Exaggerated frontoparietal control over cognitive effort-based decision-making in young women with anorexia nervosa.

Effortful tasks are generally experienced as costly, but the value of work varies greatly across individuals and populations. While most mental health conditions are characterized by amotivation and effort avoidance, individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) persistently engage in effortful behaviors that most people find unrewarding (food restriction, excessive exercise). Current models of AN differentially attribute such extreme weight-control behavior to altered reward responding and exaggerated cognitive control. In a novel test of these theoretical accounts, we employed an established cognitive effort discounting paradigm in combination with fMRI in young acutely underweight female patients with AN (n = 48) and age-matched healthy controls (HC; n = 48). Contrary to the hypothesis that individuals with AN would experience cognitive effort (operationalized as N-back task performance) as less costly than HC participants, groups did not differ in the subjective value (SV) of discounted rewards or in SV-related activation of brain regions involved in reward valuation. Rather, all group differences in both behavior (superior N-back performance in AN and associated effort ratings) and fMRI activation (increased SV-related frontoparietal activation during decision-making in AN even for easier choices) were more indicative of increased control. These findings suggest that while effort discounting may be relatively intact in AN, effort investment is high both when performing demanding tasks and during effort-based decision-making; highlighting cognitive overcontrol as an important therapeutic target. Future research should establish whether exaggerated control during effort-based decision-making persists after weight-recovery and explore learning the value of effort in AN with tasks involving disorder-relevant effort demands and rewards.

Interactions of catecholamines and GABA+ in cognitive control: Insights from EEG and 1H-MRS.

Catecholamines and amino acid transmitter systems are known to interact, the exact links and their impact on cognitive control functions have however remained unclear. Using a multi-modal imaging approach combining EEG and proton-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS), we investigated the effect of different degrees of pharmacological catecholaminergic enhancement onto theta band activity (TBA) as a measure of interference control during response inhibition and execution. It was central to our study to evaluate the predictive impact of in-vivo baseline GABA+ concentrations in the striatum, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the supplemental motor area (SMA) of healthy adults under varying degrees of methylphenidate (MPH) stimulation. We provide evidence for a predictive interrelation of baseline GABA+ concentrations in cognitive control relevant brain areas onto task-induced TBA during response control stimulated with MPH. Baseline GABA+ concentrations in the ACC, the striatum, and the SMA had a differential impact on predicting interference control-related TBA in response execution trials. GABA+ concentrations in the ACC appeared to be specifically important for TBA modulations when the cognitive effort needed for interference control was high - that is when no prior task experience exists, or in the absence of catecholaminergic enhancement with MPH. The study highlights the predictive role of baseline GABA+ concentrations in key brain areas influencing cognitive control and responsiveness to catecholaminergic enhancement, particularly in high-effort scenarios.

The metacontrol of event segmentation-A neurophysiological and behavioral perspective.

During our everyday life, the constant flow of information is divided into discrete events, a process conceptualized in Event Segmentation Theory (EST). How people perform event segmentation and the resulting granularity of encapsulated segments likely depends on their metacontrol style. Yet, the underlying neural mechanisms remain undetermined. The current study examines how the metacontrol style affects event segmentation through the analysis of EEG data using multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) and source localization analysis. We instructed two groups of healthy participants to either segment a movie as fine-grained as possible (fine-grain group) or provided no such instruction (free-segmentation group). The fine-grain group showed more segments and a higher likelihood to set event boundaries upon scene changes, which supports the notion that cognitive control influences segmentation granularity. On a neural level, representational dynamics were decodable 400 ms prior to the decision to close a segment and open a new one, and especially fronto-polar regions (BA10) were associated with this representational dynamic. Groups differed in their use of this representational dynamics to guide behavior and there was a higher sensitivity to incoming information in the Fine-grain group. Moreover, a higher likelihood to set event boundaries was reflected by activity increases in the insular cortex suggesting an increased monitoring of potentially relevant upcoming events. The study connects the EST with the metacontrol framework and relates these to overarching neural concepts of prefrontal cortex function.

