The Efficacy of Sodium Channel Blockers to Prevent Phencyclidine-Induced Cognitive Dysfunction in the Rat: Potential for Novel Treatments for Schizophrenia □ S

ABSTRACT Sodium channel inhibition is a well precedented mechanism used to treat epilepsy and other hyperexcitability disorders. The established sodium channel blocker and broad-spectrum anticonvulsant lamotrigine is also effective in the treatment of bipolar disorder and has been evaluated in patients with schizophrenia. Double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trials found that the drug has potential to reduce cognitive symptoms of the disorder. However, because of compound-related side-effects and the need for dose titration, a conclusive evaluation of the drug's efficacy in patients with schizophrenia has not been possible. In this series of studies in the rat, we compared the efficacy of the two new molecules to prevent a cognitive deficit induced by the N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor antagonist phencyclidine (PCP) in the reversal-learning paradigm in the rat. We also explored the effects of the drugs to prevent brain activation and neurochemical effects of PCP. We found that, like lamotrigine, both GSK2 and GSK3 were able to prevent the deficit in reversal learning produced by PCP, thus confirming their potential in the treatment of cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia. However, higher doses than those required for anticonvulsant efficacy of the drugs were needed for activity in the reversal-learning model, suggesting a lower therapeutic window relative to mechanism-dependent central side effects for this indication

Bilingual vocabulary production in toddlers from low-income immigrant families: evidence from children exposed to Romanian-Italian and Nigerian English-Italian

AbstractThe relationship between first and second language in early vocabulary acquisition in bilingual children is still debated in the literature. This study compared the expressive vocabulary of 39 equivalently low-SES two-year-old bilingual children from immigrant families with different heritage languages (Romanian vs. Nigerian English) and the same majority language (Italian). Vocabulary size, vocabulary composition and translation equivalents (TEs) were assessed using the Italian/L1 versions of the CDI. Higher vocabulary in Italian than in the heritage language emerged in both groups. Moreover, Romanian-Italian-speaking children produced higher proportions of TEs than Nigerian English-Italian-speaking children, suggesting that L1-L2 phonological similarity facilitates the acquisition of cross-linguistic synonyms

Validation of the severe respiratory insufficiency questionnaire for Chile

Abstract Background Long-term home non-invasive ventilation (LTH-NIV) has an impact on the health-related quality of life of patients with chronic hypercapnic respiratory failure (CRF) of different causes. There are generic and specific questionnaires for respiratory diseases. In 2003 a specific questionnaire was developed for patients with CRF in LTH-NIV, called the Severe Respiratory Insufficiency (SRI) questionnaire, which has been shown to be reproducible and reliable and has been validated in several languages. The aim of the study was to translate and culturally adapt the SRI questionnaire for adult Chilean patients under LTH-NIV, and to assess its psychometric properties. Methods The Chilean version of the SRI was obtained using the translation-back translation method, which was then applied by cross-sectional study to a non-probabilistic convenience sample of stable patients from five regions of Chile. The validated Chilean version of the SRI questionnaire and SF-36 (gold standard) questionnaire were applied, demographic and ventilatory data were collected. Reliability was analysed using Cronbach’s alpha and intraclass correlation (test–retest). Construct validity was tested using exploratory factor analysis (principal component extraction and equimax orthogonal rotation) and hypothesis testing (Mann–Whitney test). Convergent criterion validity was tested using Spearman’s rho. Results The sample comprised 248 patients, 132 women (53.2%), median age (IQR) was 62 years (51–75), 146 patients (58.9%) were 60 years or older, 40% had a low education level. The mean ± SD completion time of the questionnaire was 18.8 ± 9.1 min, and 100% of the items were answered. The questionnaire was self-applied by 46.8% of the sample. The validated Chilean version of the SRI questionnaire showed very good overall reliability (0.95) and by scales (> 0.7). It showed a good correlation with the SF-36, with equivalent scales, a rotated matrix with 8 factors and hypotheses that explain the underlying constructs. Conclusions The validated Chilean version of the SRI questionnaire has good psychometric properties. It is feasible, valid, and reliable for application to evaluate patients with CRF in LTH-NIV. It was found to be sensitive to assess the characteristics of the local population