Limited Prosocial Emotions in a Clinical Population of Children and Adolescents: Proposal for Core and Ancillary Characteristics.

OBJECTIVE: Limited prosocial emotions (LPE) has been recently incorporated into international classifications as a specifier for conduct disorder in the DSM-5 and for all disruptive behavioural disorders in the ICD-11. The aims of the current work were to determine (a) the accuracy of each of the characteristics used to assess the LPE specifier and (b) whether the manner in which symptoms group together supports the idea of LPE having core characteristics. METHOD: Trained clinicians conducted interviews and determined LPE characteristics using responses from 74 parent/guardian and child/adolescent participants. RESULTS: The distribution of LPE characteristics among those participants with LPE (n = 13) was compared to those with only one LPE characteristic (n = 11). The proposal of callous lack of empathy (CLE) and shallow deficient affect (SDA) as core characteristics was supported by strong associations with the presence of the LPE specifier, larger specificity, and sensitivity indices than those for unconcerned about performance and lack of remorse or guilt, as well as by a robust aggregation in a latent class analysis. CONCLUSIONS: CLE and SDA could be considered as core characteristics of LPE in children and adolescents.

Increased hippocampal, thalamus and amygdala volume in long-term lithium-treated bipolar I disorder patients compared with unmedicated patients and healthy subjects.

OBJECTIVE: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies in bipolar I disorder (BD-I) suggest that lithium is associated with increased volumes of cortico-limbic structures. However, more rigorous control of confounding factors is needed to obtain further support for this hypothesis. The aim of the present study was to assess differences in brain volumes among long-term lithium-treated BD-I patients, unmedicated BD-I patients, and healthy controls. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study with 32 euthymic BD-I patients (16 on lithium monotherapy for a mean of 180 months, and 16 receiving no medication for at least the 2 months prior to the study) and 20 healthy controls. Patients were euthymic (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale [HDRS] <6 and Young Mania Rating Scale [YMRS] <7) and had not taken psychotropic medications other than lithium for at least 6 months. Brain images were acquired on a 1.5 Tesla MRI (Phillips, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and segmented to generate volumetric measures of cortical and subcortical brain areas, ventricles and global brain. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in the volumes of the left amygdala (P=.0003), right amygdala (P=.030), left hippocampus (P=.022), left thalamus (P=.022), and right thalamus (P=.019) in long-term lithium-treated BD-I patients, compared to unmedicated patients and controls, after multivariable adjustment. No differences were observed in global brain volume or in ventricular size among the three groups. Likewise, there was no correlation between serum lithium levels and the increase in size in the described brain areas. CONCLUSIONS: The structural differences found among the three groups, and specifically those between long-term lithium-treated and unmedicated BD-I patients, indicate increased limbic structure volumes in lithium-treated patients.

Ancestry component as a major predictor of lithium response in the treatment of bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND: Bipolar Disorder (BD) represents the seventh major cause of disability life-years-adjusted. Lithium remains as a first-line treatment, but clinical improvement occurs only in 30 % of treated patients. Studies suggest that genetics plays a major role in shaping the individual response of BD patients to lithium. METHODS: We used machine-learning techniques (Advance Recursive Partitioned Analysis, ARPA) to build a personalized prediction framework of BD lithium response using biological, clinical, and demographical data. Using the Alda scale, we classified 172 BD I-II patients as responders or non-responders to lithium treatment. ARPA methods were used to build individual prediction frameworks and to define variable importance. Two predictive models were evaluated: 1) demographic and clinical data, and 2) demographic, clinical and ancestry data. Model performance was assessed using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: The predictive model including ancestry yield the best performance (sensibility = 84.6 %, specificity = 93.8 % and AUC = 89.2 %) compared to the model without ancestry (sensibility = 50 %, Specificity = 94.5 %, and AUC = 72.2 %). This ancestry component best predicted lithium individual response. Clinical variables such as disease duration, the number of depressive episodes, the total number of affective episodes, and the number of manic episodes were also important predictors. CONCLUSION: Ancestry component is a major predictor and significantly improves the definition of individual Lithium response in BD patients. We provide classification trees with potential bench application in the clinical setting. While this prediction framework might be applied in specific populations, the used methodology might be of general use in precision and translational medicine.

Age and sex differences in the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and coping mechanisms in Latin American youth.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has had negative effects on mental health. Understanding sex and age differences in the perception of stressors, the use of coping strategies, and the prevalence of depression and anxiety can lead to detecting at-risk groups. METHODS: A cross-sectional online study surveyed perceived stressors, coping strategies, and the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 rating scales for symptoms of depression and anxiety. The study was open from Spring 2020 to Spring 2021 and was aimed at children, adolescents and young adults of Latin America. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 3965 participants (63.8% females). The sample was divided into children (N = 621, 15.7%), adolescents (N = 1123, 28.3%) and young adults (N = 2021, 56%). Moderate to severe symptoms of depression and anxiety were found in 43.53% and 27%, respectively, being more frequent in females. Children of both sexes showed the lowest scores in rating scales. Adult females reported a higher level of stress in regards to pandemic news, having someone close diagnosed with COVID-19,the possibility of getting sick, academic delays, economic impact, and depression, while female adolescents reported a higher level of stress regarding the lockdown, losing contact with peers and anxiety. In juxtaposition, females also reported a higher frequency of positive coping strategies. A multivariate analysis confirmed the association of several variables with the presence of depression and anxiety. CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of depression and anxiety was found among young people. Specific intervention programs must be created taking into account age and sex differences.

