Burcu Çakaloz

Association of SNAP-25 Gene Ddel and Mnll Polymorphisms with Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Objective The synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25) gene is a presynaptic plasma membrane protein and an integral component of the vesicle docking and fusion machinery mediating secretion of neurotransmitters. Previously, several studies reported association between SNAP-25 and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We investigated whether these SNAP-25 polymorphisms (MnlI T/G and DdelI T/C) were also associated with ADHD in the Turkish population. Methods Our study comprised unrelated 139 subjects who met DSM-IV criteria for ADHD and 73 controls and all were of Turkish origin. Genetic analyses were performed and patients were evaluated with Wender-Utah Rating Scale and Adult ADD/ADHD DSM IV-Based Diagnostic Screening and Rating Scale. Results SNAP-25 DdelI polymorphism was not associated with ADHD but there was a statistically significant difference between ADHD patients and controls for SNAP-25 MnlI polymorphism. For SNAP-25 MnlI polymorphism patients with G/G genotype of the SNAP-25 gene MnlI polymorphism had higher Wender-Utah scores and higher scores in the 1st and 3rd parts of adult ADD/ADHD Scale. Conclusion We detected a significant association of the MnlI polymorphism in our ADHD sample which was similar to previous findings. Our study also revealed that SNAP-25 MnlI polymorphism was also associated with symptom severity of ADHD. This study is also, the first report on the association of SNAP-25 with ADHD in the Turkish population.

The Prevalence and Comorbidity Rates of ADHD Among School-Age Children in Turkey.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to explore the prevalence and comorbidity rates of ADHD in a community sample of school-age children. Method: Participants were 1,508 children aged 6 to 14 years. Parents and teachers of each child completed the Turgay Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV) Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale (T-DSM-IV-S). Screen-positive cases were interviewed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children–Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL). Diagnoses were based on DSM-IV criteria. Results: The prevalence rate of ADHD was 8%. Children from extended families had extremely high rates (46.4%) of ADHD. Sixty percent of children with ADHD had one or more comorbid diagnoses. The most common comorbidities were learning disorders (35.7%) and oppositional defiant disorder (22.6%). Conclusion: The prevalence and comorbidity rates of ADHD in school-age children in Turkey are similar to those found in previous studies in other countries.

Effects of perpetrator identity on suicidality and nonsuicidal self-injury in sexually victimized female adolescents

Purpose Child sexual abuse and sexual dating violence victimization are common problems that are known to have long-term negative consequences. This study aimed to compare the sociodemographic, abuse-related, and clinical features of female adolescents who were sexually abused by different perpetrators, and identify the factors associated with suicidality and nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in these cases. Patients and methods Data of 254 sexually abused female adolescents between the ages of 12–18 years were evaluated. The cases were classified into three groups, namely “sexual dating violence”, “incest”, and “other child sexual abuse”, according to the identity of the perpetrator. The three groups were compared in terms of sociodemographic, abuse-related, and clinical features. Results Major depressive disorder was the most common psychiatric diagnosis, which was present in 44.9% of the cases. Among all victims, 25.6% had attempted suicide, 52.0% had suicidal ideation, and 23.6% had NSSI during the postabuse period. A logistic regression analysis revealed that attempted suicide was predicted by dating violence victimization (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =3.053; 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.473, 6.330) and depression (AOR =2.238; 95% CI =1.226, 4.086). Dating violence victimization was also the strongest predictor of subsequent suicidal ideation (AOR =3.500; 95% CI =1.817, 6.741). In addition, revictimization was determined to be an important risk factor for both suicidal ideation (AOR =2.897; 95% CI =1.276, 6.574) and NSSI (AOR =3.847; 95% CI =1.899, 7.794). Conclusion Perpetrator identity and revictimization are associated with negative mental health outcomes in sexually victimized female adolescents. Increased risk of suicidality and NSSI should be borne in mind while assessing cases with dating violence and revictimization histories, in particular.

