THE STARTING POINT OF EATING DISORDERS: ROLE OF GENETICS

Eating disorders are perplexing diseases of which the etiology is still unknown. Recent research has focused on the possibility that genetics plays a role in vulnerability to these pathologies. This study gives an overview of the available literature focusing on family, twin and molecular genetic studies of eating disorders

GENETIC OF ADDICTION: COMMON AND UNCOMMON FACTORS

Epidemiological studies strongly suggest that genetic factors operate at all steps of addictions, including vulnerability to initiation, continued use, and propensity to become dependent. Several studies have been popular to investigate the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors, including the availability of and exposure to a substance, and shared and unique environments. The genetic influence on addiction has proved to be substantial, and heritabilities for most addictive disorders are moderate to high. In this work we evaluate the current status of data that analyzed genetic contribution in addictions

GENETICS AND PSYCHIATRY: MYTH OR REALITY?

Greek mythology and philosophical speculations were the first human productions on madness and psychiatry. Likewise, the origins of genetics sink their roots in a very remote and difficult time. This work tries to give an idea of the relationship between genetics and psychiatry through the myth and reality

SLEEP DISORDERS: ARE THEY A GENETIC QUESTION?

Sleep disorders are commonly studied from the psychiatric and neurological point of view, leaving aside other aspects such as genetic component. Despite the limited literature regarding this field, different genetic variants have been proposed to be associated with sleep disorders. In this review, we summerize the experimental research that has brought to light the pivotal genetic influence in the development of these pathologies

PHARMACOGENETICS: DOES A PERSONAL THERAPY EXIST?

Pharmacogenetics is a powerful tool to improve drug response and to maximize therapeutic efficacy and safety using genetic information of each individual. This review collects the available literature understanding the influence of heritability on an individual’s drug metabolism

ENDOPHENOTYPE AND PSYCHIATRY: AN INTERESTING COMBINATION

The endophenotype is a measurable component which is characterized as an intermediate part of the path existing between the genotype and phenotype of a disease. In the context of psychiatric pathologies, an endophenotype is such if it shares inheritable variations with it, if it is evident both during the active and inactive phases of the pathology, if it is co-transmitted in the family, and if it is evident in both affected family members from pathology, and in healthy people. This review reports the available literature data of the interesting combination between endophenotype and psychiatry

IS INTERNET CHANGING OUR MIND?

In the last decades internet has transformed our way to communicate, relate and work. Probably it has already changed also the way of thinking, perceiving ourselves and reality. The increasing web-based social networking services is a striking feature of modern human society. Internet represents the real, extraordinary novelty of the third millennium and a large part of humanity is already online. Therefore, it can be postulated that the mind on the Internet will produce events and changes that we cannot ignore

SLEEP DISORDERS: ARE THEY A GENETIC QUESTION?

Sleep disorders are commonly studied from the psychiatric and neurological point of view, leaving aside other aspects such as genetic component. Despite the limited literature regarding this field, different genetic variants have been proposed to be associated with sleep disorders. In this review, we summerize the experimental research that has brought to light the pivotal genetic influence in the development of these pathologies

ENDOPHENOTYPE AND PSYCHIATRY: AN INTERESTING COMBINATION

The endophenotype is a measurable component which is characterized as an intermediate part of the path existing between the genotype and phenotype of a disease. In the context of psychiatric pathologies, an endophenotype is such if it shares inheritable variations with it, if it is evident both during the active and inactive phases of the pathology, if it is co-transmitted in the family, and if it is evident in both affected family members from pathology, and in healthy people. This review reports the available literature data of the interesting combination between endophenotype and psychiatry

AN EPIDEPIC IN THE PANDEMIC: THE MOST DIFFICULT CHALLENGE FOR YOUNG ADOLESCENTS

The pandemic due to COVID-19 has had a huge psychological impact on individuals all over the world, in particular the international literature is noting an increase in pathologies among children and adolescents adolescenti (Pappa et al. 2020, Keles et al. 2020, Pigaiani et al. 2020, Solmi et al. 2021). Adolescence is a time when individuals observe physical changes in their bodies, experience new interests and desires, and find themselves with greater freedom, independence and responsibility; although variably defined, adolescence is generally believed to begin with the onset of puberty and end with assuming social roles as adults (Dahl 2004, Spear 2000). Among the changes that the adolescent has to face are: accepting one\u27s body, acquiring a social role, female or male, establishing new relationships with peers of both sexes, achieving emotional independence from parents and other adults, acquiring social behavior responsible, learn a system of values and an ethical conscience as a guide to one\u27s behavior, develop intellectual skills and prepare for a profession, achieve independence (Juli 2020). All this is not always easy and, many times young people find themselves facing a tortuous path that can give rise to the onset of some mental pathologies; if we then take into account the pandemic period we are experiencing, all this can get complicated. The data released by the Ministry of Health (2021) in the first months of the year, highlight that in Italy today there are about three million young people suffering from Eating Disorders (ED) with early onset before the age of 13 and the number tends to constantly increase. In 1990 Gordon spoke of Eating Disorders as a real social epidemic both in prevalence and incidence and if the preliminary studies conducted during the last year in which we lived the pandemic experience, confirm the increase of about 30% , in the years to come we will find an entire population of young adolescents with dietary difficulties (Santini et al. 2020)