Browsing by Author "Roos, Annerine"

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    Effects of methamphetamine on prenatally exposed children in Cape Town: cognition and intrinsic functional brain connectivity
    (2015) Kwiatkowski, Maja Anna; Thomas, Kevin; Roos, Annerine; Ipser, Jonathan
    Methamphetamine use among pregnant women is an increasing problem in South Africa. The aim of this cross-sectional exploratory study was to examine the possible neurotoxic effects of prenatal methamphetamine exposure (PME) on cognition and the developing brain in a sample of affected children in Cape Town, South Africa. Thus, this is a two-part study: the first part examines the effects of PME on neuropsychological outcomes, and the second part examines the effects of PME on intrinsic functional brain connectivity. Children with PME (n = 23) and unexposed controls (n = 22) completed a battery of neurocognitive assessments, and a smaller sub-sample (n = 36; 19 children with PME, 17 unexposed controls) also underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS-fMRI). Independent samples t-tests revealed that children with PME scored significantly more poorly on measures of IQ, learning and memory, confrontation naming, visual-motor integration, and fine motor co-ordination, when compared to controls. Hierarchical regression analyses confirmed that PME has a significant effect on cognitive performance, and that this effect largely withstands the effects of potentially confounding sociodemographic and anthropometric variables. Independent component analyses revealed significant betweengroup differences in functional brain networks detected in task-free RS-fMRI in children with PME. Specifically, there is evidence for compromised connectivity within and between the basal ganglia network and default mode network in children with PME. Overall, the findings contribute to the small but growing literature on the cognitive effects of PME. The current study is the first to document preliminary evidence indicating aberrant intrinsic functional brain connectivity in children with PME, and suggests that further investigation of potential associations between particular neurocognitive deficits and such aberrant connectivity might be warranted.
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    Excoriation (skin-picking) disorder: a systematic review of treatment options
    (2017) Lochner, Christine; Roos, Annerine; Stein, Dan
    Although pathological skin-picking has been documented in the medical literature since the 19th century, it has only recently been included as a distinct entity in psychiatric classification systems. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition and the proposed International Classification of Diseases, Eleventh Revision, excoriation (skin-picking) disorder (ED), also known as neurotic excoriation, psychogenic excoriation, or dermatillomania), is described as recurrent picking of skin, leading to skin lesions and significant distress or functional impairment. ED is listed as one of the obsessive–compulsive and related disorders, given its overlap with conditions such as trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder). Arguably, its inclusion and delineation in the diagnostic nomenclature will lead to increased awareness of the condition, more research, and ultimately in treatment advances. This systematic review aims to provide readers with an up-to-date view of current treatment options for ED. A MEDLINE search of the ED treatment literature was conducted to collate relevant articles published between 1996 and 2017. The findings indicate that a number of randomized controlled trails on ED have now been published, and that current management options include behavioral therapy (habit reversal or acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy), and medication (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or N-acetyl cysteine).