Pituitary volume reduction in schizophrenia following cognitive behavioural therapy

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for psychosis (CBTp) aims to lower the stress of psychotic symptoms. Given that the pituitary is involved in stress regulation, CBT-led stress reduction may be accompanied by a change in pituitary volume. This study aimed to determine whether CBTp reduces pituitary volume in schizophrenia. The relation between pre-therapy memory and CBTp-led pituitary volume change was also examined given that poor memory relates to a blunted cortisol awakening response, denoting impaired stress response, in schizophrenia. Pituitary volume was measured at baseline in 40 schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder patients and 30 healthy participants before therapy. Pituitary volume was measured again 6–9 months after patients had either received CBTp in addition to standard care (CBTp + SC, n = 24), or continued with standard care alone (SC, n = 16). CBTp + SC and SC groups were compared on pituitary volume change from baseline to follow-up. Pre-therapy memory performance (Hopkins Verbal Learning and Wechsler Memory Scale – Logical memory) was correlated with baseline-to-follow-up pituitary volume change. Pituitary volume reduced over time in CBTp + SC patients. Additionally, pre-therapy verbal learning correlated more strongly with longitudinal pituitary volume reduction in the CBTp + SC group than the SC group. To conclude, CBTp reduces pituitary volume in schizophrenia most likely by enhancing stress regulation and lowering the distress due to psychotic symptoms

Voxel-based magnetic resonance imaging investigation of poor and preserved clinical insight in people with schizophrenia

AIM To define regional grey-matter abnormalities in schizophrenia patients with poor insight (Insight-), relative to patients with preserved clinical insight (Insight+), and healthy controls. METHODS Forty stable schizophrenia outpatients (20 Insight- and 20 Insight+) and 20 healthy controls underwent whole brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Insight in all patients was assessed using the Birchwood Insight Scale (BIS; a self-report measure). The two patient groups were pre-selected to match on most clinical and demographic parameters but, by design, they had markedly distinct BIS scores. Voxel-based morphometry employed in SPM8 was used to examine group differences in grey matter volumes across the whole brain. RESULTS The three participant groups were comparable in age [F(2,57) = 0.34, P = 0.71] and the patient groups did not differ in age at illness onset [t(38) = 0.87, P = 0.39]. Insight- and Insight+ patient groups also did not differ in symptoms on the Positive and Negative Syndromes scale (PANSS): Positive symptoms [t(38) = 0.58, P = 0.57], negative symptoms [t(38) = 0.61, P = 0.55], general psychopathology [t(38) = 1.30, P = 0.20] and total PANSS scores [t(38) = 0.21, P = 0.84]. The two patient groups, as expected, varied significantly in the level of BIS-assessed insight [t(38) = 12.11, P 0.20) from each other. CONCLUSION Our findings demonstrate a clear association between poor clinical insight and smaller fronto-temporal, occipital and cerebellar grey matter volumes in stable long-term schizophrenia patients

Genome‑wide screening and characterization of phospholipase A (PLA)‑like genes in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)

Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench is the fifth most cultivated crop worldwide, and it is used in many ways, but it has always gained less popularity due to the yield, pest, and environmental constraints. Improving genetic background and developing better varieties is crucial for better sorghum production in semi-arid tropical regions. This study focuses on the phospholipase A (PLA) family within sorghum, comprehensively characterising PLA genes and their expression across different tissues. The investigation identified 32 PLA genes in the sorghum genome, offering insights into their chromosomal localization, molecular weight, isoelectric point, and subcellular distribution through bioinformatics tools. PLA-like family genes are classified into three groups, namely patatin-related phospholipase A (pPLA), phospholipase A1 (PLA1), and phospholipase A2 (PLA2). In-silico chromosome localization studies revealed that these genes are unevenly distributed in the sorghum genome. Cis-motif analysis revealed the presence of several developmental, tissue and hormone-specific elements in the promoter regions of the PLA genes. Expression studies in different tissues such as leaf, root, seedling, mature seed, immature seed, anther, and pollen showed differential expression patterns. Taken together, genome-wide analysis studies of PLA genes provide a better understanding and critical role of this gene family considering the metabolic processes involved in plant growth, defence and stress response

Association between a longer duration of illness, age and lower frontal lobe grey matter volume in schizophrenia

The frontal lobe has an extended maturation period and may be vulnerable to the long-term effects of schizophrenia. We tested this hypothesis by studying the relationship between duration of illness (DoI), grey matter (GM) and cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF) volume across the whole brain. Sixty-four patients with schizophrenia and 25 healthy controls underwent structural MRI scanning and neuropsychological assessment. We performed regression analyses in patients to examine the relationship between DoI and GM and CSF volumes across the whole brain, and correlations in controls between age and GM or CSF volume of the regions where GM or CSF volumes were associated with DoI in patients. Correlations were also performed between GM volume in the regions associated with DoI and neuropsychological performance. A longer DoI was associated with lower GM volume in the left dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (PFC), right middle frontal cortex, left fusiform gyrus (FG) and left cerebellum (lobule III). Additionally, age was inversely associated with GM volume in the left dorsomedial PFC in patients, and in the left FG and CSF excess near the left cerebellum in healthy controls. Greater GM volume in the left dorsomedial PFC was associated with better working memory, attention and psychomotor speed in patients. Our findings suggest that the right middle frontal cortex is particularly vulnerable to the long-term effect of schizophrenia illness whereas the dorsomedial PFC, FG and cerebellum are affected by both a long DoI and aging. The effect of illness chronicity on GM volume in the left dorsomedial PFC may be extended to brain structure–neuropsychological function relationships