Extra Movements in Healthy People: Challenging the Definition and Diagnostic Practice of Tic Disorders.

The occurrence of motor/vocal tics, that is, "extra movements" and/or "extra vocalizations," is the leading diagnostic criterion for tic disorders. We show that extra movements are common also in healthy controls, so that a surplus of movements per se is not indicative of the presence of a tic disorder. This questions the usefulness of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition criteria for tic disorders in clinical practice. Apparently, it is not solely a surplus of movements that defines tic disorders. Instead, movement characteristics and patterns seem to play a crucial role. ANN NEUROL 2023;93:472-478.

Effects of Catecholaminergic and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Response Inhibition.

BACKGROUND: The principle of gain control determines the efficiency of neuronal processing and can be enhanced with pharmacological or brain stimulation methods. It is a key factor for cognitive control, but the degree of how much gain control may be enhanced underlies a physical limit. METHODS: To investigate whether methylphenidate (MPH) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) share common underlying mechanisms and cognitive effects, we administered MPH and anodal tDCS (atDCS) over the right inferior frontal gyrus both separately and combined, while healthy adult participants (n = 104) performed a response selection and inhibition task. The recorded EEG data were analyzed with a focus on theta band activity, and source estimation analyses were conducted. RESULTS: The behavioral data show that MPH and atDCS revealed interactive effects on the ability to inhibit responses. Both MPH and atDCS modulated task-related theta oscillations in the supplementary motor area when applied separately, making a common underlying mechanism likely. When both stimulation methods were combined, there was no doubling of effects in the supplementary motor area but a shift to inferior frontal areas in the cortical network responsible for theta-driven processing. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that both MPH and atDCS likely share a common underlying neuronal mechanism, and interestingly, they demonstrate interactive effects when combined, which are most likely due to the physical limitations of gain control increases. The current study provides critical groundwork for future combined applications of MPH and non-invasive brain stimulation.

Catecholaminergic Modulation of Metacontrol Is Reflected by Changes in Aperiodic EEG Activity.

BACKGROUND: "Metacontrol" describes the ability to maintain an optimal balance between cognitive control styles that are either more persistent or more flexible. Recent studies have shown a link between metacontrol and aperiodic EEG patterns. The present study aimed to gain more insight into the neurobiological underpinnings of metacontrol by using methylphenidate (MPH), a compound known to increase postsynaptic catecholamine levels and modulate cortical noise. METHODS: In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study design, we investigated the effect of MPH (0.5 mg/kg) on aperiodic EEG activity during a flanker task in a sample of n = 25 neurotypical adults. To quantify cortical noise, we employed the fitting oscillations and one over f algorithm. RESULTS: Compared with placebo, MPH increased the aperiodic exponent, suggesting that it reduces cortical noise in 2 ways. First, it did so in a state-like fashion, as the main effect of the drug was visible and significant in both pre-trial and within-trial periods. Second, the electrode-specific analyses showed that the drug also affects specific processes by dampening the downregulation of noise in conditions requiring more control. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the aperiodic exponent provides a neural marker of metacontrol states and changes therein. Further, we propose that the effectiveness of medications targeting catecholaminergic signaling can be evaluated by studying changes of cortical noise, fostering the idea of using the quantification of cortical noise as an indicator in pharmacological treatment.

The Ability to Voluntarily Regulate Theta Band Activity Affects How Pharmacological Manipulation of the Catecholaminergic System Impacts Cognitive Control.

