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Ludger Tebartz van Elst

Publications and source records attributed to Ludger Tebartz van Elst.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Amygdala size in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis without dementia: an in vivo study using MRI volumetry.

BACKGROUND: Evidence for extra-motor involvement in non-demented patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been provided by multiple studies, in particular neuropathological studies have demonstrated neuronal loss in the amygdala. The aim of this study was to investigate possible alterations of amygdala volumes in vivo. METHODS: Twenty-two moderately disabled patients with definite ALS without cognitive or behavioural deficits and 22 age-matched healthy controls were included. Amygdala and total brain volumes were measured by region-of-interest-based volumetry in 3-D MRI. RESULTS: A trend was observed with reduced amygdala size in the ALS group, since mean absolute and brain size-corrected amygdala volumes were 6.9% and 7.6% lower in the patient group compared to those in normal controls (P = 0.086 and P = 0.110), respectively. CONCLUSION: Volumetrically identifiable alterations of the amygdala can be mapped in vivo and may be associated with psychopathological findings in later stages of ALS.

Amygdala↗
PubMed2005

Increased prefrontal and hippocampal glutamate concentration in schizophrenia: evidence from a magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.

BACKGROUND: Glutamatergic dysfunction has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. However, so far there is limited direct evidence of altered in vivo glutamate concentrations in the brains of patients with schizophrenia. To test the hypothesis that altered glutamatergic neurotransmission might play a role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, we measured glutamate and glutamine concentrations in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus of patients with chronic schizophrenia using high-field magnetic resonance spectroscopy. METHODS: Twenty-one patients with schizophrenia and 32 healthy volunteers were examined clinically and by means of short echo time single voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus. Absolute concentrations of neurometabolites were calculated. RESULTS: Absolute concentrations of glutamate were significantly higher in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus in the patient group. Factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed no significant interactions between duration of schizophrenia, number of hospitalizations, or type of antipsychotic medication and glutamate concentrations. Increased prefrontal glutamate concentrations were associated with poorer global mental functioning. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study that reports increased levels of glutamate in prefrontal and limbic areas in patients with schizophrenia. Our data support the hypothesis of glutamatergic dysfunction in schizophrenia.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Absence of cortical gray matter abnormalities in psychosis of epilepsy: a voxel-based MRI study in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy.

The authors retrospectively explored cortical differences between 26 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and psychosis of epilepsy (POE), 24 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) alone, and 20 healthy comparison subjects. Using voxel-based morphometry based on statistical parametric mapping (SPM99), which is an unbiased and fully automated technique to test for morphometric differences, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) 3D-datasets were acquired and analyzed. There were no significant cortical gray matter differences between the POE and the TLE group. Since cortical pathology is prominent in schizophrenia, POE may be a clinical entity separate from schizophrenia.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults-early vs. late onset in a retrospective study.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a severe and often debilitating mental disorder, which begins in childhood and can persist into adulthood. Both major classificatory systems, ICD-10 and DSM-IV, include the age-of-onset criterion (AOC) requiring clinically relevant symptoms before the age of 7 years. In clinical practice, particularly in adult psychiatry, it is often difficult to establish this AOC when ADHD remained unrecognized in childhood. In the literature, there is controversy about the validity of this criterion. In order to explore the validity of the AOC, we performed a retrospective study in adult patients with ADHD. Fifty consecutively diagnosed patients were subjected to a standardized diagnostic procedure. Depending on the onset of clinical symptoms, patients were divided in an early onset and in a late onset ADHD subgroup. Fourteen patients (28%) described late onset ADHD. In four of these patients (8% of the total sample), this assessment was confirmed by parent ratings. There was no difference between early onset and late onset ADHD groups in terms of psychopathology or psychiatric comorbidity.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Frontolimbic brain abnormalities in patients with borderline personality disorder: a volumetric magnetic resonance imaging study.

BACKGROUND: Dual frontolimbic brain pathology has been suggested as a possible correlate of impulsivity and aggressive behavior. One previous study reported volume loss of the hippocampus and the amygdala in patients with borderline personality disorder. We measured limbic and prefrontal brain volumes to test the hypothesis that frontolimbic brain pathology might be associated with borderline personality disorder. METHODS: Eight unmedicated female patients with borderline personality disorder and eight matched healthy controls were studied. The volumes of the hippocampus, amygdala, and orbitofrontal, dorsolateral prefrontal, and anterior cingulate cortex were measured in the patients using magnetic resonance imaging volumetry and compared to those obtained in the controls. RESULTS: We found a significant reduction of hippocampal and amygdala volumes in borderline personality disorder. There was a significant 24% reduction of the left orbitofrontal and a 26% reduction of the right anterior cingulate cortex in borderline personality disorder. Only left orbitofrontal volumes correlated significantly with amygdala volumes. CONCLUSIONS: While volume loss of a single brain structure like the hippocampus is quite an unspecific finding in neuropsychiatry, the patterns of volume loss of the amygdala, hippocampus, and left orbitofrontal and right anterior cingulate cortex might differentiate borderline personality disorder from other neuropsychiatric conditions.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Psychotherapy of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults--a pilot study using a structured skills training program.

In clinical practice many adult patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) ask for an additional psychotherapeutic intervention besides the medical therapy. In this paper we present a structured skill training program particularly tailored for adult patients with ADHD. The program is based on the principles of cognitive-behavioral treatment for borderline personality disorder developed by M. Linehan. It was modified to suit the special needs of adult patients with ADHD. In this exploratory pilot study we tested this program in a group setting. The following elements were presented: neurobiology of ADHD, mindfulness, chaos and control, behavior analysis, emotion regulation, depression, medication in ADHD, impulse control, stress management, dependency, ADHD in relationship and self respect. In an open study design patients were assessed clinically using psychometric scales (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Checklist according to DSM-IV, 16 items of the SCL-90-R, Beck-Depression Inventory, visual analogue scale) prior to and following group therapy. This treatment resulted in positive outcomes in that patients improved on all psychometric scales.

Adult↗