Exploring the psychopathological profile of fibromyalgia: insights from the personality assessment inventory and its association with disease impact

Background Fibromyalgia (FM) is a complex rheumatic disorder characterized by chronic nociplastic pain and central sensitization. Psychopathological conditions can influence FM symptoms, which worsen their condition. However, not all patients with FM have psychopathological disorders, indicating a heterogeneous population.Objective To investigate the psychopathological profile and personality disorders in patients with FM and its relationship impact on this disease.Methods An observational and cross-sectional comparative study was conducted with a sample of 90 women, mean age 48.7 years (SD = 8.12), from Hospital del Mar, Barcelona. The Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) were used for assessment.Results FM patients predominantly exhibited psychopathological profiles resembling affective disorders (37.7%) and Cluster C personality disorders (58.8%). The severity of FM's impact was related to affective disorder symptoms, hypervigilance, derealization, somatization, and Cluster B personality disorder (emotional instability). Different rheumatic symptoms correlated with specific psychopathological patterns. Increased somatic symptoms on the FIQ were related to an unstable and dependent personality, while heightened emotional symptoms on the FIQ were associated with avoidance, borderline traits, and passive-aggressive reactions.Conclusion Recognizing psychopathological aspects is crucial for managing FM. The PAI is a valuable tool for establishing its psychopathological multidimensional profile, which predominantly shows an affective spectrum conditions and comorbid Cluster C personality disorder, exacerbating the disease's impact

Disentangling the neurobiological bases of temporal impulsivity in Huntington's disease

BackgroundDespite its impact on daily life, impulsivity in Huntington's disease (HD) is understudied as a neuropsychiatric symptom. Our aim is to characterize temporal impulsivity in HD and to disentangle the white matter correlate associated with impulsivity.MethodsForty-seven HD individuals and 36 healthy controls were scanned and evaluated for temporal impulsivity using a delay-discounting (DD) task and complementary Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire. Diffusion tensor imaging was employed to characterize the structural connectivity of three limbic tracts: the uncinate fasciculus (UF), the accumbofrontal tract (NAcc-OFC), and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex connectig the caudate nucleus (DLPFC-cn). Multiple linear regression analyses were applied to analyze the relationship between impulsive behavior and white matter microstructural integrity.ResultsOur results revealed altered structural connectivity in the DLPC-cn, the NAcc-OFC and the UF in HD individuals. At the same time, the variability in structural connectivity of these tracts was associated with the individual differences in temporal impulsivity. Specifically, increased structural connectivity in the right NAcc-OFC and reduced connectivity in the left UF were associated with higher temporal impulsivity scores.ConclusionsThe present findings highlight the importance of investigating the spectrum of temporal impulsivity in HD. As, while less prevalent than other psychiatric features, this symptom is still reported to significantly impact the quality of life of patients and caregivers. This study provides evidence that individual differences observed in temporal impulsivity may be explained by variability in limbic frontostriatal tracts, while shedding light on the role of sensitivity to reward in modulating impulsive behavior through the selection of immediate rewards. This study investigates individual differences in temporal impulsivity by using a delay discounting task and, its relationship with white matter connectivity. Our findings reveal significant alterations in the microstructure of key tracts of interest, including the right DLPF-Ccn, bilateral uncinate fasciculus and the left accumbo-frontal tract, in individuals with HD. Furthermore, we observed that variability in the structural connectivity in specific tracts is associated with individual differences in temporal impulsivity. imag

A comparative analysis of the processing speed between video game players and non-players

Processing speed is an essential cognitive skill in our everyday lives, and, as such, it has been extensively studied. However, there is still uncertainty as to when and how, with appropriate training, an individual’s processing speed can be increased across a range of tasks without compromising accuracy. While playing action video games, individuals are required to process information at high speed, forcing the players to make instantaneous decisions and execute responses. Therefore, it seems worth investigating the possibility that the use of video games might serve as an efficient training mechanism for individuals wishing to speed up their overall perceptual reaction times (without sacrificing accuracy). Thus, the aim of the present study is to analyze the processing speed of video game players and compare it to that of non-video game players in order to determine whether these two groups display any significant differences. To this end, a questionnaire collecting data on gaming habits and sociodemographic data, as well as two tests that evaluate processing speed, were administered to a sample of 50 university students enrolled in different degree programmes. The scores of the two groups were then compared, and (taking into account possible experimental error) the results showed that video game players have a shorter reaction time than non-video game players and that neither of the groups made more mistakes than the other.La velocidad de procesamiento es una habilidad cognitiva esencial en la vida cotidiana y, como tal, ha sido ampliamente estudiada. Sin embargo, aún existe incertidumbre sobre cuándo y cómo, con el entrenamiento adecuado, la velocidad de procesamiento de una persona puede aumentarse en una variedad de tareas sin comprometer la precisión. Mientras juegan videojuegos de acción, los individuos tienen que procesar información a alta velocidad, hecho que obliga a los jugadores a tomar decisiones y a ejecutar respuestas instantáneas. Por consiguiente, vale la pena investigar la posibilidad de que el uso de videojuegos pueda servir como un mecanismo de entrenamiento eficiente para las personas que desean acelerar sus tiempos de reacción de percepción generales (sin sacrificar la precisión). Por lo tanto, el objetivo del presente estudio es analizar la velocidad de procesamiento de jugadores de videojuegos y compararla con la de no-jugadores para determinar si estos dos grupos muestran diferencias significativas. Para este fin, se administró un cuestionario que recopilaba datos sobre hábitos de juego y datos sociodemográficos, así como dos pruebas que evaluaban la velocidad de procesamiento, a una muestra de 50 estudiantes universitarios matriculados en diferentes programas de especialidades universitarias. A continuación, se compararon las puntuaciones de los dos grupos y, teniendo en cuenta el posible error experimental, los resultados mostraron que los jugadores de videojuegos tienen un tiempo de reacción más corto que los que no lo son sin verse comprometidos por un mayor índice de errores puesto que ninguno de los grupos cometió más errores que el otro