Effects of sports therapy on improvement of menopausal symptoms, psychological status, and body morphology in perimenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to increase the treatment rate of perimenopausal women by providing evidence-based nonpharmaceutical treatments through developing scientific evidence-based sports therapy and verifying its effectiveness. METHODS: In a cross-over design, a total of 33 women were assigned to two different sequences of intervention: sports therapy and telephone intervention (n = 17) or telephone intervention and sports therapy (n = 16). A self-reported clinical symptom survey was conducted before and after the experimental and control periods using the following measures: the Menopause Rating Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire 9, and Patient Health Questionnaire 15. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the changes in the scores for Menopause Rating Scale total (exercise phase, 17.8 ± 5.5 at baseline [B] and 13.5 ± 4.2 at follow-up [F]; control phase, 15.9 ± 6.0 [B] and 15.4 ± 5.3 [F]; P < 0.01), somatic symptoms (exercise phase, 9.5 ± 2.6 [B] and 6.6 ± 2.0 [F]; control phase, 8.5 ± 2.8 [B] and 8.0 ± 1.3 [F], P < 0.01), and urogenital symptoms (exercise phase, 4.9 ± 1.7 [B] and 4.1 ± 1.4 [F]; control phase, 4.3 ± 1.6 [B] and 4.4 ± 1.5 [F]; P < 0.01) between the exercise and control phases. There were also significant differences in the changes in the scores for PHQ-9 (exercise phase, 4.6 ± 4.4 [B] and 3.6 ± 3.3 [F]; control phase, 4.5 ± 3.8 [B] and 5.5 ± 4.6 [F]; P = 0.008) and PHQ-15 (exercise phase, 7.2 ± 4.4 [B] and 5.5 ± 3.5 [F]; control phase, 6.8 ± 4.4 [B] and 7.2 ± 4.9 [F]; P = 0.009) between the two phases. CONCLUSIONS: Sports therapy would improve menopause symptoms, especially somatic and urogenital symptoms. In addition, sports therapy would improve depressive moods in perimenopausal women.

Efficacy of aripiprazole as adjunctive therapy in major depressive disorder with somatic symptoms: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with clinical and electroencephalography evidence.

BACKGROUND: Somatic symptoms, which are common in major depressive disorder (MDD), are associated with a worse prognosis and increased health costs. AIMS: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the efficacy of aripiprazole augmentation in MDD patients with somatic symptoms. METHODS: In all, 41 MDD patients with somatic symptoms completed the study. Participants who had been on a stable dose of antidepressants for at least 1 month were randomly assigned to receive an 8-week adjunctive treatment with either aripiprazole or placebo. The initiation dose of aripiprazole was 2 mg/day, which was later adjusted to 1-10 mg/day. The primary endpoint was the change in the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised-Somatization (SCL-90-R-SOM) score. We collected quantitative electroencephalogram data and performed spectral analyses to obtain the absolute power of frequency bands. RESULTS/OUTCOMES: The aripiprazole group (n = 20; 2.98 ± 1.75 mg/day) showed a significant improvement in SCL-90-R-SOM scores compared to the placebo group (n = 21; F = 8.56, p = 0.006), without significant differences in changes in depression and anxiety symptoms. Compared to the control, the aripiprazole group showed a greater decrease in total alpha power (F = 7.03, p = 0.01). Changes in frontal alpha power were positively correlated with changes in SCL-90-R-SOM scores in the aripiprazole group (r = 0.53, p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Aripiprazole adjunctive to antidepressants in patients with MDD and somatic symptoms improved somatic symptom severity without significant safety concerns, and this improvement correlated with a decrease in total and frontal alpha power.Trial Registration: https://cris.nih.go.kr; identifier: KCT0004607.

Different facial recognition patterns in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder assessed using a computerized emotional perception test and fMRI.

