Biological Motion induced mu suppression is reduced in Early Psychosis (EP) patients with active negative symptoms and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

There is evidence of genetic and neural system overlap in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Early Psychosis (EP). Five datasets were pooled to compare mu suppression index (MSI), a proxy of mirror neuron activity, in EP, high functioning ASD, and healthy subjects (HS). ASDs and EPs with "active" negative symptoms showed significant differences in mu suppression, in response to Biological Motion/point-light display animation, compared to HS. Preliminary findings suggest that similar neural network deficits in ASD and EP could be driven by the expression of negative symptoms in the latter group of patients. These findings may aid future studies on EP and ASD and facilitate the formulation of new hypotheses regarding their pathophysiology

Internalising symptoms mediate the longitudinal association between childhood inflammation and psychotic-like experiences in adulthood

Psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) are part of a continuum of psychosis. Previous longitudinal studies highlighted a relationship between peripheral inflammation during childhood and onset of PLEs in adulthood. In this study, we tested if this association is mediated by internalising and externalising symptoms experienced during childhood and adolescence. To test this hypothesis, we used data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). We investigated a subsample of 4525 individuals from this cohort with data on interleukin 6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in childhood (age 9 years). We measured PLEs at age 18 years, and we used latent growth curve modelling to estimate longitudinal trajectories of internalising and externalising symptoms from ages 9 to 16 years. The individual predicted values of the intercept (set at baseline, 9 years) and the slope (rate of annual change) were then used in the mediation analysis. There was evidence for full mediation by the intercept of internalising symptoms. Our findings suggest that inflammation during childhood may be relevant for the future onset of PLEs via its association with a high level of internalising symptoms. These findings, although obtained from a non-clinical population, provide an additional step in advancing knowledge on the relationship between inflammation and symptoms of the psychosis continuum

P300 component in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder type I, bipolar disorder type II and healthy controls: a preliminary event-related potential study

The aim of the present study was to investigate P300 event-related potential components in euthymic bipolar disorder type I (BDI) and bipolar disorder type II (BDII) patients and matched controls. A total of 10 BDI patients, 10 BDII patients and 10 healthy individuals were enrolled in the study. Event-related potential data were collected according to a standard auditory 'oddball' paradigm. A significant groups effect in both the peak amplitude (P<0.001) and the mean amplitude (P<0.001) was observed; post-hoc comparisons showed that the peak and mean amplitudes of BDI and BDII patients were significantly lower than the peak and mean amplitudes of the healthy controls. The neurophysiological patterns found in the present study might at least partially reflect the presence of a mild selective cognitive impairment in euthymic BDI and BDII patients. From a clinical point of view, these evidences support the potential role of cognitive interventions in the treatment of BD

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

Investigating the link between drug-naive first episode psychoses (FEPs), weight gain abnormalities and brain structural damages: Relevance and implications for therapy

Evidence suggests that obesity and overweight may be associated with severe brain structural abnormalities and poor cognitive and functional outcomes in the general population. Despite these observations and the high prevalence of weight gain abnormalities in patients with psychosis spectrum disorders (PSDs), no studies have investigated the impact that these metabolic disturbances may have on brain structures and development in the earliest stages of PSDs. In the present review we shed light on the association between weight gain and brain structural abnormalities that may affect the course of illness in drug-naïve FEPs. Given the lack of studies directly investigating this issue, we firstly identified and critically evaluated the literature assessing weight gain abnormalities and gray or white matter (GM, WM) volumes (either globally or in specific regions of interest) in otherwise healthy obese/overweight adolescents and young adults. We then compared the results of this systematic review with those of two recent meta-analysis investigating GM and WM abnormalities in drug-naïve FEPs. Weight gain in otherwise healthy subjects was consistently associated with frontal and temporal GM atrophy and with reduced integrity of WM in the corpus callosum. Of relevance, all these brain regions are affected in drug-naïve FEPs, and their integrity is associated with clinical, cognitive and functional outcomes. The underlying mechanisms that may explain the association between weight gain, adiposity, and brain damage in both healthy subjects and drug-naïve FEPs are widely discussed. On the basis of this knowledge, we tried: a) to deduce an integrative model for the development of obesity in psychosis spectrum disorders; b) to identify the key vulnerability factors underlying the association between weight gain and psychosis; c) to provide information on new potential targets of intervention

