Increased involvement of the parahippocampal gyri in a sad mood predicts future depressive symptoms

Behavioral studies suggest a relationship between autobiographical memory, rumination and depression. The objective of this study was to determine whether remitted depressed patients show alterations in connectivity of the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC, a node in the default mode network) with the parahippocampal gyri (PHG, a region associated with autobiographical memory) while intensively recalling negative memories and whether this is related to daily life symptoms and to the further course of depression. Sad mood was induced with keywords of personal negative life events in participants with remitted depression (n = 29) and matched healthy controls (n = 29) during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Additionally, daily life assessments of mood and rumination and a 6-month follow-up were conducted. Remitted depressed participants showed greater connectivity than healthy controls of the PCC with the PHG, which was even stronger in patients with more previous episodes. Furthermore, patients with increased PCC–PHG connectivity showed a sadder mood and more rumination in daily life and a worsening of rumination and depression scores during follow-up. A relationship of negative autobiographical memory processing, rumination, sad mood and depression on a neural level seems likely. The identified increased connectivity probably indicates a ‘scar’ of recurrent depression and may represent a prognostic factor for future depression

Evaluation eines deutschsprachigen Instrumentes zur Erfassung positiver und negativer automatischer Gedanken bei Kindern und Jugendlichen (Evaluation of a German-language tool for measuring positive and negative automatic thoughts in children and adolescents).

Theoretischer Hintergrund: Negative automatische Gedanken stellen nach Beck eine wichtige Ursache für depressive Störungen dar. Fragestellung: Überprüfung der psychometrischen Gütekriterien des deutschen „Fragebogens für negative und positive automatische Gedanken” (FAG) bei Kindern und Jugendlichen. Methode: Der Fragebogen wurde an einer unselektierten Stichprobe aus der Allgemeinbevölkerung (n = 952) zwischen 11 und 16 Jahren untersucht. Die Stichprobe wurde in die beiden Gruppen ≤ 13 Jahre und \u3e 13 Jahre aufgeteilt. Ergebnisse: In der Gruppe ≤ 13 Jahre wurden die Skalen „negative Selbstaussagen” und „positive Selbstaussagen”, in der Gruppe \u3e 13 Jahre die Skalen „negative Selbstaussagen”, „Selbstvertrauen” und „Wohlbefinden” faktorenanalytisch extrahiert. Die internen Konsistenzen der FAG-Skalen lagen zwischen .75 und .89. Alle Skalen wiesen signifikante Zusammenhänge mit Depressivität auf und differenzierten zwischen höher und niedriger depressiven Teilnehmern. Schlussfolgerung: Insgesamt bestätigen die Ergebnisse die Reliabilität und Validität des FAG bei Kindern und Jugendlichen. Background: Beck postulates that negative automatic thoughts area risk factors for depression. Objective: The study presented here examines that psychometric properties of the German version of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire Revised (”Fragebogen für negative und positive automatische Gedanken”, FAG) in children and adolescents. Method: The study investigated an unselected community sample aged between 11 and 16 years (n = 952), which was divided into the two groups (≤ 13 years and \u3e 13 years). Results: Factor analyses revealed the scales ”negative self-statements” and ”positive self-statements” in the group ≤ 13 years and the scales ”negative self-statements”, ”self-confidence”, and ”well-being” in the group \u3e 13 years. Internal consistencies ranked between .75 and .89. All scales were significantly associated with depression and differentiated between more and less depressed participants. Conclusion: The FAG is a reliable and valid instrument to measure negative and positive automatic thoughts in children and adolescents

Somatoform dissociation and posttraumatic stress syndrome – two sides of the same medal? : A comparison of symptom profiles, trauma history and altered affect regulation between patients with functional neurological symptoms and patients with PTSD

