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Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Apr 1:1-5. Epub 2019 Apr 1.

1Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center,Aarhus University,Denmark.

Objective: Patients with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) may present with convulsive events that are not accompanied by epileptiform brain activity. Video-electroencephalography (EEG) monitoring is the gold standard for diagnosis, yet not all patients experience convulsive episodes during video-EEG sessions. Hence, we aimed to construct a predictive model in order to detect PNES from serum hormone levels, detached from an evaluation of patients' convulsive episodes. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Mar 27:1-8. Epub 2019 Mar 27.

2Department of Neuropsychiatry, South West London and St George's Mental Health NHS Trust,London,UK.

Objective: Depression is a common, serious, but under-recognised problem in multiple sclerosis (MS). The primary objective of this study was to assess whether a rapid visual analogue screening tool for depression could operate as a quick and reliable screening method for depression, in patients with MS.

Method: Patients attending a regional MS outpatient clinic completed the Emotional Thermometer 7 tool (ET7), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - Depression Subscale (HADS-D) and the Major Depression Inventory (MDI) to establish a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 4th edition (DSM-IV) diagnosis of Major Depression. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Mar 20:1-8. Epub 2019 Mar 20.

1Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit,Department of Clinical Medicine,Aarhus University,8240 Risskov,Denmark.

Objectives: NMDA antagonists and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors induce antidepressant-like effects and may represent treatment options for depression. The behavioural effects of NMDA antagonists seem to depend on Tyrosine kinase B receptor (TrkB) activation by BDNF and on mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). However, it is unknown whether similar mechanisms are involved in the behavioural effects of NOS inhibitors. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Mar 20:1-38. Epub 2019 Mar 20.

Evidence Based Medicine Research Group, Ton Duc Thang University, Ho Chi Minh City, 70000, Vietnam.

Objective: After MRI studies suggested the efficacy of ethyl-EPA in reducing the progressive brain atrophy in Huntington disease, trials were conducted to test its efficacy as a treatment for Huntington disease. Trials continued for six months did not find any significant improvement urging discontinuation of the drug. However, trials continued for 12 months indicated improvement of motor functions in these patients. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Mar 19:1-20. Epub 2019 Mar 19.

Cognition, Health & Socialization Laboratory,Reims Champagne-Ardenne University,Reims,France.

Objective: Both bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ) are associated with language and thought symptoms that probably reflect a semantic memory-related impairment. We conducted a preliminary study to explore the nature of semantic processing in these disorders, using event-related potentials (ERPs).

Methods: Twelve patients with BD, 10 patients with SZ and a matched group of 21 healthy controls (HC) underwent EEG recording while they heard sentences containing homophones or control words and performed a semantic ambiguity resolution task on congruent or incongruent targets. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Mar 14:1-16. Epub 2019 Mar 14.

Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Investigação Médica (LIIM), Faculdade de Medicina,Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG).Av. Prof. Alfredo Balena, 190, Room 281. Belo Horizonte, MG,Brazil. Postal Code: 30130-100.

Objective: Although accumulating evidence supports the hypothesis that immune/inflammatory mechanisms are associated with the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder (BD), data about the profile of chemokines (chemotactic cytokines) and chemokine receptors are still scarce. The current study was designed to evaluate the expression of chemokine receptors on lymphocytes of patients with BD in comparison with controls.

Methods: Thirty-three patients with type I BD (N=21 in euthymia; N=6 in mania/hypomania; N=6 in depression) and 22 age- and sex-matched controls were subjected to clinical evaluation and peripheral blood draw. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Mar 11:1-29. Epub 2019 Mar 11.

Laboratory of Neuropsychiatry, Psychiatric Center Copenhagen and Institute of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences,University of Copenhagen,Denmark.

Objective: Oxidative stress has been suggested to increase after electroconvulsive therapy (ECT); a treatment which continues to be the most effective for severe depression. Oxidative stress could potentially be mechanistically involved in both the therapeutic effects and side-effects of ECT.

Methods: We measured sensitive markers of systemic and CNS oxidative stress on DNA and RNA (urinary 8-oxodG/8-oxoGuo, cerebrospinal fluid 8-oxoGuo, and brain oxoguanine glycosylase mRNA expression) in male rats subjected to electroconvulsive stimulations (ECS); an animal model of ECT. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Feb;31(1):59-60

2Imperial College,London,UK.

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 02 9;31(1):61. Epub 2019 Jan 9.

