Protocol for the development and testing of the schiZotypy Autism Questionnaire (ZAQ) in adults: a new screening tool to discriminate autism spectrum disorder from schizotypal disorder.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizotypal disorder (SD) both have a heterogenous presentation, with significant overlaps in symptoms and behaviour. Due to elevated recognition and knowledge of ASD worldwide, there is a growing rate of referrals from primary health professionals to specialised units. At all levels of assessment, the differential diagnostic considerations between ASD and SD exert major challenges for clinicians. Although several validated screening questionnaires exist for ASD and SD, none have differential diagnostic properties. Accordingly, in this study, we aim to develop a new screening questionnaire, the schiZotypy Autism Questionnaire (ZAQ), which provides a combined screening for both conditions, while also indicating the relative likelihood of each. METHODS: We aim to test 200 autistic patients and 100 schizotypy patients recruited from specialised psychiatric clinics and 200 controls from the general population (Phase 1). The results from ZAQ will be compared to the clinical diagnoses from interdisciplinary teams at specialised psychiatric clinics. After this initial testing phase, the ZAQ will be validated in an independent sample (Phase 2). CONCLUSIONS: The aim of the study is to investigate the discriminative properties (ASD vs. SD), diagnostic accuracy, and validity of the schiZotypy Autism Questionnaire (ZAQ). FUNDING: Funding was provided by Psychiatric Centre Glostrup, Copenhagen Denmark, Sofiefonden (Grant number: FID4107425), Trygfonden (Grant number:153588), Takeda Pharma. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trials, NCT05213286, Registered 28 January 2022, clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05213286?cond = RAADS&draw = 2&rank = 1.

Prevalence of neck pain in migraine: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Neck pain is a frequent complaint among patients with migraine and seems to be correlated with the headache frequency. Neck pain is more common in patients with chronic migraine compared to episodic migraine. However, prevalence of neck pain in patients with migraine varies among studies. OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of neck pain in patients with migraine and non-headache controls in observational studies. METHODS: A systematic literature search on PubMed and Embase was conducted to identify studies reporting prevalence of neck pain in migraine patients. This review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Data was extracted by two independent investigators and results were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis. The protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021264898). RESULTS: The search identified 2490 citations of which 30 contained relevant original population based and clinic-based data. Among these, 24 studies provided data eligible for the analysis. The meta-analysis for clinic-based studies demonstrated that the pooled relative frequency of neck pain was 77.0% (95% CI: 69.0-86.4) in the migraine group and 23.2% (95% CI:18.6-28.5) in the non-headache control group. Neck pain was more frequent in patients with chronic migraine (87.0%, 95% CI: 77.0-93.0) compared to episodic migraine (77.0%, 95% CI: 69.0-84.0). Neck pain was 12 times more prevalent in migraine patients compared to non-headache controls and two times more prevalent in patients with chronic migraine compared to episodic migraine. The calculated heterogeneity (I2 values) ranged from 61.3% to 72.0%. CONCLUSION: Neck pain is a frequent complaint among patients with migraine. The heterogeneity among the studies emphasize important aspects to consider in future research of neck pain in migraine to improve our understanding of the driving mechanisms of neck pain in a major group of migraine patients.

Validation of a screening tool for autism spectrum disorder in adults - a study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in adults is exhibiting an increase in prevalence, and a growing rate of referrals is observed from primary health professionals to specialised units. The heterogeneous clinical presentation and high prevalence of comorbidity seen in ASD challenges the case identification, emphasising the need for screening tools with a high validity and reliability. Previously, satisfactory psychometric properties of the Ritvo Autism Asperger Diagnostic Scale - Revised (RAADS-R) have been demonstrated, and it is a widely used screening tool in Denmark. Nevertheless, a validation of a Danish version of the RAADS-R has not been performed in a Danish population. To evaluate its clinical relevance, we aim to test the psychometric properties of a Danish translation of the RAADS-R (RAADS-R-DK) in an adult population. METHODS: We aim to test 200 ASD patients, 200 non-ASD psychiatric patients and 200 healthy controls. The results from the RAADS-R will be compared with the clinical diagnoses from interdisciplinary teams at specialised outpatient clinics. CONCLUSION: The aim of the study is to investigate the validity, reliability and clinical features of the RAADS-R-DK. FUNDING: Mental Health Center, TrygFonden, Sofiefonden and Takeda Pharma. CLINICALTRIALS: gov NCT05213286.

Psychiatric Sequelae Following Whiplash Injury: A Systematic Review.

Background: Anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and sleep disturbance are reported following whiplash injury. However, the prevalence of these condition varies among studies. In this review, anxiety, depression, PTSD, and sleep disturbance will be referred as psychiatric outcomes. Methods: We performed a systematic literature search on PubMed and Embase (from database inception until March 20, 2021) to identify studies reporting on the relative frequency of these psychiatric outcomes. Three independent investigators screened titles, abstracts and full-texts. Studies including patients with whiplash injury and where the number of patients with whiplash and anxiety, depression, PTSD, or sleep disturbances could be extrapolated, were included. Furthermore, to be included, studies had to defined psychiatric outcomes in accordance with diagnostic criteria [i.e., Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) or the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)] or by use of a validated instrument with cut-off scores for assessing psychiatric symptoms. Quality rating was done using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) on the included studies. A protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021232037). Results: The literature search identified 5,068 citations, of which five articles were eligible for inclusion. The relative frequency of depressive symptoms following whiplash injury was 32.8% at 6 months, and 34.0% at 6-12 months. The relative frequency of PTSD symptoms after whiplash injury was 9.0-22.3% at 3 months, 15.8% at 6 months and 14.6-17.1% at 12 months. No studies evaluating the relative frequency of anxiety and sleep disturbances were eligible for inclusion. Discussion and Conclusion: Our results suggest that there are persistent psychiatric outcomes following whiplash trauma. However, we found considerable heterogeneity among the studies. Thus, we have focused on the most notable limitations of the included studies: 1) small sample sizes, 2) differences in enrollment criteria, 3) lack of control groups, 4) considerable variation in the method used for outcome assessment, 5) directionality of association is difficult to determine and 6) incomplete assessment of compensation factors. We highlight these methodological limitations and outline recommendations for future research. Since psychiatric outcomes are potentially modifiable, future studies should optimize and address the identified methodological limitations so psychiatric sequelae following whiplash injury may be prevented.