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Biomedical subjects

Fritz Poustka

Publications and source records attributed to Fritz Poustka.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

A case-control study of personality style and psychopathology in parents of subjects with autism.

To probe the specificity of traits that might be conceptualised as the broader phenotype of autism, parents of subjects with autism from simplex and multiplex families as well as parents of subjects with obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD), early onset schizophrenia (EOS) and mental retardation (MR) were assessed using the Personality Style and Disorder Inventory and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. Autism parents' scores were increased on several subscales (e.g. reserved/schizoid, depression) compared to parents of subjects with OCD, EOS and normative data, but not in comparison to MR parents. Results provide some support for the specificity of the broader phenotype of autism. The burden of raising severely disabled children could not be ruled out as a factor influencing parts of this phenotype.

Adult↗
PubMed2007

[Frankfurt group social communication and interaction skills training for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders].

OBJECTIVE: Despite the recognition of the need for group-based training programmes for children and adolescents with autistic disorders, there are only very few specific German-speaking training programmes available. Since 2003, a structured group training programme on social skills for children and adolescents with high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome has been developed and conducted at our department. The training programme focuses on the main deficits of those disorders. Thus, the primary goal is to improve communication and interaction skills. METHOD: Participants are children and adolescents without significant cognitive and language delays. Principles of intervention include structured formats, combination of theoretical and practical elements, predictable rules, consideration of individual difficulties, and sequential and progressive learning. Techniques range from structured games, the training of affect recognition, group activities, role play, team discussions, and feedback to homework using a newly designed manual on our group-based social skill training programme and curriculum. Generally, three groups of 5-7 participants each and of different age range (children, adolescents) meet weekly/biweekly for 1-1.5 hours (excluding the holidays). Two trainers--who change during the programme--carry out each of the sessions. Trainers meet regularly with the parents to discuss experiences and to provide details of the programme. RESULTS: Acceptance by and satisfaction with the programme are high among participants, as is the mutual recognition of and tolerance of their respective problems. Both feedback from parents and trainers' clinical impressions indicate distinct improvement of verbalization and contact abilities. Participants seem to benefit particularly from role play. CONCLUSIONS: Qualtitative measures (impressions of the participants, their parents and their trainers with regard to change in behaviour skills) suggest mounting interaction, communication, and problem-solving skills during the group treatment. An ongoing pilot evaluation also includes measurements of effects in everyday settings. Depending on the results, the training subsequently could be conducted and evaluated in groups with both pervasive developmental, as well as other psychiatric disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Gestalt perception and local-global processing in high-functioning autism.

This study examined gestalt perception in high-functioning autism (HFA) and its relation to tasks indicative of local visual processing. Data on of gestalt perception, visual illusions (VI), hierarchical letters (HL), Block Design (BD) and the Embedded Figures Test (EFT) were collected in adult males with HFA, schizophrenia, depression and normative controls. Individuals with HFA processed gestalt stimuli less in accord with gestalt laws, particularly regarding the principle of similarity. Gestalt processing correlated positively with global processing of the HL. EFT and BD performance correlated negatively with VI susceptibility in HFA. All clinical groups succumbed less to VI than the normative sample. Results suggest decreased gestalt perception in HFA, being associated with a more general local visual processing bias.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Rolandic spikes increase impulsivity in ADHD - a neuropsychological pilot study.

The present study was designed to examine the association of Rolandic spikes with the neuropsychological profile of children with ADHD. A total of 48 children (mean age 9.4 +/- 1.6 years, range 6.7-14.9 years; 16 ADHD children with Rolandic spikes, 16 ADHD children without epileptiform discharges and 16 healthy controls) matched for age, gender, and IQ were examined with a neuropsychological assessment battery focussing on attentional processing, cognitive efficiency, response inhibition, visuospatial and auditory-verbal short-term memory and language function (CPT-AX, Stroop, digit span, Complex Figure of Rey, Heidelberg Language Development Test). ADHD children with Rolandic spikes performed worse than ADHD children without epileptiform discharges and healthy controls in a variety of CPT and Stroop test measures. In particular, they made significantly more commission errors, reflecting impaired inhibition of an ongoing response. In addition, they had pronounced difficulties in the color word condition of the Stroop test and exhibited lower interference scores, indicating poorer interference control. Results of this pilot study suggest that in some ADHD children Rolandic spikes or an associated dysfunction aggravate the course of ADHD and predispose to increased impulsivity, evidenced in deficient inhibition of an ongoing response, and decreased interference control.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Reduced anterior cingulate activation in aggressive children and adolescents during affective stimulation: association with temperament traits.

