bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Reduced left frontal GABA in ultra-high risk of psychosis patients. 1H MRS study
Authors: Menshchikov P. , Akhadov T. , Semenova N. 
Published: June 2017

IntroductionSome previous findings indicate participation disturbance of balance between excitatory (GABA) and inhibitory (Glu) neurotransmitters in pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to evaluate GABA and GLX levels in the brain of medicated UHR subjects.ObjectivesTwenty-one (18–25 years, mean = 19.4, SD = 3.5) right-handed medicated UHR men and 26 (18–25 years, mean = 19.8, SD = 2.2) mentally healthy volunteers participated in this study. The patients were included in the UHR group in accordance with criteria of prodromal states.Methods1H MRS (MEGA-PRESS pulse sequence [Mescher, NMR Biomed 1998;11:266]) was used for GABA and GLX detection. Volumes of interest in size of 30 × 30 × 30 mm were placed in the left and right frontal lobes in the areas of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) (Fig. 1).ResultsThe main effects on the GABA/Cr (t[45] = 4.17, P < 0.01) (Fig. 2A) and GABA/GLX (t[45] = 2.84, P < 0.01) (Fig. 2B), were found in the left ACC (t[45] = 4.17, P < 0.01), with the patients having lower GABA/Cr and GABA/GLX ratios as compared to the control group. Also significant negative correlation (r = −0.49, P = 0.04) between GABA/Cr in the right ACC and the current daily dosage of antipsychotic medication in CPZ-Eq was found (Fig. 3).ConclusionThis study reveals for the first time a significant reduction of (GABA) (25%) and GABA/GLX ratio (20%) in left AC of UHR subjects. According to (de la Fuente-Sandoval, Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 2015;19[3]) and association of (GABA) with daily dosage of medication found, this reduction may be caused by the antipsichotic treatment.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Cannabis use decreases prefrontal glutamate levels in early psychosis
Authors: Rigucci S. , Xin L. , Klauser P. , Baumann P.S. , Alameda L. , Cleusix M. , Raoul J. , Ferrari C. , Pompili M. , Gruetter R. , Cuenod K. Do , Conus P. 
Published: June 2017

Recent evidences have consistently reported lower glutamate (Glu) levels in various brain regions, including the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), in chronic schizophrenia but findings in the early (EP) or in the prodromal phase of the disorder are equivocal. Although regular cannabis use has been associated with an increased risk of subsequent psychosis and with a perturbed Glu signalling, to date, the critical question of whether or not Glu abnormalities exist in EP and are related to cannabis use remains unanswered. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to measure [GlumPFC] of 35 EP subjects (18 of whom were regular cannabis users) and 33 healthy controls (HC). For correlative analysis, neuropsychological performances were scored by a comprehensive cognitive battery. [GlumPFC] was lower in EP users comparing to both HC and EP non-users (P = 0.001 and P = 0.01, respectively), while no differences were observed between HC and EP non-users. In EP users Glu declined with age (r = −0.46; P = 0.04) but this relationship was not observed in non-users. Among neuropsychological profiles, working memory was the only domain that differentiates patients depending on their cannabis use, with users having poorer performances. In summary, our research revealed that cannabis use in EP is associated with Glu decreased levels, which are normally not seen in the early phase of the disorder. This finding is in line with previous 1H-MRS studies in cannabis users without a psychotic disorder and sheds light for the role of cannabis use in the progression of the disease.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Serotonergic modulation of cognition; An acute challenge
Authors: Skandali N. , Rowe J. , Deakin J. , Robbins T. , Sahakian B. 
Published: June 2017

