Processing speed mediates the relationship between DDR1 and psychosocial functioning in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder presenting psychotic symptoms.

The DDR1 locus is associated with the diagnosis of schizophrenia and with processing speed in patients with schizophrenia and first-episode psychosis. Here, we investigated whether DDR1 variants are associated with bipolar disorder (BD) features. First, we performed a case‒control association study comparing DDR1 variants between patients with BD and healthy controls. Second, we performed linear regression analyses to assess the associations of DDR1 variants with neurocognitive domains and psychosocial functioning. Third, we conducted a mediation analysis to explore whether neurocognitive impairment mediated the association between DDR1 variants and psychosocial functioning in patients with BD. Finally, we studied the association between DDR1 variants and white matter microstructure. We did not find any statistically significant associations in the case‒control association study; however, we found that the combined genotypes rs1264323AA-rs2267641AC/CC were associated with worse neurocognitive performance in patients with BD with psychotic symptoms. In addition, the combined genotypes rs1264323AA-rs2267641AC/CC were associated with worse psychosocial functioning through processing speed. We did not find correlations between white matter microstructure abnormalities and the neurocognitive domains associated with the combined genotypes rs1264323AA-rs2267641AC/CC. Overall, the results suggest that DDR1 may be a marker of worse neurocognitive performance and psychosocial functioning in patients with BD, specifically those with psychotic symptoms.

Opinion, Use and Knowledge About Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in Spain: A National Survey of Mental Health Professionals.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a non-invasive method of neuromodulation with heterogeneous usage between countries, which may be potentially influenced by healthcare professionals' opinions. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, acceptability, and attitudes of mental health professionals in Spain towards TMS. A cross-sectional multicentric study was conducted using an online survey, with 219 participants including psychiatrists, psychologists, and residents. Nearly 100% of participants correctly answered theoretical aspects related to the rationale and indications of TMS. Although only 55% considered TMS effective, 80% would refer patients if TMS were available at their workplace, and 74% would undergo TMS if experiencing depression. 85% believed neuromodulation training should be increased in residency, and 73% demanded TMS inclusion in public hospitals. Teaching staff and psychologists defined TMS as a last resort (p = 0.03 and 0.045). Both disagreed on its ease of use (p < 0.001) and patient referral (p = 0.01), considering an impact on the therapeutic bond (p = 0.029). Previous TMS training, clinical experience, or availability of TMS at the workplace, were associated with better knowledge, a higher perception of efficacy and utility in treating resistant patients (all p < 0.05). In conclusion, surveyed mental health professionals in Spain demonstrated good knowledge of the technique and positive opinions regarding its utility. Findings emphasized limited clinical experience of the sample, a call for training programs, and the demand for the inclusion of TMS in the portfolio of Spanish public hospitals.

Functioning in schizophrenia: Recommendations of an expert panel.

Functioning is a fundamental dimension across all aspects of life, frequently compromised or reduced in individuals with schizophrenia. However, the lack of a commonly agreed definition of functioning in schizophrenia makes it difficult to apply this concept in clinical practice. In this document, we make a detailed analysis of the literature to identify and define functioning and describe how it can be used in clinical practice today. We performed a preliminary literature search in the MEDLINE database (via PubMed) for articles discussing functioning in schizophrenia. The articles retrieved were then read and discussed by a panel of psychiatrists specialising in schizophrenia. The conclusions reached in this meeting formed the basis for a new exhaustive literature search for the purpose of synthesising the evidence published in the past 5 years. In this article, we show the importance a comprehensive, modern, homogeneous definition of functioning in schizophrenia, propose a definition of functioning, and put forward a series of recommendations for assessing functioning in clinical practice. We also review current unmet needs and highlight the need for a standardised tool for evaluating functioning.

Assessing Executive Functioning in Schizophrenia: Concurrent and Discriminative Validity of a Novel Virtual Cooking Task.