OBJECTIVE: The risk for conduct disorder (CD) is markedly increased in children with specific temperament dimensions. Here, we investigated whether adverse temperament factors might contribute to an impairment in neural mechanisms underlying the regulation of aggressive behaviour. METHOD: Functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 13 male adolescents with CD aged 9 to 14 years and in 14 healthy age and sex-matched control subjects at 1.5T. During scanning, subjects looked at pictures from the International Affective Picture System with neutral or strong negative emotional valence. Temperament was assessed using the German version of the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory. In addition, behavioural control strategies (Wisconsin Card Sorting, Four Pack Card Playing Task) and sociomoral reasoning (Sociomoral Reflection Measure Short Form) were tested to behaviourally characterise the study groups. RESULTS: When comparing CD patients with healthy controls, we found reduced activation in the right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in response to negative affective pictures. The temperament dimension 'novelty seeking' was a significant predictor for ACC responsiveness to affective pictures as revealed by a stepwise multiple regression analysis (beta=-0.53, p<0.01). Moreover, individuals with high 'novelty seeking' scores chose more disadvantageous strategies in the Four Pack Card Playing Task (p<0.05) and were characterised by a lower level of sociomoral reasoning (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study provide a link between temperament factors and neural correlates of emotion processing in adolesecents with conduct disorder.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor: a genetic risk factor for obsessive-compulsive disorder and Tourette syndrome?

A strong association of the G196A polymorphism of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been reported. Patients with Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome (GTS) often develop OCD as well, suggesting a shared genetic susceptibility for OCD and GTS. We investigated whether BNDF is associated not only with OCD but also with GTS. The G196A polymorphism of the BNDF gene was genotyped in 88 GTS trios. The extended transmission/disequilibrium test was applied. The transmission rates for both alleles did not differ from the expected transmission rates. This finding suggests that GTS and OCD may have distinct genetic risk factors.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

[Treatment of social phobia in childhood and adolescence].

OBJECTIVES: The following article investigates the extent to which the current status of cognitive behavioral research on the treatment of socially phobic children and adolescents is reflected by the currently used guidelines for psychotherapy. METHODS: The current literature on research in psychotherapy was systematically reviewed. RESULTS: The results show the significance of single-setting treatment, of cognitive interventions, and of parental participation in the therapy. The results also show the limitations encountered if the treatment consists only of training social competence skills. CONCLUSIONS: The current treatment recommendations for socially phobic children must be supplemented and modified.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2006

[Methylphenidate-induced cytogenetic alterations?].

OBJECTIVES: Due to concerns that methylphenidate (MPH) might induce cytogenetic alterations in children, treatment with this drug is a controversial issue. The controversy arose following a report by El-Zein et al. (2005) of increased chromosomal aberrations, sister chromatid exchanges, and micronuclei in twelve children after three months of MPH treatment. METHODS: The study by El-Zein is discussed with regard to current cytogenetic standards and earlier studies on the mutagenicity, clastogenicity, and carcinogenicity of MPH are reviewed. RESULTS: Conclusions from the El-Zein study are limited due to methodological shortcomings. Results of animal studies on the mutagenicity and clastogenicity of MPH are inconsistent. While there was no indication of mutagenic effects in bacteria or mammalian cells, MPH might have some potential to induce clastogenic damage in mammalian cells. There was no evidence of carcinogenic activity in rats, while in mice the occurrence of hepatic neoplasms increased. In an epidemiological study, the incidence of cancers following MPH treatment was lower than had been expected. CONCLUSIONS: Given the ambiguous findings of genetic toxicology studies in animals, the paucity of long-term toxicology data on MPH in humans is disquieting. Although it seems premature to conclude that MPH entails a mutagenic risk, the concern raised by El-Zein et al. warrants profound clarification.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Facial affect recognition training in autism: can we animate the fusiform gyrus?

One of the most consistent findings in the neuroscience of autism is hypoactivation of the fusiform gyrus (FG) during face processing. In this study the authors examined whether successful facial affect recognition training is associated with an increased activation of the FG in autism. The effect of a computer-based program to teach facial affect identification was examined in 10 individuals with high-functioning autism. Blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) changes in the FG and other regions of interest, as well as behavioral facial affect recognition measures, were assessed pre- and posttraining. No significant activation changes in the FG were observed. Trained participants showed behavioral improvements, which were accompanied by higher BOLD fMRI signals in the superior parietal lobule and maintained activation in the right medial occipital gyrus.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

The broader cognitive phenotype of autism in parents: how specific is the tendency for local processing and executive dysfunction?

