Investigation of Dysregulation of Several MicroRNAs in Peripheral Blood of Schizophrenia Patients

Mehmet Akif Camkurt,Fatih Karababa,Mehmet Emin Erdal,Hüseyin Bayazıt,Sultan Basmacı Kandemir,Mustafa Ertan Ay,Hasan Kandemir,Özlem İzci Ay,Erdinç Çiçek,Salih Selek,Bahar Taşdelen 대한정신약물학회 2016 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.14 No.3

Objective: The prevalence of schizophrenia is 1%, and it is a debilitating disorder that often results in a shortened lifespan. Peripheral blood samples are good candidates to investigate because they can be easily drawn, and they are widely studied in psychiatric disorders. MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNA transcripts. They regulate the expression of genes by binding to the 3’-untranslated region (UTR) of mRNAs and pointing them to degrade. In this study, we aimed to investigate the expression of miR-9-5p, miR-29a-3p, miR-106-5p, miR-106b-5p, miR-107, miR-125a-3p, and miR-125b-3p in schizophrenia patients and healthy controls. Methods: We collected blood samples from 16 patients with schizophrenia and 16 healthy controls. MicroRNAs were measured with reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Results: Schizophrenia patients showed statistically significant upregulation of five microRNAs: miR9-5p (p=0.002), miR29a-3p (p<0.001), miR106b-5p (p=0.002), miR125a-3p (p<0.001), and miR125b-3p (p=0.018). Conclusion: Our results increased the value of the miR106 and miR29 families as potentially and consistently dysregulated in psychiatric disorders. Our results should be considered preliminary, and they need confirmation in future studies with larger sample sizes.

Association of SNAP-25 Gene Ddel and Mnll Polymorphisms with Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Hasan Herken,Mehmet Emin Erdal,Ayse Nur Inci Kenar,Gonca Ayse Unal,Burcu Ç,akaloz,Mustafa Ertan Ay,Erinç,Yucel,Tuba Edgunlu,Cem Sengul 대한신경정신의학회 2014 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.11 No.4

Objective-The synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa (SNAP-25) gene is a presynaptic plasma membrane protein and an integral component of the vesicle docking and fusion machinery mediating secretion of neurotransmitters. Previously, several studies reported association between SNAP-25 and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We investigated whether these SNAP-25 polymorphisms (MnlI T/G and DdelI T/C) were also associated with ADHD in the Turkish population. Methods-Our study comprised unrelated 139 subjects who met DSM-IV criteria for ADHD and 73 controls and all were of Turkish origin. Genetic analyses were performed and patients were evaluated with Wender-Utah Rating Scale and Adult ADD/ADHD DSM IV-Based Diagnostic Screening and Rating Scale. Results-SNAP-25 DdelI polymorphism was not associated with ADHD but there was a statistically significant difference between ADHD patients and controls for SNAP-25 MnlI polymorphism. For SNAP-25 MnlI polymorphism patients with G/G genotype of the SNAP-25 gene MnlI polymorphism had higher Wender-Utah scores and higher scores in the 1st and 3rd parts of adult ADD/ADHD Scale. Conclusion-We detected a significant association of the MnlI polymorphism in our ADHD sample which was similar to previous findings. Our study also revealed that SNAP-25 MnlI polymorphism was also associated with symptom severity of ADHD. This study is also, the first report on the association of SNAP-25 with ADHD in the Turkish population.

Application of artificial neural networks in the analysis of the continuous contact problem

Ecren Uzun Yaylacı,Erdal Öner,Murat Yaylacı,Mehmet Emin Özdemir,Ahmad Abushattal,Ahmet Birinci 국제구조공학회 2022 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.84 No.1

This paper investigates the artificial neural network (ANN) to predict the dimensionless parameters for contact pressures and contact lengths under the rigid punch, the initial separation loads, and the initial separation distances of a contact problem. The problem consisted of two elastic infinitely layers (EL) loaded by means of a rigid cylindrical punch and resting on a half-infinite plane (HP). Firstly, the problem was formulated and solved theoretically using the Theory of Elasticity (ET). Secondly, the contact problem was extended based on the ANN. External load, the radius of punch, layer heights, and material properties were created by giving examples of different values used at the training and test stages of ANN. Finally, the accuracy of the trained neural networks for the case was tested using 134 new data, generated via ET solutions to determine the best network model. ANN results were compared with ET results, and well agreements were achieved.

Association of VAMP-2 and Syntaxin 1A Genes with Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Ay˚e Nur Inci Kenar,Özlem I˙zci Ay,Hasan Herken,Mehmet Emin Erdal 대한신경정신의학회 2014 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.11 No.1

Objective The etiology of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has not been entirely clarified yet. Structural and metabolicdifferences at the prefrontal striatal cerebellary system and the interaction of gene and environment are the main factors that thought toplay roles in the etiology. Genetic investigations are performed especially about the dopamine pathways and receptors. In this study; itwas aimed to investigate the association of the synaptobrevin-2 (VAMP-2) gene Ins/Del polymorphism and syntaxin 1A gene intron7 polymorphism, which take place in encoding presynaptic protein, with adult ADHD. Methods One hundred thirty-nine patients, having ADHD aging between 18 and 60 years and 106 healthy people as controls were includedinto the study. DNA samples were extracted from whole blood and genetic analysis were performed. ResultsaaA significant difference was determined between ADHD and VAMP-2 Ins/Del polymorphism and syntaxin 1A intron 7 polymorphismaccording to the control group. These polymorphisms were found not to be associated with subtypes of ADHD. Conclusion It is supposed that synaptic protein genes together with dopaminergic genes might have roles in the etiology of ADHD.

