ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholinergic receptors (nAChR) and especially α4ß2 nAChRs are the major targets for cessation medications and also for some promising antidepressant agents. Furthermore, depressive symptoms pose multifacet difficulties during cessation therapy. However, gene encoding for the ß2 subunit of nAChRs has been poorly investigated in association with depression. Since both nicotine dependence (ND) and depressive phenotype are complex disorders, we investigated the effects of a significant early life experience, maternal bonding style (MB) and CHRNB2 gene SNPs on smoking-related depression. METHODS: We recruited two hundred and thirty-two treatment-seeking smokers in our study. Phenotypic variants were evaluated using the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND), the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (ZSDS) and the Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI). Besides the total score (TS) of ZSDS, impulsivity (ZSDS-I) and suicidal ideation (ZSDS-S) were distinguished as phenotypic variable. DNAs were extracted from buccal mucosa samples and one SNP in promoter and two SNPs in 3' UTR of CHRNB2 gene were genotyped. GLM and ANOVA tests were performed for genotype associations and interaction analyses. RESULTS: Maternal bonding had a significant impact on depressive phenotypes. Low care, high protection and affectionless control (ALC) were associated with ZSDS-TS and all subphenotypes of ZSDS. One SNP, the rs2072660 in 3' UTR, had a significant effect on the FTND score (p=0.010). Direct association of CHRNB2 variants and depressive phenotypes were not significant. However, in interaction with ALC, rs2072660 was significantly associated with ZSDS-S (p=0.005). MB had no significant effect on smoking-related phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight the important role of 3' UTR in the CHRNB2 gene in the shared molecular background of ND and depressive phenotype. Parental bonding style can be suggested as a significant environmental factor in further GxE studies of depression. The presented significant GxE interaction on smoking-related suicidal subphenotype may help establish further investigations on development of more effective and safer smoking cessation and antidepressant agents.
Subject(s)
Depression , Mother-Child Relations/psychology , Object Attachment , Polymorphism, Genetic/genetics , Receptors, Nicotinic/genetics , Tobacco Use Disorder , Adult , Aged , Analysis of Variance , Depression/etiology , Depression/genetics , Depression/psychology , Female , Gene-Environment Interaction , Genetic Predisposition to Disease , Genotype , Humans , Linear Models , Male , Middle Aged , Phenotype , Promoter Regions, Genetic/genetics , Tobacco Use Disorder/etiology , Tobacco Use Disorder/genetics , Tobacco Use Disorder/psychologyABSTRACT
Catatonia was first described in the 19th century as a syndrome with motor, affective and behavioral symptoms. During the 20th century it was rather regarded as a rare motoric manifestation of schizophrenia and that classification has almost resulted in the disappearance of catatonia among patients outside of the schizophrenia spectrum. With the introduction of neuroleptics, the incidence of catatonic schizophrenia also declined which was attributed to effective treatment. Simultaneously, neuroleptic malignant syndrome was described, which shows many similarities with catatonia. Recently, several researchers suggested a common origin of the two disorders. In this paper we review case reports of the last five years, in which both neuroleptic malignant syndrome and catatonia had emerged as a diagnosis. Additionally, based on the relevant literature, we propose a common hypothetical pathomechanism with therapeutic implications for the two syndromes. Besides underlining the difficulties of differential diagnosis, the reviewed cases demonstrate a transition between the two illnesses. The similarities and the possible shifts may suggest a neuropathological and pathophysiological overlap in the background of the two syndromes. Electroconvulsive therapy and benzodiazepines seem to be an effective treatment in both syndromes. These two treatment approaches can be highly valuable in clinical practice, especially if one considers the difficulties of differential diagnosis.