BACKGROUND: The catecholaminergic system influences response inhibition, but the magnitude of the impact of catecholaminergic manipulation is heterogeneous. Theoretical considerations suggest that the voluntary modulability of theta band activity can explain this variance. The study aimed to investigate to what extent interindividual differences in catecholaminergic effects on response inhibition depend on voluntary theta band activity modulation. METHODS: A total of 67 healthy adults were tested in a randomized, double-blind, cross-over study design. At each appointment, they received a single dose of methylphenidate or placebo and performed a Go/Nogo task with stimuli of varying complexity. Before the first appointment, the individual's ability to modulate theta band activity was measured. Recorded EEG data were analyzed using temporal decomposition and multivariate pattern analysis. RESULTS: Methylphenidate effects and voluntary modulability of theta band activity showed an interactive effect on the false alarm rates of the different Nogo conditions. The multivariate pattern analysis revealed that methylphenidate effects interacted with voluntary modulability of theta band activity at a stimulus processing level, whereas during response selection methylphenidate effects interacted with the complexity of the Nogo condition. CONCLUSIONS: The findings reveal that the individual's theta band modulability affects the responsiveness of an individual's catecholaminergic system to pharmacological modulation. Thus, the impact of pharmacological manipulation of the catecholaminergic system on cognitive control most likely depends on the existing ability to self-modulate relevant brain oscillatory patterns underlying the cognitive processes being targeted by pharmacological modulations.

Longitudinal changes in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) but not cytokines contribute to hippocampal recovery in anorexia nervosa above increases in body mass index.

BACKGROUND: Physical sequelae of anorexia nervosa (AN) include a marked reduction in whole brain volume and subcortical structures such as the hippocampus. Previous research has indicated aberrant levels of inflammatory markers and growth factors in AN, which in other populations have been shown to influence hippocampal integrity. METHODS: Here we investigated the influence of concentrations of two pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-α] and interleukin-6 [IL-6]) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on the whole hippocampal volume, as well as the volumes of three regions (the hippocampal body, head, and tail) and 18 subfields bilaterally. Investigations occurred both cross-sectionally between acutely underweight adolescent/young adult females with AN (acAN; n = 82) and people recovered from AN (recAN; n = 20), each independently pairwise age-matched with healthy controls (HC), and longitudinally in acAN after partial renourishment (n = 58). Hippocampal subfield volumes were quantified using FreeSurfer. Concentrations of molecular factors were analyzed in linear models with hippocampal (subfield) volumes as the dependent variable. RESULTS: Cross-sectionally, there was no evidence for an association between IL-6, TNF-α, or BDNF and between-group differences in hippocampal subfield volumes. Longitudinally, increasing concentrations of BDNF were positively associated with longitudinal increases in bilateral global hippocampal volumes after controlling for age, age2, estimated total intracranial volume, and increases in body mass index (BMI). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that increases in BDNF may contribute to global hippocampal recovery over and above increases in BMI during renourishment. Investigations into treatments targeted toward increasing BDNF in AN may be warranted.

Dynamic functional connectivity in anorexia nervosa: alterations in states of low connectivity and state transitions.

BACKGROUND: The onset of anorexia nervosa (AN) frequently occurs during adolescence and is associated with preoccupation with body weight and shape and extreme underweight. Altered resting state functional connectivity in the brain has been described in individuals with AN, but only from a static perspective. The current study investigated the temporal dynamics of functional connectivity in adolescents with AN and how it relates to clinical features. METHOD: 99 female patients acutely ill with AN and 99 pairwise age-matched female healthy control (HC) participants were included in the study. Using resting-state functional MRI data and an established sliding-window analytic approach, we identified dynamic resting-state functional connectivity states and extracted dynamic indices such as dwell time (the duration spent in a state), fraction time (the proportion of the total time occupied by a state), and number of transitions (number of switches) from one state to another, to test for group differences. RESULTS: Individuals with AN had relatively reduced fraction time in a mildly connected state with pronounced connectivity within the default mode network (DMN) and an overall reduced number of transitions between states. CONCLUSIONS: These findings revealed by a dynamic, but not static analytic approach might hint towards a more "rigid" connectivity, a phenomenon commonly observed in internalizing mental disorders, and in AN possibly related to a reduction in energetic costs as a result of nutritional deprivation.

Contingent negative variation to tactile stimuli - differences in anticipatory and preparatory processes between participants with and without blindness.