Preservation and compensation: The functional neuroanatomy of insight and working memory in schizophrenia

Background: Poor insight in schizophrenia has been theorised to reflect a cognitive deficit that is secondary to brain abnormalities, localized in the brain regions that are implicated in higher order cognitive functions, including working memory (WM). This study investigated WM-related neural substrates of preserved and poor insight in schizophrenia. Method: Forty stable schizophrenia outpatients, 20 with preserved and 20 with poor insight (usable data obtained from 18 preserved and 14 poor insight patients), and 20 healthy participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a parametric 'n-back' task. The three groups were preselected to match on age, education and predicted IQ, and the two patient groups to have distinct insight levels. Performance and fMRI data were analysed to determine how groups of patients with preserved and poor insight differed from each other, and from healthy participants. Results: Poor insight patients showed lower performance accuracy, relative to healthy participants (p. = 0.01) and preserved insight patients (p. = 0.08); the two patient groups were comparable on symptoms and medication. Preserved insight patients, relative to poor insight patients, showed greater activity most consistently in the precuneus and cerebellum (both bilateral) during WM; they also showed greater activity than healthy participants in the inferior-superior frontal gyrus and cerebellum (bilateral). Group differences in brain activity did not co-vary significantly with performance accuracy. Conclusions: The precuneus and cerebellum function contribute to preserved insight in schizophrenia. Preserved insight as well as normal-range WM capacity in schizophrenia sub-groups may be achieved via compensatory neural activity in the frontal cortex and cerebellum. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.Wellcome Trust, UK; NIHR Birmingham and Black Country CLAHRC, UK; Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, UK

Assessing cognitive insight in nonpsychiatric individuals and outpatients with schizophrenia in Taiwan: an investigation using the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS) was designed for the assessment of the cognitive processes involved in self-reflection and the ability to modify erroneous beliefs and misinterpretations. Studies investigating the factor structure of the BCIS have indicated a two-factor model in the psychotic population. The factor structure of the BCIS, however, has not received much consideration in the nonpsychiatric population. The present study examined the factor structure and validity of the BCIS and compared its scores between nonpsychiatric individuals and outpatients with psychosis.</p> <p>Method</p> <p>The Taiwanese version of the BCIS was administered to 507 nonpsychiatric individuals and 118 outpatients with schizophrenia. The psychometric properties of the BCIS were examined through the following analyses: exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, reliability, correlation analyses, and discriminative validity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The BCIS showed adequate internal consistency and stability over time. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on the 15-item measure indicated a two-factor solution that supported the two dimensions of the Taiwanese BCIS, which was also observed with the original BCIS. Following the construct validation, we obtained a composite index (self-reflectiveness minus self-certainty) of the Taiwanese BCIS that reflected cognitive insight. Consistent with previous studies, our results indicated that psychosis is associated with low self-reflectiveness and high self-certainty, which possibly reflect lower cognitive insight. Our results also showed that better cognitive insight is related to worse depression in patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, but not in nonpsychiatric individuals. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses revealed that the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.731. A composite index of 3 was a good limit, with a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 51%.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The BCIS proved to be useful for measuring cognitive insight in Taiwanese nonpsychiatric and psychotic populations.</p

Is it me?:Verbal self-monitoring neural network and clinical insight in schizophrenia

AbstractSelf-monitoring, defined as the ability to distinguish between self-generated stimuli from other-generated ones, is known to be impaired in schizophrenia. This impairment has been theorised as the basis for many of the core psychotic symptoms, in particular, poor clinical insight. This study aimed to investigate verbal self-monitoring related neural substrates of preserved and poor clinical insight in schizophrenia. It involved 40 stable schizophrenia outpatients, 20 with preserved and 20 with poor insight, and 20 healthy participants. All participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging with brain coverage covering key areas in the self-monitoring network during a verbal self-monitoring task. Healthy participants showed higher performance accuracy and greater thalamic activity than both preserved and poor insight patient groups. Preserved insight patients showed higher activity in the putamen extending into the caudate, insula and inferior frontal gyrus, compared to poor insight patients, and in the anterior cingulate and medial frontal gyrus, compared to healthy participants. Poor insight patients did not show greater activity in any brain area compared to preserved insight patients or healthy participants. Future studies may pursue therapeutic avenues, such as meta-cognitive therapies to promote self-monitoring or targeted stimulation of relevant brain areas, as means of enhancing insight in schizophrenia

Chickpea Defensin Gene Family: Promising Candidates for Resistance Against Soil‑Borne Chickpea Fungal Pathogens

Defensins are broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptides that play an important role in providing innate immunity to various biotic stresses in plants. We identifed and characterized 22 defensin (DEF) and defensin-like (DEFL) genes in chickpea (Cicer arientinum) based on their structures, expression, chromosomal localization, conserved motifs, and cis-regulatory elements. The localization of DEF and DEFL genes in chickpea genome revealed the presence of at least two clusters that are likely evolved through local gene duplications. Genotype-specifc responses of several CaDEF and CaDEFL genes in fungal bioassays suggested their involvement in defense against fungal pathogens such as hemi-biotrophic F. oxysporum f. sp. ciceris and dry root rot causing necrotrophic R. bataticola. Molecular docking studies revealed interactions of CaDEFs with fungal plasma membrane components such as phosphatidylserine (PS) and glucosylceramide (GluCer) and their binding sites were identifed. Our data will be useful to identify potential candidate genes and their role in host-plant resistance in chickpea, besides presenting opportunities for their potential for possible deployment in other crop