Ferdi Köşger

Executive function in parents of patients with familial versus sporadic bipolar disorder

OBJECTIVE Studies investigating the cognitive function of healthy relatives of patients with bipolar disorder are conflicting, and the neurocognitive profile of relatives of bipolar disorder probands is still unclear. We aimed to evaluate executive function in unaffected parents of familial and sporadic patients with bipolar disorder. METHODS The study included 24 unaffected familial parents (FP) of patients with bipolar disorder, 26 unaffected sporadic parents (SP) of patients with bipolar disorder and 26 controls matched with the parents for gender, age and duration of education (76 subjects in total). All of the subjects were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV-Axis I. Executive function was assessed using the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT), the Trail Making Test (TMT), the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Stroop test. RESULTS In comparison to their respective matched controls, FP performed significantly worse on the CVLT, TMT, WCST and Stroop test, whereas SP performed significantly worse only on WCST perseverative errors and Stroop color test. FP performed significantly worse than SP on the CVLT, TMT, and WCST. CONCLUSION The present study investigated relatives with and without a family history of bipolar disorder separately and found that executive function was impaired in parents with a positive family history of bipolar disorder. These findings bring more evidence suggesting that deficits in prefrontal executive function and verbal memory are associated with familial vulnerability to bipolar disorder and that executive function and verbal memory impairments may represent a potential endophenotype of bipolar disorder.

Theory of Mind and Selective Attention, Response Inhibition, Cognitive Flexibility in Patients with Schizophrenia

INTRODUCTION The aims of the current study are to investigate the relationship between selective attention, response inhibition, and cognitive flexibility that are among executive functions and sociocognitive and socioperceptual theory of mind (ToM) functions and also to investigate whether selective attention, response inhibition, and cognitive flexibility are predictive factors for ToM functions in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS Forty-seven patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and a control group consisting of 42 individuals were administered demographic information form, Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST), Stroop test, Eye test, Hinting test. Positive and negative syndrome scale was applied to the schizophrenia group. RESULTS In comparison to the control group, the schizophrenia group performed significantly worse on Eyes test and Hinting test. Eyes Test score and age, WCST perseverative error scores were significantly negatively correlated; education and WCST categories achieved scores were significantly positively correlated in patients with schizophrenia. Age and cognitive flexibility were found to predict the Eyes test score in patients with schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS ToM functions that are important in maintaining socioperceptual functioning are closely related with cognitive flexibility, and impairment in cognitive flexibility may predict the ToM functions in patients with schizophrenia.

Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness Measurement by Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

INTRODUCTION In recent years, an increasing number of studies have researched retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) changes in neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, our aim was to determine structural RNFL changes in patients with major depressive disorder. METHODS A total of 30 patients with major depressive disorder and 30 age- and sex-matched controls were recruited. Using optical coherence tomography (OCT), the peripapillary RNFL thickness in major depressive disorder patients and control subjects was measured and compared at each location. RESULTS Patients with major depressive disorder did not show a statistically significant reduction in overall peripapillary RNFL thickness. CONCLUSION Our study showed that RNFL thickness is not reduced in major depressive disorder patients and that OCT is not a useful tool for diagnosing and monitoring the progression of major depressive disorder. This study suggests that the pathophysiology of unipolar depression is different than in neurodegenerative disorders, pervasive developmental disorders, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder.

Menstrual Cycle in Schizophrenic Patients: Review with a Case.

There are not enough studies about the relationship between menstrual psychosis and schizophrenia exacerbation during the menstrual cycle. In patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, it is important to examine the psychotic symptoms and depression and anxiety symptoms during the menstrual cycle and to adjust the treatment according to these symptoms. If depression and anxiety symptoms are present, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors can be used. In patients with exacerbated psychotic symptoms, it may be effective to increase the dose of an antipsychotic drug, which has no effect on prolactin release, 3-5 days prior to menstruation. In addition, hormonal therapy or menstrual cycle suppression is an alternative option. In this article, a case of a schizophrenic patient whose psychotic symptoms exacerbated with the menstrual cycle is presented.

Relationship between dysfunctional attitudes and childhood traumas in women with depression

Aim: Psychological traumas in childhood could lead to dysfunctional attitudes causing negative cognitive structuring and mistakes in data processing. In this study, we aimed to research the relation of childhood traumas with dysfunctional attitudes in female patients with depressive disorder. Method: Seventy female patients diagnosed with depressive disorder and 50 healthy volunteers participated in the study, and the participants were administered a socio-demographic form, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS). Results: Comparing the two groups by median values of CTQ, total CTQ, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect and emotional neglect, median values of the patient group were significantly higher compared to the control group, and comparison by median values of DAS revealed that median values of the patient group was significantly lower compared to the control group. In the correlation analysis carried out for finding the relation between CTQ and DAS, there was a significant negative correlation between DAS score and emotional abuse score. In the patient group, all kinds of abuses and neglects except for sexual abuse were at a higher rate in those with a history of depression in the family. Conclusion: In our study, a negative correlation was determined between DAS and only emotional abuse leading us to the finding that one of the factors mediating childhood traumas to cause depression could lead to dysfunctional attitudes.