BackgroundHistory of traumatic experience is common in dissociative disorder (DD), and similarity of symptoms and characteristics between DD and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) encouraged to consider DD as trauma-related disorder. However, conceptualization of DD as a trauma-related syndrome would critically affect diagnosis and treatment strategies. The present study addressed overlap and disparity of DD and PTSD by directly comparing correspondence of symptoms, adverse/traumatic experience, and altered affect regulation between patients diagnosed with dissociative disorder (characterized by negative functional neurological symptoms) and patients diagnosed with PTSD.MethodsSomatoform and psychoform dissociation, symptoms of posttraumatic stress, general childhood adversities and lifetime traumata, and alexithymia as index of altered affect regulation were screened with standardized questionnaires and semi-structured interviews in 60 patients with DD (ICD-codes F44.4, F44.6, F44.7), 39 patients with PTSD (ICD-code F43.1), and 40 healthy comparison participants (HC).ResultsDD and PTSD patients scored higher than HC on somatoform and psychoform dissociative symptom scales and alexithymia, and reported more childhood adversities and higher trauma load. PTSD patients reported higher symptom severity and more traumata than DD patients. Those 20 DD patients who met criteria of co-occuring PTSD did not differ from PTSD patients in the amount of reported symptoms of somatoform dissociation, physical and emotional childhood adversities and lifetime traumata, while emotional neglect/abuse in childhood distinguished DD patients with and without co-occuring PTSD (DD patients with co-occuring PTSD reporting more emotional maltreatment).ConclusionThe pattern of distinctive somatoform and psychoform dissociative symptom severity, type of childhood and lifetime traumata, and amount of alexithymia suggests that DD and PTSD are distinctive syndromes and, therefore, challenges the conceptualization of DD as trauma-related disorder. Together with the detected close correspondence of symptom and experience profiles in DD patients with co-occuring PTSD and PTSD patients, these findings suggest that adverse/traumatic experience may intensify dissociative symptoms, but are not a necessary condition in the generation of functional neurological symptoms. Still, diagnosis and treatment of DD need to consider this impact of traumata and post-traumatic stress symptoms.publishe

Somatoform dissociation and posttraumatic stress syndrome : two sides of the same medal? A comparison of symptom profiles, trauma history and altered affect regulation between patients with functional neurological symptoms and patients with PTSD

Abstract Background History of traumatic experience is common in dissociative disorder (DD), and similarity of symptoms and characteristics between DD and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) encouraged to consider DD as trauma-related disorder. However, conceptualization of DD as a trauma-related syndrome would critically affect diagnosis and treatment strategies. The present study addressed overlap and disparity of DD and PTSD by directly comparing correspondence of symptoms, adverse/traumatic experience, and altered affect regulation between patients diagnosed with dissociative disorder (characterized by negative functional neurological symptoms) and patients diagnosed with PTSD. Methods Somatoform and psychoform dissociation, symptoms of posttraumatic stress, general childhood adversities and lifetime traumata, and alexithymia as index of altered affect regulation were screened with standardized questionnaires and semi-structured interviews in 60 patients with DD (ICD-codes F44.4, F44.6, F44.7), 39 patients with PTSD (ICD-code F43.1), and 40 healthy comparison participants (HC). Results DD and PTSD patients scored higher than HC on somatoform and psychoform dissociative symptom scales and alexithymia, and reported more childhood adversities and higher trauma load. PTSD patients reported higher symptom severity and more traumata than DD patients. Those 20 DD patients who met criteria of co-occuring PTSD did not differ from PTSD patients in the amount of reported symptoms of somatoform dissociation, physical and emotional childhood adversities and lifetime traumata, while emotional neglect/abuse in childhood distinguished DD patients with and without co-occuring PTSD (DD patients with co-occuring PTSD reporting more emotional maltreatment). Conclusion The pattern of distinctive somatoform and psychoform dissociative symptom severity, type of childhood and lifetime traumata, and amount of alexithymia suggests that DD and PTSD are distinctive syndromes and, therefore, challenges the conceptualization of DD as trauma-related disorder. Together with the detected close correspondence of symptom and experience profiles in DD patients with co-occuring PTSD and PTSD patients, these findings suggest that adverse/traumatic experience may intensify dissociative symptoms, but are not a necessary condition in the generation of functional neurological symptoms. Still, diagnosis and treatment of DD need to consider this impact of traumata and post-traumatic stress symptoms

