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Biomedical subjects

D E Giles

Publications and source records attributed to D E Giles.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Malignancy of recurrent, early-onset major depression: a family study.

Coordinated efforts to identify susceptibility genes for unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD) and related disorders are now underway. These studies have focused on recurrent, early-onset MDD (RE-MDD), the most heritable form of this disorder. The goal of this study was to characterize the burden of MDD and other mood disorders, comorbid mental disorders, and excess mortality in RE-MDD families. A total of 81 families were identified through probands over the age of 18, who met criteria for recurrent (> or = 2 episodes), early-onset (< or = 25 years), nonpsychotic, unipolar MDD (RE-MDD), and included 407 first-degree relatives and 835 extended relatives. Psychiatric diagnoses for probands and their family members who provided blood samples were formulated from structured personal interviews, structured family history assessments, and available medical records. The remaining family members who participated and those who were deceased were evaluated through the family history method augmented by available medical records. Best estimate diagnoses were made during a consensus conference according to established diagnostic criteria. Approximately half of the first-degree relatives and a quarter of extended relatives of RE-MDD probands suffered from at least one mood disorder, typically MDD. As commonly observed for other oligogenic, multifactorial disorders, the severity of MDD reflected by age at onset and number of episodes attenuated with increasing familial/genetic distance from the proband. A substantial fraction of RE-MDD probands and their first-degree relatives met diagnostic criteria for additional psychiatric disorders that include prominent disturbances of mood. The deceased relatives of RE-MDD probands died at a median age that was 8 years earlier than for the local population; over 40% died before reaching age 65. These differences in mortality statistics resulted from a shift toward younger ages at death across the lifespan, including a fivefold increase in the proportion of individuals who died in the first year of life. Several-fold increases in the proportion of deaths by suicide, homicide, and liver disease were observed among the relatives of RE-MDD probands. However, the rank order of the three most common causes of death-heart disease, cancer, and stroke-remained unchanged and differences in the proportions of deaths from the remaining causes were small. RE-MDD is a strongly familial condition with a high rate of psychiatric comorbidity, whose malignant effects have a significant negative impact on the health and longevity of patients and their family members.

Adult↗

Beta/Gamma EEG activity in patients with primary and secondary insomnia and good sleeper controls.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Several studies have shown that patients with insomnia exhibit elevated levels of Beta EEG activity (14-35 Hz) at or around sleep onset and during NREM sleep. In this study, we evaluated 1) the extent to which high frequency EEG activity is limited to the 14-32 Hz domain, 2) whether high frequency EEG activity (HFA) is associated with discrepancies between subjective and PSG measures of sleep continuity, and 3) the extent to which high frequency EEG activity occurs in patients with primary, as opposed to secondary, insomnia. DESIGN: Three groups (n=9 per group) were compared: Primary Insomnia, Insomnia secondary to Major Depression, and Good Sleeper Controls. Groups were matched for age, sex and body mass. Average spectral profiles were created for each NREM cycle after removing waking and movement epochs and epochs containing micro- or mini-arousals. SETTING: Sleep Research Laboratory PATIENTS OR PARTICIPANTS: Patients with primary and secondary insomnia INTERVENTIONS: N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Subjects with Primary Insomnia exhibited more average NREM activity for Beta-1 (14-20Hz), Beta-2 (20-35Hz) and Gamma activity (35-45Hz) than the other two groups (p.<.01). Group differences were also suggestive for Omega activity (45.0-125Hz) (p.<.10), with MDD subjects tending to exhibit more activity than the other groups. Correlational analyses revealed that average NREM Beta-1 and Beta-2 activity tended to be negatively correlated with subjective-objective discrepancy measures for total sleep time and sleep latency. CONCLUSIONS: Our results confirm that Beta activity is increased in Primary Insomnia. In addition, our data suggest that high frequency activity in patients with Primary Insomnia is limited to the Beta/Gamma range (14-45 Hz), and is negatively associated with the perception of sleep.

