The authors demonstrate that absolute quantification of metabolite concentration is essential in properly identifying pathologic differences of brain metabolites in depression.

SynopsisRecent studies have suggested that expanded CAG/CTG repeats contribute to the genetic aetiology of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. However, the nature of this contribution is uncertain and difficult to predict from other known trinucleotide repeat diseases that display much simpler patterns of inheritance. We have sought to replicate and extend earlier findings using Repeat Expansion Detection in an enlarged sample of 152 patients with schizophrenia, 143 patients with bipolar disorder, and 160 controls. We have also examined DNA from the parents of 62 probands with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Our results confirm our earlier, preliminary findings of an association between expanded trinucleotide repeats and both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. However, our data do not support the hypothesis that trinucleotide repeat expansion can alone explain the complex patterns of inheritance of the functional psychoses neither can this mechanism fully explain apparent anticipation.

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In the last few years there has been increased scientific effort to describe the gender-specific psychopathological features of depression. Until now these studies have not been entirely conclusive, which could be the result of methodological difficulties. This report investigates sex differences in the symptom presentation in an inpatient population: 104 female and 113 male patients suffering from a depressive episode according to ICD-10 were admitted to the inpatient treatment at the Department of General Psychiatry in Vienna. A psychopathological rating according to the standardized documentation system of the AMDP (Association for Methodology and Documentation in Psychiatry) was performed at admission and discharge. At admission into the hospital women tended to show more affective lability (p = 0.025), whereas men had higher scores in affective rigidity (p = 0.032), blunted affect (p = 0.002), decreased libido (p = 0.028), hypochondriasis (p = 0.016) and hypochondriac delusions (p = 0.039). At discharge from the hospital women had significantly higher scores in dysphoria (p = 0.010), while men were more prone to have compulsive impulses (p = 0.030). Although our results were obtained in a selected sample of inpatients at a university hospital, they are indicative of psychopathological differences between men and women in the core symptoms of depression. These differences may influence diagnostic practice and gender specific treatment of depression.