RESUMO
The COVID-19 pandemic brings significant challenges for college students. This study aims to investigate changes in psychiatric symptomatology among them compared to the pre-pandemic period alongside their determinants. Data are collected before and 3 months after the onset of the pandemic from 168 students who applied to a college mental health center. Psychiatric symptomatology is assessed by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Report Scale (ASRS). Possible vulnerability factors are screened by a survey on COVID-19-related health and social isolation status, Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Social Media Use Disorder Scale (SMDS), Distress Thermometer, Scoff Eating Questionnaire, and International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short-Form (IPAQ). Results show decreased PHQ-9, GAD-7, and ASRS scores at follow-up. Even though the screen time increases, SMDS scores significantly decline. SMDS have a direct effect on PHQ-9 and ASRS levels, in addition to an indirect effect through the Distress Thermometer. Higher SMDS scores predict higher anxious and depressive symptomatology in repeated assessments. Fear of COVID-19 scores have a direct effect on GAD-7 scores only. This study suggests that the stress level and psychiatric symptomatology of the students decreased significantly in the early phases of the pandemic. The level of social media use disorder should be taken into account while following college students with mental health symptoms.
RESUMO
Converging evidence from molecular to neuroimaging studies suggests brain energy metabolism abnormalities in both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. One emerging hypothesis is: decreased oxidative phosphorylation leading to accumulation of lactic acid from glycolysis and subsequent acidification of tissue. In this regard, integrating lactate and pH data from magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) studies in both diseases may help us understand underlying neurobiological mechanisms. In order to achieve this goal, we performed a systematic search of case-control studies examining brain lactate or pH among schizophrenia and/or bipolar patients by using MRS. Medline/Pubmed and EBSCO databases were searched separately for both diseases and outcomes. Our search yielded 33 studies in total composed of 7 lactate and 26 pH studies. In bipolar disorder, 5 out of 6 studies have found elevated lactate levels especially in the cingulate cortex and 4 out of 13 studies reported reduced pH in the frontal lobe. In contrast, in schizophrenia a single study has examined lactate and reported elevation, while only 2 out of 13 studies examining pH have reported reduction in this measure. There were no consistent patterns for the relationship between lactate or pH levels and medication use, disease type, mood state, and other clinical variables. We highlight the need for future studies combining 1H-MRS and 31P-MRS approaches, using longitudinal designs to examine lactate and pH in disease progression across both schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.