Adult↗

Improving compliance with nasal CPAP and vigilance in older adults with OAHS.

The present study examined the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral intervention at improving compliance with CPAP and vigilance in older adults with obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Participants included 12 subjects who were randomized into one of two groups controlling for age, education, disease severity, and vigilance. The experimental group received two 45-min sessions designed to educate subjects on the consequences of OSAHS and the efficacy of CPAP. The control group received the same extent of therapist contact but did not receive information on OSAHS or CPAP. All subjects were administered a test of vigilance both before and after the study. Compliance data were collected using CPAP devices with internal microprocessors at were read at 1, 4, and 12 weeks after treatment initiation. The results showed that the experimental condition did not enhance compliance after 1 week of treatment but did so by the 12-week follow-up. Subjects in the experimental condition had a run time of 3.2-h per night longer than did those in the control group. Those using CPAP more regularly at 12 weeks also showed greater improvement on vigilance at follow-up. Performance on vigilance testing before the introduction of CPAP was predictive of CPAP use at 12 weeks. In conclusion, a modest cognitive-behavioral intervention may substantially increase CPAP use and vigilance in older adults.

Aged↗

Presleep cognitions in patients with insomnia secondary to chronic pain.

This study had two primary objectives: (1) characterize the content of presleep cognitions of chronic pain patients and (2) evaluate the association between presleep cognitions and sleep disturbance. Thirty-one outpatients with benign chronic pain completed the Beck Depression Inventory, pain and sleep diaries and participated in an in vivo, presleep thought sampling procedure for 1 week in their homes. The three most frequently reported presleep cognitions were general pain-related thoughts (36%), thoughts about the experimental procedure (27%), and negative sleep-related thoughts (26%). Stepwise multiple regression analyses found the presleep thoughts pertaining to pain and environmental stimuli were significantly associated with sleep continuity, independent from the effects of depression and nightly pain severity. Pain severity was found to be positively associated with Wake After Sleep Onset Time. These results are consistent with cognitive-behavioral models of primary insomnia and suggest the content of presleep cognitive arousal may contribute to sleep disturbance secondary to pain.

Adult↗

Temporal and stagewise distribution of high frequency EEG activity in patients with primary and secondary insomnia and in good sleeper controls.

In the present study, we evaluate the temporal and stagewise distribution of high frequency EEG activity (HFA) in primary and secondary insomnia. Three groups (n=9 per group) were compared: primary insomnia (PI), Insomnia secondary to major depression (MDD), and good sleeper controls (GS). Groups were matched for age, sex and body mass. Average spectral profiles were created for each sleep epoch. Grand averages were created for each NREM cycle and each stage of sleep after removing waking and movement epochs and epochs containing micro or miniarousals. It was found that HFA (in terms of relative power) tends to increase across NREM cycles, occurs maximally during stage 1 and during REM sleep, and that both these effects are exaggerated in patients with PI. In addition, HFA was found to be inversely associated with Delta activity and the three groups in our study appear to exhibit characteristic Delta/Beta patterns. Our data are consistent with the perspective that HFA is related to CNS arousal to the extent that Beta/Gamma activity occurs maximally during shallow stages of sleep and maximally in subjects with PI.

Adult↗

Sleep quality and presleep arousal in chronic pain.

This study was designed (1) to characterize the extent and nature of sleep complaints of chronic pain patients and (2) to examine the factors that predict sleep quality. A heterogeneous sample of 51 outpatients with benign, chronic pain was recruited from newspaper and pain clinic advertisements. Patients completed a variety of self-report instruments including the Multidimensional Pain Inventory, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Pre-Sleep Arousal Scale, and the Beck Depression Inventory. Sleep complaints were reported by 88% of the sample. Presleep cognitive arousal, rather than pain severity, was found to be the primary predictor of sleep quality.

Adolescent↗

Effects of group treatment for women with a history of childhood sexual abuse.