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to investigate the tendency for local processing style ('weak central coherence') and executive dysfunction in parents of subjects with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared with parents of individuals with early onset schizophrenia (EOS) and mental retardation (MR). METHOD: Sixty-two parents of subjects with ASD, 36 parents of subjects with EOS and 30 parents of subjects with MR were examined. Data on two scales indicative of local visual processing (Embedded Figures Test, Block Design) and on three executive function tests (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Tower of Hanoi, Trailmaking Test) were collected for all participants. RESULTS: Parents of subjects with ASD performed significantly faster on the Embedded Figures Test compared with both control samples. No other substantial group differences were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that an increased tendency for local processing in terms of visual disembedding could be a relatively specific core feature of the broader cognitive phenotype of autism in parents.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

[Familial patterns in disorders of attention and impulse control].

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) persists into adulthood in about 30 to 50% of cases. Symptoms of ADHD in parents might affect effective therapeutic approaches in children. The objective of this study was to investigate (1) the retrospective rate of ADHD in biological parents of children with a diagnosis of ADHD, (2) the relation between retrospective ADHD symptomatology and current attention problems and impulsivity in parents, (3) whether the degree of ADHD severity and comorbidty in ADHD children depends on parental ADHD symptoms. The Wender-Utah-Rating Scale for the retrospective assessment of childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was administered to the biological parents of n = 68 ADHD patients and detected high rates of ADHD in fathers (31%) and mothers (25%) of patients with ADHD. Retrospectively assessed symptoms in parents correlated significantly with current symptoms of attention problems (ADD-Brown scales) and impulsivity (17). In children, the highest degree of ADHD symptoms and comorbidty was found in children with both parents suffering from ADHD in childhood compared to those with only one or none affected parent.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Abnormal neural responses to emotional visual stimuli in adolescents with conduct disorder.

BACKGROUND: It is widely held that aggression and antisocial behavior arise as a consequence of a deficiency in responding to emotional cues in the social environment. We asked whether neural responses evoked by affect-laden pictures would be abnormal in adolescents with conduct disorder (CD). METHODS: Functional magnetic resonance imaging during passive viewing of pictures with neutral or strong negative affective valence was performed in 13 male adolescents with severe CD aged 9 to 15 years and in 14 healthy age-matched control subjects. RESULTS: Main effects for negative-neutral affective valence included activations in the amygdala and hippocampus, ventral extrastriate visual cortex, and intraparietal sulcus bilaterally. There was a significant group-by-condition interaction in the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex that was due to a pronounced deactivation in the patient group during viewing of negative pictures. When correcting for anxiety and depressive symptoms, we additionally found a reduced responsiveness of the left amygdala to negative pictures in patients compared with control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that these findings reflect an impairment of both the recognition of emotional stimuli and the cognitive control of emotional behavior in patients with CD, resulting in a propensity for aggressive behavior.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

[Psychodiagnostic instruments for the assessment of autism spectrum disorders].

OBJECTIVES: Established scales for the early detection and general diagnostics of autism will be reviewed with a focus on the instruments available in German. METHODS: All questionnaires, observation scales and interviews for the assessment of autism and associated conditions found in a search of Medline, PsychInfo, Psyndex and Google up to May 2004 are quoted. Instruments adapted and developed for the German-speaking countries are presented in more depth. RESULTS: An increasing number of reliable national and international scales for the assessment of disorders of the autism spectrum are available. Currently a combination of the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) is regarded as the standard for a psychometrically based diagnosis of autism. CONCLUSIONS: For certain diagnostic groups and issues there continues to be a need for German-language instruments. Particularly scales for the assessment of the broader phenotype of autism, as well as instruments that are more sensitive to change would be desirable for outcome measurement and intervention evaluation.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed2005

[Can a specific assessment of attention contribute to the differential diagnostics of psychiatric disorders?].