13rd Department of Psychiatry,School of Medicine,Aristotle University of Thessaloniki,Thessaloniki,Greece.

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Dec 18:1-8. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

Department of Psychiatry,Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy,University Hospital Frankfurt,Heinrich-Hoffmann-Straße 10, 60528 Frankfurt,Germany.

Objective: There is accumulating evidence that the error-related negativity (ERN), an event-related potential elicited after erroneous actions, is altered in different psychiatric disorders and may help to guide treatment options. Thus, the ERN is a promising candidate as a psychiatric biomarker. Basic methodological requirements for a biomarker are that their measurements are standardised and reliable. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Dec 18:1-6. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

3Department of Biochemistry,Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University Medical School,Ankara,Turkey.

Objective: To investigate oxidative stress parameters [total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), oxidative stress index (OSI), paraoxonase (PON), arylesterase (ARE) and thiol-disulphide homeostasis] in patients who were diagnosed as having somatic symptom disorder in accordance with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5.

Methods: The study included 41 medication-free patients with somatic symptom disorder and 47 age, sex, and sociodemographic-matched healthy individuals. The patients were administered the Patient Health Questionnaire-15, Somatic Symptom Amplification Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Beck Anxiety Inventory. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Dec 18:1-7. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

1Experimental Psychology, Helmholtz Institute,Utrecht University,Utrecht,The Netherlands.

Objective: Korsakoff's syndrome (KS) is a chronic neuropsychiatric disorder characterised by severe anterograde amnesia and executive deficits. Theory of Mind (ToM) is the capacity to represent others' mental states such as their knowledge, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and intentions in order to explain and predict their behaviour. Surprisingly this topic has received hardly any attention in research on KS, although the severity of behavioural problems in KS suggest possible ToM difficulties. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Dec 18:1-7. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

1Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Center,Aarhus University,Aarhus,Denmark.

Objective: The present study explores the relationship between neuroactive hormones and religious commitment. We hypothesised that religious commitment is mediated by neuropeptide Y and oxytocin. These neurohormones have a well-established role in general well-being, anxiety regulation, stress-resilience, social affiliation and spirituality. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Dec 18:1-11. Epub 2018 Dec 18.

Department of Psychiatry,Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research,Chandigarh,India.

Objective: To review the available literature on obsessive-compulsive symptom (OCS)/obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in patients with schizophrenia.MethodologyElectronic searches were carried out to locate studies reporting various aspects of OCS/OCD in patients with schizophrenia.

Results: Available evidence suggests that prevalence of OCS/OCD in patients with schizophrenia is much higher than prevalence in general population and it is seen in all the stages of schizophrenia, starting from at risk mental state to chronic/stabilisation/deficit phases. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Apr 4;31(2):93-99. Epub 2018 Dec 4.

3Institution of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychiatry,Karolinska Institutet, S-171 77Sweden.

Objective: Genetic and environmental factors interact in the development of major depressive disorder (MDD). While neurobiological correlates have only partially been elucidated, altered levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP)-like immunoreactivity (LI) in animal models and in the cerebrospinal fluid of depressed patients were reported, suggesting that CGRP may be involved in the pathophysiology and/or be a trait marker of MDD. However, changes in CGRP brain levels resulting from interactions between genetic and environmental risk factors and the response to antidepressant treatment have not been explored. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Apr 26;31(2):84-92. Epub 2018 Nov 26.

1Division of Neuropsychopharmacology, Department of Psychology,University of Tartu,Estonia.

Objective: Individual biological predispositions should play a role in risky driving behaviour. Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) and neuropeptide S receptor 1 (NPSR1) gene polymorphisms have been identified as markers of impulsivity, alcohol use and excessive risk-taking. We aimed to find out how this knowledge on neurobiology of impulsivity applies to drunk driving and traffic behaviour in general. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Apr 19;31(2):74-83. Epub 2018 Nov 19.

2ACSENT Laboratory,Department of Psychology,University of Cape Town,Cape Town,South Africa.

Objective: The aim of this paper was to provide a systematic review and update on the available longitudinal studies on the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on language, speech and communication development, as well as associated potential environmental confounders during the preschool period.

