Sex-specific effects of hatching order on nestling baseline corticosterone in a wild songbird.

Variation in nestling growth and survival is often influenced by hatching order, with first-hatched offspring having an advantage over later-hatched younger siblings. In house wrens (Troglodytes aedon), this effect of hatching order is especially evident in asynchronously hatched broods and can lead to sex-specific differences in the size and condition of nestlings. Females appear to allocate the sex of their offspring across the laying order to capitalize on these differences. We hypothesized that levels of circulating corticosterone, the primary metabolic hormone in birds, mediates these sex-specific effects in nestlings. We predicted that: i) baseline levels of corticosterone in nestlings should vary along the hatching order, ii) effects of hatching order on baseline corticosterone should be sex specific, and iii) any sex-specificity of hatching order on baseline corticosterone could be contingent on the degree of hatching synchrony. We tested these predictions in a study in which we measured baseline corticosterone in first- and last-hatched nestlings in synchronously and asynchronously hatching broods. To assess whether any differences in nestling baseline corticosterone levels could be attributed to pre-natal maternal effects, the post-natal environment, or both, we conducted two additional studies in which we measured i) yolk corticosterone in first- and last-laid eggs and ii) baseline corticosterone in nestlings that were cross-fostered to create simulated 'asynchronously' hatched broods. There was a significant interaction between sex and relative hatching order in their effects on nestling baseline corticosterone, but no effect of hatching synchrony. Corticosterone levels remained relatively constant across the hatching order in males but decreased in females. There was a significant effect of laying order on yolk corticosterone, with first-laid eggs containing significantly higher levels of yolk corticosterone than last-laid eggs. Cross-fostering of nestlings at different points of development had no significant effect on nestling corticosterone levels. These results indicate that sex-dependent differences in corticosterone levels across the hatching order may arise, at least in part, from embryonic exposure to maternally derived corticosterone, whereas the post-natal rearing environment plays, at best, a minimal role in determining nestling baseline corticosterone levels.

Rumination about obsessive symptoms and mood maintains obsessive-compulsive symptoms and depressed mood: An experimental study.

Rumination is common in individuals diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We sought to clarify the causal role of rumination in the immediate and intermediate maintenance of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and depressed mood. In total, 145 individuals diagnosed with OCD were asked to read aloud their most distressing obsessive thought (OT). OT activation was followed by a thought-monitoring phase in which frequency of the OT was assessed. Participants were randomly allocated to one of three experimental conditions: rumination about obsessive-compulsive symptoms, rumination about mood, or distraction. Ratings of distress, urge to neutralize, and depressed mood and frequency ratings of the OTs were taken before and after the experimental manipulation. Obsessive-compulsive symptom severity and affect were assessed 2, 4, and 24 hr after the laboratory experiment using ecological momentary assessment. Compared to distraction, both types of rumination resulted in an immediate reduced decline of distress, urge to neutralize, depressed mood, and frequency of OTs, with medium to large effect sizes. Rumination about obsessive-compulsive symptoms did not have a stronger immediate effect than rumination about mood. Rumination about obsessive-compulsive symptoms increased obsessive-compulsive symptom severity and reduced positive affect compared to rumination about mood 24 hr later. Regarding negative affect, there was no difference in effect between the two types of rumination in the intermediate term. To conclude, rumination in OCD has an immediate and intermediate maintaining effect on obsessive-compulsive symptoms and mood and may require additional psychological interventions that supplement cognitive behavioral therapy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

A patient post hoc perspective on advantages and disadvantages of blended cognitive behaviour therapy for depression: A qualitative content analysis.

Background: Blended cognitive behavioural therapy (bCBT), which combines face-to-face (FtF), and internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT), may be a particularly promising approach, but little is known about the effectiveness and patients' subjective evaluations of the bCBT format. The aim of this qualitative study is to explore perceived advantages and disadvantages of bCBT from the patients' perspective in specialized mental health care. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 patients suffering from major depression who underwent treatment in a bCBT format. The interview data were processed by means of a qualitative content analysis. Results: The content analysis generated 18 advantages and 15 disadvantages which were grouped into 6 main topics. In general, bCBT was perceived as purposive and effective for treating depression. The patients perceived the combined treatment as complementary and emphasized the advantage of the constant availability of the online programme. Furthermore, a segment analysis revealed that patients reported different advantages and disadvantages of bCBT as a function of the severity of their depressive episode. Conclusion: The findings of the present study reveal advantages and disadvantages of bCBT, which should be taken into account in the further implementation of this new treatment format. Clinical or methodological significance of this article: Blended treatment seems to balance missing aspects of stand-alone internet-based and face-to-face treatment for depression. Patients suffering from major depression perceived the blended format as purposive and effective after 18 weeks. Patients with different levels of depression severity may perceive different advantages and disadvantages of blended treatment for depression.

