Biomedical subjects

Jacqueline Höppner

Publications and source records attributed to Jacqueline Höppner.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Maternal nerve growth factor serum levels in the perinatal period.

Neurotrophins, such as nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), are potent modulators of neuronal and immune function, and have been implicated recently in diseases associated with pregnancy. In contrast to serum BDNF, which is reportedly suppressed in the perinatal period, regulation of NGF in the perinatal period is unknown. In this study, serum NGF concentrations were measured in 40 pregnant (follow-up: 30th and 37th week of gestation, 1 week and 8 weeks after childbirth) and 40 non-pregnant women. Maternal NGF serum levels did not differ significantly from controls (median: 7.6 pg NGF/ml serum) neither before nor after childbirth, although there was a trend towards increased NGF concentrations at the 37th week of gestation (median: 12.5 pg NGF/ml serum) and 1 week after childbirth (median: 11.6 pg NGF/ml serum). There was no association of maternal NGF with 17beta-estradiol, progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and cortisol concentrations in maternal serum, or maternal depression, as measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). In the non-pregnant control group, NGF serum concentrations were negatively correlated with the number of days since the first day of the menstrual cycle (r=-0.32, p<0.05). In conclusion, NGF is not altered during normal pregnancy on a systemic level. In addition, NGF displays a different regulation compared with BDNF during the menstrual cycle.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Transcranial magnetic stimulation: the method and application.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a noninvasive method for stimulation of brain that is based on the ability of magnetic field to penetrate skull and brain meninges, subsequently inducing electric current in the brain tissues that produces neuronal depolarization and generation of action potentials. Moreover, transcranial magnetic stimulation has effects on neurochemical and synaptic processes in neurons. Due to its easy use and relatively fair side effects, nowadays, transcranial magnetic stimulation is widely used in neurosciences and medicine. The main areas of transcranial magnetic stimulation application are: 1) the investigation of cortical and spinal excitability, 2) the investigation of neuronal plasticity, 3) the investigation of neuronal connectivity, 4) functional mapping, and 5) the treatment of some neurological and psychiatric disorders. Transcranial magnetic stimulation alone or in combination with other noninvasive neuroimaging (PET--positron emission topography, MRI--magnetic resonance imaging) and neurofunctional (EEG--electroencephalography, ERP--event-related potentials, fMRI--functional magnetic resonance imaging) methods allows conducting research on brain functions. Thus, transcranial magnetic stimulation is suitable as a diagnostic tool in neurologic and neuropsychiatric brain research.

Action Potentials↗

PubMed2005

Maternal serum concentrations of BDNF and depression in the perinatal period.

There is accumulating evidence that a deficiency in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of depression. This is in line with the postulate that low BDNF levels in serum are associated with depression. However, the regulation of maternal BDNF serum levels in the perinatal period, and its relationship to maternal depression is unknown. In this study, serum BDNF concentrations were measured in 40 pregnant (follow-up: 30th and 37th week of gestation, 1 week and 8 weeks after childbirth) and 40 non-pregnant women (20-40 years old). The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was assessed in all subjects at all time points. Maternal serum levels of BDNF were markedly decreased, both before and after childbirth (median: <30% of non-pregnant controls). BDNF correlated with decreased Serotonin (5-HT) levels in serum (r>0.6 and p<0.001 at all time points). In contrast, there was no association with altered estrogen, progesterone, dehydroepiandrosterone or cortisol concentrations in serum. There were significantly higher cortisol levels in cases of maternal depression (EPDS scores>9 points) than in cases without depression. There was a trend to a decrease of BDNF and 5-HT levels in cases of maternal depression (as compared to cases without depression), but this was not significant. In conclusion, we demonstrate that women display markedly decreased BDNF serum levels before and after childbirth. This phenomenon might reflect an increased risk for the development of mood disorders in the perinatal period. However, the individual serum concentration of BDNF alone did not predict maternal depression in our study.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Antidepressant efficacy of two different rTMS procedures. High frequency over left versus low frequency over right prefrontal cortex compared with sham stimulation.

BACKGROUND: This placebo-controlled study was designed to investigate the influence of two different stimulation procedures of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on depressive symptoms in patients with depressive disorders. Furthermore, effects on cognitive functions and psychomotor functioning were tested. METHODS: Thirty patients with depression (22 females and 8 males; mean age of 56.4 years) were included. They were treated with a stable dosage of antidepressant medication. They received either high frequency rTMS (20 Hz) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC), low frequency rTMS (1 Hz) over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (RDLPFC) or sham stimulations (10 patients in each group) as add on treatment at 10 days within 2 weeks. Depressive symptoms were registered by means of observer ratings (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale - HDRS) and self reports (Beck Depression Inventory - BDI). Psychomotor retardation was investigated by the Motor Agitation and Retardation Scale and cognitive function by d2 test. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Differences between the rTMS procedures regarding depressive symptoms could not be found. Motor abnormalities, however, significantly improved exclusively after real stimulation procedures. Patients with less severe deficits in psychomotor speed and concentration responded more intensively than patients with severe deficits.

Aged↗