Neurological aspects of grief.

Despite grief being a universal experience and the increased scientific attention paid to grief and bereavement in recent years, studies that seek to better understand the role of the neurological aspects of grief are still scarce. We found 5 studies that discussed the relationship between the neurological aspects of grief due to the death of a loved one. All studies showed an activation of common areas, i.e., the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), prefrontal cortex (PFC), insula and amygdala. These findings could indicate that there is a group of areas working together and responding to generate the symptomatology of grief. Because grief is a universal experience, it is essential that the necessary and effective support can be provided to those who experience the loss of someone considered important in their lives, and this requires understanding grief's manifestation, its differential diagnosis in reference to other clinical conditions, mainly psychiatric ones, and adequate forms of intervention and treatment when necessary. Proper understanding and support can help prevent the emergence of more serious health problems.

Antidepressant-like and anxiolytic-like effects of cannabidiol: a chemical compound of Cannabis sativa.

Anxiety and depression are pathologies that affect human beings in many aspects of life, including social life, productivity and health. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a constituent non-psychotomimetic of Cannabis sativa with great psychiatric potential, including uses as an antidepressant-like and anxiolytic-like compound. The aim of this study is to review studies of animal models using CBD as an anxiolytic-like and antidepressant-like compound. Studies involving animal models, performing a variety of experiments on the above-mentioned disorders, such as the forced swimming test (FST), elevated plus maze (EPM) and Vogel conflict test (VCT), suggest that CBD exhibited an anti-anxiety and antidepressant effects in animal models discussed. Experiments with CBD demonstrated non-activation of neuroreceptors CB1 and CB2. Most of the studies demonstrated a good interaction between CBD and the 5-HT1A neuro-receptor.

Depression as a comorbidity in Behcet's syndrome.

Behcet's syndrome (BD) is a controversial, chronic, and episodic condition that is autoimmune in origin and causes systemic vasculitis in the arteries and genital veins. BD is consistently associated with depression, with an incidence of 86% upon the first appearance of symptoms and disorders of the disease. However, few studies have looked at depression and other psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety, in the context of comorbidity with BD. The aim of this review is to identify articles that focus on the relation between BD and depression as a comorbidity. The studies found revealed a consistently high incidence of depression in the BD population, even when compared with other chronic pathologies including Rheumatoid Arthritis and Psoriasis, although there was a limitation in the use of scales and other tools for assessment and control of comorbid symptoms, moreover there are no studies linking the drugs used in the BD treatment of each patient and the symptoms present in each case. This review clearly shows the lack of research in which depression scores are analyzed in relation to the medications used by individual patients. Additionally, the use of additional scales is necessary to increase the knowledge about the nature and consequences of depression as comorbidity of BD.