OBJECTIVE: Empirical support for the effectiveness of group therapies for women with a history of childhood sexual abuse is scant. This study examined the feasibility of conducting abuse-focused research and group treatment on a short-term unit and evaluated the effectiveness of the Women's Safety in Recovery group. METHODS: Eighty-six women with a history of childhood sexual abuse participated in treatment as usual (N=38) or in the Women's Safety in Recovery group (N=48). The latter group met three times weekly for one hour, focusing on patients' current safety and self-care. Participants completed the Symptom Checklist-Revised at baseline, discharge, and six-month follow-up. Patients rated their experience in treatment at discharge and six-month follow-up, and therapists rated patients' treatment experiences at discharge. The feasibility of the treatment group was measured by enrollment rates, group attendance, and attrition. RESULTS: Eighty-two percent of eligible patients agreed to enroll in the study. Women's Safety in Recovery participants attended an average of ten group meetings. Seventy percent of enrollees completed discharge assessments, and of these, 82 percent completed the six-month follow-up. Compared with treatment-as-usual patients, Women's Safety in Recovery participants reported greater symptom improvement and reported that their childhood sexual abuse issues had been more thoroughly addressed. These differences were present at discharge and at six-month follow-up. Therapists also perceived that abuse issues of these participants had been more thoroughly addressed. CONCLUSIONS: Women's Safety in Recovery participants reported significant reductions in distress compared with those receiving treatment as usual. The abuse-focused research program and the Women's Safety in Recovery group proved feasible, despite attrition.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Linkage and association analysis of chromosomal regions containing genes related to neuroendocrine or serotonin function in families with early-onset, recurrent major depression.

Recurrent unipolar depression with an early age of onset is a severe form of unipolar depression that has both genetic and environmental components. We genotyped the members of 16 families identified by probands with early onset (< or = 25 years), recurrent unipolar, major depression for 38 simple sequence tandem repeat polymorphisms (SSTRPs) from chromosomal regions containing 12 genes involved in neuroendocrine or serotonergic functioning. Pairwise linkage analysis was performed with the software package FASTLINK. The affected phenotype was defined four ways, and both dominant and recessive models of depression were analyzed. Seven SSTRPs showed lod scores > 1.00 at theta values between 0.10-0.20. The members of an additional 18 families were genotyped for these seven SSTRPs, and the complete sample of 34 families was evaluated using lod score analysis, affected pedigree member linkage analysis, and within-family association analysis. Evidence for linkage between D11S929 and affective illness remained positive, necessitating the analysis of four additional SSTRPs within 3 cM of D11S929. After all confirmatory analyses were completed, no evidence suggestive of linkage remained between any of the 38 SSTRPs and the affected phenotypes.

Depressive Disorder↗

Controlled comparison of electrophysiological sleep in families of probands with unipolar depression.

OBJECTIVE: This study presents polysomnographic data and psychiatric history for parents and siblings of probands with unipolar depression and short REM latency, probands with unipolar depression and normal REM latency, and normal comparison probands. METHOD: Parents and adult siblings (N = 252) of probands (N = 64) were evaluated for lifetime history of psychiatric disorders and were studied in the sleep laboratory for 3 nights. RESULTS: REM latency predicted lifetime history of major depression. Short REM latency was also associated with slow wave sleep deficits. Rate of short REM latency in relatives of depressed probands with short REM latency quadrupled the rate in relatives of both depressed probands with normal REM latency and normal probands. Lifetime risk of depression was almost twice as high in relatives of depressed probands with short REM latency as in relatives of depressed probands with normal REM latency. CONCLUSIONS: Short REM latency and slow wave sleep deficits are familial. Short REM latency is associated with increased risk of major depression beyond the familial risk associated with a depressed proband. Polysomnographic abnormalities also occurred in unaffected relatives. Although the data can be considered only suggestive, these findings indicate that polysomnographic abnormalities may precede the clinical expression of depression and may be useful in identifying those at highest risk for the illness.

Adult↗

EEG sleep in African-American patients with major depression: a historical case control study.

