Opening up new horizons for psychiatric genetics in the Russian Federation: moving toward a national consortium.

We provide an overview of the recent achievements in psychiatric genetics research in the Russian Federation and present genotype-phenotype, population, epigenetic, cytogenetic, functional, ENIGMA, and pharmacogenetic studies, with an emphasis on genome-wide association studies. The genetic backgrounds of mental illnesses in the polyethnic and multicultural population of the Russian Federation are still understudied. Furthermore, genetic, genomic, and pharmacogenetic data from the Russian Federation are not adequately represented in the international scientific literature, are currently not available for meta-analyses and have never been compared with data from other populations. Most of these problems cannot be solved by individual centers working in isolation but warrant a truly collaborative effort that brings together all the major psychiatric genetic research centers in the Russian Federation in a national consortium. For this reason, we have established the Russian National Consortium for Psychiatric Genetics (RNCPG) with the aim to strengthen the power and rigor of psychiatric genetics research in the Russian Federation and enhance the international compatibility of this research.The consortium is set up as an open organization that will facilitate collaborations on complex biomedical research projects in human mental health in the Russian Federation and abroad. These projects will include genotyping, sequencing, transcriptome and epigenome analysis, metabolomics, and a wide array of other state-of-the-art analyses. Here, we discuss the challenges we face and the approaches we will take to unlock the huge potential that the Russian Federation holds for the worldwide psychiatric genetics community.

Neurobiological parameters in quantitative prediction of treatment outcome in schizophrenic patients.

The aim of the study was to reveal the set of neurobiological parameters informative for individual quantitative prediction of therapeutic response in schizophrenic patients. Correlation and regression analyses of quantitative clinical scores (by Positive And Negative Syndromes Scale - PANSS), together with background EEG spectral power values and four immunological parameters: enzymatic activity of leukocyte elastase and of alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor, as well as serum levels of autoantibodies to common myelin protein and to nerve growth factor, were performed in 50 patients (all females, aged 32.9±10.8 years) with hallucinatory-delusional disorders in the frames of attack-like paranoid schizophrenia. Background neurobiological data obtained before the beginning of syndrome based treatment course (at visit 1) were matched with PANSS clinical scores of the same patients after treatment course at the stage of remission establishment (at visit 2). The multiple linear regression equations were created which contained only 3 to 4 (from initial 80) background EEG parameters and one of four immunological parameters. These mathematical models allowed prediction from 65% to 76% of PANSS scores variance after treatment course (at visit 2). The data obtained may be used for elaboration of methods of individual quantitative prediction of treatment outcome in schizophrenic patients.

Differences of EEG Frequency and Spatial Parameters in Depressive Female Adolescents With Suicidal Attempts and Non-suicidal Self-injuries.

Background. Both non-suicidal self-injuries (NSSIs) and suicidal attempts (SAs) in adolescence represent significant risk factors for consequent suicide, but neurophysiological markers and predictors of these two forms of auto-aggressive behavior have been studied insufficiently. Objective. The aim of the study was to identify the differences of electroencephalographic (EEG) frequency and spatial parameters between depressive female adolescents with solely NSSI, and with combined NSSI + SA behavior in their history. Methods. The study included 45 female depressive in-patients aged 16-25 years. Baseline resting EEG spectral power, asymmetry, and coherence were analyzed in 8 narrow frequency sub-bands. Results. In the NSSI + SA subgroup (n = 24), the spectral power of parietal-occipital alpha-2 (9-11 Hz) was higher than in the NSSI subgroup, its focus was localized in the right hemisphere, and alpha-3 (11-13 Hz) spectral power was higher than alpha-1 (8-9 Hz). In the NSSI subgroup (n = 21) alpha-1 spectral power was higher than alpha-3, and foci of alpha-2 and alpha-3 were localized in the left hemisphere. EEG coherence was also higher in the NSSI + SA subgroup than in the NSSI subgroup, especially in frontal-central-parietal regions. Conclusions. The spatial distribution of the EEG frequency components in the NSSI + SA subgroup reflects the greater activation of the left hemisphere that is more typical for the EEG of individuals with an increased risk for suicide. In the NSSI subgroup, the right hemisphere is relatively more activated, and EEG coherence is lower, which is more typical for EEG in depressive disorders. The results obtained suggested the use of EEG to clarify the degree of suicidal risk in depressive female adolescents with NSSI.