Association of Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder With Dopamine Transporter Gene, Dopamine D3 Receptor, and Dopamine D4 Receptor Gene Polymorphisms

Objective: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a developmental disorder which is characterized by inattention, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity. The etiology of ADHD is not completely understood, but it is well known that the disorder has a moderate to high genetic component, with an estimated heritability of 76%. Polymorphic variants in several genes involved in regulation of the dopamine and related neurotransmitter pathways have been reported to be associated with ADHD. In this research we aimed to investigate the relationship between adult ADHD and DAT1 (dopamine transporter), DRD4 (dopamine D4 receptor), DRD3 (dopamine D3 receptor) gene polymorphisms. Method: Our study comprised unrelated 79 subjects who met DSM-IV criteria for adult ADHD and 75 controls and all were living in Denizli. All of the patients were evaluated with Wender-Utah Rating Scale and Adult ADD/ADHD DSM IV- Based Diagnostic Screening and Rating Scale. With written informed consent, a blood sample was drawn from each subject individual. Venous blood samples were collected in ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) containing tubes. DNA was extracted from whole blood and genetic analyses were performed as described in the literature by using Polymerase Chain Reaction method. SSPSS 15.0 for Windows was used for statistical analyses. Results: Twenty-three of ADHD patients were defined as predominantly inattentive type, 22 of ADHD patients were defined as predominantly hyperactive-impulsive, and the rest of them were defined as combined type ADHD. 10/10 and 9/10 repeats were most relevant genotypes in both study and control group for DAT1 VNTR (variable number of tandem repeat) polymorphism. 4/4 and 4/7 repeats were mostly found in both study and control groups for DRD4 7- repeat allele gene polymorphism. Ser/Ser polymorphism was the most relevant genotype in both study and control group for DRD3 Ser9Gly gene polymorphism. DAT1 VNTR, DRD3 Ser9Gly, and DRD4 7- repeat allele gene polymorphisms were not associated with ADHD. These gene polymorphisms were also not associated with subtypes of ADHD. Conclusions: We couldn?t detect any association between DAT1 VNTR, DRD3 Ser9Gly, and DRD4 7- repeat allele gene polymorphisms and adult ADHD. Ethnicity and sample size are important factors at case control type genetic studies. European studies mostly reported an association between polymorphism of these genes and ADHD, but majority of Middle Eastern and Asian studies didn?t report such an association between these genes and ADHD. Multi centered future studies using genome wide scan and variable tandem repeat techniques with larger samples would be helpful for understanding the role of dopaminergic system at ADHD genetics.

Outstanding Awards Brief Reports

Objective: Smith and Burger developed the Structured Inventory of Malingered Symptomatology (SIMS) in 1997 as a self-report measure for malingering of psychiatric symptoms. The SIMS consists of 75 dichotomous (True–False) items that form into five subscales Psychosis (P), Neurologic Impairment (NI), Affective Disorder (AF), Amnestic Disorders (AM), Low Intelligence (LI), with each subscale containing 15 items. In this study, we aimed to examine the reliability, validity, and factor structure of the SIMS in a Turkish forensic psychiatry sample. Methods: A sample of 103 forensic patients (9 female, 94 male), aged 18–75, undergoing an inpatient forensic evaluations for competency assessment for criminal responsibility were recruited from a large forensic hospital in Turkey. The study protocol was approved by the local ethics committee. Socio-demographic information of the participants was collected and the SIMS, Miller Forensic Assessment of Symptoms Test (M-FAST), the Scales of Psychological Well-being, 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were administered. All statistical analyses were performed by using SPSS version 23.0 for Windows. Results: The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the Turkish SIMS were ranging from 0.42 to 0.87. The lowest alpha coefficient was observed for the Amnestic Disorders (0.46). For the whole scale, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was found to be 0.93. The test–retest (at after 1 week) correlation coefficients for Psychosis (P), Neurologic Impairment (NI), Affective Disorder (AF), Amnestic Disorders (AM), Low Intelligence (LI), and whole scale were found to be 0.97, 0.97, 0.95, 0.91, and 0.96, respectively. A positive and statistically significant correlation was found between the Turkish SIMS and BDI (r = 0.593, p < .01), BAI (r = 0.578, r < 0.01), M-FAST subscale Reported versus Observed Symptoms (r = 0.660, p <.01), M-FAST subscale Extreme Symptomatology (r = 0.686, p <.01), M-FAST subscale Rare Combinations (r = 0.729, p <.01), M-FAST subscale Unusual Hallucinations (r = 0.698, p <.01), M-FAST subscale Unusual Symptom Course (r = 0.568, p <.01), M-FAST subscale Negative Image (r = 0.514, p <.01), M-FAST subscale Suggestibility (r = 0.426, p <.01), and M-FAST Total (r = 0.794, p <.01) scores. Principal axis factor analyses with promax rotation were performed and four-factor solution that accounted for 39.87% of the variance observed. Conclusions: Our preliminary findings suggested that Turkish SIMS was a valid and reliable tool with a robust factorial structure for further use in detecting malingering of forensic psychiatric cases in Turkey.

