Negative symptoms as key features of depression among cannabis users: a preliminary report.

OBJECTIVE: Cannabis use is frequent among depressed patients and may lead to the so-called "amotivational syndrome", which combines symptoms of affective flattening and loss of emotional reactivity (i.e. the so-called "negative" symptomatology). The aim of this study was to investigate the negative symptomatology in depressed patients with concomitant cannabis use disorders (CUDs) in comparison with depressed patients without CUDs. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Fifty-one patients with a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and concomitant CUD and fifty-one MDD patients were enrolled in the study. The 21-Item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and the negative symptoms subscales of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were used to assess depressive and negative symptomatology. RESULTS: Patients with cannabis use disorders presented significantly more severe negative symptoms in comparison with patients without cannabis use (15.18 ± 2.25 vs 13.75 ± 2.44; t100 = 3.25 p = 0.002). DISCUSSION: A deeper knowledge of the "negative" psychopathological profile of MDD patients who use cannabis may lead to novel etiopathogenetic models of MDD and to more appropriate treatment approaches

Complicanze ostetriche e rischio di schizofrenia: uno studio caso-controllo

Objective: Obstetric complications may be an important factor in the development of schizophrenia. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of these complications in the development of schizophrenia in adult life. Method: We carried out a case-control study, comprising schizophrenics and patients with diseases of the schizophrenia spectrum as cases, and their healthy male brothers as controls. Obstetric complications were assessed using the "Midwife Protocol" of Parnas et al. Results: The main result was that birth weight may be a risk factor for schizophrenia, as indicated by odds ratio analysis. The confidence intervals are very wide and, without compromising the clinical significance of the results, they give a limited indication of the real entity of the risk. Conclusions: The results contribute to understanding of the role played by a single complications

Obstetric complications and neurological soft signs in male patients with schizophrenia

Objective: The study investigated the relationship between neurological soft signs (NSS) and obstetric complications (OCs) in patients with schizophrenia. Methods: Sixty-three male patients with schizophrenia were divided into two subgroups, based on the OCs presence or absence, which were compared in relation to NSS prevalence. After that, a Person's correlation test was performed to explore the correlation between NSS and OCs severity. Results: The subgroup with OCs showed more NSS, but there were not significant correlations between NSS and OCs severity. Conclusions: It seems that any OC, without distinction in typology and severity, could unspecifically impair the neurodevelopment and inducing NSS expression. Our findings confirm the hypothesis that neurodevelopment alterations, such as those probably induced by OCs, can contribute to a premorbid brain dysfunctional state expressed by NSS. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S

Cannabis use related to early psychotic onset. Role of premorbid function

The present cross-sectional study investigates the relation between Cannabis and the development of a psychotic disorder. The main objective is to explore the relations between Cannabis use and psychosis onset, premorbid adjustment cognitive impairment and familiarity. Forty-three patients with a diagnosis of Psychotic Disorder were recruited and divided in two groups based on Cannabis use before onset: Cannabis-using patients (PCU, N=21) and Cannabis-free patients (PCF, N=22). Cognitive functioning was evaluated by Trail Making Test A and B (TMT), Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (ROCF), and the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). Premorbid functioning was assessed retrospectively through the Premorbid Adjustment Scale (PAS). PCU group showed earlier onset of the psychotic disorder compared to PCF (p=0.008). This finding was not influenced by age or positive family history for psychiatric illness. PCU subjects showed a worse premorbid functioning respect to PCF and this difference was found to impact on the early onset in the PCU group. In conclusion the present study suggests the hypothesis of an interactive role of Cannabis and poor premorbid school adjustment in the development of psychotic disorders

The potential role of high or low birthweight as risk factor for adult schizophrenia

Objective: Obstetric complications may be an important factor in the development of schizophrenia. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of these complications in the development of schizophrenia in adult life, with particular attention to the potential role of birth weight. Method: We carried out a case-control study, comprising schizophrenics and patients with diseases of the schizophrenia spectrum as cases, and their healthy male brothers as controls. Obstetric complications were assessed using the "Midwife Protocol" of Parnas et al. Results: The main result was that birth weight may be a risk factor for schizophrenia, as indicated by odds ratio analysis. The confidence intervals are very wide and, without compromising the clinical significance of the results, they give a limited indication of the real entity of the risk. Conclusions: The results contribute to understanding of the role played by a single complications