Showing papers by "Johannes Beck published in 2009"

The relationship between aberrant neuronal activation in the pregenual anterior cingulate, altered glutamatergic metabolism, and anhedonia in major depression.

Abstract: Context: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is characterized by diverse metabolic and functional abnormalities that occur in, among other regions, the pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC), a cortical region linked to anhedonia. Objectives: To contextualize metabolic, functional, and clinical parameters and thus to reveal cellular mechanisms related to anhedonia. Design: The pgACC was investigated using a combined functional magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopic approach. Negative blood oxygenation level–dependent (BOLD) activations in the pgACC were assessed during emotional stimulation. Quantitative J-resolved magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the pgACC enabled simultaneous determination of glutamine, glutamate,N-acetylaspartate, glucose, and-aminobutyric acid concentrations. Subjective emotional intensity ratings as well as various clinical parameters were determined. Setting: The patients were recruited and evaluated in the Department of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, while the measurements were performed in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Zurich and the Technical University Zurich. Participants: Nineteen unmedicated patients with MDD and 24 healthy subjects. Main Outcome Measures: Reduced glutamine levels and lower functional responses in pgACC in anhedonic depressed patients were expected to be the predominant effect of abnormal glutamatergic transmission. It was further tested if, among patients, the ratings of emotional intensity on visual stimulation predicted the amount of metabolic and functional alterations in terms of reduced relative metabolite concentrations and BOLD changes. Results: Patients with highly anhedonic MDD show decreased glutamine but normal glutamate and -aminobutyric acid concentrations, with glutamine concentrations being dissociated from glucose concentrations. Glutamate andN-acetylaspartate concentrations in pgACC correlate with negative BOLD responses induced by emotional stimulation in MDD; whereas in healthy subjects, negative BOLD responses correlate with -aminobutyric acid instead. Negative BOLD responses as well as glutamate and N-acetylaspartate concentrations correlate with emotional intensity ratings, an anhedonia surrogate, in those with MDD but not in healthy subjects.

'Football is good for your sleep': favorable sleep patterns and psychological functioning of adolescent male intense football players compared to controls.

Abstract: It is commonly assumed that physical activity exerts a favorable impact on sleep, although scientific evidence is lacking. This study investigated the impact of football sports on the sleep patterns of 36 male chronic and intense football players and 34 controls. Participants completed a sleep log for seven consecutive days. Compared to controls, football players reported shorter sleep onset latency, fewer awakenings, higher scores of sleep quality and a lower variability of sleep from weekdays to weekends. The findings suggest that football sports activity is positively associated with both quantitative and qualitative dimensions of sleep.

Evidence of favorable sleep-EEG patterns in adolescent male vigorous football players compared to controls

Abstract: Sleep is crucial for psychological functioning and daily performance. Both lay and scientific opinion hold that physical activity encourages restorative sleep. However, research on this in adolescence is limited. The aim of the present study was to compare sleep-EEG patterns of vigorous exercisers and controls. Twelve adolescent male football players (14 h of vigorous exercise per week) and 12 controls (1.5 h of vigorous exercise per week) matched for gender, age (about 16 years), and educational level, took part in the study. Sleep-EEG registration was performed following a day without exercise. Sleep-EEG analyses revealed that, compared to controls, the football players showed greater sleep efficiency, shortened sleep onset latency, less awakenings after sleep onset, more stage 4, and less REM sleep. Importantly, this pattern of results emerged following a day without exercise. Moreover, vigorous football players reported better daily performance and displayed less weeknight (Sunday to Thursday) to weekend night (Friday and Saturday nights) variation. Findings suggest that for the football players, vigorous exercise seemed to lead to longer-lasting electrophysiological change in brain activity irrespective of acute bouts of exercise.