Methods: A literature search was restricted to English, full-text, peer-reviewed, longitudinal studies in from 1970 until present: PUBMed, Scopus, Web of Science {C-e Collection, Biological Abstracts, KCI-Kean Journal Database, Russian Science Citation Index, SciELO Citation Index, Zoological Rec-d}, Academic Search Premier (Africa-Wide Information, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO. Keywords included: prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE); speech or language or communication outcomes; neurocognitive or neurodevelopment or neurobehavioral or neurobehavioural; infant or baby or toddler or preschooler; longitudinal or follow-up. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Feb 8;31(1):46-51. Epub 2018 Nov 8.

Department of Pharmacology,Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology,Sahlgrenska Academy,University of Gothenburg,Gothenburg,Sweden.

Objective: Whereas long-term administration of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is effective for the treatment of anxiety disorders, acute administration of these drugs may exert a paradoxical anxiogenic effect. The aim of the present study was to explore the possible effect of an SSRI in situations of unconditioned or limited conditioned fear.

Methods: Male Sprague Dawley rats were administered a single dose of an SSRI, escitalopram, before acquisition or expression of context conditioned fear, where noise bursts were used as the unconditioned stimulus. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Feb 6;31(1):52-55. Epub 2018 Nov 6.

1Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Toulouse, Service universitaire de psychiatrie et psychologie médicale, Toulouse,France.

Objectives: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a safe and validated technique used to treat various psychiatric conditions. It triggers an artificially-induced seizure. This seizure is defined using several parameters such as the amount of energy, duration, frequency, pulse width and intensity. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Feb 5;31(1):36-45. Epub 2018 Nov 5.

4Division of Psychiatry,Haukeland University Hospital,Bergen,Norway.

Objective: Inverse relationships between the C-reactive protein (CRP) levels and cognitive performance in acute psychosis have been demonstrated. We aimed to investigate how the serum level and initial change of CRP in acutely admitted patients with psychosis was correlated with cognitive performance during a 6-months follow-up period.

Methods: The study is part of a pragmatic, randomised trial comparing four different second-generation antipsychotic drugs, and consists of 208 acute phase patients recruited at admittance for psychosis. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Feb 12;31(1):56-58. Epub 2018 Oct 12.

2Faculty of Social and Political Sciences,University of Peloponnese,Peloponnese,Greece.

Recently the Norwegian Health Minister ordered the creation of medication-free treatment wards as a result of the lobbying by patients' groups and activists. The idea behind this is that patients should have the right to choose their treatment, but for the first time, with this arrangement, the user/patient does not choose between treatment options; he literally determines by himself what efficacious treatment is. In our opinion this is another step towards a 'reverse stigma' which denies patients the right to be considered as such and eventually kicks them out of the health care system, deprives them of the right for proper treatment and care and instead puts them at the jurisdiction of the much cheaper and ineffective social services. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Feb 18;31(1):27-35. Epub 2018 Sep 18.

3Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization Inc.,Princeton,NJ,USA.

Objective: To evaluate brexpiprazole adjunctive to antidepressant therapies (ADTs) as maintenance treatment in patients with major depressive disorder with inadequate response to ADT, utilising a novel study design.

Methods: The study comprised an 8-week prospective treatment period with open-label ADT with double-blind placebo treatment and a 24-week randomised treatment period. Investigators and patients were blinded to treatment periods, randomisation criteria, and timing of randomisation. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Dec 22;30(6):350-358. Epub 2018 Aug 22.

1Department of Psychiatry,Teikyo University Chiba Medical Center,Ichihara,Japan.

Objective: Our recent single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) study of patients with late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) revealed that regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was reduced in the frontal, temporal, and limbic lobes, and to a lesser degree in the parietal and occipital lobes. Moreover, these patients' scores on the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog) were significantly correlated with rCBF in some gyri of the frontal, parietal, and limbic lobes. Our present study aimed to understand how vascular factors and metabolic disease influenced the relationship between rCBF and ADAS-cog scores. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Feb 6;31(1):17-26. Epub 2018 Aug 6.

1Center of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience,Aarhus University Hospital,Aarhus, Denmark.

Objective: Prior studies suggest that a dysregulation of the inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is involved in the pathophysiology of major depression. We aimed to elucidate changes in cortical GABA content in relation to depression and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS).

Methods: In total, 11 patients with major depression or depressive episode of bipolar disorder (mean pre-ECT Ham-17 of 26) and 11 healthy subjects were recruited. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Dec 30;30(6):359-364. Epub 2018 Jul 30.

1Department of Biomedical Sciences,Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (CAPRI),University of Antwerp,Antwerpen,Belgium.

Objective: To explore the correlations between observer ratings and instrumental parameters across domains of psychomotor functioning in depression.

