Función ejecutiva, lenguaje pragmático y perfiles psicopatológicos según la CBCL en niños con trastornos del neurodesarrollo y antecedentes familiares de esquizofrenia / Executive function, pragmatic language and CBCL psychopathological profiles in children with neurodevelopmental disorders and family history of schizophrenia

INTRODUCCIÓN: La escala CBCL de Achenbach completada por padres evalúa un amplio rango de problemas conductuales y emocionales de inicio en la infancia. Sus subescalas "retraimiento-depresión" y principalmente "problemas de pensamiento" se han propuesto como medida de detección de riesgo de psicosis en adolescentes. Dentro de los posibles endofenotipos de la esquizofrenia se plantean la disfunción ejecutiva y la alteración en el lenguaje pragmático. OBJETIVOS: Identificar mediante ambas subescalas de la CBCL un subgrupo de niños y adolescentes con puntuaciones elevadas entre los pacientes que consultan en psiquiatría infantil por trastornos del neurodesarrollo y que tienen antecedentes familiares de esquizofrenia. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Los padres completan la escala CBCL de Achenbach, CCC-Childrens Communication Checklist- (evaluación del lenguaje pragmático) y BRIEF-2 (evaluación conductual de la función ejecutiva). RESULTADOS: Se incluyeron 21 niños (16 niños: 5 niñas). Edad media 11,4 años. Los diagnósticos principales fueron TDAH (66,7%), trastorno de aprendizaje (9,5%) y TEA (9,5%). Las dos subescalas de la CBCL "retraimiento-depresión" y "problemas de pensamiento" discriminan dos grupos, uno con afectación (n=11) con puntuaciones por encima del Pc70 y otro sin afectación (n=10) con puntuaciones inferiores al Pc70. Los casos con afectación mostraron más dificultades en el lenguaje pragmático y función ejecutiva que los del grupo sin afectación. CONCLUSIONES: Realizar una evaluación dimensional más completa de la psicopatología, como la que ofrece la CBCL, en niños con trastornos del neurodesarrollo y antecedentes familiares de esquizofrenia puede ayudar a describir mejor las dificultades premórbidas e identificar casos susceptibles de seguimiento longitudinal e intervención precoz

INTRODUCTION: The CBCL is a standardized form that parents fill out to describe their children ́s behavioral and emotional problems. Previous studies have suggested that two subscales, "withdrawal-depressed" and mainly "thought problems" may have utility as a psychosis risk screening measure in youth. Executive function and higher-order language dysfunctions have been postulated as potential endophenotypes for schizophrenia. OBJECTIVES: To identify by means of the two CBCL subscales mentioned above, a group of children and adolescents with higher ratings amongst those patients attending an outpatient psychiatric clinic, who present a neurodevelopmental disorder and a family history of schizophrenia MATERIAL AND METHODS: Parents filled out CBCL, CCC-Childrens Communication Checklist- (evaluates pragmatic language) and BRIEF-2 (Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function). RESULTS: Twenty-one children were included (16 males; 5 females). Mean age 11,4 y/o. Main diagnoses were ADHD (66,7%), Learning Disorder (9,5%) and ASD (9,5%). CBCL subscales "withdrawn-depressed" and "thought problems" discriminated two groups. One with higher ratings (above Pc70) showing the presence of symptoms (n=11) and the other with lower ratings (below Pc70) indicating symptom absence (n=10). The first group showed more pragmatic language difficulties as well as poorer executive function. CONCLUSIONS: A more comprehensive dimensional evaluation of the psychopathology of children with neurodevelopmental disorders and family history of schizophrenia, by means of CBCL, may provide a better description of premorbid difficulties, helping to identify more vulnerable cases for long term follow up and early intervention

Esquizofrenia "resistente". Conceptos confusos y tratamientos esperanzadores / Resistant schizophrenia. Confusing concepts and hopeful treatments

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Cerebral perfusion correlates of negative symptomatology and parkinsonism in a sample of treatment-refractory schizophrenics: an exploratory 99mTc-HMPAO SPET study.

There is a well recognized clinical overlap between primary and secondary neuroleptic negative symptoms in schizophrenia, but their cerebral substrates are probably different. The study of these substrates could contribute to a better understanding and management of these syndromes. In the present work, the cerebral perfusion correlates, as an indirect measure of the underlying neuronal function, of negative symptoms and parkinsonism were studied with single-photon emission tomography in a group of treatment-refractory paranoid schizophrenic patients. Perfusion ratios with respect to the homolateral cerebellum were compared with a normal database. Correlation coefficients were calculated between perfusion ratios, negative symptoms and parkinsonism scores on exploratory grounds. As a group, the patients showed a bilateral, but predominantly left-sided, hypofrontality and hypotemporality, as well as an increased perfusion in right basal ganglia. Negative symptoms scores negatively correlated with prefrontal perfusion, while parkinsonism positively correlated with the activity of primary motor and sensory cortex. These findings support the existence of different cerebral substrates for primary and secondary negative symptoms in schizophrenia.

SPECT study of regional cerebral perfusion in neuroleptic-resistant schizophrenic patients who responded or did not respond to clozapine.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to find predictive criteria for response to clozapine. METHOD: Single photon emission computed tomography studies of cerebral perfusion were done in 24 treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients while they were taking typical neuroleptics and again after they had been treated with clozapine for 6 months. Perfusion ratios of the subjects categorized as responders or nonresponders to clozapine and of the subjects in the two treatment conditions were compared. The ratios with significant between-group differences were compared to those from a normal database. RESULTS: Before clozapine, while taking neuroleptics, subjects who became responders to clozapine showed higher thalamic, left basal ganglia, and right prefrontal perfusion. Nonresponders to clozapine had lower prefrontal perfusion and responders had higher subcortical perfusion than subjects in the normal database. The subcortical perfusion of the responders decreased when they received clozapine. CONCLUSIONS: The study of cerebral perfusion may contribute to the prediction of response to clozapine.