People who are blind demonstrate remarkable abilities within the spared senses and compensatory enhancement of cognitive skills, underscored by substantial plastic reorganization in relevant neural areas. However, little is known about whether people with blindness form top-down models of the world on short timescales more efficiently to guide goal-oriented behavior. This electroencephalography study investigates this hypothesis at the neurophysiological level, focusing on contingent negative variation (CNV) as a marker of anticipatory and preparatory processes prior to expected events. In sum, 20 participants with blindness and 27 sighted participants completed a classic CNV task and a memory CNV task, both containing tactile stimuli to exploit the expertise of the former group. Although the reaction times in the classic CNV task did not differ between groups, participants who are blind reached higher performance rates in the memory task. This superior performance co-occurred with a distinct neurophysiological profile, relative to controls: greater late CNV amplitudes over central areas, suggesting enhanced stimulus expectancy and motor preparation prior to key events. Controls, in contrast, recruited more frontal sites, consistent with inefficient sensory-aligned control. We conclude that in more demanding cognitive contexts exploiting the spared senses, people with blindness efficiently generate task-relevant internal models to facilitate behavior.

Premorbid body weight predicts weight loss in both anorexia nervosa and atypical anorexia nervosa: Further support for a single underlying disorder.

OBJECTIVE: For adolescents, DSM-5 differentiates anorexia nervosa (AN) and atypical AN with the 5th BMI-centile-for-age. We hypothesized that the diagnostic weight cut-off yields (i) lower weight loss in atypical AN and (ii) discrepant premorbid BMI distributions between the two disorders. Prior studies demonstrate that premorbid BMI predicts admission BMI and weight loss in patients with AN. We explore these relationships in atypical AN. METHOD: Based on admission BMI-centile < or ≥5th, participants included 411 female adolescent inpatients with AN and 49 with atypical AN from our registry study. Regression analysis and t-tests statistically addressed our hypotheses and exploratory correlation analyses compared interrelationships between weight loss, admission BMI, and premorbid BMI in both disorders. RESULTS: Weight loss in atypical AN was 5.6 kg lower than in AN upon adjustment for admission age, admission height, premorbid weight and duration of illness. Premorbid BMI-standard deviation scores differed by almost one between both disorders. Premorbid BMI and weight loss were strongly correlated in both AN and atypical AN. DISCUSSION: Whereas the weight cut-off induces discrepancies in premorbid weight and adjusted weight loss, AN and atypical AN overall share strong weight-specific interrelationships that merit etiological consideration. Epidemiological and genetic associations between AN and low body weight may reflect a skewed premorbid BMI distribution. In combination with prior findings for similar psychological and medical characteristics in AN and atypical AN, our findings support a homogenous illness conceptualization. We propose that diagnostic subcategorization based on premorbid BMI, rather than admission BMI, may improve clinical validity. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: Because body weights of patients with AN must drop below the 5th BMI-centile per DSM-5, they will inherently require greater weight loss than their counterparts with atypical AN of the same sex, age, height and premorbid weight. Indeed, patients with atypical AN had a 5.6 kg lower weight loss after controlling for these variables. In comparison to the reference population, we found a lower and higher mean premorbid weight in patients with AN and atypical AN, respectively. Considering previous psychological and medical comparisons showing little differences between AN and atypical AN, we view a single disorder as the most parsimonious explanation. Etiological models need to particularly account for the strong relationship between weight loss and premorbid body weight.

Association between anxiety, depression and quality of life in male and female German students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Studies show that three-quarters of mental disorders appear during young adulthood, which makes students a risk group. Especially people with anxiety and depression experience lower Quality of Life (QoL) compared to healthy persons. Furthermore, previous research found that there was a wide range of negative mental consequences triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to examine the association between anxiety, depression and QoL in male and female students at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: 297 German students (121 men, age spanmen: 18-41 years; 176 women, age spanwomen: 18-52 years) filled in the following questionnaires: World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Symptom-Checklist-90-R. Men and women did not differ significantly in their physical, psychological, environmental and global QoL. RESULTS: While women showed higher raw anxiety scores, groups did not differ in terms of their raw depression scores. Furthermore, we found main effects of anxiety and depression on the four QoL subscales. Students´ QoL was highest if they were not affected by anxiety and depression, independently of gender. Psychological and social QoL was worst if the students reported marginal and particularly clinically significant levels of anxiety and depression. Men experienced worse psychological and social QoL than women for clinically significant anxiety levels. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions should target especially the psychological and the social subscales of QoL, as these areas are most affected by anxiety and depression. Possible interventions could be psychoeducational programs or participation in sports because it offers an opportunity for social interaction and goal-directed activity.

