The Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy unifies competences in the field of biological research of psychiatric disorders including pathophysiological aspects, therapy prediction and outcome. Methodological expertise comprises fMRI, SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography), PET (positron emission tomography), MRS (magnetic resonance spectroscopy), and electrophysiology. Important aspects of the research are methodological basics as well as the molecular genetic of cerebral activation deficits in psychiatric disorders. Work Groups Addiction The main topics of this working group which was founded in May 2002 are the functional correlates of craving and relapse assessed with multimodal imaging. These activities are realized within specialized therapeutic facilities for inpatients as well as outpatients with alcohol and drug dependency. With respect to the extremely high rates of relapse in addictive patients (e.g. in alcohol dependency about 80%) new therapeutic approaches based on the characterisation of patients with multimodal imaging methods and molecular genetic have been developed. Research activities of Prof. A. Heinz are supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF; Nationales Genomnetzwerk und Suchtförderung). Work Groups Schizophrenia The research focus of this group is the assessment of emotional processing with functional brain imaging methods. Since June 2002 the Early Recognition Center for Schizophrenia was established in the Charité. This facility works in close cooperation with the Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie and with colleagues from the Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy in Teupitz/Brandenburg and Stettin. Before the exacerbation of the first schizophrenic episode most patients show a precourse of cognitive and social problems as well as cannabis abuse over a time period of 10 years. Neuroimaging techniques like functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) show evidence for beneficial effects of modern antipsychotic agents on brain activation and may reflect the functional correlates of a favourable course of the disease under an early therapeutic intervention. The Early Recognition Center has established operating contacts to schools, sport clubs, and other facilities with the support of the Berlin government. Moreover, a laboratory for molecular-biology has been established.

Selected publications:

Gallinat,J., Bajbouj,M., Sander,T., Schlattmann,P., Xu,K., Ferro,E.F., Goldman,D., and Winterer,G. (2003a). Association of the G1947A COMT (Val(108/158)Met) gene polymorphism with prefrontal P300 during information processing. Biol Psychiatry 54, 40-48.

Gallinat,J., Mulert,C., Bajbouj,M., Herrmann,W.M., Schunter,J., Senkowski,D., Moukhtieva,R., Kronfeldt,D., and Winterer,G. (2002). Frontal and temporal dysfunction of auditory stimulus processing in schizophrenia. Neuroimage 17, 110-127.

Gallinat,J., Senkowski,D., Wernicke,C., Juckel,G., Becker,I., Sander,T., Smolka,M., Hegerl,U., Rommelspacher,H., Winterer,G., and Herrmann,W.M. (2003b). Allelic Variants of the Functional Promoter Polymorphism of the Human Serotonin Transporter Gene is Associated with Auditory Cortical Stimulus Processing. Neuropsychopharmacology 28, 530-532.

Gallinat,J., Ströhle,A., Bajbouj,M., Montag,C., Seifert,F., Wernicke,C., Rommelspacher,H., Rinneberg,H., and Schubert,F. (2004). Association of human hippocampal neurochemistry, serotonin transporter genetic variation, and anxiety. Neuroimage (in press).

Heinz,A., Braus,D.F., Smolka,M.N., Wrase,J., Puls,I., Hermann,D., Klein,S., Grusser,S.M., Flor,H., Schumann,G., Mann,K., and Buchel,C. (2005a). Amygdala-prefrontal coupling depends on a genetic variation of the serotonin transporter. Nat. Neurosci. 8, 20-21.

Heinz,A., Dufeu,P., Kuhn,S., Dettling,M., Graf,K., Kurten,I., Rommelspacher,H., and Schmidt,L.G. (1996). Psychopathological and behavioral correlates of dopaminergic sensitivity in alcohol-dependent patients. Arch Gen Psychiatry 53, 1123-1128.

Heinz,A., Jones,D.W., Gorey,J.G., Bennet,A., Suomi,S.J., Weinberger,D.R., and Higley,J.D. (2003). Serotonin transporter availability correlates with alcohol intake in non-human primates. Mol. Psychiatry 8, 231-234.

Heinz,A., Reimold,M., Wrase,J., Hermann,D., Croissant,B., Mundle,G., Dohmen,B.M., Braus,D.H., Schumann,G., Machulla,H.J., Bares,R., and Mann,K. (2005b). Correlation of Stable Elevations in Striatal µ-Opioid Receptor Availability in Detoxified Alcoholic Patients With Alcohol Craving: A Positron Emission Tomography Study Using Carbon 11-Labeled Carfentanil. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 62, 57-64.

Kalus,P., Slotboom,J., Gallinat,J., Gralla,J., Federspiel,A., Remonda,L., Strik,W.K., Schroth,G., and Kiefer,C. (2004a). New evidence for involvement of the entorhinal region in schizophrenia: a combined MRI-volumetric and DTI study. Neuroimage (in press).

Kalus,P., Slotboom,J., Gallinat,J., Wiest,R., Ozdoba,C., Strik,W.K., Federspiel,A., Schroth,G., and Kiefer,C. (2004b). The amygdala in schizophrenia: a trimodal MRI study. Neurosci Lett (in press).

Lang,U.E., Gallinat,J., Kuhn,S., Jockers-Scherubl,M.C., and Hellweg,R. (2002). Nerve Growth Factor and Smoking Cessation. Am J Psychiatry 159, 674-675.

Lang,U.E., Hellweg,R., and Gallinat,J. (2004). BDNF Serum Concentrations in Healthy Volunteers are Associated with Depression-Related Personality Traits. Neuropsychopharmacology.

Lang,U.E., Hellweg,R., and Gallinat,J. (2005). Association of BDNF serum concentrations with central serotonergic activity: Evidence from auditory signal processing. Neuropsychopharmacology in press.

Mulert,C., Gallinat,J., Pascual-Marqui,R., Dorn,H., Frick,K., Schlattmann,P., Mientus,S., Herrmann,W.M., and Winterer,G. (2001). Reduced Event-Related Current Density in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex in Schizophrenia. Neuroimage 13, 589-600.

Schubert,F., Gallinat,J., Seifert,F., and Rinneberg,H. (2004). Glutamate concentrations in human brain using single voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 3 Tesla. Neuroimage 21, 1762-1771.

Senkowski,D., Linden,M., Zubragel,D., Bar,T., and Gallinat,J. (2003). Evidence for disturbed cortical signal processing and altered serotonergic neurotransmission in generalized anxiety disorder. Biol Psychiatry 53, 304-314.