The relationship between sex, personality traits, and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis.

The aim of our study was to examine whether there are sex-based differences in the relationship between personality traits and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis measures. A total of 106 healthy volunteers (56.6% women; age: 48.0 ± 15.8 years) were studied. The revised temperament and character inventory (TCI-R) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) were administered. HPA axis function was assessed using three dynamic measures: the cortisol awakening response (CAR), the diurnal cortisol slope, and the cortisol suppression ratio with 0.25 mg of dexamethasone (DSTR). Female sex was associated with an increased CAR and a more flattened diurnal cortisol slope, although a negative significant interaction between harm avoidance and female sex was found. Regarding the DSTR, perseverance was associated with increased cortisol suppression after dexamethasone; sex did not affect this association. Our study suggests that the relationship between specific personality traits (harm avoidance) and HPA axis measures (CAR, diurnal slope) differs according to sex.

Cultural adaptation to Spanish of the “Patient Satisfaction Survey” to assess satisfaction with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

The degree of satisfaction of patients and their relatives with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is considered an important treatment goal; however there is no scale in Spanish to quantify it. The aim of the study was to translate and adapt into Spanish the “Patient Satisfaction Survey” (PSS) for its use in patients and their relatives.

Similar clinical improvement of depression using 0.5-ms and 1-ms pulse widths in bilateral electroconvulsive therapy.

There is a lack of research regarding 0.5-ms pulse width (PW) in bilateral electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and number of treatment sessions between groups receiving 0.5-ms and 1-ms PW ECT. Ninety-four patients with unipolar major depression treated with acute bilateral ECT were analysed retrospectively, grouped as consecutive patients treated with 0.5-ms PW ECT (n = 47), and age- and sex-matched patients treated with 1-ms PW ECT. Clinical and ECT data were extracted from clinical records. Symptom evaluations and global cognitive screening at baseline and post-ECT were administered by trained psychiatrists. The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HDRS-21) was rated weekly. Efficacy and number of treatment sessions were compared between groups. PW was explored as a predictor of mean decrease in HDRS and number of treatment sessions by regression models. Group characteristics did not differ at baseline. The mean decrease in HDRS in the 0.5- and 1-ms PW [25.85 (7.79) vs. 24.33 (6.99), respectively], response (95.7% vs. 97.9%), remission (87.2% vs. 80.9%) and mean number of treatment sessions [11.28 (3.85) vs. 11.34 (3.36)] were not significantly different. Episode duration and severity, and previous ECT predicted HDRS decrease. Severity at baseline and the 6th session, the dosing method and the last ECT treatment dose predicted the number of treatment sessions needed. PW was not significant in the regressions models. The results suggest that both PWs perform similarly in bilateral ECT for depression, resulting in equivalent antidepressant efficacy and number of treatment sessions needed.

Acute bilateral ECT in a depressed patient with a hip-aztreonam-spacer and subsequent maintenance ECT after prosthesis collocation.

ABSTRACT Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) has been demonstrated to be a safe and effective treatment for geriatric depression, although its application might be challenging when medical comorbidities exist. The present case reports a 78-year-old man diagnosed with recurrent unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD), who presented with a severe depressive episode with psychotic features (DSM IV). He successfully received a course of bitemporal (BT) ECT with a hip-aztreonam-spacer due to a hip fracture that occurred during hospitalization. This was followed by maintenance ECT (M-ECT) with a recent prosthesis collocation. This particular case illustrates the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in geriatric patients with somatic complications receiving ECT.

Importance of immunometabolic markers for the classification of patients with major depressive disorder using machine learning.

BACKGROUND: Although there is scientific evidence of the presence of immunometabolic alterations in major depression, not all patients present them. Recent studies point to the association between an inflammatory phenotype and certain clinical symptoms in patients with depression. The objective of our study was to classify major depression disorder patients using supervised learning algorithms or machine learning, based on immunometabolic and oxidative stress biomarkers and lifestyle habits. METHODS: Taking into account a series of inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers (C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), 4-hydroxynonenal (HNE) and glutathione), metabolic risk markers (blood pressure, waist circumference and glucose, triglyceride and cholesterol levels) and lifestyle habits of the participants (physical activity, smoking and alcohol consumption), a study was carried out using machine learning in a sample of 171 participants, 91 patients with depression (71.42% women, mean age = 50.64) and 80 healthy subjects (67.50% women, mean age = 49.12). The algorithm used was the support vector machine, performing cross validation, by which the subdivision of the sample in training (70%) and test (30%) was carried out in order to estimate the precision of the model. The prediction of belonging to the patient group (MDD patients versus control subjects), melancholic type (melancholic versus non-melancholic patients) or resistant depression group (treatment-resistant versus non-treatment-resistant) was based on the importance of each of the immunometabolic and lifestyle variables. RESULTS: With the application of the algorithm, controls versus patients, such as patients with melancholic symptoms versus non-melancholic symptoms, and resistant versus non-resistant symptoms in the test phase were optimally classified. The variables that showed greater importance, according to the results of the area under the ROC curve, for the discrimination between healthy subjects and patients with depression were current alcohol consumption (AUC = 0.62), TNF-α levels (AUC = 0.61), glutathione redox status (AUC = 0.60) and the performance of both moderate (AUC = 0.59) and vigorous physical exercise (AUC = 0.58). On the other hand, the most important variables for classifying melancholic patients in relation to lifestyle habits were past (AUC = 0.65) and current (AUC = 0.60) tobacco habit, as well as walking routinely (AUC = 0.59) and in relation to immunometabolic markers were the levels of CRP (AUC = 0.62) and glucose (AUC = 0.58). In the analysis of the importance of the variables for the classification of treatment-resistant patients versus non-resistant patients, the systolic blood pressure (SBP) variable was shown to be the most relevant (AUC = 0.67). Other immunometabolic variables were also among the most important such as TNF-α (AUC = 0.65) and waist circumference (AUC = 0.64). In this case, sex (AUC = 0.59) was also relevant along with alcohol (AUC = 0.58) and tobacco (AUC = 0.56) consumption. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained in our study show that it is possible to predict the diagnosis of depression and its clinical typology from immunometabolic markers and lifestyle habits, using machine learning techniques. The use of this type of methodology could facilitate the identification of patients at risk of presenting depression and could be very useful for managing clinical heterogeneity.

