Psychopathy and Mortality

It is not known how mortality differs between psychopathic and nonpsychopathic individuals. We linked data from subjects having been in forensic mental examinations at Niuvanniemi Hospital during 1984–1993 to the data from the National Death Registry to estimate the association between psychopathy and mortality. One hundred psychopathic individuals scoring 25 or higher in the PCL-R scale were followed up for 20–30 years. Two control groups were used as follows: 178 offenders scoring less than 25 on the PCL-R, and sample of general population drawn from the Finnish National Statistics database. Results reveal that psychopaths die younger than the general population, and the causes of death are more violent than in the nonpsychopath control group. There was a significant positive correlation between PCL-R score and mortality, and the mortality among psychopaths was about fivefold when compared with general population.Peer reviewe

Female Psychopathy and Mortality

The mortality of female psychopaths has scarcely been investigated. To estimate the association between psychopathy and mortality, data from subjects having been in forensic psychiatric assessments at Niuvanniemi Hospital during 1984-1993 were linked to the data from the National Death Registry. Sixteen psychopathic females scoring 25 points or higher in the PCL-R scale (psychopaths) were followed up for a median (IQR) 21 (17-25) years and 41 offenders scoringPeer reviewe

Increased [H-3] quisqualic acid binding density in the dorsal striatum and anterior insula of alcoholics : A post-mortem whole-hemisphere autoradiography study

The function of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors mGluR1 and mGluR5 is involved in the hyperglutamatergic state caused by chronic alcohol. Preclinical studies suggest that group I mGluR modulation could serve as a novel treatment of alcoholism. Considering the wide role of glutamatergic neurochemistry in addiction, group I mGluR binding was studied in brain areas involved in decision-making, learning and memory. Post-mortem whole hemisphere autoradiography was used to study the binding density of [H-3] quisqualic acid, a potent group I mGluR agonist, in 9 Cloninger type 1 alcoholics, 8 Cloninger type 2 alcoholics and 10 controls. Binding was studied in the dorsal striatum, hippocampus and cortex. Alcoholics displayed a trend towards increased [ H-3] quisqualic acid binding in all brain areas. The most robust findings were in the putamen (p = 0.006) and anterior insula (p = 0.005), where both alcoholic subtypes displayed increased binding compared to the controls. These findings suggest altered group I mGluR function in alcoholic subjects in the dorsal striatum, which is involved in habitual learning, and in the anterior insula, which has a pivotal role in the perception of bodily sensations. Increased [H-3] quisqualic acid binding might suggest a beneficial impact of mGluR1/5 modulators in the treatment of alcoholism.Peer reviewe

Niuvanniemen nuoriso-osastolle ohjautuneiden potilaiden kotikuntien mielenterveyttä tukevien palvelujen tarjonta ja menot

Tutkimuksessa arvioitiin vuosina 2004–2007 Niuvanniemen sairaalan nuoriso-osastolla olleiden (N = 52) potilaiden kotikuntien (N = 34) talouden tunnuslukuja ja palvelujen käyttöä vuosina 1994–2008 vertaamalla niitä samansuuruisten kuntien (n = 34) tunnuslukuihin. Tutkimuksessa verrattiin potilaiden kotikuntien alaikäisten palveluihin käytettyjä menoja/alaikäinen vertailukuntien ja koko Suomen kuntien menoihin. Aineisto kerättiin Tilasto- ja indikaattoripankki SOTKAnetistä. Tilastollisina menetelminä käytettiin keskiarvotestejä. Potilaiden kotikunnissa oli vertailukuntiin verrattuna enemmän sairastavuutta ja mielenterveyssyistä työkyvyttömyyseläkkeellä olevia työikäisiä. Nuoriso-osastolla olleiden potilaiden kotikunnissa oli erityiskorvattaviin lääkkeisiin oikeutettuja alle 16-vuotiaita ja psykiatrian erikoissairaanhoidon laitoshoidon päiviä alle 17-vuotiailla enemmän kuin vertailukunnissa. Alaikäisten suuremmasta sairastavuudesta huolimatta kotikuntien alaikäisten peruspalvelujen käyttö ei eronnut vertailukunnista. Tulosten mukaan erityisen vaikeahoitoisten alaikäisten kotikuntien mielenterveyspalvelujen tarjonta on viime vuosiin saakka painottunut laitoshoitoon avopalvelujen sijaan. Lasten mielenterveyspalveluihin kohdennettujen valtionosuuksien myötä koko Suomessa erikoissairaanhoidon palveluihin käytetyt menot alaikäistä kohden ovat ylittäneet kouluterveydenhuoltoon sekä kasvatus- ja perheneuvolapalveluihin käytetyt menot