Distinct and shared contributions of diagnosis and symptom domains to cognitive performance in severe mental illness in the Paisa population: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Severe mental illness diagnoses have overlapping symptomatology and shared genetic risk, motivating cross-diagnostic investigations of disease-relevant quantitative measures. We analysed relationships between neurocognitive performance, symptom domains, and diagnoses in a large sample of people with severe mental illness not ascertained for a specific diagnosis (cases), and people without mental illness (controls) from a single, homogeneous population. METHODS: In this case-control study, cases with severe mental illness were ascertained through electronic medical records at Clínica San Juan de Dios de Manizales (Manizales, Caldas, Colombia) and the Hospital Universitario San Vicente Fundación (Medellín, Antioquía, Colombia). Participants were assessed for speed and accuracy using the Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery (CNB). Cases had structured interview-based diagnoses of schizophrenia, bipolar 1, bipolar 2, or major depressive disorder. Linear mixed models, using CNB tests as repeated measures, modelled neurocognition as a function of diagnosis, sex, and all interactions. Follow-up analyses in cases included symptom factor scores obtained from exploratory factor analysis of symptom data as main effects. FINDINGS: Between Oct 1, 2017, and Nov 1, 2019, 2406 participants (1689 cases [schizophrenia n=160; bipolar 1 disorder n=519; bipolar 2 disorder n=204; and major depressive disorder n=806] and 717 controls; mean age 39 years (SD 14); and 1533 female) were assessed. Participants with bipolar 1 disorder and schizophrenia had similar impairments in accuracy and speed across cognitive domains. Participants with bipolar 2 disorder and major depressive disorder performed similarly to controls, with subtle deficits in executive and social cognition. A three-factor model (psychosis, mania, and depression) best represented symptom data. Controlling for diagnosis, premorbid IQ, and disease severity, high lifetime psychosis scores were associated with reduced accuracy and speed across cognitive domains, whereas high depression scores were associated with increased social cognition accuracy. INTERPRETATION: Cross-diagnostic investigations showed that neurocognitive function in severe mental illness is characterised by two distinct profiles (bipolar 1 disorder and schizophrenia, and bipolar 2 disorder and major depressive disorder), and is associated with specific symptom domains. These results suggest the utility of this design for elucidating severe mental illness causes and trajectories. FUNDING: US National Institute of Mental Health.

Meta-analysis of genome-wide linkage scans of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Genetic contribution to the development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is well established. Seven independent genome-wide linkage scans have been performed to map loci that increase the risk for ADHD. Although significant linkage signals were identified in some of the studies, there has been limited replications between the various independent datasets. The current study gathered the results from all seven of the ADHD linkage scans and performed a Genome Scan Meta Analysis (GSMA) to identify the genomic region with most consistent linkage evidence across the studies. Genome-wide significant linkage (P(SR) = 0.00034, P(OR) = 0.04) was identified on chromosome 16 between 64 and 83 Mb. In addition there are nine other genomic regions from the GSMA showing nominal or suggestive evidence of linkage. All these linkage results may be informative and focus the search for novel ADHD susceptibility genes.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and comorbid disruptive behavior disorders: evidence of pleiotropy and new susceptibility loci.

BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) comorbid with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) or conduct disorder (CD) and substance abuse/dependence seems to represent a specific subset within the phenotypic ADHD spectrum. METHODS: We applied complex segregation and linkage analyses in a set of multigenerational families densely segregating ADHD comorbid with ODD, CD, alcohol abuse/dependence, and nicotine dependence. RESULTS: Our data suggest that ADHD cosegregates with disruptive behaviors as a unique, phenotypically variable trait as evidenced by highly significant pair-wise linkages among: ADHD and ODD (logarithm of odds [LOD]=14.19), ADHD and CD (LOD=5.34), ODD and CD (LOD=6.68), and CD and alcohol abuse/dependence (LOD=3.98). In addition to previously reported ADHD susceptibility loci, we found evidence of linkage for comorbid ADHD phenotypes to loci at 8q24, 2p21-22.3, 5p13.1-p13.3, 12p11.23-13.3, 8q15, and 14q21.1-22.2. These results were replicated with an affected status phenotype derived from latent class clusters. CONCLUSIONS: Patterns of cosegregation of ADHD with comorbidities can inform our understanding of the inheritance patterns not only of ADHD but also of disruptive behavioral disorders and alcohol abuse/dependence. Refining the comorbid ADHD phenotype by determining the cosegregation profile of specific comorbidities might be a powerful tool for defining significant regions of linkage.

