Association between BDNF Gene Polymorphisms and Serotonergic Activity Using Loudness Dependence of Auditory Evoked Potentials in Healthy Subjects

<div><p>It has been proposed that the loudness dependence of auditory evoked potentials (LDAEP) would be a reliable indicator of central serotonin system activity in humans. Serotonin levels and turnover are also increased by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). The aim of the present study was to determine whether there is an association between genetic polymorphisms of <i>BDNF</i> and the LDAEP in healthy Korean young adults. The cohort comprised 211 mentally and physically healthy subjects, all of whom were nonsmokers (111 males, 100 females; age: 20∼32 years). To avoid hormonal effects, the LDAEP was measured during days 2–5 after the beginning of menstruation for female subjects. In addition, <i>BDNF</i> polymorphisms (rs6265, rs2030324, and rs1491850) were genotyped. The strength of the LDAEP differed significantly among the <i>BDNF</i> genotype groups. Furthermore, the distribution of genotypic frequencies differed significantly between subjects with high and low LDAEPs. In particular, subjects with the Val/Met (A/G) genotype for rs6265, the T/T genotype for rs2030324, or the C/C genotype for rs1491850 had a higher LDAEP, indicating lower central serotonergic activity. A low LDAEP was more prevalent than a high LDAEP among those with the C-T haplotype (C genotype for rs2030424 and T genotype for rs1491850). Our results concur with previous findings on <i>BDNF</i> polymorphisms and serotonergic drug responses in psychiatric disorder patients. The present results suggest the possibility that <i>BDNF</i> polymorphisms and LDAEP patterns can predict altered serotonergic activity.</p> </div

Comparison of LDAEP at C3 among genotypes of rs2030324.

<p>Mean values were presented as horizontal bars. There was a significant difference among 3 genotype groups (ANOVA) (p<0.05). There was a statistically significant difference between 2 genotype groups (C/C vs C/T, C/C vs T/T) (post-hoc analysis; LSD) (p<0.05).</p

Haplotype distribution in Pz (rs2030324 and rs1491850).

*<p>p<0.05.</p

Statistical analyses on the intensity of LDAEP with genotypes of the three SNPs in BDNF gene and the distribution of genotypic frequencies among healthy subjects with low and high (L/H) LDAEP of five electrodes.

*<p>p<0.05 (ANOVA).</p>+<p>p<0.05 (χ2 test).</p>**<p>two groups divided by median LDAEP.</p

Comparison of LDAEP at Pz among genotypes of rs1491850.

<p>Mean values were presented as horizontal bars. There was a significant difference among 3 genotype groups (ANOVA) (p<0.05). There was a statistically significant difference between 2 genotype groups (C/C vs T/T) (post-hoc analysis; LSD) (p<0.05).</p

Outdoor artificial light at night, obesity, and sleep health: Cross-sectional analysis in the KoGES study

<p>Obesity is a common disorder with many complications. Although chronodisruption plays a role in obesity, few epidemiological studies have investigated the association between artificial light at night (ALAN) and obesity. Since sleep health is related to both obesity and ALAN, we investigated the association between outdoor ALAN and obesity after adjusting for sleep health. We also investigated the association between outdoor ALAN and sleep health. This cross-sectional survey included 8526 adults, 39–70 years of age, who participated in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. Outdoor ALAN data were obtained from satellite images provided by the US Defense Meteorological Satellite Program. We obtained individual data regarding outdoor ALAN; body mass index; depression; and sleep health including sleep duration, mid-sleep time, and insomnia; and other demographic data including age, sex, educational level, type of residential building, monthly household income, alcohol consumption, smoking status and consumption of caffeine or alcohol before sleep. A logistic regression model was used to investigate the association between outdoor ALAN and obesity. The prevalence of obesity differed significantly according to sex (women 47% versus men 39%, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and outdoor ALAN (high 55% versus low 40%, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Univariate logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between high outdoor ALAN and obesity (odds ratio [OR] 1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14–1.35, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Furthermore, multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that high outdoor ALAN was significantly associated with obesity after adjusting for age and sex (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.14–1.37, <i>p</i> < 0.001) and even after controlling for various other confounding factors including age, sex, educational level, type of residential building, monthly household income, alcohol consumption, smoking, consumption of caffeine or alcohol before sleep, delayed sleep pattern, short sleep duration and habitual snoring (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.06–1.36, <i>p</i> = 0.003). The findings of our study provide epidemiological evidence that outdoor ALAN is significantly related to obesity.</p

