Ahmet Rıfat Şahin

The relationship between the presence of ADHD and certain candidate gene polymorphisms in a Turkish sample.

Due to the high heritability of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), parents of children with ADHD appear to represent a good sample group for investigating the genetics of the disorder. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between ADHD and six polymorphisms in five candidate genes [5-HT2A (rs6311), NET1 (rs2242447), COMT (rs4818), NTF3 (rs6332), SNAP-25 (rs3746544) and (rs1051312)]. We included 228 parents of children diagnosed with ADHD and 109 healthy parents as the control group. The polymorphisms were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assays and analyzed using the chi-square test and the multinomial logit model. SNAP-25 (rs3746544) polymorphism was associated with loading for ADHD, while 5-HT2A (rs6311) and NET1 (rs2242447) polymorphisms were associated with ADHD. On the other hand, there was no significant association between the SNAP-25 (rs1051312), NTF3 (rs6332), or COMT (rs4818) gene polymorphisms and ADHD. In addition, we found that even if variation in the SNAP-25 gene alone does not affect the phenotype, it may nevertheless lead to the emergence of a clinical ADHD picture in the presence of other genetic factors. Our findings suggest that a combination of NET1 (rs2242447) and SNAP-25 (rs3746544) is a risk factor for ADHD. Problems associated with the noradrenergic and serotonergic systems and SNAP-25 may play a role, both alone and in interaction with one another, in the pathophysiological mechanisms of ADHD.

Early maladaptive schemas in patients with bipolar and unipolar disorder

Abstract Objective: The aim of our study is to determine the difference between the bipolar disorder, unipolar disorder and control groups in terms of maladaptive schemes and childhood trauma. Methods: Two groups of patients under monitoring with a diagnosis of bipolar or unipolar disorder and one group of healthy controls were enrolled in this study. Each group consisted of 60 subjects. The Young Mania Rating Scale and Beck Depression Inventory were used to confirm that patients were in remission. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form 3 were used to identify childhood traumas and early maladaptive schemas. Results: In bipolar disorder, a positive, low power correlation was observed between the vulnerability to threats schema and emotional, physical and sexual abuse. In the unipolar disorder group, there was a positive, low power correlation between the emotional inhibition, failure, approval seeking, dependence, abandonment and defectiveness schemas and social isolation, and a positive, moderate correlation between social isolation and emotional abuse. Conclusions: Individuals with bipolar disorder suffered greater childhood trauma compared to subjects with unipolar disorder and healthy individuals. Greater maladaptive schema activation were present in individuals with bipolar disorder compared to those with unipolar disorder and healthy individuals.

The Correlation Between Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome and Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics in Schizophrenia Patients

The correlation between incidence of metabolic syndrome and sociodemographic and clinical characteristics in schizophrenia patients Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in schizophrenia patients who are receiving treatment with antipsychotic drugs and also the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of schizophrenia patients with MetS. Methods: 111 schizophrenia patients diagnosed on the basis of DSM-IV diagnostic criteria and receiving antipsychotic therapy for at least 3 months were included in the study. MetS was diagnosed on the basis of International Diabetes Fedaration (IDF) diagnostic criteria. Schizophrenia patient groups with and without diagnosed MetS were compared in terms of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Results: MetS was determined in 27% of the patients. The most commonly determined parameter was elevated waist circumference (65.8%). The least common parameter was elevated blood pressure (10.8%). The waist circumference parameter in women and the blood pressure parameter in men were more frequently determined. No difference was determined between schizophrenia patients with or without MetS in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, schizophrenia subtypes and symptoms or other clinical characteristics. Conclusion: MetS is a significant problem in schizophrenia patients receiving antipsychotic therapy. Elevated waist circumference is an important parameter in monitoring. The findings in the literature regarding the relationship between MetS and sociodemographic and clinical characteristics are contradictory. No correlation was determined in our study. Further studies are now needed to shed light on this subject. There would seem to be no correlation between MetS and schizophrenia subtypes and