AbstractSerotonin is well known to affect the multifaceted construct of impulsivity. Lowering brain serotonin levels is shown to increase impulsive choice in delay-discounting tasks (1) but improves response inhibition in stop-signal paradigms. (2) Administration of the antidepressant citalopram in healthy people increases tendency to perform go choices in a Go/No-Go task independent of outcome valence (3). It is rather unclear thought how serotonergic neurotransmission affects several aspects of cognition. We administered a single dose of 20 mg escitalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, to 66 healthy participants, aged 18–45 years old, in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-groups study. Acute escitalopram administration had a beneficial effect on inhibitory control with reduced stop-signal reaction time observed in the treatment group. Participants made significantly more errors in a probabilistic learning task and had lower accuracy during the discrimination stage in an instrumental learning task thus indicating a learning impairment. More errors in the CANTAB intra-extra dimensional set shift task were also observed in the escitalopram-treated group. Our findings following acute administration of a clinically relevant dose of escitalopram show a dissociate role for serotonin in modulating cognition mediated by a potentially differential modulation of fronto-striatal loops.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Microstructural and metabolic disorders in CC of juvenile schizophrenia patients
Authors: Ublinskiy M. , Semenova N. , Akhadov T. , Melnikov I. , Kupriyanov D. , Lebedeva I. , Kaleda V. 
Published: June 2017

IntroductionThe aim of the study was to analyze the microstructural and metabolic features of the corpus callosum in recently onset schizophrenia.Objectives13 young (17–28 years old) male patients with recently onset schizophrenia (F20, ICD-10) and 15 sex and age matched mentally healthy subjects were examined.Methods3 T Philips Achieva scanner with 8-channel SENSE coil was used. DTI was conducted with EPI SENSE (TR = 9431 ms; TE = 70 ms). The values of diffusion coefficient (ADC), fractional anisotropy (FA), radial (RD) and parallel (PD) diffusivity were calculated using workstation Philips EBWS 2.6.3.4. Spectroscopic voxel (2 × 1 × 1 cm) was placed consequently in the corpus callosum genu and splenium. PRESS (TR/TE = 1500/40) was used.ResultsIn patients, increased ADC (P = 0.02) and RD (P = 0.008), decreased FA (P = 0.008) and NAA (P = 0.03) were found in the corpus callosum genu, No intergroup differences by PD, Cho, Cr, Glx were found in this area. Also, no statistically significant intergroup differences were observed for the DTI and MRS characteristics of the corpus callosum splenium.ConclusionsIt has been shown that RD increase is associated with demyelination process. So, an increase of RD in the present study could reflect demyelination in CC genu. Cells membranes abnormalities should lead to an increase of Cho which was not found. NAA reduction could be caused by reduction of axonal integrity. The latter process is considered to precede demyelination and not to be accompanied by PD rise. Thus, the present study revealed axonal integrity reduction and low demyelination in the genu of the corpus callosum in the early stages of schizophrenia.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
What make suicide depressions different from non-suicide ones: A diffusion tensor imaging study
Authors: Zhang H. , Jia Z. 
Published: June 2017

IntroductionDepression is a common psychiatric disorder affecting many people globally, and the worst outcome is suicide. But its neurobiology is hardly understood.ObjectivesTo use DTI to characterize abnormalities of white matter (WM) integrity in major depressive disorder patients with suicide attempts or suicidal ideation.AimsPresent study aimed to give a more complete profile for the association of cerebral WM abnormalities with suicidal behavior in major depressive disorder patients by quantifying the suicidal ideation and behavior severity.MethodsThirteen depressive patients with suicide attempts (SA), 14 depressive patients with suicidal ideation but no suicide attempts (SI), 13 depressive patients without suicidal ideation or suicide attempts (NSD) and 40 healthy controls (HC) received MRI scans on a 3 T magnet. Whole brain voxel-based analysis of FA based on DTI was performed among the four groups using a threshold of P < 0.05 with FWE correction. FA values were extracted by Marsbar software to quantify the changes.ResultsThe four groups had significant differences of FA in the in the left splenium of corpus callosum (peak Z = 5.36 at −14, −36, 22). Quantify comparison revealed that SA had significant decreased FA value than SI, NSD, and HC. There was no significant difference among the other three groups, although there was a trend that SI and NSD had lower FA values than HC in this region.ConclusionsDepression and suicide are associated with microstructure abnormalities of the white matter and patients with suicide attempts may have severe cerebral alteration.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
The effect of the mental health improvement programs in firefighters
Authors: Choi T.Y. , Kim J. , Lee J. , Chang S. , Jung S. 
Published: June 2017

ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the mental health improvement programs in Korean firefighters through cooperation with the urban fire station. And we assessed the firefighter's degree of traumatic events and psychopathologies including depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and insomnia.MethodsA mental health improvement program was provided to 502 firefighters working at Daegu, Gumi and Ulsan during 8-week period. The program included not only an evaluation and treatment of psychiatric symptoms through counseling but also a psychoeducation for mental health awareness. The validated Questionnaires to measure psychiatric symptoms were used; symptoms included depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and insomnia. Subjects were divided to two groups; PTSD high-risk group and non-high risk group. Psychopathological levels were compared before and after the program.ResultsPTSD high-risk group included 57 subjects (11.35%) and non-high risk group included 445 subjects (88.65%). Before the program, PTSD high-risk group showed higher depression, anxiety, insomnia scores statistically significant. Multiple logistic regression analysis with PTSD high-risk group as a dependent variable showed depression as a factor for firefighters to become PTSD high-risk group compared to those not depressed. Insomnia turned out to be another variant. The program resulted in significant decrease total scores of BDI and ISI for PTSD high-risk group.ConclusionsThe results on this study showed that higher levels of depression and insomnia especially influenced the manifestation of PTSD in firefighters. The evaluation and management of psychopathologies including depression, insomnia with traumatic events for firefighters can be helpful.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Perinatal dissociation during premature childbirth: A comparative study
Authors: Ellouze S. , Aloulou J. , Ben Thabet A. , Halouani N. , Gargouri A. , Amami O. 
Published: June 2017

Premature childbirth is sometimes perceived as a painful and traumatic experience, in which mothers can manifest dissociative symptoms. Our study aims to evaluate dissociative symptoms during premature childbirth compared with full-term delivery and to identify predictors of perinatal dissociation. We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study, including 97 mothers of premature infants who presented to the outpatient unit of neonatology at the UH Hedi Chaker of Sfax in Tunisia. For each mother, we collected sociodemographic and obstetric data. We used the peritraumatic dissociative experiences questionnaire (PDEQ) for screening dissociative symptoms during labor. We assessed severity of prematurity by the perinatal risk inventory (PERI). Responses were compared with a control group of 80 mothers of full-term infants. Average age of mothers was 30.2 years. Average gestational age was 32.82 weeks. Pregnancies were single (83.5%) or twins. 77.3% of mothers gave birth by caesarean section. Prematurity was unexpected by 56.7% of them. According to the PERI, 47.4% of newborns were considered as high-risk preterm infants (PERI ≥ 4). The average score of PDEQ was 16. The prevalence of perinatal dissociation for this sample (20.6%) was significantly higher compared with the control group (P = 0.014). It was also correlated to unexpected prematurity (P < 0.001) and a PERI score ≥ 4 (P = 0,023). Our results show that perinatal dissociation is more frequently occurring in preterm childbirth, especially when prematurity is severe and unexpected. Early interventions providing adequate information and support during delivery for mothers at risk of developing perinatal dissociation can alleviate such distress and prevent the development of subsequent post-traumatic stress disorder.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Is autonoetic recollection of threat in PTSD related to impaired inhibitory skills?
Authors: Tudorache A.C. , El-Hage W. , Tapia G. , Goutaudier N. , Kalenzaga S. , Jaafari N. , Clarys D. 
Published: June 2017

