Immersive virtual plus-maze to examine behavior and psychophysiological-related variables in young people with problematic alcohol and cannabis consumption.

Stressful events appear to be risky situations that can precipitate the consumption of drugs. One way to recreate stressful contexts, in an ecological and controlled method, is through immersive virtual reality (VR). In our study, we designed the scenario of an elevated plus-maze (EPM) using VR, which is widely used in animal models to assess unconditioned anxiety. This task allowed us to analyze the behavioral, psychophysiological (heart rate and electrodermal activity), and hormonal response (salivary cortisol and Alpha-amylase) to this stressful situation in different moments (before VR task (anticipation), at the end of the task and 10 minutes later) in young people with problematic alcohol use (AU, n = 27), alcohol combined with cannabis consumption (AU + C, n = 10), as well as in a control group (CO, n = 33). Behavioral analysis revealed that the AU group displayed fewer entries into open arms than the CO group, whereas both experimental groups spent less time at the end of the open arms, as well as lower time by look down index compared to the CO group. Moreover, our VR EPM induced different psychophysiological responses in the different moments measured. In general, electrodermal activity seemed to be a good biomarker of recovery from a stressful situation, as once the exposure to the stressful situation ended, the AU + C group took longer to recover compared to the CO group. Regarding hormonal analyses, we observed a similar response pattern in all groups suggesting that our VR task was able to activate both stress systems. The alpha-amylase to cortisol ratio, proposed as a biomarker of stress systems dysregulation, was higher in the group of young participants with alcohol abuse. Interestingly, our VR EPM was able to induce a slight alcohol craving in both experimental groups. In conclusion, our results suggest certain subtle behavioral and physiological differences that could be used to detect young individuals at risk of future severe addictions or other stress-related comorbidities. Moreover, it could help us to develop prevention strategies focused on emotional, cognitive, and psychophysiological aspects.

Late-onset acquired generalized lipodystrophy with muscle involvement.

Acquired generalized lipodystrophy (ALG) is a rare disorder characterized by the loss of adipose tissue and often found in association with metabolic disorders. Its onset is extremely rare in patients over 65 years, with only 1 case reported to date. Furthermore, there have been no reports of associated muscle involvement in ALG. We present the case of a 78-year-old woman who experienced almost complete loss of subcutaneous adipose tissue over 6 years. During this period, she was also successively diagnosed with hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, hypothyroidism, hepatic steatosis, and diabetes mellitus. Possible causes of cachexia, such as infections, neoplasms, and gastrointestinal disorders, were ruled out. The patient's creatinine kinase levels were repeatedly elevated and electromyography showed a myopathic pattern, although the biopsy and strength tests were normal.