Deficits in executive functions (EF) are strongly related to real-life functioning and negative symptoms (NS) in schizophrenia. Recently, virtual reality has enabled more ecologically valid approaches to assess EF in simulated "real-life" scenarios among which the virtual cooking task (VCT) has gained attention. However, the clinical implications of the VCT in schizophrenia have not been investigated exhaustively. In this study, clinically stable individuals with schizophrenia (n = 38) and healthy controls (n = 42) completed a novel VCT and a set of computerized standard EF tools (CST) to primarily investigate concurrent and discriminant validity. In addition, the study explored links between EF assessments, functioning, and NS while controlling for antipsychotic intake, clinical stability, and age. This VCT consisted of four tasks with increasing difficulty and time constraints. The most relevant findings indicate that (1) the VCT showed moderate to strong correlations with CST, (2) the VCT discriminated EF performance between both the groups, (3) the VCT predicted interpersonal functioning, and (4) the VCT predicted NS in greater extent than CST. Accordingly, the findings give support to the concurrent and discriminant validity of the VCT to assess EF and indicate its value to deepen the study of collateral functional deficits and NS in schizophrenia.

Understanding the course of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children born after a threatened preterm labor: a 6-year cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Recent research suggests that children born after suspected preterm labor may observe a potential cluster with different attention deficit hyperactivity disorder features, depending on the time of birth. However, the evolution of symptoms and their predictors remain unknown in this population. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the trajectories of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms of children born after suspected preterm labor, between ages 2 and 6 years, considering prematurity condition and comparing with controls. In addition, this study aimed to find potential modifiable predictors of evolution to enhance prognosis. STUDY DESIGN: In this prospective cohort study, 119 mother-child pairs who experienced suspected preterm labor and 60 controls were included. Patients were divided according to prematurity condition in full term (n=27), late preterm (n=55), and very preterm (n=37). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms were assessed at ages 2 and 6 years. The association between potential modifying factors (group, time of assessment, sex, birthweight percentile, maternal history of trauma, maternal anxiety at diagnosis, and maternal anxiety during the children's assessments) and disorder trajectories was assessed by adjusting the Bayesian mixed linear models. All analyses were performed in R (version 4.3.0; R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria). RESULTS: An interaction emerged between time and group, with late-preterm neonates born after suspected preterm labor being the only group to improve from ages 2 to 6 years (-2.26 points in Conners scale per percentile decrease and 0.98 probability of effect). Another interaction between time and maternal anxiety at postnatal time assessments intensified over time (0.07 and 0.84). Predictors of symptom severity included lower weight percentile at birth (-0.2 and 0.96), male sex (-2.99 and <0.99), higher maternal anxiety at diagnosis (+0.08 and 0.99), and maternal history of trauma (+0.23 and 0.98). CONCLUSION: Unlike very-preterm and full-term children, those born late preterm showed an improvement over time, probably because late-preterm children do not carry the sequelae derived from severe prematurity but benefit from close monitoring. As maternal psychopathology emerged as a determinant modifier of course and severity, it is crucial to develop targeted psychological interventions for pregnant individuals and reevaluate monitoring programs for their offspring, regardless of prematurity.

Lifetime psychiatric disorders: A comparison study between offspring of parents with bipolar disorder type-I versus the offspring of community controls parents / Trastornos psiquiátricos a través de la vida: un estudio de comparación de hijos de padres con trastorno afectivo bipolar tipo I frente a hijos de padres controles de la comunidad

Abstract Introduction: Literature reports show that bipolar offspring (BO) present with a wide range of psychiatric disorders. Comparison between BO and control parent offspring (CPO) may help to identify which psychopathological findings are specific to this high-risk group. Objective: To compare the psychopathological characteristics between a group of BO type-I and a group of CPO, by identifying the presence of psychiatric disorders according the DSM-IV-TR. Methods: A descriptive-correlational, cross-sectional and comparative study was conducted with 127 offspring of parents with bipolar disorder type-I from the multimodal intervention programme (PRISMA) and with 150 CPO between 6 and 30 years of age. Subjects were evaluated with validated diagnostic interviews (K-SADS-PL and DIGS). Results: The BO group showed higher frequencies for bipolar disorder (prevalence ratio [PR] = 17.70; 95% confidence interval [CI]; 1.02-306.83), bipolar disorder not otherwise specified (PR = 23.07, 95% CI; 2.8-189.0, p = 0.0001), disorders due to psychoactive substance use (PR = 9.52,95% CI; 2.93-30.90), oppositional defiant disorder (PR = 4.10,95% CI; 1.70-9.89), posttraumatic stress disorder (PR = 3.90, 95% CI 1.30-11.66), disorder due to alcohol use (PR = 3.84, 95% CI; 1.28-11.48), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (PR = 2.26, 95% CI; 1.37-3.75), and major depressive disorder (PR = 2.25, 95% CI; 1.13-4.50). Statistically significant differences were also found in the CGAS and GAF functional scales, with lower scores for the BO group. Conclusion: These findings confirm previous literature reports showing that BO have higher rates of affective and non-affective psychiatric disorders than control subjects, and also a lower level of global functioning.