Quality of life, depression, and anxiety in Turkish children with vitiligo and their parents

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is a chronic skin condition among psychocutaneous diseases that significantly affect psychiatric well-being of patients, social interactions, and overall quality of life. Only a limited number of studies about psychiatric well-being and quality of life in children with vitiligo and their parents are available. AIMS: With this study, we aimed to assess anxiety, depression, and quality of life in children diagnosed with vitiligo and their parents. METHODS AND MATERIAL: Forty-one vitiligo patients aged 9–16 years 30 healthy controls along with their parents were asked to fill out self-report forms that assessed quality of life (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory – Child Form; PedsQL-C and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory – Parent Form; PedsQL-P), anxiety (State–Trait Anxiety Inventory – STAI-C for children and Beck Anxiety Inventory – BAI for parents), and depression (Children’s Depression Inventory – CDI and Beck Depression Inventory – BDI for parents). RESULTS: Between groups, significant differences were found in PedsQL-C subscales measuring school functioning, psychosocial health, and overall quality of life. Regarding PedsQL-P scores, there was a significant difference in physical functioning, social functioning, and overall quality of life. No statistical significance was found between groups regarding CDI and STAI-C scores. There was a significant difference in BDI, with higher scores in parents of children with vitiligo. CONCLUSIONS: We believe measuring life quality with standardized instruments and techniques would be important in the assessment of the patient to evaluate the efficacy of treatment, specifically in chronic disorders. Further studies addressing these issues, especially in children, adolescents, and their parents are warranted.

Altered levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, proBDNF and tissue plasminogen activator in children with posttraumatic stress disorder

The current study aims to compare the serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), proBDNF and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) levels in cases that have developed posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in consequence of sexual abuse with those in healthy control subjects. Thirty-one female patients between 8 and 18 years of age who have been diagnosed with PTSD due to sexual abuse and thirty-one healthy female volunteer controls were included in the study. Frequency, intensity and severity of PTSD symptoms were assessed on the basis of Clinician-Administered Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale for Children and Adolescents (CAPS-CA). Serum BDNF, proBDNF and tPA levels were measured by Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method. Results of the present study revealed that serum levels of BDNF and proBDNF in PTSD group were significantly lower but tPA level was significantly higher as compared to healthy control subjects. There were no correlations between CAPS-CA scores and BDNF, proBDNF and tPA levels. Decreased levels of BDNF, as suggested to have a role in the etiopathogenesis of PTSD, appear to be a result of the reduction in proBDNF production. The increased tPA levels in such cases, on the other hand, can be a compensatory mechanism serving to increase the BDNF levels.

Relation of juvenile criminal behavior to sociodemographic features and intelligence

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the sociodemographic features of the juvenile offenders and their families, the characteristics of the crime and the relationship between criminal behavior and intelligence in a group of teens that were referred to a university hospital for forensic evaluation regarding Turkish penal code article 31/2, by legal forces. Methods: This study was carried out by the retrospective assessment of medical records of children and adolescents that were referred to Pamukkale University Medical School Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department for forensic evaluation regarding Turkish penal code article 31/2 by legal authorities between the dates 01.07.2009 and 30.06.2013. Sociodemographic features of the cases and their families, WISC-R (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-revised) results, clinical assessment results and data regarding the legal process were derived from the legal file records of the cases. Results: Of the cases, 91.3% (n=116) were male while 8.7% (n=11) were female. A total of 127 children were convicted of 167 crimes in total and the most common committed crimes were offences against property while offences against physical integrity came in the second. Via clinical evaluation, it was determined that 65.4% of the cases (n=83) had normal intellectual capacity. Of the cases, 26.8% (n=34) had borderline intellectual functioning while 7.8% (n=10) had some type of mental retardation. Repeat offenders had statistically lower average verbal IQ scores compared to one- time offenders. Discussion: It is remarkable that delinquent children have frequently common problem areas such as limited intellectual capacity, socioeconomic difficulties and low educational backgrounds for both the cases and their families. It seems necessary to determine the requirements of children under risk and taking precautions and providing support in relation to this, to successfully decrease the rates of child delinquency.