[Expressed Emotions, Burden and Family Functioning in Schizophrenic and Bipolar I Patients of a Multimodal Intervention Program: PRISMA]. / Emociones expresadas, carga y funcionamiento familiar de pacientes con esquizofrenia y trastorno afectivo bipolar tipo I de un programa de intervención multimodal: PRISMA.

INTRODUCTION: Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are causes of major suffering in patients. Nevertheless, they also affect family and caregiver functioning. This is important because the participation and involvement of families and caregivers is essential to achieve an optimal treatment. OBJECTIVE: To describe the level of expressed emotions, burden, and family functioning of bipolar and schizophrenic patients and, to evaluate the efficacy of the multimodal intervention (MI) versus traditional intervention (TI) in family functioning and its perception by patients and caregivers. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A prospective, longitudinal, therapeutic-comparative study was conducted with 302 patients (104 schizophrenic and 198 bipolar patients) who were randomly assigned to a MI or TI groups of a multimodal intervention program PRISMA. MI group received care from psychiatry, general medicine, neuropsychology, family therapy, and occupational therapy. TI group received care from psychiatry and general medicine. Hamilton, Young and SANS, SAPS scales were applied to bipolar and schizophrenic patients, respectively. The EEAG, FEICS, FACES III and ECF were also applied at the initial and final time. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences in socio- demographic and clinical variables in schizophrenia vs bipolar group: 83% vs 32.2% were male, 37 vs 43 mean age, 96% vs 59% were single, 50% vs 20% unemployed, and 20% vs 40% had college studies. In addition, 2 vs 2.5 numbers of hospitalisations, 18 vs 16 mean age of substance abuse onset and, 55 vs 80 points in EEAG. There were no statistically significant differences in family scales after conducting a multivariate analysis on thr initial and final time in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study did not show changes in variables of burden and family functioning between bipolar and schizophrenic groups that were under TI vs MI.

[Impact of a Multimodal Intervention on the Psychological Profile of Schizophrenic and Bipolar I Patients: A Study of PRISMA Program]. / Efecto de una intervención multimodal en el perfil psicológico de pacientes con Esquizofrenia y TAB tipo I: Estudio del Programa PRISMA.

BACKGROUND: Bipolar Disorder (BD) and schizophrenia are included in the group of severe mental illness and are main causes of disability and morbidity in the local population due to the bio-psycho-social implications in patients. In the last 20 years or so, adjunctive psychological interventions been studied with the purpose of decreasing recurrences, stabilising the course of the disease, and improving the functionality in these patients. OBJECTIVE: To analyse the psychological effect of a multimodal intervention (MI) vs a traditional intervention (TI) program in BD I and schizophrenic patients. METHODS: A prospective, longitudinal, therapeutic-comparative study was conducted with 302 patients (104 schizophrenic and 198 bipolar patients) who were randomly assigned to the MI or TI groups of a multimodal intervention program PRISMA. The MI group received care from psychiatry, general medicine, neuropsychology, family therapy, and occupational therapy. The TI group received care from psychiatry and general medicine. The Hamilton and Young scales, and the Scales for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and Postive Symptoms (SAPS) were used on bipolar and schizophrenic patients, respectively. The scales AQ-12, TEMPS-A, FAST, Zuckerman sensation seeking scale, BIS-11, SAI-E and EEAG were applied to measure the psychological variables. The scales were performed before and after the interventions. The psychotherapy used in this study was cognitive behavioural therapy. RESULTS: There were statistically significant differences in socio-demographic and clinical variables in the schizophrenia and bipolar disorder group. There were no statistically significant differences in the psychological scales after conducting a multivariate analysis between the intervention groups and for both times (initial and final). CONCLUSION: This study did not show any changes in variables of psychological functioning variables between bipolar and schizophrenic groups, who were subjected to TI vs MI (who received cognitive behavioural therapy). Further studies are needed with other psychological interventions or other psychometric scales.

[Intermittent Explosive Disorder: A Controversial Diagnosis]. / Trastorno explosivo intermitente: un diagnóstico controversial.