OBJECTIVES: The present study examined whether or not children and adolescents with clinical symptoms can be differentiated according to the quantitative and qualitative aspects of attention. METHODS: Eighty-eight probands (ages 10-18 years) assigned to seven ICD-10 diagnostic groups were studied for differences in their attention profiles. An attention task (Frankfurter Aufmerksamkeits Inventar--FAIR), (Moosbrugger & Oehlschlägel, 1996) validated multifold among children and adolescents in the domain of psychiatry was applied. This task covers three attention functions. Two of them are quantitative: selective attention and continuity of attention, while the third is qualitative: self-control. RESULTS: Overall, two distinctly different group-specific attention profiles evolved. These differed mainly in terms of self-control. Whereas all of the diagnostic groups studied showed relatively normal selective attention and normal continuity of attention, two groups exhibited substantial differences with regard to self-control. Particularly children and adolescents with schizophrenia showed very poor self-control, as did those with hyperkinetic disorder, conduct disorder, depressive disorder, or compulsive disorder. In contrast, children and adolescents with eating disorders or other anxiety disorders had a high level of self-control. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, the self-control function was found to be a strong attention parameter for the differential diagnosis of a clinically conspicuous population of children and adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

[Neurofeedback for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood and adolescence].

INTRODUCTION: A variety of non-pharmacological treatments for ADHD have failed to prove their effectiveness. The basis of evidence for neurofeedback (or EEG-biofeedback) has improved recently. Neurofeedback is aiming at an improvement of ADHD core-symptoms via the voluntary modification of abnormal neurophysiologic parameters, e.g. EEG-frequency spectrum and event-related potentials. METHODS: Our review presents an overview of the current research on neurofeedback for the treatment of ADHD. RESULTS: In three controlled studies short-term effects of feedback matched those of stimulant treatment. Neurofeedback lead to significant improvement of attention, impulsivity and hyperactivity, without adversive side effects. Additionally, there was a persistent amelioration of EEG parameters, while stimulants did not lead to a comparable normalization. Results on the stability of feedback effects are encouraging but are based on small numbers of patients. CONCLUSION: Neurofeedback is a promising approach for the treatment of children with ADHD. However, there is a demand for further controlled studies using standardized diagnostic criteria, sufficient sample sizes and appropriate measures and follow-up.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

The recognition of facial affect in autistic and schizophrenic subjects and their first-degree relatives.

BACKGROUND: Autism and schizophrenia are considered to be substantially influenced by genetic factors. The endophenotype of both disorders probably also includes deficits in affect perception. The objective of this study was to examine the capacity to detect facially expressed emotion in autistic and schizophrenic subjects, their parents and siblings. METHOD: Thirty-five subjects with autism and 102 of their relatives, 21 schizophrenic subjects and 46 relatives from simplex (one child affected) and multiplex (more than one child affected) families, as well as an unaffected control sample consisting of 22 probands completed a 50-item computer-based test to assess the ability to recognize basic emotions. RESULTS: The autistic subjects showed a poorer performance on the facial recognition test than did the schizophrenic and the unaffected individuals. In addition, there was a tendency for subjects from multiplex families with autistic loading to score lower on the test than individuals from simplex families with autistic loading. Schizophrenic subjects and their relatives as well as siblings and parents of autistic subjects did not differ from the sample of unaffected subjects in their ability to judge facial affect. CONCLUSIONS: Findings corroborate the assumption that emotion detection deficits are part of the endophenotype of autism. In families with autistic children, the extent of facial recognition deficits probably indexes an elevation in familial burden. It seems unlikely that problems in emotion perception form a consistent part of the endophenotype of schizophrenia or the broader phenotype in relatives of patients with psychosis or autism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Association studies of the HOPA dodecamer duplication variant in different subtypes of autism.

The HOPA gene in Xq13 is coding for a protein involved in a nuclear thyroid receptor complex. Previous studies suggested association of the dodecamer duplication in the OPA-repeat region in exon 43 (according to the genomic database sequence) with autism, mental retardation, and schizophrenia/hypothyroidism. We determined the frequency of this 12 bp duplication variant in a sample of 155 patients divided in different subtypes of autism, 278 parents of those patients, and 157 control individuals. The allele frequency of the duplication variant was not significantly different between autistic patients, their parents, and the control group. Therefore, it is unlikely that this 12 bp duplication variant of the HOPA gene has major relevance to the susceptibility to different subtypes of autism at least in this German patient sample. In addition, we identified a third variant with a 15 bp deletion in the OPA-repeat region, recently described by another group, in one autistic patient. This third allele was also present in the patient's nonautistic mother and sister, who are heterozygous for this variant, but could not be detected in any other individual genotyped in this study. Expression analysis revealed transcription of all three allelic variants in lymphoblastoid cell lines. Furthermore, we identified a new splice variant that utilizes an additional 9 bp of the 3' intron subsequent to exon 39. Both alternative transcripts are coexpressed in all fetal and adult tissues examined.

Alternative Splicing↗