Data_Sheet_1_Potential effectiveness of digital therapeutics specialized in executive functions as adjunctive treatment for clinical symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a feasibility study.PDF

IntroductionThe role of digital therapeutics (DTx) in the effective management of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is beginning to gain clinical attention. Therefore, it is essential to verify their potential efficacy.MethodWe aimed to investigate the improvement in the clinical symptoms of ADHD by using DTx AimDT01 (NUROW) (AIMMED Co., Ltd., Seoul, Korea) specialized in executive functions. NUROW, which consists of Go/No-go Task- and N-Back/Updating-based training modules and a personalized adaptive algorithm system that adjusts the difficulty level according to the user’s performance, was implemented on 30 Korean children with ADHD aged 6 to 12 years. The children were instructed to use the DTx for 15 min daily for 4 weeks. The Comprehensive attention test (CAT) and Childhood Behavior Checklist (CBCL) were used to assess the children at baseline and endpoint. In contrast, the ADHD-Rating Scale (ARS) and PsyToolkit were used weekly and followed up at 1 month, for any sustained effect. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to identify differences between the participants during visits, while t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to identify changes before and after the DTx.ResultsWe included 27 participants with ADHD in this analysis. The ARS inattention (F = 4.080, p = 0.010), hyperactivity (F = 5.998. p DiscussionAccording to caregivers, the findings indicate that DTx holds potential effect as an adjunctive treatment in children with ADHD, especially in subjective clinical symptoms. Future studies will require detailed development and application targeting specific clinical domains using DTx with sufficient sample sizes.Clinical trial registration: KCT0007579.</p

Bright light exposure before bedtime impairs response inhibition the following morning: a non-randomized crossover study

<p><b>Introduction</b>: Bright light exposure in the late evening can affect cognitive function the following morning either by changing the biological clock and/or disturbing sleep, but the evidence for this effect is scarce, and the underlying mechanism remains unknown. In this study, we first aimed to evaluate the effect of bright light exposure before bedtime on frontal lobe activity the following morning using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during a Go/NoGo task. Second, we aimed to evaluate the effects of bright light exposure before bedtime on polysomnographic measures and on a frontal lobe function test the following morning.</p> <p><b>Methods</b>: Twenty healthy, young males (mean age, 25.5 years) were recruited between September 2013 and August 2014. They were first exposed to control light (150 lux) before bedtime (from 20:00 h to 24:00 h) for 2 days and then to bright light (1,000 lux) before bedtime for an additional 5 days. We performed polysomnography (PSG) on the final night of each light exposure period (on nights 2 and night 7) and performed NIRS, which measures the concentrations of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin (OxyHb and DeoxyHb, respectively), coupled with a Go/NoGo task the following morning (between 09:30 h and 11:30 h). The participants also completed frontal lobe function tests the following morning.</p> <p><b>Results</b>: NIRS showed decreased hemodynamic activity (lower OxyHb and a tendency toward higher DeoxyHb concentration) in the right frontal lobe during the NoGo block after 1000-lux light exposure compared with that during the NoGo block after 150-lux light exposure. The commission error rate (ER) during the Go/NoGo task was higher after 1000-lux light exposure than that during the Go/NoGo task after 150-lux light exposure (1.24 ± 1.09 vs. 0.6 ± 0.69, <i>P </i>= 0.002), suggesting a reduced inhibitory response.</p> <p><b>Conclusion</b>: This study shows that exposure to bright light before bedtime for 5 days impairs right frontal lobe activation and response inhibition the following morning.</p