ECT, rTMS, and deepTMS in pharmacoresistant drug-free patients with unipolar depression: a comparative review

Background: Biological treatments are considered as additional options for the treatment of resistant unipolar depression. Controversial data exist about the efficacy and tolerability of three of the most used somatic treatments: electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), and deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (deepTMS). The aim of this review is to investigate and compare the efficacy and tolerability of these three techniques in drug-free patients with pharmacoresistant unipolar depression. Methods: Three independent reviewers extracted data and assessed the quality of methodological reporting of selected studies. The first outcome was the clinical response to the three different techniques defined as a percentage improvement of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). The second outcome was the evaluation of their neuropsychological effects. The third outcome was the evaluation of the number of remitted patients; remission was defined as an absolute HDRS-24 score of &lt;= 11 or as an absolute HDRS-17 score of &lt;= 8. Tolerability was the fourth outcome; it was evaluated by examining the number of dropped-out patients. Results: The comparative evaluation of HDRS percentage variations shows ECT as the most effective method after 4 weeks of therapy; on the other hand, a better efficacy is obtainable by deepTMS after 2 weeks of therapy. DeepTMS is the technique that gives the best improvement of cognitive performances. The percentage of remitted patients obtained with ECT treatment is the same obtained in the deepTMS group. Both techniques have a remitted patients percentage two times larger than the rTMS. DeepTMS shows a tolerability, measured by the number of dropped-out patients, worse than ECT. Conclusion: Our investigation confirms the great therapeutic power of ECT. DeepTMS seems to be the only therapy that provides a substantial improvement of both depressive symptoms and cognitive performances; nevertheless it is characterized by a poor tolerability. rTMS seems to provide a better tolerability for patients, but its therapeutic efficacy is lower. Considering the small therapeutic efficacy of deepTMS in the last 2 weeks of treatment, it could be reasonable to shorten the standard period of deepTMS treatment from 4 to 2 weeks, expecting a reduction of dropped-out patients and thus optimizing the treatment outcome

Prefronto-cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation increases amplituded and decreases latency of P3b component in patients with euthymic bipolar disorder

INTRODUCTION: Neurocognitive impairments have been observed in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) even during the euthymic phase of the disease, potentially representing trait-associated rather than state-associated characteristics of the disorder. In the present study, we used transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to cerebellar and prefrontal cortices to improve the neurophysiological performances of patients with euthymic BD. METHODS: Twenty-five outpatients with BD underwent open-label prefrontocerebellar tDCS for 3 consecutive weeks. Neurophysiological performances were assessed through the examination of the P3b and P3a subcomponents of P300 event-related potential at baseline and after stimulation. RESULTS: Compared to baseline, P3b component after tDCS showed significantly higher amplitude and shorter latency (latency: Fz P=0.02, Cz P=0.03, and Pz P=0.04; amplitude: Fz P=0.24, Cz P=0.02, and Pz P=0.35). CONCLUSION: In our sample of patients with euthymic BD, concomitant prefrontoexcitatory and cerebellar-inhibitory modulations led to improved brain information processing stream. This improvement may at least partially result from neuroplastic modulation of prefrontocerebellar circuitry activity

Prefronto–cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation improves visuospatial memory, executive functions, and neurological soft signs in patients with euthymic bipolar disorder