Resumen Introducción: Reportes en la literatura muestran que los Hijos de Padres con Trastorno Bipolar tipo I (HPTB) manifiestan un amplio rango de trastornos psiquiátricos. La comparación entre los HPTB y los Hijos de Padres Control (HPC) permite establecer cuáles hallazgos psicopatológicos son específicos de este grupo de alto riesgo. Objetivo: Comparar las características psicopatológicas entre un grupo de HPTB tipo I y un grupo de HPC, mediante la identificación de la presencia de trastornos psiquiátricos según el DSM-IV-TR. Metodología: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo-correlacional, comparativo de corte transversal con 127 Hijos de Padres con TAB tipo I (HPTB-I) dentro de un programa de intervención multimodal (PRISMA) y 150 HPC, con edades entre los seis y 30 años. Los sujetos fueron evaluados con entrevistas diagnósticas validados (K-SADS-PL y DIGS). Resultados: El grupo de HPTB mostró mayor frecuencias de trastorno bipolar (Razón de Prevalencia [RP] = 17,70; Intervalo de Confianza [IC] del 95%, 1,02-306,83), trastorno bipolar no especificado (RP = 23,07, IC 95% 2,8 -189, p = 0.0001), trastorno por uso de sustancias psi-coactivas (RP = 9,52; IC 95%, 2,93-30,90), trastorno oposicionista desafiante (RP = 4,10; IC 95%, 1,70-9,89); trastorno de estrés postraumático (RP = 3,90; IC 95%, 1,30-11,66), trastorno por uso de alcohol (RP = 3,84; IC 95%, 1,2811,48), trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad (RP = 2,26; IC 95%, 1,37-3,75) y trastorno depresivo mayor (RP = 2,25; IC 95%, 1,13-4,50). También se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en las escalas de funcionalidad CGAS y GAF, con menor puntaje en el grupo de HPB. Conclusión: Estos hallazgos confirman reportes previos de la literatura que demuestran que los HPTB presentan mayores tasas de trastornos psiquiátricos afectivos y no afectivos, y una menor nivel de funcionalidad global, al ser comparados con sujetos controles de la comunidad.

Implicaciones clínicas de los cambios del DSM-5 en psiquiatría infantil. Fortalezas y debilidades de los cambios / Clinical Implications of Changes in Child Psychiatry in the DSM-5. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Changes

El Manual Diagnóstico y Estadístico de los Trastornos Mentales (DSM) y la Clasificación Internacional de Enfermedades (CIE) integran los criterios diagnósticos comúnmente utilizados en la práctica psiquiátrica, pero debido a que el DSM-IV-TR era insuficiente para el trabajo clínico actual, el Congreso de la Asociación Psiquiátrica Americana ha hecho público el DSM5, que incluye modificaciones a algunos aspectos de la psiquiatría infantil, ya que muchos de los trastornos que estaban en el capítulo de alteraciones de comienzo en la infancia, la niñez y la adolescencia pasan a otros capítulos, se añaden nuevos criterios diagnósticos o se introducen nuevos términos, de modo que resulta muy importante dar a conocer a los psiquiatras que evalúan a niños los cambios en la nomenclatura y la clasificación a los que se verán enfrentados.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and related health problems (ICD) integrate the diagnostic criteria commonly used in psychiatric practice, but the DSM-IV-TR was insufficient for current clinical work. The DSM-5 was first made public in May at the Congress of the American Psychiatric Association, and it includes changes to some aspects of Child Psychiatry, as many of the conditions that were at the beginning in chapter of infancy, childhood and adolescence disorders have been transferred to other chapters and there are new diagnostic criteria or new terms are added. It is therefore important to provide it to Psychiatrists who attend children in order to assess the changes they will be facing in the nomenclature and classification in pursuit of a better classification of the childhood psychopathology.

Metodología de estudio de contactos de pacientes con tuberculosis / Study protocol for contacts of tuberculosis patients

Los resultados obtenidos permiten constatar la importancia del estudio de contactos de los pacientes con tuberculosis con tasas elevadas de aquellos que requieren de quimioprofilaxis primaria o secundaria.