Pharmacotherapy for obsessive compulsive disorder in clinical practice - Data of 842 inpatients from the International AMSP Project between 1994 and 2012.

BACKGROUND: Specific treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is based on cognitive-behavioral therapy, serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) or their combination. Treatment strategies do not always follow evidence-based guidelines in outpatient settings. Data on pharmacotherapy in inpatient settings are lacking. METHODS: Prescription data for inpatients suffering from OCD in the time period 1994-2012 were obtained from the database of the Drug Safety Program in Psychiatry (AMSP). Data were collected on two index dates per year; the prescription patterns and changes over time were analysed. RESULTS: Of 842 patients 89.9% received at least one psychotropic drug and 67.6% a combination of at least two psychotropic drugs. The drug groups prescribed most often were antidepressants (78.0%), antipsychotics (46.7%), and tranquilizers (19.7%). In 58.0% of all cases selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were used as antidepressants, followed by tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs, 17.8%), mainly clomipramine (10.9%). Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) were administered in 37.8% of all cases, first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs) in 13.7%. While the use over time significantly increased for psychotropic drugs, antidepressants, antipsychotics, tranquilizers, SSRIs and SGAs, it remained stable for FGAs and decreased for TCAs. LIMITATIONS: Observational cross-sectional study without follow-up or additional information. CONCLUSIONS: In clinical practice, most OCD patients received pharmacological treatment. The high prescription rate of SSRIs and their preference over clomipramine as well as the augmentation of this therapy with SGAs comply with the guidelines. Administration of tranquilizers as well as sedative FGAs and the choice of single SGAs are not in line with expert recommendations.

Is the association between various emotion-regulation skills and mental health mediated by the ability to modify emotions? Results from two cross-sectional studies.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In order to clarify mechanisms underlying the association between emotion regulation and psychopathology, we tested whether the ability to modify negative emotions mediates the associations of other emotion-regulation skills with psychopathological symptoms in two studies. METHODS: The first study included 151 college students; the second included 121 psychiatric inpatients. Bootstrapping-enhanced mediation analyses were utilized to assess associations between self-reports of emotion-regulation skills and psychopathology, as well as potential mediation effects. RESULTS: In both samples, the ability to modify emotions completely mediated the association between symptoms and skills for most skills, but not for the skill of accepting/tolerating negative emotions. LIMITATIONS: Major limitations include the use of a cross-sectional design as well as exclusive use of self-report data. CONCLUSIONS: The ability to modify negative emotions may be the common pathway by which many emotion-regulation skills exert their influence on mental health; however, the skill of accepting/tolerating negative emotions may be beneficial to mental health regardless of whether or not it facilitates modification of emotions.

Sleep in obsessive compulsive disorder: polysomnographic studies under baseline conditions and after experimentally induced serotonin deficiency.

Several lines of evidence suggest that brain serotonergic systems may be disturbed in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The serotonergic system strongly affects sleep and characteristic abnormalities of sleep are documented in depression. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate sleep structure of OCD patients in order to evaluate whether similar changes as in depression are present. Up to now, this issue has been addressed only in few studies with small numbers of patients. Sleep patterns of 62 unmedicated patients with primary OCD and 62 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were investigated by polysomnography. Additionally, the impact of tryptophan depletion on sleep was studied in a subgroup of 12 OCD patients and 12 controls. The OCD patients exhibited moderate, but significant disturbances of sleep continuity measures but no abnormalities of slow wave sleep or REM sleep, except a significant elevation of 1st REM density. Tryptophan depletion induced a worsening of sleep continuity, but no changes of REM sleep or slow wave sleep. Assuming that changes of sleep architecture indicate underlying neurobiological abnormalities, this study indicates that neurobiological disturbances are different in primary OCD as compared with primary depression.