INTRODUCTION: Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is aan externalizing externalising disorder characterized characterised by recurrent aggression episodes. Even though this disorder was described several decades ago, and it carries personal and social consequences, there is little in the medical scientific literature on this. bibliographic production about it is scanty. OBJECTIVE: To perform a conceptualization conceptualisation of this disorder, through the review and bibliometric analysis of the available scientific articles. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A search was performed in databases with the english English terms intermittent explosive disorder, impulse disorders control [MeSH], in combination with other terms. A bibliometric analysis in the GoPubMed® search engineer was also performed using all data obtained in the search. was also perfomed. DISCUSSION: IED prevalence ranges from 1.4% to 7%, it presents more frequently during middle adolescence, and with more noticeable repercussions in men males than in womenfemales. The psychopathological core of IED is the impulsive aggressive behaviour that presents in the form of «attacks¼ that occurs in response to a lower precipitating stimulus. Scientific publications about IED are few and relatively recent, and the vast majority is provided bycomes from the United States (56.56%), and headed by a single author. This fact highlights the need to replicate the findings described about the IED in order to demonstrate the validity and reliability of its diagnostic criteria. It is possible that doubts about the existence of a diagnosis lead have led to such a scant literature about the IED. CONCLUSIONS: Available studies about IED allow have allowed characterizing a group of subjects with episodes of impulsive aggression to be characterised, but this description requires replication in different latitudesneeds to be repeated in different areas.

[Comparison of Inflammatory Biomarkers Between Bipolar Disorder I Patients and Control Subjects]. / Comparación de biomarcadores inflamatorios en pacientes con trastorno afectivo bipolar tipo I y sujetos controles.

INTRODUCTION: Inflammatory changes have been described in different affective episodes, as well as in the euthymic phase of Bipolar I Disease. These changes have been proposed as possible peripheral markers of the disease. For this reason well-designed studies are needed to explore this hypothesis. OBJECTIVE: Quantify and compare the serum levels of interleukins (IL) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) in bipolar I patients and healthy subjects, including the comparison between the affective episodes of the disease. METHODS: Cross-sectional study including 41 bipolar I patients and 11 healthy control subjects. Serum levels of IL-1B, IL-RA, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, and TNF were measured during the euthymic, depressive, and manic phases and were compared with the serum levels of the healthy subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Manic phase patients had low education and high number of hospitalisations. Depressive phase patients showed high number of depressive episodes throughout life. No statistically significant differences were found in IL and TNF levels between bipolar I patients and healthy controls, or between the bipolar I subgroups (euthymic, manic and depressive states). An increase in the size of the sample is necessary in future studies, in order to enhance the statistical value of the results, and explore the inflammatory hypothesis of the bipolar disease.

[Neurocognitive Performance in Euthymic Bipolar I Patients With and Without History of Psychosis From a Multimodal Intervention Program: PRISMA]. / Desempeño neurocognitivo de pacientes con trastorno afectivo bipolar tipo I en eutimia con y sin antecedente de psicosis de un programa de intervención multimodal: PRISMA.

BACKGROUND: Patients with bipolar disorder type I (BDI) have an increased prevalence of psychotic symptoms, and these have been associated with higher cognitive impairment; however the issue has not been settled with the available evidence. OBJECTIVE: To determine if the history of psychotic symptoms in a Colombian sample with BDI is associated with greater cognitive impairment. METHODS: A case-control study was performed that included patients with BDI from the l PRISMA study. Of the 203 eligible subjects, 123 participants were included; 71 had a history of psychosis, and 52 did not. Cognitive function was characterised by neuropsychological tests that assessed intellectual coefficient, attention, executive function, verbal fluency, auditory and visual memory, and spatial location. RESULTS: No differences were found in most of the neuropsychological test results between the groups after adjusting for age, education, sex, duration of the disease, number of episodes, and use of benzodiazepines; however, there was differences in semantic FAS (P=.01), with a better performance in the group with a prior history of psychosis. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that there are no significant differences in the cognitive performance between patients with BDI in euthymic stage, with and without history of psychosis.

[Psychopathological Profiles of Offspring of Subjects with Bipolar Disorder]. / Perfiles psicopatológicos en los hijos de los sujetos con trastorno afectivo bipolar.

INTRODUCTION: Bipolar Disorder (BD) has a high heritability and is more prevalent in first-degree relatives with family history. This makes the bipolar offspring (BO) an ideal study group to evaluate the natural history and the prodromal symptoms of this disorder. The main psychopathological findings for this group in various studies are described in this review. METHODS: Articles comparing the psychopathology of bipolar offspring to either the offspring of other psychiatric patients or the offspring of healthy controls were reviewed. RESULTS: The reviewed studies showed that the BO group had higher rates of affective disorders when compared to the offspring of other psychiatric patients or the offspring of healthy controls. The high prevalence of anxiety disorders, ADHD, and disruptive behavior disorders in this population suggest that such disorders could be considered prodromes of mood disorders. CONCLUSIONS: The group of BO had a significantly higher risk of developing a wide range of psychiatric disorders besides BD. More longitudinal studies are needed to characterize this population at risk for BD and to elucidate the risk factors in the progression of this disorder.

