Meta-analysis of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism in major depressive disorder: the role of gender

<p><i>Objectives</i>: Many studies have reported an association of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism and major depressive disorder (MDD), although with conflicting results. The role of gender is a possible modulator. To overcome the problem of poor sample size detecting genes of small effect, we perform a meta-analysis of the current literature, investigating the influence of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism on the pathogenesis of MDD, with a major focus on the effect of gender. <i>Methods</i>: Out of 977 retrieved articles, 21 included case–control studies allowed the analysis of 9005 patients with MDD and 12,095 controls. Allelic and genotypic pooled odds ratios (OR) were calculated for the total sample and gender-subgroups. <i>Results</i>: In the absence of publication bias, allelic and genotypic analyses showed no significant association in the total sample, as well as in gender-specific subgroups. Sensitivity analysis did not alter the ORs. <i>Conclusions</i>: The results imply a complex nature of the genotype × phenotype interaction. Further studies of the COMT gene or the locus remain to be justified given the important positional and functional relevance and the plethora of gender-specific findings. A possible way to further dissect this topic is shifting the focus to gene-based or genome-wide analyses of intermediate phenotypes.</p

neuropsychiatrie / Maternal bonding behavior, adult intimate relationship, and quality of life

Continuity and discontinuity in the development of social relationships have been investigated by reviewing the course of social bonds and by analyzing the effects of a sound intimate relationship in adulthood in conjunction with recalled maternal bonding on the quality of life among students. A questionnaire-based study of 207 students was conducted. Perceptions of maternal bonding were designated as being representative of one of the two contrasting bonding types “optimal maternal bonding” and “affectionless maternal control” assessed by the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) and combined with perceptions of a sound intimate adult relationship measured by the Family Assessment Measure III Dyadic Relationships Scale (FAM-III-D). Quality of life and general health data were determined by using the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) instrument. Students who reported “optimal maternal bonding” had intimate relationships in adulthood that were of significantly higher quality than those who recalled “affectionless maternal control”. Students who recalled “optimal maternal bonding” and described their intimate relationship as sound showed significantly higher scores in all domains of quality of life and indicated having better general health than those who reported “affectionless maternal control” and a sound intimate relationship. A sound intimate relationship in adulthood does not appear to compensate the impact of a recalled maternal bonding behavior in terms of affectionless control, on quality of life. Furthermore, results seem to support the hypothesis of continuity of the development of social relationships among psychologically well individuals based on the association between maternal bonding and later intimate relationships.(VLID)357503

Screening for Specific Language Impairment in Preschool Children : Evaluating a Screening Procedure Including the Token Test

Specific language impairment (SLI) comprises impairments in receptive and/or expressive language. Aim of this study was to evaluate a screening for SLI. 61 children with SLI (SLI-children, age-range 46 years) and 61 matched typically developing controls were tested for receptive language ability (Token TestTT) and for intelligence (Wechsler Preschool-and-Primary-Scale-of-IntelligenceWPPSI). Group differences were analyzed using t tests, as well as direct and stepwise discriminant analyses. The predictive value of the WPPSI with respect to TT performance was analyzed using regression analyses. SLI-children performed significantly worse on both TT and WPPSI (p.0001). The TT alone yielded an overall classification rate of 79%, the TT and the WPPSI together yielded an overall classification rate of 80%. TT performance was significantly predicted by verbal intelligence in SLI-children and nonverbal intelligence in controls whilst WPPSI subtest arithmetic was predictive in both groups. Without further research, the Token Test cannot be seen as a valid and sufficient tool for the screening of SLI in preschool children but rather as a tool for the assessment of more general intellectual capacities. SLI-children at this age already show impairments typically associated with SLI which indicates the necessity of early developmental support or training. Token Test performance is possibly an indicator for a more general developmental factor rather than an exclusive indicator for language difficulties.(VLID)355665

A randomised controlled trial on effectiveness and feasibility of sport climbing in Parkinson’s disease

Abstract Physical activity is of prime importance in non-pharmacological Parkinson’s disease (PD) treatment. The current study examines the effectiveness and feasibility of sport climbing in PD patients in a single-centre, randomised controlled, semi-blind trial. A total of 48 PD patients without experience in climbing (average age 64 ± 8 years, Hoehn & Yahr stage 2–3) were assigned either to participate in a 12-week sport climbing course (SC) or to attend an unsupervised physical training group (UT). The primary outcome was the improvement of symptoms on the Movement Disorder Society-Sponsored Revision of the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part III (MDS-UPDRS-III). Sport climbing was associated with a significant reduction of the MDS-UPDRS-III (−12.9 points; 95% CI −15.9 to −9.8), while no significant improvement was to be found in the UT (−3.0 points; 95% CI −6.0 to 0.1). Bradykinesia, rigidity and tremor subscales significantly improved in SC, but not in the unsupervised control group. In terms of feasibility, the study showed a 99% adherence of participants to climbing sessions and a drop-out rate of only 8%. No adverse events occurred. This trial provides class III evidence that sport climbing is highly effective and feasible in mildly to moderately affected PD patients

Cognitive Processing / Cognitive and emotional demands of black humour processing : the role of intelligence, aggressiveness and mood

Humour processing is a complex information-processing task that is dependent on cognitive and emotional aspects which presumably influence frame-shifting and conceptual blending, mental operations that underlie humour processing. The aim of the current study was to find distinctive groups of subjects with respect to black humour processing, intellectual capacities, mood disturbance and aggressiveness. A total of 156 adults rated black humour cartoons and conducted measurements of verbal and nonverbal intelligence, mood disturbance and aggressiveness. Cluster analysis yields three groups comprising following properties: (1) moderate black humour preference and moderate comprehension; average nonverbal and verbal intelligence; low mood disturbance and moderate aggressiveness; (2) low black humour preference and moderate comprehension; average nonverbal and verbal intelligence, high mood disturbance and high aggressiveness; and (3) high black humour preference and high comprehension; high nonverbal and verbal intelligence; no mood disturbance and low aggressiveness. Age and gender do not differ significantly, differences in education level can be found. Black humour preference and comprehension are positively associated with higher verbal and nonverbal intelligence as well as higher levels of education. Emotional instability and higher aggressiveness apparently lead to decreased levels of pleasure when dealing with black humour. These results support the hypothesis that humour processing involves cognitive as well as affective components and suggest that these variables influence the execution of frame-shifting and conceptual blending in the course of humour processing.(VLID)353384