Method: In total, 73 patients with major depressive disorder underwent extensive psychomotor and clinical testing. Psychomotor functioning was assessed with (i) an observer-rated scale (the CORE measure) and also objectively with (ii) 24-h actigraphy, and (iii) a fine motor drawing task. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 10 19;30(5):266-274. Epub 2018 Jul 19.

Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology,Sahlgrenska Academy,University of Gothenburg,Gothenburg,Sweden.

Funded by the Danish state to provide guidance in health-related matters, the Copenhagen Trial Unit (CTU) at Rigshospitalet may cause considerable societal harm if allowing their analyses to be influenced by bias and prejudice rather than rigor and impartiality. This is why we found it worthwhile to comment on a report from the CTU in which the authors invoked analyses marred by numerous errors and methodological mistakes to claim that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are harmful and ineffective. The CTU group has now produced a response to our comment which is on par with their original contribution in terms of bias, misconceptions and mistakes. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Dec 16;30(6):334-341. Epub 2018 Jul 16.

4Deakin University,School of Medicine,IMPACT Strategic Research Centre,Barwon Health,Geelong,Australia.

Objective: This study aimed to explore effects of adjunctive treatment with N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) on markers of inflammation and neurogenesis in bipolar depression.

Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a placebo-controlled randomised trial. Serum samples were collected at baseline, week 8, and week 32 of the open-label and maintenance phases of the clinical trial to determine changes in interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), C-reactive protein (CRP) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) following adjunctive NAC treatment, and to explore mediation and moderator effects of the listed markers. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 06;30(3):125-126

Psychiatric Research Unit,Psychiatric Centre North Zealand,Hillerød,Denmark.

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Dec 18;30(6):323-333. Epub 2018 Jun 18.

4INSERM 930 & Department of Neurosciences,Université François-Rabelais de Tours,France.

IntroductionLack of good animal models for affective disorders, including major depression and bipolar disorder, is noted as a major bottleneck in attempts to study these disorders and develop better treatments. We suggest that an important approach that can help in the development and use of better models is attention to variability between model animals. RESULTS: Differences between mice strains were studied for some decades now, and sex differences get more attention than in the past. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Dec 8;30(6):342-349. Epub 2018 Jun 8.

1Psychiatric Centre Copenhagen,Rigshospitalet,University Hospital of Copenhagen Blegdamsvej,Copenhagen,Denmark.

Background: Erythropoietin (EPO) has been suggested to improve metabolism and also cognition, but human studies are scarce. This randomised controlled trial aimed to investigate whether EPO treatment influences body composition and fat and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and fasting glucose, and whether these changes would be associated with previous observed cognitive benefits of EPO.

Method: In total, 84 non-obese patients with treatment-resistant unipolar depression or bipolar disorder in remission were randomised to 8 weekly EPO (40,000 IU) or saline (NaCl 0. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2019 Feb 16;31(1):1-16. Epub 2018 May 16.

3Department of Pharmacology,School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto,University of São Paulo,Ribeirão Preto,Brazil.

Cannabinoid signalling modulates several aspects of brain function, including the generation and survival of neurons during embryonic and adult periods. The present review intended to summarise evidence supporting a role for the endocannabinoid system on the control of neurogenesis and neurogenesis-dependent functions. Studies reporting participation of cannabinoids on the regulation of any step of neurogenesis and the effects of cannabinoid compounds on animal models possessing neurogenesis-dependent features were selected from Medline. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 May;30(s1):1-23

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Aug 22;30(4):226-231. Epub 2018 Mar 22.

1Department of Developmental Paediatrics,Department of Paediatrics and Child Health,University of Cape Town,Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital,Cape Town,South Africa.

Objective: To describe the quality of life (QOL) of South African parents caring for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as compared with parents of typically developing (TD) children from the same community.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was done evaluating the QOL of parents of 52 children (26 parents of children with ASD versus 26 parents of TD children) using a structured measure, (World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment-BREF).

Results: The mean age of the children with ASD was 64. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Aug 22;30(4):232-240. Epub 2018 Mar 22.

1Department of Psychiatry,Graduate School of Medicine,Nagoya University,Showa-ku,Nagoya,Aichi,Japan.