Emotions and worries during 1.5 years of the COVID-19 pandemic - how adults with and without mental health conditions coped with the crisis.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID 19 pandemic, there were social restrictions with severe mental stress for a long time. Most studies on mental health consequences of the pandemic focused primarily on the beginning of the pandemic. The present study on families of patients or study participants of a child and adolescent psychiatry aimed to examine long-term profiles of emotions and worries in adults with and without mental health condition (mhc) during the first 1.5 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We surveyed emotions and worries of 128 adults with (n = 32) and without (n = 96) pre-pandemic mhc over a 1.5-year study period from spring 2020 until summer/autumn 2021. Emotions and worries were captured at four time points: [i] pre-pandemic, [ii] spring 2020 (first lockdown was implemented), [iii] December 2020 (hard lockdown at Christmas time) and [iv] summer/autumn 2021 (considerable ease of regulations); [i] pre-pandemic and [iii] December 2020 were measured retrospectively). First, we run non-parametric tests to compare emotions and worries between adults with and without pre-pandemic mhc at the four time points. Next, we conducted latent profile analysis to identify subgroups from the total sample who share similar trajectories of emotions and worries. Finally, a logistic regression analysis was run to examine whether socio-demographic and psycho-social factors were related to identified trajectories of emotions and worries. RESULTS: Adults without pre-pandemic mhc reported a strong worsening of emotions and worries at the beginning of the pandemic and a lower worsening during the course, while adults with pre-pandemic mhc reported a constant worsening of emotions and worries. The latent profile analysis revealed three profiles of adults who show either i) an adaption, ii) no adaption or iii) a continuous high condition. With increasing age, higher perceived stress and pre-pandemic mhc, the likelihood of an adaption was increased. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study suggested that adults (both with and without pre-pandemic mhc) coped the crisis with different strategies and that most of them returned to their initial, pre-pandemic levels of emotions and worries when social restrictions were considerably eased or stopped.

Altered neural anticipation of reward and loss but not receipt in adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by persistent, unwanted thoughts and repetitive actions. Such repetitive thoughts and/or behaviors may be reinforced either by reducing anxiety or by avoiding a potential threat or harm, and thus may be rewarding to the individual. The possible involvement of the reward system in the symptomatology of OCD is supported by studies showing altered reward processing in reward-related regions, such as the ventral striatum (VS) and the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), in adults with OCD. However, it is not clear whether this also applies to adolescents with OCD. METHODS: Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, two sessions were conducted focusing on the anticipation and receipt of monetary reward (1) or loss (2), each contrasted to a verbal (control) condition. In each session, adolescents with OCD (n1=31/n2=26) were compared with typically developing (TD) controls (n1=33/ n2=31), all aged 10-19 years, during the anticipation and feedback phase of an adapted Monetary Incentive Delay task. RESULTS: Data revealed a hyperactivation of the VS, but not the OFC, when anticipating both monetary reward and loss in the OCD compared to the TD group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that aberrant neural reward and loss processing in OCD is associated with greater motivation to gain or maintain a reward but not with the actual receipt. The greater degree of reward 'wanting' may contribute to adolescents with OCD repeating certain actions more and more frequently, which then become habits (i.e., OCD symptomatology).