Impact of a multimodal intervention on the psychological profile of schizophrenic and bipolar I patients: A study of PRISMA programme / Efecto de una intervención multimodal en el perfil psicológico de pacientes con Esquizofrenia y TAB tipo I: Estudio del Programa PRISMA

Abstract Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia are included in the group of severe mental illness and are main causes of disability and morbidity in the local population due to the bio-psycho-social implications in patients. In the last 20 years or so, adjunctive psychological interventions been studied with the purpose of decreasing recurrences, stablishing the course of the disease, and improving the functionality in these patients. Objective: To analyse the psychological effect of a multimodal intervention (MI) vs a traditional intervention (TI) programme in BD I and schizophrenic patients. Methods: A prospective, longitudinal, therapeutic-comparative study was conducted with 302 patients (104 schizophrenic and 198 bipolar patients) who were randomly assigned to the MI or TI groups of a multimodal intervention programme PRISMA. The MI group received care from psychiatry, general medicine, neuropsychology, family therapy, and occupational therapy. The TI group received care from psychiatry and general medicine. The Hamilton and Young scales, and the Scales for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and Positive Symptoms (SAPS) were used on bipolar and schizophrenic patients, respectively. The scales AQ-12, TEMPS-A, FAST, Zuckerman sensation seeking scale, BIS-11, SAI-E and EEAG were applied to measure the psychological variables. The scales were performed before and after the interventions. The psychotherapy used in this study was cognitive behavioural therapy. Results: There were statistically significant differences in socio-demographic and clinical variables in the schizophrenia and bipolar disorder group. There were no statistically significant differences in the psychological scales after conducting a multivariate analysis between the intervention groups and for both times (initial and final). Conclusion: This study did not show any changes in variables of psychological functioning variables between bipolar and schizophrenic groups, who were subjected to TI vs MI (who received cognitive behavioural therapy). Further studies are needed with other psychological interventions or other psychometric scales.

Resumen Introducción: El Trastorno Afectivo Bipolar (TAB) y la Esquizofrenia están incluidos dentro de las enfermedades mentales severas y hacen parte de las primeras causas de discapacidad y morbilidad en la población local debido al compromiso biopsicosocial en los pacientes. En las últimas décadas se han estudiado intervenciones psicológicas adjuntas con el fin de prevenir recurrencias, estabilizar el curso de la enfermedad o mejorar la funcionalidad de los pacientes con dichas patologías. Objetivo: Analizar el efecto psicológico de un programa de intervención multimodal (IM) vs la intervención tradicional en sujetos con TAB I y esquizofrenia. Metodología: Se realizó un estudio prospectivo, longitudinal, terapéutico-comparativo, con una muestra de 302 pacientes (104 pacientes con diagnóstico de esquizofrenia y 198 pacientes con TAB) que fueron asignados aleatoriamente a un grupo de IM o IT dentro de un Programa de Salud Mental con énfasis en reducción de la carga, el daño y el gasto social de la enfermedad mental PRISMA. Los pacientes asignados a la IM recibían atención por psiquiatría, medicina general, psicología, neuropsicología, terapia de familia y terapia ocupacional y, los pacientes asignados a IT recibían atención por psiquiatría y medicina general. Las escalas realizadas antes y después de las intervenciones fueron las escalas de Hamilton y Young y, las escalas SANS y SAPS, para pacientes bipolares y esquizofrénicos, respectivamente. Para evaluar las variables psicológicas se aplicaron las escalas AQ-12, TEMPS-A, FAST, Búsqueda de sensaciones de Zuckerman, BIS-11, SAI-E y EEAG. La psicoterapia usada en el componente de psicología fue la terapia cognitivo conductual. Resultados: Se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en las variables socio-demográficas y clínicas entre el grupo de pacientes con TAB y esquizofrenia. Luego de hacer un análisis multivariado MANCOVA, no se observaron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en los resultados entre el momento inicial y final en los grupos de pacientes TAB y esquizofrenia en ninguna de las escalas aplicadas. Conclusión: El presente estudio no evidenció un cambio a nivel psicológico en los pacientes con TAB y con esquizofrenia que estuvieron bajo IT vs IT (quienes recibieron terapia cognitivo conductual). Futuros estudios aplicando otras psicoterapias adjuntas y usando otras escalas psicométricas podrían ser considerados.

Expressed emotions, burden and family functioning in schizophrenic and bipolar I patients of a multimodal intervention programme: PRISMA / Emociones expresadas, carga y funcionamiento familiar de pacientes con esquizofrenia y trastorno afectivo bipolar tipo I de un programa de intervención multimodal: PRISMA