Objective: Recent studies based on the neuroimaging analysis, genomic analysis and transcriptome analysis of the postmortem brain suggest that the pathogenesis of schizophrenia is related to myelin-oligodendrocyte abnormalities. However, no serious neuropathological investigation of this protein in the schizophrenic brain has yet been performed. In this study, to confirm the change in neuropathological findings due to the pathogenesis of this disease, we observed the expression of myelin-oligodendrocyte directly in the brain tissue of schizophrenia patients. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Aug 21;30(4):218-225. Epub 2018 Mar 21.

1WISER Program,Department of Psychiatry,National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS),Bangalore,India.

Objective: Recent observations demonstrate a significant ameliorative effect of add-on transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) in schizophrenia. Of the many SNPs, NRG1 rs35753505 and catechol-o-methyl transferase (COMT) rs4680 polymorphisms have shown to have a strong association with neuroplasticity effect in schizophrenia.

Methods: Schizophrenia patients (n=32) with treatment resistant auditory hallucinations were administered with an add-on tDCS. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Aug 21;30(4):192-202. Epub 2018 Mar 21.

1Laboratory of Neural Plasticity,Center for Neuroscience,University of Copenhagen,Copenhagen,Denmark.

Objective: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is regularly used to treat patients with severe major depression, but the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects remain uncertain. Electroconvulsive stimulation (ECS) regulates diverse neurotransmitter systems and induces anticonvulsant effects, properties implicated in mediating therapeutic effects of ECT. Somatostatin (SST) is a candidate for mediating these effects because it is upregulated by ECS and exerts seizure-suppressant effects. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Aug 13;30(4):209-217. Epub 2018 Mar 13.

2National Centre for Register-Based Research,Aarhus University,Aarhus,Denmark.

Objective: Prior studies have indicated that both high and low school grades are associated with development of bipolar disorder (BD), but these studies have not adjusted for parental history of mental disorder, which is a likely confounder. Furthermore, the association between school grades and bipolar I disorder (BD-I) has not been studied. Therefore, we aimed to study the association between school exam grades and subsequent development of BD and BD-I while adjusting for parental history of mental disorder. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Aug 4;30(4):203-208. Epub 2018 Mar 4.

7Psychosis Research Unit,Department of Clinical Medicine,Aarhus University Hospital,Aarhus,Denmark.

Objectives: According to a recent study, ratings on the Psychotic Depression Assessment Scale (PDAS) obtained via a dedicated semi-structured interview are valid measures of the severity of psychotic depression. This study aimed to further test the validity, scalability and responsiveness of the PDAS in older adults using independent ratings on the Clinical Global Impression Scale - Severity (CGI-S) and the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) as references.

Methods: Ratings were performed at admission and discharge at two old age psychiatric wards in Flanders, Belgium. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 10 21;30(5):251-265. Epub 2018 Feb 21.

1The Copenhagen Trial Unit,Centre for Clinical Intervention Research,Copenhagen,Denmark.

Our systematic review in BMC Psychiatry concluded that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) compared with placebo significantly increase the risk of serious adverse events (SAEs) in patients with major depression and the potential beneficial effects of SSRIs seem to be outweighed by the harms. Hieronymus et al. accused us of methodological inaccuracies and blatant errors. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Aug 7;30(4):187-191. Epub 2018 Feb 7.

1Psychiatric Research Unit,Psychiatric Centre North Zealand,Copenhagen University Hospital,Hillerød,Denmark.

Objective: A restricted Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS-6) with the six schizophrenia specific items from the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) has been investigated. These six items from the PANSS have recently been found to have both clinical validity and 'unidimensionality' in measuring the severity of schizophrenic states. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical validity of the BPRS-6. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Dec 1;30(6):307-322. Epub 2018 Feb 1.

2Department of Pharmacology,Biological Section Building,Federal University of Paraná,Curitiba,Paraná,Brazil.

Objective: Although monoaminergic-targeted drugs have prompted great advances in the development of treatments for depression, the need for new options persists, since these drugs still have a delayed clinical effect and most patients do not respond properly to them. Recently, the observation of the antidepressant effects of ketamine brought on a new wave of studies regarding the comprehension of the neurobiology of depression and the development of new and more effective antidepressant drugs.

Methods: Thus, in this paper, we present a historical review of the development of monoaminergic antidepressant drugs and the role of ketamine as the introductory agent of a new era in the research of the neurobiology of depression. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Jun 9;30(3):168-174. Epub 2018 Jan 9.

1Faculty of Medicine and Life Sciences,University of Tampere,Tampere,Finland.

