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Miriam Kunz,1 Stefanie F Bunk,2 Anna J Karmann,3 Karl-Jürgen Bär,4 Stefan Lautenbacher3 1Department of Medical Psychology and Sociology, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany; 2Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; 3Physiological Psychology, Otto-Friedrich University Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany; 4Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Jena, GermanyCorrespondence: Miriam KunzDepartment of Medical Psychology and Sociology, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, GermanyTel +49 821 598-3720Fax +49 821 598-5116Email Miriam.kunz@med.uni-augsburg.dePurpose: Conditioned pain modulation (CPM) is most often assessed using self-report of pain. However, self-report of pain is not always available (eg in individuals with cognitive impairment) and is susceptible to report bias. In comparison, the facial expression of pain is more reflex-like and represents one of the most sensitive and specific non-verbal signals of pain. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the facial expression of pain is sensitive enough to capture endogenous pain inhibition as elicited during CPM paradigms.Patients and Methods: In total, 26 female participants took part in this study. Facial and verbal responses to phasic heat pain were assessed once while participants immersed their hand in a hot water bath and once without additional stimulation. Facial responses were analyzed using the Facial Action Coding System (FACS). Verbal responses were assessed using a Numerical Rating Scale (NRS).Results: Pain-relevant facial responses as well as pain ratings to phasic heat pain were significantly reduced when participants simultaneously immersed their hand in a hot water bath compared to baseline. Thus, CPM effects could be demonstrated both on subjective as well as on facial responses. Moreover, CPM-induced changes in pain-relevant facial responses and in NRS ratings were significantly correlated.Conclusion: The present study shows that facial expressions of pain are sensitive enough to capture CPM effects. Given the proven clinical usefulness of assessing CPM, the parallel assessment of verbal and facial CPM effects might be a promising approach with wider scope of applications. Further research in other demographic healthy participant and clinical cohorts is warranted.Keywords: pain, CPM, conditioned pain modulation, facial expression, FACS

Thomas Sobanski,1 Karl-Jürgen Bär,2 Gerd Wagner2 1Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatic Medicine, Thüringen-Kliniken "Georgius Agricola" GmbH, Saalfeld, Germany; 2Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric Brain and Body Research Group Jena, Jena University Hospital, Jena, GermanyAbstract: Suicidal behavior (SB) is characterized by the occurrence of suicide attempts with substantial intent to die. SB is a major health problem worldwide. In the great majority of cases, SB occurs in patients suffering from psychiatric disorders, mainly from affective disorders or schizophrenia. Despite this high association, there is growing evidence from genetic studies that SB might represent a psychiatric condition on its own. This review provides an overview of the most significant neurobiological and neurocognitive findings in SB. We provide evidence for specific dysfunctions within the serotonergic system, for distinct morphological abnormalities in the gray and white matter composition as well as for neurofunctional alterations in the fronto-striatal network. Additionally, the putative role of impulsivity and hopelessness as trait-like risk factors for SB is outlined. Both the personality traits are associated with altered prefrontal cortex function and deficits in cognitive and affective control similar to the findings in SB. Given the difficulties of clinical risk assessment, there is a need to identify specific markers that can predict SB more reliably. Some recent neurocognitive and functional/structural neuroimaging findings might be appropriate to use as SB indicators in the close future.Keywords: suicidal behavior, biological markers, serotonin, hopelessness, impulsivity, major depressive disorder, fMRI, PET, SPECT

Hintergrund: Aktuell lässt sich die Alzheimersche Demenz klinisch nur sehr heterogen diagnostizieren. Mithilfe der Fluorescence-Lifetime-Ophthalmoscopy (FLIO) ist es möglich, im Sinne einer funktionellen Bildgebung Stoffwechselveränderungen zu detektieren. Die Fragestellung dieser Studie[zum vollständigen Text gelangen Sie über die oben angegebene URL], 24. Jahrestagung der Regionalgesellschaft der Augenärzte Sachsen-Anhalts und Thüringens