BACKGROUND: The emotional perception test is considered an effective tool in differentiating between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. We hypothesized that schizophrenic patients would show decreased emotional perception ability compared with bipolar patients and that the disrupted emotional perception ability would be associated with the disrupted functional connectivity within the fronto-temporal-occipital circuit. METHODS: In total, 55 schizophrenic patients, 54 bipolar patients, and 50 healthy participants were evaluated using a computerized assessment tool for facial emotion recognition, resting-state magnetic resonance imaging, and Korean versions of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). RESULTS: The emotional perception index (EPI) was higher in the schizophrenia group than in the bipolar and healthy control (lowest) groups. The PANSS total and YMRS scores positively correlated with the EPI in schizophrenia and bipolar patients. In healthy controls, EPI positively correlated with regional homogeneity (ReHo) within the left fusiform gyrus, left superior frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus, and right inferior temporal gyrus. In schizophrenic patients, EPI negatively correlated with ReHo within the frontal lobe and left fusiform gyrus. In bipolar patients, EPI positively correlated with ReHo within the left parietal lobe and negatively correlated with ReHo within both frontal lobes. LIMITATIONS: More specific definition of EPI should be suggested. Due to lack of cognitive function tests, cognitive functions might be biased throughout the analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Schizophrenic patients showed decreased emotion recognition abilities compared with bipolar patients. Further, schizophrenic patients showed less frontal cortex usage, while bipolar patients used the parietal lobe to compensate for facial emotion recognition.

Comparison of Psychological Status and Investment Style Between Bitcoin Investors and Share Investors.

Bitcoin has unique characteristics that have inspired people to invest in it as well as distinct drawbacks. With a rapid increase in Bitcoin prices in the short term, more investors enthusiastically began investing in it, raising concerns about a speculative bubble. This study investigated the multiple factors involved in the Bitcoin craze despite concerns about its shortcomings. In what concerns to personality traits and psychological states, online use patterns, and investment patterns, we first hypothesized that Bitcoin investors would show differences in multiple factors when compared to share investors. Based on our assumptions about these differences, we secondly hypothesized that investors' personality, psychological states, and investment patterns could predict whether they would invest in Bitcoin or shares. In total, 307 respondents completed the research protocol and were sorted into Bitcoin investors (n = 101), share investors (n = 102), and non-investors (n = 104). A self-report questionnaire on demographic data, online use patterns, investment patterns as well as the Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) scale, Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised-Short (TCI-RS), Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), trait anxiety part of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T), and the Korean version of the Canadian Problem Gambling Index (K-CPGI) were administered. The results of this study indicated that Bitcoin investments can be attributed to the interaction of multiple factors, among which personality, psychological states, and investment patterns are particularly important. Specifically, the investment pattern is the strongest predictive factor for Bitcoin investment. Bitcoin investors were distinct with regard to higher novelty seeking, higher gambling tendencies, and unique investment patterns. Thus, personality, psychological states, and investment patterns could explain the substantial investments in Bitcoin.

Associations of Temperament and Character with Coping Strategies among Office Workers.

OBJECTIVE: Coping can be defined as the reactions to harm or distress individuals take to reduce stress. This study aimed to determine how an individual's temperament and character is correlated with the person's main coping method. METHODS: The Korean version of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire and Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised-Short Version were used to evaluate the coping strategies and temperament and character of 1,035 people. Four hierarchical linear regression analyses with the scores of each coping strategy subscale as a dependent variable were performed. RESULTS: High persistence, cooperativeness, self-transcendence, and low harm avoidance were associated with using a problem-focused coping strategy. Being female, high novelty seeking, reward dependence, and self-transcendence were associated with using a supportseeking coping strategy. High novelty seeking, self-transcendence, and low self-directedness were associated with using emotion-focused coping strategy. Being female, high novelty seeking, persistence, cooperativeness, and self-transcendence were associated with using a hopeful-thinking coping strategy. CONCLUSION: Our results show that there may be specific personality features guiding what kind of coping strategy an individual might use in a given situation.

Comparison of Behavioral Changes and Brain Activity between Adolescents with Internet Gaming Disorder and Student Pro-Gamers.