Objective: We investigated the separate effects of and possible interactions between the functional polymorphisms of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) rs11030101, BDNF rs61888800, and neuregulin-1 (NRG1) rs3924999 and NRG1 rs6994992 on change of temperament scores in a clinical sample of subjects with major depression (MDD), who received selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment for a period of 6 weeks.

Methods: The study population consisted of 98 Finnish individuals with MDD. They were assessed by the 107-item Temperament and Character Inventory temperament questionnaire (version IX) and the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Oct 7;30(5):297-305. Epub 2017 Dec 7.

2Department of Psychiatry,Massachusetts General Hospital,Boston,MA,USA.

Objective: Immunological theories, particularly the sickness syndrome theory, may explain psychopathology in mood disorders. However, no clinical trials have investigated the association between overall immune system markers with a wide range of specific symptoms including potential gender differences.

Methods: We included two similar clinical trials, the lithium treatment moderate-dose use study and clinical and health outcomes initiatives in comparative effectiveness for bipolar disorder study, enrolling 765 participants with bipolar disorder. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Jun 7;30(3):148-157. Epub 2017 Dec 7.

1Department of Clinical Neuroscience,Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology,Sahlgrenska Academy,University of Gothenburg,Gothenburg,Sweden.

Objective: The monoaminergic stabiliser (-)-OSU6162 has in previous studies shown promising effects on mental fatigue after stroke and traumatic brain injury. This study investigated the safety and effectiveness of (-)-OSU6162 in patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome.

Methods: A total of 62 patients were randomly assigned to placebo or (-)-OSU6162. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Apr 6;30(2):106-110. Epub 2017 Dec 6.

3Genokey,ScionDTU,Technical University of Denmark,Hoersholm,Denmark.

Objectives: Combinations of genetic variants are the basis for polygenic disorders. We examined combinations of SNP genotypes taken from the 446 729 SNPs in The Wellcome Trust Case Control Study of bipolar patients.

Methods: Parallel computing by graphics processing units, cloud computing, and data mining tools were used to scan The Wellcome Trust data set for combinations. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Jun 5;30(3):181-186. Epub 2017 Dec 5.

1Department of Biomedical Sciences,University of Prince Edward Island,Canada.

Objective: Stroke patients often suffer from delayed disturbances of mood and cognition. In rodents, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) is involved in both higher order cognition and emotion. Our objective was to determine if bilateral focal ischaemic lesions restricted to the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) could be used to model post-stroke anxiety and/or cognitive deficits. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Jun 5;30(3):158-167. Epub 2017 Dec 5.

1Department of Physiological Sciences,Center of Biological Sciences,Federal University of Santa Catarina - UFSC,Campus Trindade,88040-900 Florianópolis,SC,Brazil.

Objective: The aims of this study were to replicate previously published experiments and to modify the protocol to detect the effects of chronic antidepressant treatment in mice.

Methods: Male Swiss mice (n=6-8/group) housed in reversed light/dark cycle were randomly assigned into receive vehicle (10% sucrose), sub-effective doses (1 and 3 mg/kg) or effective doses (10 and 30 mg/kg) of bupropion, desipramine, and fluoxetine and a candidate antidepressant, sodium butyrate (1-30 mg/kg) per gavage (p.o. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2018 Apr 29;30(2):97-105. Epub 2017 Nov 29.

13Department of Psychiatry,School of Medicine,Aristotle University of Thessaloniki,Thessaloniki,Greece.

Objective: Neurological soft signs (NSS) are a group of minor non-localisable neurological abnormalities found more often in patients with schizophrenia. The aim of the current study was to test for the effect of gender, age, parental age, age at onset and clinical symptomatology on NSS.Material and methodsThe study sample included 133 patients suffering from schizophrenia according to DSM-IV-TR (77 males and 56 females; aged 33. Read More

Acta Neuropsychiatr 2017 Dec;29(6):330-336

3Department of Neuroscience and Physiology,SUNY Upstate Medical University,Syracuse,NY,USA.

Objective: To investigate whether specific symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) can help identify ADHD patients with mind wandering.

Methods: Subjects were adults ages 18-55 of both sexes (n=41) who completed the Mind-Wandering Questionnaire (MWQ) and the ADHD module of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children Epidemiologic Version. We used Spearman's rank correlation and Pearson's χ2 analyses to examine associations between the ADHD module and the MWQ and receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analyses to evaluate the diagnostic efficiency of the ADHD module. Read More