ABSTRACT Introduction: Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are causes of major suffering in patients. Nevertheless, they also affect family and caregiver functioning. This is important because the participation and involvement of families and caregivers is essential to achieve an optimal treatment. Objective: To describe the level of expressed emotions, burden, and family functioning of bipolar and schizophrenic patients and, to evaluate the efficacy of the multimodal inter vention (MI) versus traditional intervention (TI) in family functioning and its perception by patients and caregivers. Material and methods: A prospective, longitudinal, therapeutic-comparative study was con ducted with 302 patients (104 schizophrenic and 198 bipolar patients) who were randomly assigned to a MI or TI groups of a multimodal intervention programme PRISMA. MI group received care from psychiatry, general medicine, neuropsychology, family therapy, and occu pational therapy. TI group received care from psychiatry and general medicine. Hamilton, Young and SANS, SAPS scales were applied to bipolar and schizophrenic patients, respec tively. The EEAG, FEICS, FACES III and ECF were also applied at the initial and final time. Results: There were statistically significant differences in socio-demographic and clinical variables in schizophrenia vs bipolar group: 83% vs 32.2% were male, 37 vs 43 mean age, 96% vs 59% were single, 50% vs 20% unemployed, and 20% vs 40% had college studies. In addition, 2 vs 2.5 numbers of hospitalisations, 18 vs 16 mean age of substance abuse onset and, 55 vs 80 points in EEAG. There were no statistically significant differences in family scales after conducting a multivariate analysis on the initial and final time in both groups. Conclusions: This study did not show changes in variables of burden and family functioning between bipolar and schizophrenic groups that were under TI vs MI.

RESUMEN Introducción: El trastorno afectivo bipolar (TAB) y la esquizofrenia son causas importantes de sufrimiento para los pacientes y sus familias, pues se afectan su funcionamiento y su dinámica normal. Esto es importante, ya que la implicación de la familia es esencial para un tratamiento óptimo del paciente. Objetivo: Describir el nivel de emociones expresadas, la carga y el funcionamiento de las familias de los pacientes bipolares y esquizofrénicos y evaluar la eficacia de la intervención multimodal (IM) en comparación con la intervención tradicional (IT) en el funcionamiento familiar y en la percepción que de este tienen el paciente y sus cuidadores. Material y métodos: Se realizó un estudio prospectivo, longitudinal, terapéutico-comparativo, con una muestra de 302 pacientes (104 con diagnóstico de esquizofrenia y 198 con TAB) aleatorizados a un grupo de IM y otro de IT dentro de un programa de salud mental con énfasis en reducción de la carga, el daño y el gasto social de la enfermedad mental (PRISMA). Los pacientes asignados a la IM recibían atención por psiquiatría, medicina general, neuropsicología, terapia de familia y terapia ocupacional, y los pacientes asignados a IT recibían atención por psiquiatría y medicina general. Las escalas realizadas al inicio y al final de las intervenciones fueron las de Hamilton y Young, SANS y SAPS, para pacientes bipolares y esquizofrénicos respectivamente. A ambos grupos se aplicaron las escalas EEAG, FEICS, FACES III y ECF. Resultados: Se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en las variables sociodemográficas y clínicas entre los grupos de pacientes con TAB y con esquizofrenia. Tras hacer un análisis multivariable MANCOVA, no se observaron diferencias estadística mente significativas en los resultados entre los momentos inicial y final en los grupos de pacientes con TAB y con esquizofrenia según las escalas FEICS, FACES III y ECF. Conclusiones: Este estudio no evidencia un cambio en la carga y el funcionamiento familiar entre los grupos sometidos a IM y a IT de pacientes bipolares y esquizofrénicos.

Analysis of brain metabolism by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder suggests a generalized differential ontogenic pattern from controls.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common behavioral disorder of childhood. Preliminary studies with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) of the brain have reported differences in brain metabolite concentration-to-Cr ratios between individuals with ADHD and unaffected controls in several frontal brain regions including anterior cingulate cortex. Using multivoxel (1)H-MRS, we compared 14 individuals affected with ADHD to 20 individuals without ADHD from the same genetic isolate. After controlling by sex, age, and multiple testing, we found significant differences at the right posterior cingulate of the Glx/Cr ratio density distribution function between ADHD cases and controls (P < 0.05). Furthermore, we found several interactions of metabolite concentration-to-Cr ratio, age, and ADHD status: Ins/Cr and Glx/Cr ratios at the left posterior cingulate, and NAA/Cr at the splenius, right posterior cingulate, and at the left posterior cingulate. We also found a differential metabolite ratio interaction between ADHD cases and controls for Ins/Cr and NAA/Cr at the right striatum. These results show that: (1) NAA/Cr, Glx/Cr, and Ins/Cr ratios, as reported in other studies, exhibit significant differences between ADHD cases and controls; (2) differences of these metabolite ratios between ADHD cases and controls evolve in specific and recognizable patterns throughout age, a finding that replicates previous results obtained by structural MRI, where is demonstrated that brain ontogeny follows a different program in ADHD cases and controls; (3) Ins/Cr and NAA/Cr ratios, at the right striatum, interact in a differential way between ADHD cases and controls. As a whole, these results replicate previous 1H-MRS findings and add new intriguing differential metabolic and ontogeny patterns between ADHD cases and controls that warrant further pursue.