This study was designed to evaluate the effect of race, specifically African-American, on electroencephalographic (EEG) sleep and clinical symptom profile in unipolar major depression. A clinical research database was used to identify appropriate subjects and a double-matched historical case-control design was implemented. African-American depression patients were double matched within protocol to Euro-American depressed patients. Age, sex, and protocol of origin were matching variables. African-American depressed patients had less total sleep, less slow wave sleep, more stage 2 sleep, longer rapid eye movement (REM) sleep latency, less REM sleep, and lower REM density than Euro-American depressed patients. African-American depressed patients did not differ from Euro-American patients in symptom severity, age of onset, number of episodes, socio-economic status, and, as planned, did not differ in age and sex distribution. Depressive symptom constellation also did not distinguish the two groups. African-American depressed patients demonstrated differences in EEG sleep profile, with less total sleep, overall lighter nonREM sleep, and relatively preserved REM sleep, despite a clinical symptom profile that did not differ from Euro-American depressed patients. The sleep profile appeared to be consonant with the sleep findings in chronic insomnia. The pathological implications of these differences remained to be explored in careful prospective studies of African-American depressed patients and in well-characterized, racially matched normal control comparisons.

Adult↗

Which depressive symptoms are related to which sleep electroencephalographic variables?

Sleep complaints and electroencephalographic (EEG) sleep abnormalities are associated with risk for new onset depression, illness severity, treatment outcome, and vulnerability for recurrence of depression. The aim of this study was to evaluate the strength of association between EEG sleep measures and depression symptoms, and to identify the variables that account for the majority of the association. Depression ratings from the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the Beck Depression Inventory and polysomnographic measures were examined in 361 adult outpatients with major depressive disorder. Canonical correlation and serial multiple regression analyses were used to determine the associations between depressive symptoms and sleep measures. Canonical correlation showed a unidimensional relationship between depressive symptoms and sleep measures (R = .55, p < .05). Fifteen depression items and nine sleep measures accounted for 95% of the correlation. Depression variables encompassed a core set of mood, neurovegetative, and cognitive symptoms. Sleep variables were primarily related to delta EEG activity, and this may be reflective of impaired sleep "drive" or heightened arousal during sleep.

Adult↗

Dexamethasone response, thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation, rapid eye movement latency, and subtypes of depression.

Most prior studies of mood disorders have used a single laboratory test to assist in differential diagnosis, prediction of treatment response, and prediction of relapse. This study compared three laboratory measures in a combined in- and outpatient sample of depressed patients. Dexamethasone suppression test (DST) nonsuppression occurred in 46% of patients with endogenous major depression, in 15% with nonendogenous major depression, and in 56% with bipolar, depressed phase disorder. A blunted thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation test (TRH-ST) occurred in 25% of patients with endogenous, 10% with nonendogenous, and 44% with bipolar, depressed phase disorder. Reduced REM latency was found in 65% of endogenous major depressions, in 34% of nonendogenous major depressions, and in 53% of bipolar, depressed phase disorders. Fifty-one percent of those with reduced REM latency also evidenced DST nonsuppression. When the endogenous major depression and bipolar, depressed phase groups were combined, 28% had no laboratory abnormality, whereas 8% evidenced all three. These findings suggest that 1) endogenous/nonendogenous unipolar groups are distinguished by all three laboratory tests; 2) most patients with a blunted TRH-ST also evidence DST nonsuppression; and 3) one half of patients with reduced REM latency evidence DST nonsuppression. Sensitivity is greatest and specificity is lowest for REM latency, followed by the DST and then the TRH-ST.

