| Drugs and disorders |
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People involved in this research Prof. Dr. Wim Riedel Dr. Arjan Blokland Dr. Christine Firk Dr. Tim Leufkens Dr. C. Rob Markus Dr. Anke Sambeth Dr. Annemiek Vermeeren Dr. Eric Vuurman MSc Ellen Verschoor MSc Claudia Simons (Dept. of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, FHML) Main projects Genes, stress, environment, and serotonergic dysfunction: vital risk factors for depression? (Christine Firk, Rob Markus, Ellen Verschoor) Depression is a multifactorial phenomenon in which psychological and biological processes play a role. Several researchers from the EPU work on genetic predisposition and ‘Brain by Stress’ interaction as a vulnerability factor for depression. For instance, we examine whether genetically (5-HTTLPR) 5-HT-vulnerable subjects are more prone to the depressogenic effects of stress exposure due to 5-HT dysfunction and whether dietary brain 5-HT manipulating strategies will modulate susceptibility in cognitive-stress vulnerable short-allele carriers. Dietary manipulation of stress, the brain and behaviour (Christine Firk, Rob Markus, Ellen Verschoor) Mood and affective-attention processes often decline under challenge and stress exposure. These mediating effects of stress on cognitive-affective behaviour may partly be mediated by reduced function of specific neurotransmitters (like 5-HT) in the brain. For instance, brain 5-HT can be manipulated by dietary changes in plasma tryptophan availability for uptake into the brain. Besides reducing brain 5-HT (by ATD), brain 5-HT can be markedly increased by tryptophan-enriched intact and hydrolysed protein. These dietary augmentation methods are used to explore brain neurotransmitter involvement in stress-related cognitive-affective information processing disturbances by measuring cognitive, neuro-biological and brain changes in subjects with 5-HT related disturbances. Validation of surrogate markers of cognitive decline and schizophrenia to indicate clinical status and treatment outcome (Wim Riedel, Anke Sambeth, Claudia Simons, Eric Vuurman) The projects aim to evaluate EEG markers of clinical status of cognitive decline in patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Schizophrenia. The focus is on oscillatory brain dynamics and their coherences especially of 40Hz or gamma-rhythms in the spontaneous and sensory entrained EEG. Event-Related Potentials, in particular P300 and CNV paradigms, are also evaluated. Future applications and relevance for drug development of these surrogate measures consist of measuring change of clinical status in (controlled) treatment protocols with higher accuracy and validity. Sleep and Sleep Disorders (Tim Leufkens, Annemiek Vermeeren) Insomnia is a widespread health complaint, estimated to affect at least 10% of the adult population on a chronic basis. Surveys show that between 0.7 and 7 % of all adults report current use of sleep enhancing medication. At our department, we assess the residual effects of sleep medication on cognitive functions and driving performance in healthy young and elderly volunteers. Currently we also compare these functions in chronically medicated and unmedicated insomniac patients. Key publications
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