Browsing by Author "Alaca, Rumeysa"

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Cortisol and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels Prior To Treatment in Children With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
(Physicians Postgraduate Press, 2016) Simsek, Seref; Gencoglan, Salih; Yuksel, Tugba; Kaplan, Ibrahim; Alaca, Rumeysa
Objective: In this study, we investigated serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and cortisol levels between children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) prior to treatment and healthy controls. In addition, the study aimed to assess any correlations between OCD symptom severity and BDNF, ACTH, and cortisol levels. Methods: Twenty-nine children, aged from 7 to 17 years (male/female: 21/8) and diagnosed with OCD according to DSM-IV prior to treatment, were compared with 25 healthy control subjects (male/female: 16/9). The study was conducted between December 2012 and December 2013. The Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL), Children's Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, and Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) were administered to the children. BDNF, ACTH, and cortisol levels were detected using a prepared kit with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method. Results: BDNF, ACTH, and cortisol levels in the OCD group were significantly higher when compared with the control group (P=.02, P=.03, and P=.046, respectively). No association was detected between the severity and duration of OCD symptoms and BDNF, ACTH, and cortisol levels. CDI scores in both groups were similar. The mean (SD) duration of OCD symptoms was 17.9 (18.5) months. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that BDNF levels adaptively increase as a result of the damaging effects of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hyperactivity on brain tissue in the early stages of OCD. HPA axis abnormalities and BDNF may play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease. (C) Copyright 2016 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.
Evaluation of the Relationship Between Brain-Derived Neurotropic Factor Levels and the Stroop Interference Effect in Children With Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
(Aves, 2016) Simsek, Seref; Gencoglan, Salih; Yuksel, Tugba; Kaplan, Ibrahim; Aktas, Huseyin; Alaca, Rumeysa
Introduction: Brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) has been suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In addition, impairment in executive functions has been reported in children with ADHD. This study investigated the presence of a relationship between Stroop test scores and BDNF levels in children with ADHD. Methods: The study was conducted in the Department of Child Psychiatry at Dicle University. The study included 49 children between 6 and 15 years of age (M/F: 42/7), who were diagnosed with ADHD according to DSM-IV, and who did not receive previous therapy. Similar in terms of age and gender to the ADHD group, 40 children were selected in the control group. The Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, Present and Lifetime version was administered to all participants. Parents and teachers were administered Turgay DSM-IV-based Child and Adolescent Behavior Disorders Screening and Rating Scale to measure symptom severity in children with ADHD. Children with ADHD underwent the Stroop test. BDNF levels were evaluated in serum by ELISA. Results: The ADHD and control groups did not differ in terms of BDNF levels. BDNF levels did not differ between ADHD subtypes. There was also no relationship between the Stroop test interference scores and BDNF levels. Conclusion: The findings of the present study are in line with those in studies that demonstrated no significant role of BDNF in the pathogenesis of ADHD.
Oxidative Stress and Dna Damage in Untreated First-Episode Psychosis in Adolescents
(Karger, 2016) Simsek, Seref; Gencoglan, Salih; Yuksel, Tugba; Kaplan, Ibrahim; Alaca, Rumeysa; Aktas, Huseyin
Objective: Oxidative stress has been reported to play a role in the psychopathology of schizophrenia, though only a few studies have investigated the relationship between early onset schizophrenia and oxidative stress. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the level of oxidative stress and the presence of DNA damage in first-episode psychosis (FEP) in adolescents. Methods: This study was conducted in the Department of Child Psychiatry of the Dicle University Hospital. It included 20 adolescent patients (age 11-17 years) with psychosis (acute psychosis, schizophreniform disorder, or schizophrenia) according to DSM-IV criteria who had received no previous psychiatric therapy (patient group) and 20 age/gender-matched healthy adolescents (control group). Structured psychiatric interviews [Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia, Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) and Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS)] were conducted on the patients, and the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scale was used to evaluate the severity of disease. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), coenzyme Q (CoQ), and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels were determined using the ELISA method and commercial ELISA kits. Results: The mean age was 14.5 +/- 1.6 years in the FEP group (male-to-female ratio: 8/12) and 14.4 +/- 1.5 years in the control group (male-to-female ratio: 8/12). There were no differences between the patient and control groups in terms of SOD, GPx, or 8-OHdG values (p > 0.05). Conclusions: This study on DNA damage and oxidative stress in FEP in adolescents had a small sample size, and our data suggest that oxidative stress is associated with a chronic disease course rather than being an early sign of early-onset schizophrenia. (C) 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel