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Schizophrenia is a severe illness whose clinical course is characterized by various numbers of psychotic episodes (PE). The neurotoxic hypothesis (NH) of schizophrenia assumes that psychosis is biologically toxic. The aim of the study was to investigate whether schizophrenia patients (SP) with multiple PE have greater grey matter volume (GMV) reduction compared to SP with fewer PE.
We enrolled 106 adult SP and 63 healthy controls. Demographic and clinical data were collected and statistically analysed for all included subjects. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain was acquired on a 1.5 T scanner. SP were grouped according to the number of PE into a group with up to 3 PE (SCHG-1) and with 4 or more PE (SCHG-2). SCHG-1 was further subdivided into two groups regarding to disease duration (DD). Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analyses were performed between SP groups as well as between SP groups and the healthy controls group (HCG).
No relevant GMV differences were detected between SP groups. Comparison between HCG and SCHG-1 showed only 3 regions with reduced GMV, while multiple regions with reduced GMV were detected when comparing HCG and SCHG-2.
GMV reduction in schizophrenia varies depending on the number of PE when compared to HCG, regardless of disease duration (DD), but PE is not the only contributing factor that leads to neurotoxicity.
GMV reduction in schizophrenia varies depending on the number of PE when compared to HCG, regardless of disease duration (DD), but PE is not the only contributing factor that leads to neurotoxicity.
Retina is considered as a window to the brain due to the similarities in terms of development and pathologies. selleck products Optical coherence tomography (OCT) can perform quantitative examinations in the retina. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of drugs used in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder (BD) on retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and macular thickness.
The study included schizophrenia (n=35) and euthymic BD (n=46) patients on various medications, and age, gender matched healthy control group (n=31). For retinal evaluation, measurements of RNFL and macula were performed with Optovue RTVue Premier OCT.
In the schizophrenia group, chlorpromazine equivalent dose of antipsychotics was a statistically significant negative predictor of left RNFL nasal superior region thickness. In the BD group, serum valproate level was a significant positive predictor of thickness in the right macular inferior outer, left macular nasal outer region, right RNFL inferotemporal, left temporal and inferotemporal regions.
Since the retina consists of neurons, morphological or functional examination of retina may be beneficial for the evaluation of the effects of psychopharmalogical treatments in schizophrenia and BD. The outcome of this study implies that valproate has neuroprotective effects on the optic nerve and macula, and this finding is consistent with the literature implying neurotrophic effects of valproate.
Since the retina consists of neurons, morphological or functional examination of retina may be beneficial for the evaluation of the effects of psychopharmalogical treatments in schizophrenia and BD. The outcome of this study implies that valproate has neuroprotective effects on the optic nerve and macula, and this finding is consistent with the literature implying neurotrophic effects of valproate.The comorbidity of bipolar disorder (BD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is widely known. The overall rate of association between BD and OCD is very high and varies, depending on the authors, from 11% to 18%, with peaks of 21% in primarily bipolar patients. Vice versa, about 60% of patients with OCD have a second psychiatric diagnosis, which in 23% of cases turns out to be BD. The differences between the BD patients with and without OCD were so numerous and important (e.g., different onset of mood episodes, history of suicide attempts, seasonality, rapid cycling and impulsivity) that the comorbidity between BD and OCD may represent a distinct form of BD, similar to cyclothymic BD for psychopathological features. However, the comorbidity does not seem to have any impact on cognitive performance, such as there is no specific difference between patients who first develop BD and then OCD or vice versa. Anyway, the detection of the neurocognitive profile of these patients at the time of the first clinical evaluation could have clinical implications also in the therapeutic and rehabilitative management of this type of patient. Indeed, it would be desirable to develop a new model of rehabilitation that is less differentiated for both BD and OCD or for their comorbidity, also to make cognitive rehabilitation faster and less expensive. The purpose of this mini-review is to update the knowledge currently available on the impact of BD and OCD comorbidity on neurocognitive profile.
The prevalence of the three main eating disorders (EDs) anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED) is increasing, and a growing number of patients with EDs is seeking professional help. Thus, there is a need for additional treatment strategies in EDs. The aim of this review was to summarize the literature on the benefits and risks of music as well as the evidence for its therapeutic application in people with EDs.
Following the PRISMA guidelines, we performed a systematic literature review on scientific studies on the effect of music in people with or at risk for EDs using PubMed and the Web of Science database. The search terms used were "music", "music therapy", "eating disorders", "anorexia nervosa", "bulimia nervosa" and "binge eating disorder".
16 out of 119 identified and screened articles qualified as scientific studies involving a total of 3,792 participants. They reported on the use of music or music therapy in individuals with or at risk of AN and BN, but not Borous randomized controlled trial (RCT) design is scarce.Major depressive disorder is the greatest burden of developed countries in the context of morbidity caused by mental disorders. Until recent, ketamine has been mostly used for anesthesia, analgesia, sedation and treatment of chronic pain syndromes. However, unique pharmacodynamic properties of ketamine have increased interests in it's use for treatment of depression. It is assumed that ketamine reverses synaptic chronic stress pathology within one day of administration by postsynaptic glutamate activation, providing synaptic connectivity restoration that last for days or weeks. Potential glutamatergic agents, in context of treatment of major depressive disorder are not entirely novel phenomenon. Considering the aforementioned, current neurobiological view of depression as a solely monoaminergic phenomenon should be reassessed in order to prompt discovery of putative antidepressant drugs of novel generation. Acute side effects, such as increased salivation, increase in heart rate, systemic arterial pressure and intracranial pressure necessitate careful monitoring during intravenous administration of ketamine, even in subanesthetic doses.