Differences in psychosocial functioning between psychotic disorders in the Finnish SUPER study

Background: Psychotic disorders differ in their impact on psychosocial functioning. However, few studies have directly compared psychosocial functioning and its determinants between schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder (SAD), bipolar disorder (BD), and major depressive disorder with psychotic features (psychotic MDD). Objective: We compared rates of independent living, employment, marriage, and having children between these diagnostic groups in a large national sample of participants with psychotic disorders in Finland. Methods: A cross-sectional substudy of participants (N = 9148) aged 18 to 65 years in the Finnish SUPER study, recruited nationwide from health-and social care settings and with advertisements. Psychosis diagnoses, age of onset, and hospitalizations were collected from healthcare registers. Participants were interviewed for psychosocial functioning. Associations of age of onset, hospitalizations, gender, and education with psychosocial functioning were analyzed using logistic regression models. Results: Of participants, 13.8% were employed or studying, 72.0% living independently and 32.5% had children. Overall, BD was associated with best, SAD and psychotic MDD with intermediate, and schizophrenia with worst level of psychosocial functioning. Greatest differences were found in independent living (OR 4.06 for BD vs. schizophrenia). In multivariate models, gender and number of hospitalizations predicted employment, marriage, and independent living in all diagnostic categories, and age of onset in some diagnostic categories. Conclusions: Level of functioning and psychosocial outcomes differed markedly between psychotic disorders, particularly in independent living. Outcomes were worst for schizophrenia and best for BD. Across all psychotic disorders, female gender and lifetime number of hospitalizations had strong independent associations with marriage, employment, and independent living.Peer reviewe

Bifidobacterium animalis

Gastrointestinal (GI) adverse effects such as erosion and increased permeability are common during the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Our objective was to assess whether Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis 420 protects against NSAID-induced GI side effects in a rat model. A total of 120 male Wistar rats were allocated into groups designated as control, NSAID, and probiotic. The NSAID and probiotic groups were challenged with indomethacin (10 mg/kg−1; single dose). The probiotic group was also supplemented daily with 1010 CFU of B. lactis 420 for seven days prior to the indomethacin administration. The control group rats received no indomethacin or probiotic. The permeability of the rat intestine was analysed using carbohydrate probes and the visual damage of the rat stomach mucosa was graded according to severity. B. lactis 420 significantly reduced the indomethacin-induced increase in stomach permeability. However, the protective effect on the visual mucosal damage was not significant. The incidence of severe NSAID-induced lesions was, nevertheless, reduced from 50% to 33% with the probiotic treatment. To conclude, the B. lactis 420 supplementation protected the rats from an NSAID-induced increase in stomach permeability and may reduce the formation of more serious GI mucosal damage and/or enhance the recovery rate of the stomach mucosa

Changes in the metabolic profile of human male postmortem frontal cortex and cerebrospinal fluid samples associated with heavy alcohol use

Heavy alcohol use is one of the top causes of disease and death in the world. The brain is a key organ affected by heavy alcohol use. Here, our aim was to measure changes caused by heavy alcohol use in the human brain metabolic profile. We analyzed human postmortem frontal cortex and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from males with a history of heavy alcohol use (n = 74) and controls (n = 74) of the Tampere Sudden Death Series cohort. We used a nontargeted liquid chromatography mass spectrometry-based metabolomics method. We observed differences between the study groups in the metabolite levels of both frontal cortex and CSF samples, for example, in amino acids and derivatives, and acylcarnitines. There were more significant alterations in the metabolites of frontal cortex than in CSF. In the frontal cortex, significant alterations were seen in the levels of neurotransmitters (e.g., decreased levels of GABA and acetylcholine), acylcarnitines (e.g., increased levels of acylcarnitine 4:0), and in some metabolites associated with alcohol metabolizing enzymes (e.g., increased levels of 2-piperidone). Some of these changes were also significant in the CSF samples (e.g., elevated 2-piperidone levels). Overall, these results show the metabolites associated with neurotransmitters, energy metabolism and alcohol metabolism, were altered in human postmortem frontal cortex and CSF samples of persons with a history of heavy alcohol use