IntroductionIntrusive traumatic reminiscences are among the most distressing and salient characteristics of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Associated with involuntary onsets, emotional disturbances and consciousness-related impairments, such symptoms suggest that memory functioning could be impaired in PTSD. While there is a growing body of research on experimental assessments of memory in patients with PTSD, inconsistent results remain.ObjectiveUsing an experimental methodology, this study aims to measure memory in PTSD in consideration of central features of intrusive symptoms, especially emotional, inhibitory and consciousness-related memory impairments.Method34 patients diagnosed with PTSD were compared with 37 non-PTSD controls on an item-cued directed forgetting paradigm for emotional words combined with a remember/know recognition procedure.ResultsResults confirmed prior findings of an increased and peculiarly conscious recognition of trauma-related words in PTSD. Interestingly, our results showed that, despite general memory inhibitory deficits, PTSD patients, if requested, presented a preserved ability to inhibit this improved recollection of trauma-related words.ConclusionWhile our findings highlight a biased memory functioning in favour of threatening stimuli in PTSD, inhibitory deficits for such information was not reported to play a role on this effect. Conversely, it seems that instead of inhibitory deficits, patients presented a preferential treatment of threat concordant with vigilant-avoidant models of information processing. Focusing on memory impairment in treatment for PTSD appears of prime importance. Our findings regarding preserved inhibitory skills for threat memories in the disorder could be an interesting clue for therapeutic interventions on intrusive symptoms.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Decrease in antipsychotic and other psychotropic medication during 30 months of lifestyle intervention among outpatients with schizophrenia
Authors: Højlund M. , Elliott A.F. , Madsen N.J. , Viuff A.G. , Hjort P. , Munk-Jørgensen P. 
Published: June 2017

IntroductionPatients with schizophrenia have 3-fold higher mortality from lifestyle diseases, and a long-lasting exposure to antipsychotic medication may contribute to the development of somatic illnesses. Region of Central Jutland was inspired by European initiatives to establish a lifestyle intervention program in an attempt to reduce mortality among individuals with severe mental illness.ObjectivesTo investigate whether this intervention could possibly lower the need for antipsychotic treatment, and to provide a unique view of actual medication practice.AimsTo investigate the influence of a lifestyle intervention program on changes in antipsychotic medication and polypharmacy in an unselected cohort of patients with newly diagnosed schizophrenia.MethodsObservational study of outpatients participating in a program with individual consultations, group sessions and exercise groups.ResultsOne hundred and eleven patients were eligible for analysis. Fifty-four percent of the patients were subject to antipsychotic monotherapy. Median Defined Daily Dose (DDD) of antipsychotics was 1.3 at index (interquartile range [IQR] 0.67–2.00). Fifty-two percent of the patients experienced a decrease in DDD during the period with median change of −0.33 DDD (IQR −1.00 to 0.43). We found no significant difference in baseline variables or extend of participation between patients with decrease in doses and patients with increase (Fig. 1).ConclusionsMost patients decreased or stabilized their doses of antipsychotic medication during the study period. Half of the patients were subject to antipsychotic polypharmacy. Extend and type of participation in the lifestyle intervention program did not correlate to changes in dosing of antipsychotic medication.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.Fig. 1Change in total DDD from index to follow-up (111 patients).
Web search query data and prescription volumes of antidepressants
Authors: Gahr M. , Uzelac Z. , Zeiss R. , Connemann B.J. , Lang D. , Schönfeldt-Lecuona C. 
Published: June 2017