Is catechol-o-methyltransferase gene polymorphism a risk factor in the development of premenstrual syndrome?

Deveci, Esma Ozturk,Incebiyik, Adnan,Selek, Salih,Camuzcuoglu, Aysun,Hilali, Nese Gul,Camuzcuoglu, Hakan,Erdal, Mehmet Emin,Vural, Mehmet The Korean Society for Reproductive Medicine 2014 Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine Vol.41 No.2

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate whether there was a correlation between catechol-o-methyltransferase (COMT) gene polymorphism, which is believed to play a role in the etiology of psychotic disorders, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Methods: Fifty-three women with regular menstrual cycles, aged between 18 and 46 years and diagnosed with PMS according to the American Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology criteria were included in this study as the study group, and 53 healthy women having no health problems were selected as the controls. Venous blood was collected from all patients included in the study and kept at $-18^{\circ}C$ prior to analysis. Results: There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of demographic features such as age, body mass index, number of pregnancies, parity, and number of children. No statistically significant difference was observed in terms of COMT gene polymorphism (p=0.61) between women in the PMS and the control groups. However, a significant difference was found between arthralgia, which is an indicator of PMS, and low-enzyme activity COMT gene (Met/Met) polymorphism (p=0.04). Conclusion: These results suggested that there was no significant relationship between PMS and COMT gene polymorphism. Since we could not find a direct correlation between the COMT gene polymorphism and PMS, further studies including alternative neurotransmitter pathways are needed to find an effective treatment for this disease.

Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Gene Val66Met Polymorphism Is a Risk Factor for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in a Turkish Sample

Onder Ozturk,Burge Kabukcu Basay,Ahmet Buber,Omer Basay,Huseyin Alacam,Ali Bacanlı,S˛ enay Görücü Yılmaz,Mehmet Emin Erdal,Hasan Herken,Eyup Sabri Ercan 대한신경정신의학회 2016 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.13 No.5

ObjectiveaaAttention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that negatively affects different areas of life. We aimed to evaluate the associations between the Val66Met polymorphism of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and ADHD and to assess the effect of the BDNF polymorphism on the neurocognitive profile and clinical symptomatology in ADHD. MethodsaaTwo hundred one ADHD cases and 99 typically developing subjects (TD) between the ages of 8 and 15 years were involved in the study. All subjects were evaluated using a complete neuropsychological battery, Child Behavior Checklist, the Teacher’s Report Form (TRF) and the DSM-IV Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale-teacher and parent forms. ResultsaaThe GG genotype was significantly more frequent in the patients with ADHD than in the TD controls, and the GG genotype was also significantly more frequent in the ADHD-combined (ADHD-C) subtype patients than in the TDs. However, there were no significant associations of the BDNF polymorphism with the ADHD subtypes or neurocognitive profiles of the patients. The teacher-assessed hyperactivity and inattention symptom count and the total score were higher, and the appropriately behaving subtest score of the TRF was lower in the GG genotypes than in the GA and AA (i.e., the A-containing) genotypes. ConclusionaaWe found a positive association between the BDNF gene Val66Met polymorphism and ADHD, and this association was observed specifically in the ADHD-C subtype and not the ADHD-predominantly inattentive subtype. Our findings support that the Val66Met polymorphism of BDNF gene might be involved in the pathogenesis of ADHD. Furthermore Val66Met polymorphism of BDNF gene may be more closely associated with hyperactivity rather than inattention.

The Effect of Single Dose Methylphenidate on Neurometabolites according to COMT Gene Val158Met Polymorphism in the Patient with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Study Using Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Onder Ozturk,Huseyin Alacam,Burge Kabukcu Basay,Omer Basay,Ahmet Buber,Ozlem Izci Ay,Kadir Agladıoglu,Mehmet Emin Erdal,Hasan Herken 대한정신약물학회 2016 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.14 No.2

Objective: Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder. Thus, the present study aimed to determine the effects of a single dose of methylphenidate (Mph) on neurometabolite levels according to polymorphisms of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene. Methods: This study evaluated the neurometabolite levels including N-acetylaspartate (NAA), creatine (Cr), and choline (Cho) of ADHD patients, before and after treatment with Mph (10 mg) according to the presence of COMT polymorphisms. The spectra were obtained from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), cerebellum, and striatum. Results: The NAA levels of the val/val and val genotype carriers (val/val and val/met genotypes) increased in the DLPFC and ACC, respectively, following Mph treatment. The NAA/Cr ratio was lower in the DLPFC of val carriers than in the met/met genotype carriers prior to Mph administration. The Cho levels of the val/met genotype and val carriers increased in the striatum following Mph treatment. Following Mph treatment, the Cr levels of the met/met genotype carriers were higher than those of the val/met genotype and val carriers. Additionally, after Mph treatment, there was a significant increase in Cr levels in the DLPFC of the met/met genotype carriers but a significant decrease in such levels in the striatum of val/val genotype carriers. Conclusion: These findings suggest that polymorphisms of the COMT gene can account for individual differences in neurochemical responses to Mph among ADHD patients. Therefore, further studies are needed to fully characterize the effects of the Val158met polymorphism of the COMT gene on treatment outcomes in patients with ADHD.