findings suggest that serum TrkB protein levels may play an important role in the psychopathology of bipolar mania. However, a larger sample size is needed to confirm these results.