Asperger's Syndrome in Adulthood: a Case Report

Aspergers Syndrome in adulthood: a case report Aspergers Syndrome (AS) is characterized by social deficits, communication difficulties, and stereotypical behaviors. Unlike autism, delays in language and cognitive development are not seen in Aspergers syndrome. AS is typically diagnosed in childhood, although some cases may be diagnosed in adulthood. Due to the clinical features of AS, diagnostically it can be confused with schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and personality disorders; hence, diagnosis of AS may be missed, especially in adulthood. This case is presented to emphasize the importance of adult AS, given that it is generally diagnosed in childhood, which leads to difficulties in diagnosis and differential diagnosis in adulthood if the condition has not been diagnosed in childhood.

The gender roles attitudes of medicals students: A cross-sectional study (tur)

Objective: Gender roles; refers to the roles traditionally associated with women and men. In studies conducted to determine the attitudes of university students towards gender roles in our country, it has been shown in different studies that male students have a more traditional view of gender roles than female students. In this study, it was aimed to determine the attitudes of university students studying gender roles and to investigate the effect of medical education on these attitudes. Method:This study is cross-sectional and conducted with the first and sixth year students who are studying medicine at Eskisehir Osmangazi University (ESOGÜ) Faculty of Medicine. Sociodemographic form and Gender Roles Attitude Scale (TCRSS) were applied to participants. Results: There was a significant difference between the first and sixth grades in terms of total TCRSS score and subscale scores (p> 0.05). There was no difference between the first and sixth grades (p> 0.05) in terms of averages of the scale scores for males (p> 0.05) when the scores of the groups were compared with the scores of the TCRSS and subscales after the participants had separated by sex. In the females, 6th-grade students had significantly higher traditional gender subscale scores (p = 0.033). Discussion: This study is, to our knowledge, the first study in the literature investigating attitudes towards gender roles in medical students in our country. In terms of content, it is recommended that medical education be organized to provide a transformative contribution to the attitudes of students towards gender roles.

Relationship between selective attention, cognitive flexibility, response inhibition and theory of mind functions in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between executive functions such as selective atten-tion, response inhibition and cognitive flexibility and social-cognitive and social-perceptual theory of mind (ToM) functions in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients. Methods: The Demographic Information Form, Beck Anxiety Scale, Beck Depression Scale, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Stroop Test, Eyes Test, Hinting Test were applied to 48 patients with OCD diagnosis and 39 healthy subjects. The Yale Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale was administered to the OCD group. Results: While there was no difference in selective attention and re-sponse inhibition between the groups, it was found that the OCD group performed poorly in terms of cognitive flexi-bility. Compared to groups ToM tests, The OCD group was found to score significantly lower than the control group in the Eyes Test. In the OCD group, there was no significant correlation between ToM tests and other continuous numerical variables. In the control group, there was a moderate negative correlation between the Hinting Test score and Stroop 5 duration. Conclusion: To our knowledge, our study is the second study in the literature to show that impairment in social-perceptual ToM functions that may be specific to OCD and that this condition is independent of impairment in cognitive functions. Further studies with greater samples are needed.

The Effect of Chronic Cigarette Use on Cognitive Function

OBJECTIVE In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of chronic cigarette smoking on the cognitive function in people who have no other mental or physical illness other than tobacco use disorder. METHOD The study was carried out on three groups: smokers (n = 71), former smokers (n = 39), and non-smokers (n = 49). The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), Stroop Color and Word Test (ST), Trail Making Test (TMT), Auditory Verbal Learning Test (AVLT), and Serial Digit Learning Test (SDLT) were applied to the 3 groups participating in the study. Groups were compared with the Three-Factor Covariance Analysis. RESULTS Stroop test 4th card time score which determined the basic level of color discourse in the smoker group was significantly higher than the non-smoker group. The Trail Making Test-B time scores were significantly higher in the smoker group than the non-smoker group. And Trail Making Test-B time points were significantly higher in the former smoker group than nonsmoker group. Auditory Verbal Learning Test - verbal learning scores were lower in the smoker group than the non-smoker and former smoker group. There was no significant difference in verbal learning scores between the non-smoking and former smoker groups. The neurocognitive deficits in smokers appear to be related to dose and duration. CONCLUSION This study suggests that auditory verbal memory, visualspatial processing, and attention areas may be a selective area of disability in smokers. A major limitation is the fact that general cognitive performance levels of participants was not assessed by a general criteria such as Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS).

Comparison of cognitive functions in bipolar disorder patients with and without comorbid borderline personality disorder

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study was to compare patients with bipolar disorder type I (BD) with and without comorbid borderline personality disorder (BPD), in euthymic period, in terms of cognitive functions. The main hypotesis of this study was that cognitive functions would be more impaired in patients with BD with comorbid BPD (BD + BPD). Methods: The structured clinical interviews for diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders-IV axis I disorders (SCID-I and SCID-II) were administered to 105 patients and the patients were separated into two groups as 79 BD patients and 26 BD plus BPD patients. Young Mania Rating Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, California verbal learning test, Wisconsin card sorting test, trail-making test (TMT), and stroop test were administered to the both groups. Results: BD with comorbid BPD group showed statistically significantly lower performance in the average scores of TMT-A seconds and errors, and TMT-B seconds scores than the BD group (respectively t = −3.449, p = .001; t = −3.431, p = .001; t = −2.331, p = .022). Conclusions: The processing speed, set shifting, and selective attention in BD with comorbid BPD group is more disturbed than the BD group. We suggest that when evaluating the cognitive functions, evaluation of comorbid psychiatric diagnosis, especially BPD, is crucial in BD.