IntroductionPersons using the Internet generate large amounts of health-related data, which are increasingly used in modern health sciences.Objectives/aimsWe analysed the relation between annual prescription volumes (APV) of several antidepressants with marketing approval in Germany and corresponding web search query data generated in Google to test, if web search query volume may be a proxy for medical prescription practice.MethodsWe obtained APVs of several antidepressants related to corresponding prescriptions at the expense of the statutory health insurance in Germany from 2004–2013. Web search query data generated in Germany and related to defined search-terms (active substance or brand name) were obtained with Google Trends. We calculated correlations (Pearson's r) between the APVs of each substance and the respective annual “search share” values; coefficients of determination (R2) were computed to determine the amount of variability shared by the two variables.ResultsSignificant and strong correlations between substance-specific APVs and corresponding annual query volume were found for each substance during the observational interval: agomelatine (r = 0.968; R2 = 0.932; P = 0.01), bupropion (r = 0.962; R2 = 0.925; P = 0.01), citalopram (r = 0.970; R2 = 0.941; P = 0.01), escitalopram (r = 0.824; R2 = 0.682; P = 0.01), fluoxetine (r = 0.885; R2 = 0.783; P = 0.01), paroxetine (r = 0.801; R2 = 0.641; P = 0.01), and sertraline (r = 0.880; R2 = 0.689; P = 0.01).ConclusionsAlthough the used data did not allow to perform an analysis with a higher temporal resolution our results suggest that web search query volume may be a proxy for corresponding prescription behaviour. However, further studies analysing other pharmacologic agents and prescription data that facilitates an increased temporal resolution are needed to confirm this hypothesis.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Analysis of big data shows haloperidol with a decreased level of serum potassium
Authors: Noh J.S. , Park M.Y. , Lim K.Y. 
Published: June 2017

IntroductionHaloperidol has been used for the treatment of schizophrenic disorders and other disorders with psychotic symptoms in psychiatric cares. It has been reported that haloperidol can cause QT-prolongation as well as Torsades de Pointes, especially in hypokalemic condition. Here, we tested the usefulness of the large clinical electronic medical record system data from a hospital located in South Korea and further investigated any change in potassium levels before and after an exposure to haloperidol.MethodsThe dataset used in this study is derived from open access database with information such as admission, discharge, diagnosis, prescribed drugs and selected laboratory data for the period 1 June 1994 to 31 July 2013. This database contains information of total 461,170 patients with 4,920,758 prescriptions and 3,811,812 data about serum potassium levels.ResultsExtracting a dataset from this database to compare the levels of serum potassium before and after haloperidol usage, we selected 3661 cases of data, 2476 of them (67.6%) were males and 1185 (32.4%) were females. More than 98.5% (3606) was Asians, and mean age of the patients was 68.63 ± 17.3 years old. The levels of serum potassium before and after haloperidol usage were 4.93 ± 2.53 and 3.86 ± 0.6 mEq/L, respectively, and t-tests revealed that those levels were significantly different (< 0.001).ConclusionsFindings showed that an exposure to haloperidol could lead to a decrease in levels of serum potassium. We suggested that EMR data can be a valuable tool to investigate the effects of treatment on several clinical data.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
Description of anesthetic drugs used in hospital del Mar and their impacts on convulsion duration and blood pressure in electroconvulsive therapy
Authors: Angelats M. , Leila A. , David C. , Laia P. , Laura M. , Itziar E. , Adinson B. , Purificación S. , Víctor P. , Dani B. 
Published: June 2017

IntroductionThe electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment used for several psychiatric disorders. However, there are multiple enigmas about the mechanisms of action and factors that improve its results. Some frequent questions are if the anesthetic drug makes a difference in the time of convulsion and blood pressure.AimsOur principal aim is to describe the utilization of anesthetic drugs among the patients that are being treated with ECT in hospital del Mar. We also want to know the differences in the time of convulsion and systolic arterial pressure for every anesthetic drug (propofol, thiopental and etomidate).Material and methodsWe have used the database of ECT in hospital del Mar. It contains information like age, principal diagnosis, medical background and pharmacological treatment at the moment of starting ECTs; it also contains information of each individual ECT session as basal, 2 and 5 minutes arterial pressure; the anesthetic drug used, and convulsion duration.We made an analysis of general conditions of the population, the differences of convulsion time and arterial pressure between the three anesthetic drugs.ResultsPropofol was used in 1140 sessions, thiopental in 61 sessions and etomidate in 54 sessions. The differences in the means of convulsion times between propofol and etomidate are statistically significant (“P” value < 0.05). Etomidate or thiopental increases the difference of arterial pressure more than propofol.ConclusionsFurther research about the factors that improve convulsion duration and minimize adverse effects on blood pressure is needed.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.