Trastorno explosivo intermitente: un diagnóstico controversial / Intermittent Explosive Disorder: A Controversial Diagnosis

Introducción: El trastorno explosivo intermitente (TEI) es un trastorno externalizante que se caracteriza por episodios recurrentes de agresividad. Aunque es un trastorno descrito desde hace varias décadas, y que ocasiona consecuencias personales y sociales, la producción bibliográfica sobre este tema es sorprendentemente escasa. Objetivo: Realizar una conceptualización sobre el TEI a partir de la revisión y el análisis bibliométrico de los artículos científicos disponibles. Material y métodos: Se realizó una búsqueda en las bases de datos con los términos en inglés intermittent explosive disorder, impulse control disorders [MeSH] en combinación con otros términos. Se realizó un análisis bibliométrico utilizando los datos obtenidos en el buscador GoPubMed®. Discusión: La prevalencia del TEI oscila entre el 1,4 y el 7%, con mayor frecuencia durante la adolescencia media, y con más repercusiones notorias en varones que en mujeres. El núcleo psicopatológico del TEI es la conducta agresiva impulsiva que se presenta en forma de «ataques¼ que ocurren en respuesta a un estímulo precipitante menor. Las publicaciones científicas sobre el TEI son pocas, relativamente recientes, y la mayoría de Estados Unidos (56,56%), en cabeza un solo autor. Este hecho resalta la necesidad de repetir los hallazgos descritos sobre el TEI para demostrar validez y confiabilidad de sus criterios diagnósticos. Es posible que las dudas sobre la existencia del diagnóstico estén conduciendo a que se publique tan escasamente sobre el TEI. Conclusiones: Los estudios disponibles sobre TEI permiten caracterizar un grupo de sujetos con episodios de agresividad impulsiva, pero esta descripción requiere que se repita en latitudes diferentes.

Introduction: Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is aan externalizing externalising disorder characterized characterised by recurrent aggression episodes. Even though this disorder was described several decades ago, and it carries personal and social consequences, there is little in the medical scientific literature on this. bibliographic production about it is scanty. Objective: To perform a conceptualization conceptualisation of this disorder, through the review and bibliometric analysis of the available scientific articles. Material and methods: A search was performed in databases with the english English terms intermittent explosive disorder, impulse disorders control [MeSH], in combination with other terms. A bibliometric analysis in the GoPubMed® search engineer was also performed using all data obtained in the search. was also perfomed. Discussion: IED prevalence ranges from 1.4% to 7%, it presents more frequently during middle adolescence, and with more noticeable repercussions in men males than in womenfemales. The psychopathological core of IED is the impulsive aggressive behaviour that presents in the form of «attacks¼ that occurs in response to a lower precipitating stimulus. Scientific publications about IED are few and relatively recent, and the vast majority is provided bycomes from the United States (56.56%), and headed by a single author. This fact highlights the need to replicate the findings described about the IED in order to demonstrate the validity and reliability of its diagnostic criteria. It is possible that doubts about the existence of a diagnosis lead have led to such a scant literature about the IED. Conclusions: Available studies about IED allow have allowed characterizing a group of subjects with episodes of impulsive aggression to be characterised, but this description requires replication in different latitudes needs to be repeated in different areas.

Desempeño neurocognitivo de pacientes con trastorno afectivo bipolar tipo I en eutimia con y sin antecedente de psicosis de un programa de intervención multimodal: PRISMA / Neurocognitive Performance in Euthymic Bipolar I Patients With and Without History of Psychosis From a Multimodal Intervention Program: PRISMA

Introducción: Los pacientes con trastorno afectivo bipolar tipo I (TBI) tienen alta prevalencia de síntomas psicóticos, los cuales se han relacionado con un mayor deterioro cognitivo. Sin embargo, en la literatura aún no hay total claridad sobre esto. Objetivo: Determinar si la historia de síntomas psicóticos en una muestra colombiana con TBI se asocia con mayor deterioro cognitivo. Métodos: Se llevó a cabo un estudio de casos y controles, en el que se incluyó a pacientes con TBI que pertenecían al estudio mayor PRISMA (Programa de Intervención Multimodal en Pacientes con Trastorno Afectivo Bipolar y Esquizofrenia). De 203 sujetos elegibles, se incluyó a 123, 71 con historia de psicosis y 52 sin este antecedente. Se caracterizó la función cognitiva de los participantes con pruebas neuropsicológicas para evaluar coeficiente intelectual, atención, función ejecutiva, fluidez verbal, memoria auditiva y visual y localización espacial, y se comparó el desempeño neurocognitivo entre los subgrupos de pacientes con y sin psicosis. Resultados: No se encontraron diferencias en el desempeño en la mayoría de las pruebas neurocognitivas evaluadas entre los grupos al ajustar por edad, escolaridad, sexo, duración de la enfermedad en años, número de episodios y utilización de benzodiacepinas. Sin embargo, se encontró diferencia en el FAS semántico (p = 0,01), con mejor desempeño en el grupo con antecedente de psicosis. Conclusiones: Los resultados indican que no hay diferencias significativas en el desempeño neurocognitivo entre los pacientes con TBI en eutimia con y sin antecedente de psicosis.