Substance Use and Sleep Problems in Patients With Psychotic Disorders

sgac073Substance use and sleep problems are common in patients with psychotic disorders, but their associations in these patients have not been evaluated. We aimed to investigate associations between substance use and sleep problems in a large nationwide cohort of patients with a psychotic disorder.This study is part of the Finnish SUPER study, which belongs to the Stanley Global Neuropsychiatric Genomics Initiative. In this cross-sectional, multicenter study, participants (N = 8616) were recruited from primary and specialized healthcare. Patients with schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, and psychotic depression were included. Information on current alcohol (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Concise) and cigarette use as well as on lifetime illicit drug use, including cannabis, benzodiazepines, amphetamines, and opioids, was collected using questionnaires. The sleep outcomes in our logistic regression analysis were short (≤6 h) and long sleep (≥10 h) duration, difficulties initiating asleep, early morning awakenings, fatigue, and poor sleep quality (SQ).Self-reported substance use was associated with a higher prevalence of sleep problems. After adjustments with age, gender, diagnostic group, and living status, hazardous alcohol use (eg, poor SQ odds ratio [OR] = 1.80, 95\ 1.49 to 2.16, P \lt; .001), current smoking (short sleep duration OR = 1.28, 95\ 1.08 to 1.52, P = .005), and lifetime benzodiazepine misuse (difficulties initiating sleep OR = 2.00, 95\ 1.55 to 2.48, P \lt; .001) were associated with sleep problems.Substance use was associated with sleep problems. Our findings underline the potential benefits of screening substance use when treating sleep problems in patients with psychotic disorders.Peer reviewe

Implementation of CYP2D6 copy-number imputation panel and frequency of key pharmacogenetic variants in Finnish individuals with a psychotic disorder

We demonstrate that CYP2D6 copy-number variation (CNV) can be imputed using existing imputation algorithms. Additionally, we report frequencies of key pharmacogenetic variants in individuals with a psychotic disorder from the genetically bottle-necked population of Finland. We combined GWAS chip and CYP2D6 CNV data from the Breast Cancer Pain Genetics study to construct an imputation panel (n = 902) for CYP2D6 CNV. The resulting data set was used as a CYP2D6 CNV imputation panel in 9262 non-related individuals from the SUPER-Finland study. Based on imputation of 9262 individuals we confirm the higher frequency of CYP2D6 ultrarapid metabolizers and a 22-fold enrichment of the UGT1A1 decreased function variant rs4148323 (UGT1A1*6) in Finland compared with non-Finnish Europeans. Similarly, the NUDT15 variant rs116855232 was highly enriched in Finland. We demonstrate that imputation of CYP2D6 CNV is possible and the methodology enables studying CYP2D6 in large biobanks with genome-wide data.Peer reviewe

Sex-specific transcriptional and proteomic signatures in schizophrenia

It has remained unclear why schizophrenia typically manifests after adolescence and which neurobiological mechanisms are underlying the cascade leading to the actual onset of the illness. Here we show that the use of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons of monozygotic twins from pairs discordant for schizophrenia enhances disease-specific signal by minimizing genetic heterogeneity. In proteomic and pathway analyses, clinical illness is associated especially with altered glycosaminoglycan, GABAergic synapse, sialylation, and purine metabolism pathways. Although only 12% of all 19,462 genes are expressed differentially between healthy males and females, up to 61% of the illness-related genes are sex specific. These results on sex-specific genes are replicated in another dataset. This implies that the pathophysiology differs between males and females, and may explain why symptoms appear after adolescence when the expression of many sex-specific genes change, and suggests the need for sex-specific treatments.Peer reviewe