DNA methylation and gene expression of immune cell markers in adolescents with chronic cannabis use: an exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: Experimental studies indicate that phytocannabinoids have immune-modulatory properties. However, the effects of chronic cannabis use (CCU) in adolescents on their immune cells have been scarcely investigated to date, although CCU is increasingly observed in this age group. METHODS: In this study, we analyzed DNA methylation and gene expression of immune cell markers in whole-blood samples of adolescent CCU-outpatients and non-cannabis-using (NCU) controls (n = 14 vs. n = 15, mean age = 16.1 ± 1.3 years). Site-specific DNA methylation values were used to calculate A) proportion estimates of circulating white blood cell (WBC) types and B) mean DNA methylation values of common immune cell markers (CD4, CD8A, CD19, FCGR3A, CD14, FUT4, MPO), whose gene expression levels were additionally determined. RESULTS: CCU adolescents had a lower estimated proportion of B cells compared to NCU subjects. An originally observed higher proportion of granulocytes in CCU subjects, however, was attenuated when controlling for past-year tobacco use. The observed differences in mean DNA methylation and gene expression of immune cell markers were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The results of our explorative study indicate that CCU in adolescents is associated with altered levels of circulating WBCs. Further studies with larger cohorts are warranted to confirm our findings and to provide insights regarding their functional consequences.

Differential longitudinal changes of hippocampal subfields in patients with anorexia nervosa.

BACKGROUND: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a mental disorder characterized by dietary restriction, fear of gaining weight, and distorted body image. Recent studies indicate that the hippocampus, crucial for learning and memory, may be affected in AN, yet subfield-specific effects remain unclear. We investigated hippocampal subfield alterations in acute AN, changes following weight restoration, and their associations with leptin levels. METHODS: T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging scans were processed using FreeSurfer. We compared 22 left and right hemispheric hippocampal subfield volumes cross-sectionally and longitudinally in females with acute AN (n = 165 at baseline, n = 110 after partial weight restoration), healthy female controls (HCs; n = 271), and females after long-term recovery from AN (n = 79) using linear models. RESULTS: We found that most hippocampal subfield volumes were significantly reduced in patients with AN compared with HCs (~-3.9%). Certain areas such as the subiculum exhibited no significant reduction in the acute state of AN, while other areas, such as the hippocampal tail, showed strong decreases (~-9%). Following short-term weight recovery, most subfields increased in volume. Comparisons between participants after long-term weight-recovery and HC yielded no differences. The hippocampal tail volume was positively associated with leptin levels in AN independent of body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides evidence of differential volumetric differences in hippocampal subfields between individuals with AN and HC and almost complete normalization after weight rehabilitation. These alterations are spatially inhomogeneous and more pronounced compared with other major mental disorders (e.g. major depressive disorder and schizophrenia). We provide novel insights linking hypoleptinemia to hippocampal subfield alterations hinting towards clinical relevance of leptin normalization in AN recovery.

Retrospective assessment of ICD-10/DSM-5 criteria of childhood ADHD from descriptions of academic and social behaviors in German primary school reports.

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adolescence and adulthood is particularly challenging because retrospective confirmation of previous childhood ADHD is mandatory. Therefore, collecting valid diagnostic information about behavior at school is important. Primary school reports often contain descriptions of academic performance and social behaviors associated with ADHD criteria. Yet, there is no systematic approach available how to assess such reports quantitatively, and therefore, there is also no study on how valid such an approach could predict an ADHD diagnosis. METHODS: We examined primary school reports from Germany (ADHD: n = 1197, typically developing controls: n = 656) for semantic references to ICD-10/DSM-5 main and sub-criteria of ADHD. Descriptions were assessed on a quantitative scale (blinded clinical expert rating) for disorder-associated behaviors (symptoms scale) as well as for desired, adaptive behaviors (competencies scale) according to these criteria. The scores of these developed scales have been summarized to summary scores. Scores were analyzed using linear mixed models, and sensitivity and specificity were estimated using receiver operating characteristics (ROC). RESULTS: Ratings showed highly significant differences between school reports of children with and without ADHD. For the summary scores, both symptoms and competencies scales showed high diagnostic accuracy (ROC area under the curve at least 0.96) with best discrimination when combining both into an integrated index (sensitivity and specificity > 0.97). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that systematic quantitative analysis of primary school reports should be further explored to construct a valid instrument for retrospective assessment of childhood ADHD criteria to aid the diagnostic process in adolescents and adults.

Effects of methylphenidate and physiotherapeutic treatment on graphomotor movements in children with ADHD.

