Sub-regional hippocampal volumes in first-episode drug-naïve major depression disorder.

Hippocampal volume reduction was reported to underlie depressive symptomatology, however, the evidence to date remains inconsistent. For the complex intrinsic organization of hippocampus, the hippocampal volumes can be further divided into subfields or axial parts. The current study aimed to explore the alterations of hippocampal sub-regional volumes in first episode drug-naïve major depressive disorder (MDD) by two segmentation methods. Thirty-five first-episode drug-naïve MDD and 35 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HC) were recruited. Volumes of three sub-regions of hippocampus along the longitudinal axis (head, body and tail) were analyzed manually and eight transverse subfields were automatically determined using FreeSurfer. An asymmetric index (AI) of volumes was defined as (∣Left - Right∣/∣Left + Right∣) * 100. There were significant reductions in the volumes of bilateral hippocampal head in MDD compared to HC. The volumes of eight subfields were not different between groups. MDD patients had higher AI values in the subfield of cornu ammonis 4/dentate gyrus than HC. The change in hippocampal sub-regional volumes might be an imaging biomarker in the first-episode, drug-naïve patients with MDD. Current findings may contribute to developing new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for major depression.

Effects of Playing Angklung and Practicing Silence on Emotion, Cognition and Oxytocin Levels in Children: A Preliminary Study.

BACKGROUND: Playing angklung, an Indonesian traditional musical instrument and practicing silence have been shown to exert beneficial effects on emotion and cognition; the mechanism of such an effect possibly involve oxytocin. To date, only a few clinical and biomolecular studies have investigated the effects of playing angklung and practicing silence. This study aimed to examine the effects of playing angklung and practicing silence on human emotion and cognition and on oxytocin levels. METHODS: This experimental study involved 61 Fourth Grade students from Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. The participants were divided into two groups: the angklung intervention group and silence intervention group. The two interventions were performed for 15 min before the morning classes for 2 months. The control group attended their classes as usual. Clinical parameters, namely, emotion and cognition, as well as the saliva oxytocin levels were measured. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed among the three groups in terms of concentration and cognitive flexibility. However, changes in oxytocin levels significantly differed among the three groups (P < 0.001) and the oxytocin levels were highest in the silence intervention group. CONCLUSION: Practicing silence significantly increased the oxytocin levels, but it did not elicit changes in cognitive function and emotion of the students.

Depression screening in Surabaya Indonesia: Urgent need for better mental health care for high-risk communities and suicide prevention for men.

OBJECTIVES: Despite its high prevalence and considerable burden, depression is not handled with the required urgency in Indonesia. Existing data from the government does not specifically note its prevalence and symptoms manifestation. This study screened depression in Surabaya, where the prevalence of mood disorder was reported to be higher than the national prevalence, in order to identify where action is most needed. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with non-random sampling. Participants consisted of samples from general population categorised as non-high-risk group, and prisoners, sex workers and drug users categorised as high-risk group. Depression screening was done using MINI-ICD10 self-rated depression questionnaire. Correlation between screening results and demographic data was analysed using chi-square test. RESULTS: Positive depression screening was significantly associated with grouping and educational background. High-risk group and participants with lower education background had significantly higher number of positive screening. Significantly higher proportion of participants in the high-risk group experience eight of the ten depression symptoms regardless of screening results. Higher proportion of depression positive male participants experienced suicidal/self-harm symptom. LIMITATIONS: This study used non-random sampling method, therefore the results may not fully represent the general population. The screening instrument used did not account for depression and symptoms severity. CONCLUSION: High-risk group with low educational background is in most urgent need of mental health help, and suicide prevention strategy is most needed for men.