Creative Arts Therapy for Healthcare Professionals Is Associated With Long-Term Improvements in Psychological Distress.

OBJECTIVE: Burnout in healthcare professionals (HCPs) is a pressing issue in healthcare. We report the long-term impact of our previous creative arts therapy (CAT) intervention for reducing psychological distress in HCPs. METHODS: Healthcare professionals were randomized to CAT intervention or control group. The CAT group completed surveys evaluating symptoms of psychological distress at 4 months, 8 months, and 1 year postintervention, whereas the control group completed surveys at the 1-year mark. RESULTS: The CAT group demonstrated sustained improvement in distress scores for anxiety, depression, and affect at 4 and 8 months postintervention. At the 12-month mark, the CAT group exhibited improvements in anxiety, depression, and affect compared with the control group. CONCLUSION: Creative arts therapy has lasting benefits for HCPs. Long-term follow-ups are crucial for assessing sustainability, and further investigation should focus on disseminating and implementing CAT programs for HCPs.

Neurotransmitter transporter occupancy following administration of centanafadine sustained-release tablets: A phase 1 study in healthy male adults.

BACKGROUND: Centanafadine is an inhibitor of reuptake transporters for norepinephrine (NET), dopamine (DAT) and serotonin (SERT). AIMS: This phase 1, adaptive-design positron emission tomography study investigated the occupancy time course of NET, DAT, and SERT and the relationship to centanafadine plasma concentrations. METHODS: Healthy adult males received centanafadine sustained-release 400 mg/day for 4 days (N = 6) or 800 mg in a single day (N = 4). Assessments included safety monitoring; time course of occupancy of NET, DAT, and SERT; and centanafadine plasma concentrations. RESULTS: Transporter occupancy was numerically higher for NET versus DAT or SERT. For NET, estimated (mean ± standard error [SE]) maximal observable target occupancy (TOmax) and concentration at half maximal occupancy (IC50) were 64 ± 7% and 132 ± 65 ng/mL, respectively, for all regions and 82 ± 13% and 135 ± 97 ng/mL after excluding the thalamus, which showed high nonspecific binding. For DAT and SERT, TOmax could not be established and was assumed to be 100%; estimated IC50 (mean ± SE) values were 1580 ± 186 ng/mL and 1,760 ± 309 ng/mL, respectively. For centanafadine, the estimated in vivo affinity ratio was 11.9 ± 6.0 (mean ± SE) for NET/DAT, 13.3 ± 7.0 for NET/SERT, and 1.1 ± 0.2 for DAT/SERT. DAT and SERT occupancies at a plasma concentration of 1400 ng/mL were estimated to be 47 and 44%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: High occupancy at NET and moderate occupancy at DAT and SERT was observed at peak concentrations achieved following 400 mg total daily doses of centanafadine.

The Effect of Creative Arts Therapy on Psychological Distress in Health Care Professionals.

BACKGROUND: Work-related psychological distress is common among health care professionals. We determined whether 4 creative arts therapy (CAT) programs were acceptable, feasible, and improved psychological distress and job turnover intention in health care professionals with burnout symptoms. METHODS: Health care professionals were enrolled during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic from September 2020 until July 2021. Participants attended in-person weekly 90-minute group session for 12 consecutive weeks. Intervention and control subjects completed surveys before the beginning and after the end of their cohort. The study outcomes were session attendance (feasibility), program satisfaction (acceptability), and change in symptoms of anxiety, depression, burnout, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and job turnover intention. RESULTS: We randomized 165 participants into 4 CAT interventions and 1 common control group across 3 sequential cohorts. Thirty-five randomized participants dropped out before the start of the cohort, and 16 were replaced from a waiting list. Therefore, the cohort consisted of 146 participants. On average, participants were 35 years old, white (85%), and female (92%). Overall, 52% were nurses, 10% were doctors, and 16% were behavioral health specialists. Participants attended a median of 9.5 [8-11] sessions. Program satisfaction was high with a median Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ-8) score of 31 [17-32] out of a possible score of 32. Participants randomized to the intervention had improvements in anxiety (P < .0001) and depression scores (P = .0007), total posttraumatic stress disorder score (P =.0002), burnout scores (P = .001, .003, .008), and turnover intention (P = .001). CONCLUSIONS: A CAT program is feasible, acceptable, and may reduce psychological distress and turnover intention for health care professionals.

Binding of the synaptic vesicle radiotracer [11C]UCB-J is unchanged during functional brain activation using a visual stimulation task.

The positron emission tomography radioligand [11C]UCB-J binds to synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2 A (SV2A), a regulator of vesicle release. Increased neuronal firing could potentially affect tracer concentrations if binding site availability is altered during vesicle exocytosis. This study assessed whether physiological brain activation induces changes in [11C]UCB-J tissue influx (K1), volume of distribution (VT), or binding potential (BPND). Healthy volunteers (n = 7) underwent 60-min [11C]UCB-J PET scans at baseline and during intermittent presentation of 8-Hz checkerboard visual stimulation. Sensitivity to intermittent changes in kinetic parameters was assessed in simulations, and visual stimulation was repeated using functional magnetic resonance imaging to characterize neural responses. VT and K1 were determined using the one-tissue compartment model and BPND using the simplified reference tissue model. In primary visual cortex, K1 increased 34.3 ± 15.5% (p = 0.001) during stimulation, with no change in other regions (ps > 0.12). K1 change was correlated with fMRI BOLD response (r = 0.77, p = 0.043). There was no change in VT (-3.9 ± 8.8%, p = 0.33) or BPND (-0.2 ± 9.6%, p = 0.94) in visual cortex nor other regions (ps > 0.19). Therefore, despite robust increases in regional tracer influx due to blood flow increases, binding measures were unchanged during stimulation. [11C]UCB-J VT and BPND are likely to be stable in vivo measures of synaptic density.

"Be creative and you will reach more people": youth's experiences participating in an arts-based social action group aimed at mental health stigma reduction.

Background: Starting in 2013, the Mental Health Youth Action Board, made up of 15 teens ages 15-18, was created to advise a large children's hospital on improvements in mental health care and produce social action projects to impact community perceptions of mental health.Methods: This participatory qualitative case study explored the experiences of 14 young people who participated in the Mental Health Youth Action Board between 2013 and 2016.Results: There were two higher order themes: process and outcomes. Process-related themes included how this was a unique leadership experience, the importance of the arts-based approach, and value of the intentionally constructed storytelling process. These processes led to youth growing as advocates for mental health.Conclusions: Arts-based approaches to social action that allow youth to share personal experiences of stigmatized topics can promote healing and support their growth as leaders.