Anxiety and rumination moderate menstrual cycle effects on mood in daily life

Evidence for menstrual cycle-related mood fluctuations in the general population of women has been mixed. While most previous research has relied on retrospective self-report and did not consider possible moderators, the present study aimed to examine cycle-related mood variations in daily life and possible moderating effects of anxiety and trait rumination. We examined 59 women aged 18-44 years with natural menstrual cycles between January and October 2012. Mood components of calmness, positive valence, energetic-arousal, and irritability were assessed using smartphones by ambulatory assessment ten times per day on eight days across the cycle. The menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and late luteal phases were each covered by two consecutive assessment days. Moderators were assessed with questionnaires. Hierarchical linear models revealed higher calmness in the luteal and menstrual than in the follicular and ovulatory phase, while menstrual cycle did not exhibit significant main effects on other mood components. Anxiety and ruminative self-reflection moderated the association between menstrual cycle and all mood variables. Specifically, highly anxious and ruminative women showed an increase in irritability, while women with lower anxiety and lower rumination were protected against mood deterioration toward the end of the cycle. Further research could examine whether reducing anxiety and rumination helps to prevent PMS-related syndromes

Measuring depression with a well-being index: Further evidence for the validity of the WHO Well-Being Index (WHO-5) as a measure of the severity of depression

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the WHO Wellbeing Index (WHO-5) has been used as a screening measure for depression. Nevertheless, research on the validity of this measure in the context of clinical depression is sparse. QUESTIONS: The aim of the present study was to investigate the measurement invariance of the WHO-5 across depressed and non-depressed individuals, as well as the shape and specificity of its relationship to measures of depression severity. METHOD: Of the 414 subjects who completed the WHO-5 and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), 207 had a diagnosis of a major depressive episode (MDE). A subsample also completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and was assessed by clinicians using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A). RESULTS: The WHO-5 demonstrated strong measurement invariance regarding the presence or absence of a current MDE. The WHO-5 showed a very high negative association with self- and observer-rated measures of depressive symptoms, especially in the range of mild to moderate symptoms. These associations were still substantial after controlling for measures of anxiety symptoms. LIMITATIONS: In addition to a diagnostic interview, only one measure for self- and observer-rated symptoms of depression was used. Furthermore, the observer-rated measure was only assessed in one subsample that exhibited a somewhat restricted range of depression severity. CONCLUSION: Although this index was originally designed as a measure of well-being, the results support the use of the WHO-5 in the context of depression research

Evaluation eines deutschsprachigen Instrumentes zur Erfassung positiver und negativer automatischer Gedanken bei Kindern und Jugendlichen

Theoretischer Hintergrund: Negative automatische Gedanken stellen nach Beck eine wichtige Ursache für depressive Störungen dar. Fragestellung: Überprüfung der psychometrischen Gütekriterien des deutschen „Fragebogens für negative und positive automatische Gedanken” (FAG) bei Kindern und Jugendlichen. Methode: Der Fragebogen wurde an einer unselektierten Stichprobe aus der Allgemeinbevölkerung (n = 952) zwischen 11 und 16 Jahren untersucht. Die Stichprobe wurde in die beiden Gruppen ≤13 Jahre und >13 Jahre aufgeteilt. Ergebnisse: In der Gruppe ≤13 Jahre wurden die Skalen „negative Selbstaussagen” und „positive Selbstaussagen”, in der Gruppe >13 Jahre die Skalen „negative Selbstaussagen”, „Selbstvertrauen” und „Wohlbefinden” faktorenanalytisch extrahiert. Die internen Konsistenzen der FAG-Skalen lagen zwischen .75 und .89. Alle Skalen wiesen signifikante Zusammenhänge mit Depressivität auf und differenzierten zwischen höher und niedriger depressiven Teilnehmern. Schlussfolgerung: Insgesamt bestätigen die Ergebnisse die Reliabilität und Validität des FAG bei Kindern und Jugendlichen. Background: Beck postulates that negative automatic thoughts area risk factors for depression. Objective: The study presented here examines that psychometric properties of the German version of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire Revised (”Fragebogen für negative und positive automatische Gedanken”, FAG) in children and adolescents. Method: The study investigated an unselected community sample aged between 11 and 16 years (n = 952), which was divided into the two groups (≤13 years and >13 years). Results: Factor analyses revealed the scales ”negative self-statements” and ”positive self-statements” in the group ≤13 years and the scales ”negative self-statements”, ”self-confidence”, and ”well-being” in the group >13 years. Internal consistencies ranked between .75 and .89. All scales were significantly associated with depression and differentiated between more and less depressed participants. Conclusion: The FAG is a reliable and valid instrument to measure negative and positive automatic thoughts in children and adolescents