Background: Patients with bipolar disorder type I (BDI) have an increased prevalence of psychotic symptoms, and these have been associated with higher cognitive impairment; however the issue has not been settled with the available evidence. Objective: To determine if the history of psychotic symptoms in a Colombian sample with BDI is associated with greater cognitive impairment. Methods: A case-control study was performed that included patients with BDI from the l PRISMA study. Of the 203 eligible subjects, 123 participantswere included; 71 had a history of psychosis, and 52 did not. Cognitive function was characterised by neuropsychological tests that assessed intellectual coefficient, attention, executive function, verbal fluency, auditory and visual memory, and spatial location. Results: No differences were found in most of the neuropsychological test results between the groups after adjusting for age, education, sex, duration of the disease, number of episodes, and use of benzodiazepines; however, there was differences in semantic FAS (P=.01), with a better performance in the group with a prior history of psychosis. Conclusions: The results suggest that there are no significant differences in the cognitive performance between patients with BDI in euthymic stage, with and without history of psychosis.

Comparación de biomarcadores inflamatorios en pacientes con trastorno afectivo bipolar tipo I y sujetos controles / Comparison of Inflammatory Biomarkers Between Bipolar Disorder I Patients and Control Subjects

Introducción: En el trastorno afectivo bipolar tipo I (TABI) se han descrito cambios inflamatorios en los diferentes episodios afectivos y en la etapa de eutimia, propuestos como posibles marcadores periféricos del trastorno, razón por la cual son necesarios estudios con adecuados criterios de inclusión para explorar esta hipótesis. Objetivo: Cuantificar y comparar las concentraciones séricas de interleucinas (IL) y factor de necrosis tumoral (TNF) en pacientes con TABI y en sujetos controles, incluyendo un análisis de comparación según el estado afectivo. Métodos: Estudio transversal sobre 41 pacientes con TABI y 11 controles, en los que se determinaron concentraciones de IL-1B, IL-RA, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12 y TNF durante las fases de eutimia, depresión y manía, y se compararon con los de los sujetos controles. Resultados y conclusiones: El subgrupo de pacientes en manía tenía menor escolaridad y mayor número de hospitalizaciones, y el subgrupo de pacientes en depresión mostró mayor número de episodios depresivos a lo largo de la vida. No se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre las concentraciones de IL y TNF de sujetos con TABI y sujetos controles ni entre los diferentes subgrupos de TABI (eutimia, depresión y manía). Es necesario aumentar la muestra en estudios posteriores con el fin de mejorar el poder estadístico y explorar la hipótesis infamatoria del trastorno bipolar.

Introduction: Inflammatory changes have been described in different affective episodes, as well as in the euthymic phase of Bipolar I Disease. These changes have been proposed as possible peripheral markers of the disease. For this reason well-designed studies are needed to explore this hypothesis. Objective: Quantify and compare the serum levels of interleukins (IL) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) in bipolar I patients and healthy subjects, including the comparison between the affective episodes of the disease. Methods: Cross-sectional study including 41 bipolar I patients and 11 healthy control subjects. Serum levels of IL-1B, IL-RA, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, and TNF were measured during the euthymic, depressive, and manic phases and were compared with the serum levels of the healthy subjects. Conclusions: Manic phase patients had low education and high number of hospitalisations. Depressive phase patients showed high number of depressive episodes throughout life. No statistically significant differences were found in IL and TNF levels between bipolar I patients and healthy controls, or between the bipolar I subgroups (euthymic, manic and depressive states). An increase in the size of the sample is necessary in future studies, in order to enhance the statistical value of the results, and explore the inflammatory hypothesis of the bipolar disease.

Potential cognitive endophenotypes in multigenerational families: segregating ADHD from a genetic isolate.

Endophenotypes are neurobiological markers cosegregating and associated with illness. These biomarkers represent a promising strategy to dissect ADHD biological causes. This study was aimed at contrasting the genetics of neuropsychological tasks for intelligence, attention, memory, visual-motor skills, and executive function in children from multigenerational and extended pedigrees that cluster ADHD in a genetic isolate. In a sample of 288 children and adolescents, 194 (67.4%) ADHD affected and 94 (32.6%) unaffected, a battery of neuropsychological tests was utilized to assess the association between genetic transmission and the ADHD phenotype. We found significant differences between affected and unaffected children in the WISC block design, PIQ and FSIQ, continuous vigilance, and visual-motor skills, and these variables exhibited a significant heritability. Given the association between these neuropsychological variables and ADHD, and also the high genetic component underlying their transmission in the studied pedigrees, we suggest that these variables be considered as potential cognitive endophenotypes suitable as quantitative trait loci (QTLs) in future studies of linkage and association.