In addition to the core symptoms defining ADHD, affected children often experience motor problems; in particular, graphomotor movements including handwriting are affected. However, in clinical settings, there is little emphasis on standardized and objective diagnosing and treatment of those difficulties. The present study investigated for the first time the effects of methylphenidate as well as physiotherapeutic treatment on objectively assessed graphomotor movements compared to a control condition, i.e. parental psychoeducation, in 58 children (mean age: 9.52 ± 1.91 years) newly diagnosed with ADHD in an outpatient clinic for child and adolescent psychiatry. Families were invited to join one of the treatment groups. Before and after 8 weeks of treatment, children performed six different tasks on a digitizing tablet which allowed the objective analysis of three important kinematic parameters of graphomotor movements (fluency, velocity, and pen pressure) in different levels of visual control and automation. Graphomotor movement fluency and velocity improves over time across the groups, especially in tasks with eyes closed. We did not find clear evidence for beneficial effects of methylphenidate or physiotherapeutic treatment on children's overall graphomotor movements suggesting that treatments need to be better tailored towards specific and individual deficits in graphomotor movements.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on administrative eating disorder prevalence in the outpatient sector and on severity of anorexia nervosa.

The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have had a considerable impact on the mental health of children and adolescents, particularly regarding eating disorders. However, it remains unclear whether the pandemic affected only the frequency or also the severity of eating disorders. We examined potential pandemic-related changes in the administrative prevalence of eating disorders in the outpatient sector compared with other mental disorders using German statutory health insurance data for the age group 10 to 16 years. We also examined disorder severity of anorexia nervosa using data from the multicenter German Registry of Children and Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa in the same age group. Our results showed a marked increase in the administrative prevalence of eating disorders (based on documented diagnoses) in the outpatient sector among girls but not among boys. A similar pattern was found for internalizing disorders, whereas the administrative prevalences of externalizing disorders decreased. Regarding the severity of anorexia nervosa among inpatients, we found no pandemic-related changes in body mass index standard deviation score at admission, body weight loss before admission, psychiatric comorbidities and psychopharmacological medication. Given the administrative prevalence increase in the outpatient sector, the lack of impact of the pandemic on the inpatient sector may also be partly due to a shift in healthcare utilization towards outpatient services during the pandemic. Thus, the higher number of children and adolescents requiring specialized and timely outpatient care may be a major concern under pandemic conditions.

[Indicative prevention programs for mental health promotion in preschool and primary school age: Willingness of pediatricians and families to participate in an innovative care chain]. / Indikative Präventionsprogramme zur Förderung der seelischen Gesundheit im Vor- und Grundschulalter: Teilnahmebereitschaft von Kinderärzt*innen und Familien an einer innovativen Versorgungskette.

BACKGROUND: Mental health problems usually have their onset in childhood. Undiagnosed, they may progress into mental disorders. Despite their effectiveness, existing preventive programs have been rarely used. We aimed to examine to what extent the establishment of a care chain can identify children at high risk at an early stage and assign them to preventive interventions. In addition, prevention program participation was assessed. METHODS: In a prospective implementation study, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was administered as a screening instrument to families during regular pediatric health examinations (U9-U11, child age 5-10 years). Families received feedback directly from the pediatrician, and in the case of borderline abnormal emotional or behavioral problems, a recommendation for an indicative prevention program. Program indication was additionally determined in an entry examination prior to program participation. RESULTS: In the area of Dresden (Germany), n = 46 (38.7%) pediatricians participated in the project. In n = 28 pediatric practices, n = 3231 (86.4%) families participated in the screening and n = 864 (26.7%) children received a prevention recommendation. Of the families, n = 118/864 (13.7%) self-registered for the prevention programs, n = 215/624 (35.5%) showed interest after being contacted by the study teamn. Through other pathways, n = 139 families requested participation. Clinical evaluation interviews to assess prevention indication were conducted in n = 337 children (n = 461; via all entry pathways). Finally, n = 237 (n = 337) children participated in an indicated prevention program. CONCLUSION: Expanding screening to mental health problems during regular health checkups is feasible, useful, and widely accepted. In order to implement a care chain, a supply structure should be established to enable referral to and uptake of preventive interventions.