Adult↗

Women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea but not other forms of anovulation display amplified cortisol concentrations.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that increased cortisol secretion is specific to women with decreased GnRH drive and not found in eumenorrheic women or those with other causes of anovulation. DESIGN: Cortisol concentrations in blood were determined at 30-minute intervals for 24 hours in three well-characterized groups: women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea, those with other causes of anovulation, and eumenorrheic women. SETTING: Academic medical center. PATIENT(S): Women aged 20 through 35 years, with well-defined reproductive states. INTERVENTION(S): Venous blood samples were obtained from, and psychometric inventories were completed by, the participants. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Twenty-four-hour cortisol levels, 24-hour LH pulse patterns, and serial P levels were measured in women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea, eumenorrheic women, and those with other causes of anovulation. RESULT(S): Cortisol secretion was higher in women with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (n = 19) than in those with other causes of anovulation (n = 19) or eumenorrheic women (n = 19). Six women who recovered from functional hypothalamic amenorrhea had cortisol levels comparable to those of eumenorrheic women and those with other causes of anovulation. CONCLUSION(S): These data underscore the association between increased hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity and reduced GnRH drive and support the concept that functional hypothalamic amenorrhea develops in response to stress-induced alterations in central neural function that modify hypothalamic function.

Adult↗

Psychophysiological insomnia: the behavioural model and a neurocognitive perspective.

A number of paradoxes are apparent in the assessment and treatment of psychophysiological insomnia and sleep state misperception. Three of these paradoxes exist as discrepancies between polysomnographic (PSG) measures and the subjective impressions regarding sleep quality and quantity. The remaining incongruity exists largely within the objective domain. In the case of subjective-objective discrepancies, patients with insomnia: (1) frequently identify themselves as having been awake when awakened from PSG defined sleep; (2) tend to overestimate sleep latency and underestimate total sleep time as compared with PSG measures; (3) appear to derive more benefit from pharmacotherapy that can be explained by objective gains. The remaining paradox pertains to the observation that hypnotic medications, by and large, do not normalize sleep architecture or produce a more 'sleep-like' EEG. In this paper, we review possible explanations for these various paradoxes, introduce a new perspective and suggest possible research avenues. The model introduced is based on the observation that beta and/or gamma activity (which have been found to be associated with cognitive processes) is enhanced in insomnia at or around sleep onset. We propose that this kind of high frequency EEG activity may interfere with the normal establishment of sleep onset-related mesograde amnesia. As a result, the patient with insomnia maintains a level of information and/or memory processing that blurs the phenomenological distinction between sleep and wakefulness and influences retrospective judgments about sleep initiation and duration.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Genetic segregation analysis of early-onset recurrent unipolar depression.

Major depression is a relatively common psychiatric disorder that can be quite debilitating. Family, twin, and adoption studies indicate that unipolar depression has both genetic and environmental components. Early age at onset and recurrent episodes in the proband each increase the familiarity of the illness. To investigate the potential genetic underpinnings of the disease, we have performed a complex segregation analysis on 832 individuals from 50 multigenerational families ascertained through a proband with early-onset recurrent unipolar major depression. The analysis was conducted by use of regressive models, to test a variety of hypotheses to explain the familial aggregation of recurrent unipolar depression. Analyses were conducted under two alternative definitions of affection status for the relatives of probands: (1) "narrow," in which relatives were assumed to be affected only if they were diagnosed with recurrent unipolar depression; and (2) "broad," in which relatives were assumed to be affected if diagnosed with any major affective illness. Under the narrow-definition assumption, the model that best explains these family data is a transmitted (although non-Mendelian) recessive major effect with significant residual parental effects on affection status. Under the broad-definition assumption, the best-fitting model is a Mendelian codominant major locus with significant residual parental and spousal effects.

Adolescent↗

Sleep complaints in chronic postconcussion syndrome.

This study was designed to identify the incidence of sleep complaints in 39 patients with chronic postconcussion syndrome compared to those of a control group of 27 patients with orthopedic injuries. Patients with orthopedic injuries were selected as a comparison group to control for the effects of traumatic injury or chronic pain. There were no differences in age, sex distribution, or time from injury between the patient groups. Type and frequency of sleep disturbances in a mean two-year postinjury period were evaluated. Patients with chronic postconcussion syndrome reported more difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep at night and greater difficulty with sleepiness during the day.

Adult↗