New study: genetic variants in the monoamine system and CBT outcome in social phobia

In a collaboration between Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University, we studied three genetic polymorphisms in the monoamine system (5-HTTLPR, COMT val158met, TPH2 G-703T) and outcome of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in social anxiety disorder (SAD) in over 300 patients. This is one of the largest genetic studies ever made on adults with SAD and CBT outcome. Monoamine-related gene polymorphisms have previously been tied to amygdala reactivity, treatment efficacy and fear extinction processes and was hereby reasoned to influence the outcome of CBT. However, none of our polymorphisms were associated with CBT outcome at long term follow-up. In our subsamples we found contradictory significant effects immediately after treatment. Even though CBT is an effective treatment of anxiety disorders, many patients (25-50%) do not respond sufficiently. Therefore, there is a need to improve not only the treatments but also how patients are selected for treatment in order to optimize the efficacy. Therapygenetics attempts to explore the relationship between genetic variation and psychological treatment response. Ultimately, such knowledge could be used to tailor therapies based on patients’ biological markers, which in turn, could improve therapeutic outcome.

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Lead author Evelyn Andersson.

The secret life of scientists: freezers and why we fear them

The freezer hotel on a Saturday: Where is the party?
The freezer hotel on a Saturday: Where is the party?

We have a lot of  DNA, RNA and plasma in our rather new – 86 C freezer. What we do not like is a breakdown of the freezer with thawing of the valuable treasures in the freezer as a result. That is why there is a temperature alarm in the freezer that goes to hospital staff that call or text us if the temperature is rising. So, in the middle of a normal Saturday I had to go check on our freezer since the alarm had indicated high temperature. With a sense of urgency normally only seen in thriller movies I rushed our samples to the spare freezer that will house our things until our freezer is behaving again. Good to know that our backup system works.

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Red heart = problemos.
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The spare freezer for emergencies.

Studie om behandling för patologiskt samlande/hoarding

Våra vänner från  Columbia University har startat en ny studie om vilken typ av behandling personer med patologiskt samlande/hoarding skulle kunna tänka sig att ta emot. Även personer med patologiskt samlande från Sverige kan delta. Läs gärna texten nedan för att se om du kan delta i studien eller tipsa gärna någon du känner om studien.

Tell us what type of treatments and services you find most acceptable for your difficulties with clutter. A Web-Based Study from Columbia Psychiatry

Do you have difficulty discarding or parting with possessions, excessive collecting, or clutter in your home? If so, you may be eligible to participate in an anonymous online survey (Columbia Psychiatry, IRB #6677) to help us better understand what kinds of treatments and services are acceptable to you. The entire study will take you approximately 30 minutes to complete. After completing the survey, you can enter for a chance to win a $100 Amazon.com gift card. Click here to take the survey.

For further information, please visit our website:

Columbia Psychiatry Hoarding Research Program http://www.columbiapsychiatry.org/hoarding/

Rücklab’s podcast on Columbia Psychiatry’s media page

Curious about hoarding? Take some time to listen to Dr. Carolyn Rodriguez from Columbia University discuss hoarding and housing with Rücklab’s Volen Ivanov here. Several other great articles, podcasts and videos on hoarding can also be found here.

New study out: mediators of change in CBT for health anxiety

A new study is out with lead author Erik Hedman. If you wonder why we call him “pekmaskinen” (Swedish for “the manuscript machine”, check Pubmed.

The study is the first to investigate mechanisms of improvement in Internet-based cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for severe health anxiety. We assessed mediators as well as outcome on a weekly basis throughout treatment among participants receiving Internet-based CBT in a randomized controlled trial. The results showed that reduced perceived risk of disease, less attention to bodily symptoms, and reduced intolerance of uncertainty significantly mediated improvement in health anxiety.The findings have theoretical and clinical implications as they indicate processes that may be causally related to the improvements observed after CBT for health anxiety.

Click the link for the full text:

Hedman E, Andersson E, Andersson G, Lindefors N, Lekander M, Rück C, Ljótsson B. (2013) Mediators in Internet-Based Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Severe Health Anxiety. PLoS ONE 8(10): e77752. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0077752

Erik "Pekmaskinen" Hedman, PhD.
Erik “Pekmaskinen” Hedman, PhD.