Psychopathological and Personality Pro file in Chronic Nononcologic Nociceptive and Neuropathic pain: Cross-sectional Comparative Study.

Introduction: Adaptation to chronic non-oncologic pain is associated with the development of psychopathology and personality disorders, creating severity, chronicity, poorer treatment response, and exacerbations in patients with neuropathy. Objective: To identify the psychopathological and personality profiles of patients with chronic nociceptive and neuropathic pain and their association with pain progression and intensity. Method: A cross-sectional, descriptive and comparative study was conducted in the Pain Treatment Unit of Hospital Universitari Sagrat Cor, with systematic randomized recruitment for 25 months; 115 patients were evaluated using the Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-D, HAM-A) and the Millon Clinical MultiaxialInventory-III (MCMI-III). Results: The neuropathic group achieved significantly higher scores for pain intensity and depressive and anxiety symptoms. With greater magnitude and frequency, the neuropathic group related pain intensity and progression with depressive/anxiety symptoms, clinical syndromes, and personality patterns. Both groups revealed tendencies towards a compulsive personality pattern, followed by narcissistic, histrionic, and schizoid patterns. Conclusions: When treating chronic pain, the presence of various psychopathological indicators requires an individualized strategy.

Introducción: La adaptación al dolor crónico no oncológico se asocia al desarrollo de psicopatología y afectaciones de la personalidad, generando severidad, cronicidad, menor respuesta al tratamiento y agravándose ante la neuropatía. Objetivo: Identificar perfiles psicopatológicos y de personalidad en pacientes con dolor crónico nociceptivo y neuropático, y su relación con la evolución e intensidad del dolor. Método: Estudio transversal, descriptivo y comparativo, realizado en la Unidad de Tratamiento del Dolor del Hospital Universitari Sagrat Cor, con reclutamiento aleatorio sistemático durante 25 meses; 115 pacientes fueron evaluados mediante la Escala de Hamilton para la Depresión y Ansiedad (HAM-D, HAM-A) y el Inventario Clínico Multiaxialde Millon III (MCMI-III). Resultados: El grupo neuropático obtuvo puntuaciones significativamente mayores en intensidad del dolor, sintomatología depresiva y ansiosa. Con más magnitud y frecuencia, relacionó la intensidad y evolución del dolor con sintomatología depresiva, ansiosa, síndromes clínicos y patrones de la personalidad. Ambos grupos revelaron tendencia al patrón de personalidad compulsiva, seguido del narcisista, histriónico y esquizoide. Conclusiones: En el tratamiento del dolor crónico, la presencia de distintos indicadores psicopatológicos requiere una estrategia individualizada.

Relationship between immunometabolic status and cognitive performance among major depression disorder patients.

BACKGROUND: Alterations in cognitive performance have been described in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the specific risk factors of these changes are not yet known. This study aimed to explore whether inmunometabolic parameters are related to cognitive performance in MDD in comparison to healthy controls (HC) METHODS: Sample consisted of 84 MDD patients and 78 HC. Both groups were compared on the results of cognitive performance measured with the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB), the presence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) and an inflammatory/oxidative index calculated by a principal component analysis of peripheral biomarkers (tumor necrosis factor, C-reactive protein and 4-hydroxynonenal). A multiple linear regression was carried out, to study the relationship between inmunometabolic variables and the global cognitive performance, being the latter the dependent variable. RESULTS: Significant differences were obtained in the inflammatory/oxidative index between both groups (F(1157)= 12.93; p < .001), also in cognitive performance (F(1157)= 56.75; p < .001). The inmunometabolic covariate regression model (i.e., condition (HC/MDD), sex, age and medication loading, MetS, inflammatory/oxidative index and the interaction between MetS and inflammatory/oxidative index) was statistically significant (F(7157)= 11.24; p < .01) and explained 31% of variance. The condition, being either MDD or HD, (B=-0.97; p < .001), age (B=-0.28; p < .001) and the interaction between inflammatory/oxidative index and MetS (B=-0.38; p = .02) were factors associated to cognitive performance. LIMITATIONS: Sample size was relatively small. The cross-sectional design of the study limits the possibilities of analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide evidence on the conjoint influence of metabolic and inflammatory dysregulation on cognitive dysfunction in MDD patients. In this way, our study opens a line of research in immunometabolic agents to deal with cognitive decline associated with MDD.