While pro-gamers play according to defined living habits and planned schedules, adolescents with internet gaming disorder (IGD) exhibit irregular lifestyles and unregulated impulsive gaming behavior. Fourteen IGD adolescents and 12 pro-gaming students participated in this study. At baseline and after one year, demographic data, the Child Behavior Check List (CBCL), depressed mood, anxiety, and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging were assessed. Over the year, IGD adolescents played games as per their usual schedule, while pro-gamer students played according to their school's team schedule. After one year, the pro-gamers' scores had decreased in the CBCL-total (total problematic behaviors), CBCL-externalizing (under-controlled behavior, like impulsivity and aggression), and CBCL-internalizing (over-controlled behavior like depression and anxiety) compared to those of the IGD adolescents. Both groups displayed increased brain activity in the parietal lobe (a component of the attention network) over the years. Compared to pro-gamers, IGD adolescents showed higher brain activity within the left orbitofrontal cortex. Brain activity within the orbitofrontal cortex was associated with CBCL-externalizing scores. These results suggest that gaming had increased the attention network's brain activity, but a well-organized support system could lead to different results, in terms of improved behaviors and suppressing brain activity within the orbitofrontal cortex.

The Effects of a Serious Game on Depressive Symptoms and Anxiety in Breast Cancer Patients with Depression: A Pilot Study Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Objective: Depression is common in cancer patients. We investigated the effects of playing a serious game in breast cancer patients with mild to moderate depression using functional neuroimaging. Materials and Methods: Thirty-five participants were randomly assigned to the Game group and the Nongame group, and fifteen participants in each group completed the study protocol. Participants in the Game group were asked to play a serious game, "Hit the Cancer" (RAW HAND, Seoul, Korea), for at least 30 minutes/day, 5 days/week, for 3 weeks. Participants in the Nongame group received usual care. At baseline and follow-up, all participants were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory, Stress Response Inventory (SRI), and 3-Tesla resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. Changes in functional connectivity (FC) between the brain regions in the default mode network (DMN) and salience network (SN) were analyzed. Results: After the intervention, BDI and SRI scores in the Game group greatly decreased compared with those in the Nongame group. In addition, compared with the Nongame group, the Game group showed decreased postintervention FC between the right posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) of the DMN and right insula of the SN. The improvement in BDI and SRI scores correlated with the decrease in FC between the right PCC and right insula. Conclusion: Selective attention training and repetitive stimulation of the insula by serious game play might cause normalization of the FC between the SN and DMN, thus improving depressive mood.

Influence of Major Coping Strategies on Treatment Non-adherence and Severity of Comorbid Conditions in Hemodialysis Patients.

BACKGROUND: Non-adherence and comorbidities are prevalent among hemodialysis patients and are associated with increased mortality and financial burden. We aimed to investigate the influence of major coping strategies (CSs) on non-adherence and comorbidities in hemodialysis patients. METHODS: A total of 49 patients were enrolled. We collected participant data including CS measured by a Korean version of the ways of coping questionnaire (K-WCQ), comorbidities measured by age-adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), and adherence measured by the 8-item Morisky medication adherence scale (MMAS-8). RESULTS: Regarding major CS, 61.2% of participants reported use of support-seeking CS (SUP group), 14.3% reported use of problem-focused CS (PRO group), and 24.5% reported use of hopeful-thinking CS (HOP group). The mean MMAS-8 score was higher in the PRO group than in the HOP group (P = 0.024). The mean CCI score was lower in the PRO group than in the HOP group (P = 0.017). In the HOP group, the severity of somatic symptoms was positively correlated with the scores for the emotion-focused CS subscale (r = 0.39, P = 0.029) and the hopeful-thinking CS subscale (r = 0.38, P = 0.036) of the K-WCQ. The level of life satisfaction positively correlated with the score for the problem-focused CS subscale in the HOP group (r = 0.40, P = 0.027). CONCLUSION: We should pay more attention to the CSs of hemodialysis patients and provide interventions that promote problem-focused CSs, especially for nonadherent patients with high comorbidity rates who mainly use a hopeful-thinking CS.