Objective: The aim of the study was to improve neuropsychological functioning of euthymic patients with bipolar disorder (BD) using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to cerebellar and prefrontal cortices. Methods: Twenty-five BD outpatients underwent prefrontal (anodal) and cerebellar (cathodal) tDCS for 3 consecutive weeks. All participants were assessed through the Rey Complex Figure Test delay and copy and the Neurological Examination Scale at baseline and after therapy with tDCS. Results: After tDCS treatment, patients showed significant improvements in visuospatial memory tasks. Patients with worse baseline cognitive performances also showed a significant improvement in executive functioning tasks. Neurological Examination Scale total score and motor coordination subscale significantly improved. Conclusion: Prefrontal-excitatory and cerebellar-inhibitory stimulations in euthymic BD patients may lead to better neurocognitive performances. This improvement could result from the modulation of prefronto-thalamic-cerebellar circuit activity pattern, which can be disrupted in BD

Prediction of functional outcome in young patients with a recent-onset psychiatric disorder: Beyond the traditional diagnostic classification system

A critical research goal is to identify modifiable risk factors leading to functional disabilities in young psychiatric patients. The authors developed a multidimensional trans-diagnostic predictive model of functional outcome in patients with the recent-onset of a psychiatric illness. Baseline clinical, psychosis-risk status, cognitive, neurological-soft-signs measures, and dopamine-related-gene polymorphisms (DRD1-rs4532, COMT-rs165599, and DRD4-rs1300955) were collected in 133 young non-psychotic outpatients. 116 individuals underwent follow-up (mean = 22 years, SD = 0.9) examination, A binary logistic model was used to predict low-functioning status at follow-up as defined by a score lower than 65 in the social occupational functioning assessment scale. A total of 54% of patients experiences low functioning at follow-up. Attention, Avolition, and Motor-Coordination subscale were significant predictors of low-functioning with an accuracy of 79.7%. A non-significant trend was found for a dopamine-related-gene polymorphism (DRD1-rs4532). The model was independent of psychotic risk status, DSM-diagnosis, and psychotic conversion. A trans-diagnostic approach taking into account specific neurocognitive, clinical, and neurological information has the potential to identify those individuals with low-functioning independent of DSM diagnosis or the level of psychosis-risk. Specific early interventions targeting modifiable risk factors and emphasize functional recovery in young psychiatric samples, independent of DSM-diagnosis and psychosis-risk, are essential. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Long term outcomes of acute and transient psychotic disorders:The missed opportunity of preventive interventions

AbstractBackground:Acute and transient psychotic disorders (ATPD) are characterized by an acute onset and a remitting course, and overlap with subgroups of the clinical high-risk state for psychosis. The long-term course and outcomes of ATPD are not completely clear.Methods:Electronic health record-based retrospective cohort study, including all patients who received a first index diagnosis of ATPD (F23, ICD-10) within the South London and Maudsley (SLaM) National Health Service Trust, between 1 st April 2006 and 15th June 2017. The primary outcome was risk of developing persistent psychotic disorders, defined as the development of any ICD-10 diagnoses of non-organic psychotic disorders. Cumulative risk of psychosis onset was estimated through Kaplan-Meier failure functions (non-competing risks) and Greenwood confidence intervals.Results:A total of 3074 patients receiving a first index diagnosis of ATPD (F23, ICD-10) within SLaM were included. The mean follow-up was 1495 days. After 8-year, 1883 cases (61.26%) retained the index diagnosis of ATPD; the remaining developed psychosis. The cumulative incidence (Kaplan-Meier failure function) of risk of developing any ICD-10 non-organic psychotic disorder was 16.10% at 1-year (95%CI 14.83–17.47%), 28.41% at 2-year (95%CI 26.80–30.09%), 33.96% at 3-year (95% CI 32.25–35.75%), 36.85% at 4-year (95%CI 35.07–38.69%), 40.99% at 5-year (95% CI 39.12–42.92%), 42.58% at 6-year (95%CI 40.67–44.55%), 44.65% at 7-year (95% CI 42.66–46.69%), and 46.25% at 8-year (95% CI 44.17–48.37%). The cumulative risk of schizophrenia-spectrum disorder at 8-year was 36.14% (95% CI 34.09–38.27%).Conclusions:Individuals with ATPD have a very high risk of developing persistent psychotic disorders and may benefit from early detection and preventive treatments to improve their outcomes.</jats:sec