A5019951251- Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
- Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
- Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
- Autoimmune Neurological Disorders and Treatments
- Peripheral Neuropathies and Disorders
- Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Mental Health Research Topics
- Resilience and Mental Health
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Child Abuse and Trauma
- Memory and Neural Mechanisms
- Family Support in Illness
- Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum
- Identity, Memory, and Therapy
- Early Childhood Education and Development
- Bipolar Disorder and Treatment
- Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- COVID-19 and Mental Health
University of Freiburg
2017-2025
University Medical Center Freiburg
2018-2025
Universitätsklinikum Würzburg
2017-2023
University of Würzburg
2014-2023
University of Pisa
2018-2020
Klinik für Psychosomatik
2015
Abstract Epigenetic signatures such as methylation of the monoamine oxidase A ( MAOA ) gene have been found to be altered in panic disorder (PD). Hypothesizing temporal plasticity epigenetic processes a mechanism successful fear extinction, present psychotherapy-epigenetic study for we believe first time investigated changes during course exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) PD. was compared between N =28 female Caucasian PD patients (discovery sample) and age- sex-matched...
Abstract Inflammatory processes involving altered microglial activity may play a relevant role in the pathophysiology of depressive disorders. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and calcium-binding S100B are considered markers. To date, their has been studied serum tissue material patients with unipolar depression but not cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Therefore, aim current study was to examine GFAP levels CSF major better understand affective In this retrospective study, 102 39 mentally...
Anxiety disorders are very prevalent and often persistent mental disorders, with a considerable rate of treatment resistance which requires regulatory clinical trials innovative therapeutic interventions. However, an explicit definition treatment-resistant anxiety (TR-AD) informing such is currently lacking. We used Delphi method-based consensus approach to provide internationally agreed, consistent clinically useful operational criteria for TR-AD in adults. Following summary the current...
Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic and associated countermeasures had an immensely disruptive impact on people’s lives. Due to the lack of systematic pre-pandemic data, however, it is still unclear how individuals’ psychological health has been affected across this incisive event. In study, we analyze longitudinal data from two healthy samples ( N = 307) provide quasi-longitudinal insight into full trajectory burden before (baseline), during first peak, at a relative downturn pandemic. Our...
Abstract Background Separation anxiety disorder (SEPAD) is characterized by pronounced fear or concerning separation from attachment figures. Despite its high lifetime prevalence, adult SEPAD often remains undetected due to a lack of diagnostic tools in multiple languages. The Adult Anxiety Questionnaire (ASA-27) key instrument for assessing symptoms adults. However, no validated German version available. Objectives This study addressed the translation and validation ASA-27 German-speaking...
Abstract Epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation are hypothesized to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders and predict well relate treatment response. An epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) (Illumina MethylationEPIC BeadChip) was performed at baseline (BL), post-treatment (POST) 6-month follow-up (FU) so far largest longitudinal sample patients with ( N = 415) treated exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), 315 healthy controls. Independent...
Most research on human fear conditioning and its generalization has focused adults whereas only little is known about these processes in children. Direct comparisons between child adult populations are needed to determine developmental risk markers of anxiety. We compared 267 children 285 a differential paradigm test. Skin conductance responses (SCR) ratings valence arousal were obtained indicate learning. Both groups displayed robust similar subjective physiological levels. However, showed...
Traditionally, adversity was defined as the accumulation of environmental events ( allostatic load ). Recently however, a mismatch between early and later (adult) environment ) has been hypothesized to be critical for disease development, hypothesis that not yet tested explicitly in humans. We explored impact timing life (childhood past year) on anxiety depression levels N = 833) brain morphology 129). Both remote (childhood) proximal (recent) adversities were differentially mirrored...
Abstract Previous research indicates that anxiety disorders are characterized by an overgeneralization of conditioned fear as compared with healthy participants. Therefore, generalization is considered a key mechanism for the development disorders. However, systematic investigations on variance in lacking. current study aims at identifying distinctive phenotypes among To this end, 1175 participants completed differential conditioning phase followed test. identify patterns generalization, we...
Abstract In the revised diagnostic classification systems ICD-11 and DSM-5, secondary, organic forms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are implemented as specific nosological entities. Therefore, aim this study was to clarify whether a comprehensive screening approach, such Freiburg-Diagnostic-Protocol for patients with OCD (FDP-OCD), is beneficial detecting forms. The FDP-OCD includes advanced laboratory tests, an expanded magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol,...
Epigenetic mechanisms have been proposed to mediate fear extinction in animal models. Here, MAOA methylation was analyzed via direct sequencing of sodium bisulfite-treated DNA extracted from blood cells before and after a 2-week exposure therapy sample n = 28 female patients with acrophobia as well matched healthy controls. Clinical response measured using the Acrophobia Questionnaire Attitude Towards Heights Questionnaire. The functional relevance altered investigated by luciferase-based...
Abstract In panic disorder (PD), epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation of candidate genes have been suggested to play a key role at the intersection genetic and environmental factors. On an epigenome-wide level, however, only two studies in PD patients published so far, while date no study has intra-individually analyzed dynamic correlates treatment-response on methylome level. Here, association (EWAS) was performed sample 57 matched healthy controls using Illumina MethylationEPIC...
Epigenetic markers such as DNA methylation of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene have previously been shown to be altered in anxiety- and stress-related disorders constitute a potential mechanism action psychotherapeutic interventions cognitive behavioral therapy these disorders. The present study for first time, our knowledge, investigated MAOA patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder applying longitudinal psychotherapy-epigenetic approach.The sample comprised 14 unmedicated female...
The serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4; 5-HTT; SERT) is considered a prime candidate in pharmacogenetic research major depressive disorder (MDD). Besides genetic variation, recent advances have spotlighted the involvement of epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation predicting antidepressant treatment response "pharmaco-epigenetic" approaches. In MDD, lower SLC6A4 promoter has been suggested to predict impaired serotonergic antidepressants. present study sought replicate and extend this...
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a heritable disorder, but no definitive, replicated OCD susceptibility loci have yet been identified by any genome-wide association study (GWAS). Here, we report results from GWAS in the largest case-control sample (N = 14,140 cases and N 562,117 controls) to date. We explored genetic architecture of OCD, including its relationships other psychiatric non-psychiatric phenotypes. In analysis, one SNP associated with at significant level. Subsequent...