Atomoxetine treatment may decrease striatal dopaminergic transporter availability after 8 weeks: pilot SPECT report of three cases

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders. The pathophysiology is thought to involve noradrenaline and dopamine. The role of dopamine transporter (DAT) was evaluated in imaging studies using mostly dopamine reuptake inhibitors. Atomoxetine is a selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor. Here we report the results of a pilot study conducted to evaluate changes in striatal DAT after 8 weeks of atomoxetine treatment. Our results suggest that 8 weeks of atomoxetine treatment may change striatal DAT bioavailability as measured via SPECT but that change was not correlated with genotype or clinical improvement

A retrospective study with ICAST-R (ispcan child abuse screening tools-retrospective) questionnaire for determination of child abuse in first year medical students in Turkish population

WOS: 000404080700013PubMed ID: 28460367Child Abuse and Neglect (CAN) is an important problem both in Turkey and worldwide. Unfortunately, we still don't have enough and reliable data on this important subject. In this study, we aimed to investigate the prevalence of childhood maltreatment in a population of first year medical students in a Turkish university using the retrospective version of the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool (ICAST-R). One hundred seventy three first year medical students, aged between 18 and 24 years, who agreed to complete the ICAST-R questionnaire, were recruited in our study. Of 173 students who completed the survey, 51.4% are found to be subjected to at least one type of child abuse (physical, emotional or sexual). The prevalence is higher in male gender and the difference is statistically significant. Physical, emotional and sexual abuse exposure rates are found to be 23.1%, 40.5% and 11% respectively. Physical and emotional abuse rates are higher in male gender and the difference is statistically significant. We did not find any statistically significant association between gender and sexual abuse. Efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect are growing in our country, as they are worldwide. However, child abuse is still common and a problematic issue. It is important to determine the prevalence of child abuse in order to raise awareness. We need further studies investigating not only prevalence but also risk factors to have reliable data for our country

Psychometric properties of the Turkish adaptation of the Children's Depression Rating Scale: revised in Turkish adolescents

Objective: Children Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R) is an instrument that is evaluated by a clinician and it needs bringing up the information from child/adolescent, parents and clinical assessment together. In clinical population, CDRS-R provides general information about depressive symptomatology and severity of depression also. The aim of this study was to translate and adapt of CDRS-R in Turkish and evaluate its psychometric properties in adolescence in Turkish population. Methods: Thirty-eight adolescents with major depressive disorders (MDD) and 38 healthy controls between 13 and 18 years old were recruited. Adolescents with at least some symptoms of depression were evaluated using the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS-PL)Present and Lifetime by a child psychiatrist. A child psychiatrist completed the Children Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R). The Clinical Global Impressions-Severity (CGI-S) and the Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) were also rated. The participants were asked to complete the self-report inventories and Beck Depression Inventory. Ratings from all available CDRS-R scores were examined for both the study group and healthy controls. Results: Cronbach's alpha was found highly reliable. The interclass correlation coefficients ranged between 0.92 and 0.99 for each item, thus the inter-rater reliability was found statistically significant and highly correlated. We identified 16 factors whose eigenvalues were greater than one. The CDRS-R's items common variables were within the range of 0.45 to 0.87. The CDRS-R, CGI-S, and CGAS scores were compared with the CDRS-R raw score and they were found highly correlated. During evaluation of concurrent validity, BDI's sensitivity was 90.9%, and specificity 87.8%, and the positive and negative predictive values were 88% and 90%, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for the CDRS-R were significantly high (100%). Conclusion: We found that Turkish version of the CDRS-R had reliability and validity for use in the diagnosis and rating of severity of major depressive disorders in Turkish children and adolescents

How Do Childhood and Parental Anxiety Features Affect the Consequences of Child Sexual Abuse?

The purpose of the study was to investigate the anxiety features of children who experience child sexual abuse (CSA) and their parents, along with the features and consequences of sexual abuse in the environment of Child Advocacy Centers (CAC). The sample of this study comprised 150 children affected by CSA and one of their parents who were admitted to Izmir CAC between June 2016 and November 2016.The children-age range 9 to 13 years-and one of their parents were asked to complete the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory separately. The children also completed the Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI). During psychiatric evaluations of the children, sociodemographic characteristics and features of sexual abuse were noted and all psychiatric conditions were examined. The statistical analyses yielded significant correlations between the STAI scores of the parents and STAI-C and CASI scores of the children. There were statistically significant differences between the CASI scores, STAI-C subscale scores, and STAI subscale scores according to some variables of CSA along with their psychiatric diagnosis. Our findings showed that having higher anxiety sensitivity and trait anxiety levels and having parents with higher trait anxiety might be considered as risk factors for being diagnosed as having a psychiatric disorder due to CSA

Trichobezoar in Vagina: Assessment for Child Sexual Abuse and Diagnostic Result of Forensic Science

Vaginal discharge and bleeding in children require a through and thoughtful evaluation to diagnose the underlying problem including infections, sexual abuse, and vaginal foreign bodies. We report a 6-year-old girl presenting with bloody vaginal discharge, carefully evaluated for sexual abuse, and finally diagnosed as a vaginal foreign body after vaginoscopy. A rolling hair ball was extracted from the vagina and was diagnosed as trichobezoar pathologically without any endo-ecto-mesodermal residual tissue. The hair ball was genetically detected and diagnosed to belong herself by containing no foreign structure. Child sexual abuse was ruled out by forensic interview at CAC and report of forensic science that reported genetic structure belonging to the child. Medicolegal assessment helped in final diagnosis to exclude child sexual abuse

Plasma Norepinephrine and Dopamine Levels in Prepubertal Male Children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder do not Change with 8 Weeks of Methylphenidate Treatment

Objectives:The aim of this study was to determine plasma norepinephrine and dopamine levels at baseline and after 8 weeks of stimulant treatment in pre-pubertal male children with ADHD

Evaluation of Serum Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Preliminary Data

Objective: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has an important role in the survival, differentiation and synaptic plasticity of a series of neuronal systems including dopaminergic neurons. For this reason, it is proposed that BDNF plays a role in the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) pathophysiology. In this study, serum BDNF levels in children diagnosed with ADHD were compared with those in healthy subjects

Genetic imaging study with [Tc-(99m)] TRODAT-1 SPECT in adolescents with ADHD using OROS-methylphenidate

WOS: 000436416800034#REF!Aim: To examine theeffects on the brain of 2-month treatment withamethylphenidate extended-release formulation (OROS-MPH) using [Tc-(99m)] TRODAT-1SPECT in a sample of treatment-naive adolescents with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In addition, to assess whether risk alleles (homozygosity for 10-repeat allele at the DAT1 gene were associated with alterations in striatal DAT availability. Methods: Twenty adolescents with ADHD underwent brain single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans with [Tc-(99m)] TRODAT-1 at baseline and two months after starting OROS-MPH treatment with dosages up to 1 mg/kg/day. Severity of illness was estimated using the Clinical Global Impression Scale (CGI-S) and DuPaul ADHD Rating Scale-Clinician version (ARS) before treatment,1 month and 2 months after initiating OROS-MPH treatment. Results: Decreased DAT availability was found in both the right caudate (pretreatment DAT binding: 224.76 +/- 33.77, post-treatment DAT binding: 208.86 +/- 28.75, p = 0.02) and right putamen (pre-treatment DAT binding: 314.41 +/- 55.24, post-treatment DAT binding: 285.66 +/- 39.20, p = 0.05) in adolescents with ADHD receiving OROS-MPH treatment. Adolescents with ADHD who showed a robust response to OROS-MPH (n = 7) had significantly greater reduction of DAT density in the right putamen than adolescents who showed less robust response to OROS-MPH (n = 13) (p = 0.02). However, between-group differences by treatment responses were not related with DAT density in the right caudate. Risk alleles (homozygosity for the 10-repeat allele of DAT1 gene) in the DAT1 gene were not associated with alterations in striatal DAT availability. Conclusion: Two months of OROS-MPH treatment decreased DAT availability in both the right caudate and putamen. Adolescents with ADHD who showed a robust response to OROS-MPH had greater reduction of DAT density in the right putamen. However,our findings did not support an association between homozygosity for a 10-repeat allele in the DAT1 gene and DAT density, assessedusing[Tc-(99m)] TRODAT-1SPECT.Dokuz Eylul University Research CommitteeDokuz Eylul University [2008132]; Fogarty MH/DD program; Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER-Taipei, Taiwan)This study was partially supported by Dokuz Eylul University Research Committee (2008132), Fogarty MH/DD program and the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER-Taipei, Taiwan)