Correction to: Psychiatric disorders and SLC6A4 gene variants: possible effects on alcohol dependence and alzheimer's disease.

The following authors have double affiliations: Stefania Boccia, Marco Di Nicola and they should read.

Psychiatric disorders and SLC6A4 gene variants: possible effects on alcohol dependence and alzheimer's disease.

Serotoninergic system is one of the most important neurotransmission systems investigated in the field of psychiatry. Extensive evidence reveals how alterations of this system, and especially of the SLC6A4 gene, may be associated with psychiatric disorders. In this study we aimed to evaluate the pleiotropic nature of SLC6A4 alterations and their association with the overall risk of brain diseases rather than disorder-specific. SLC6A4 variants, namely 5HTTLPR, STin2, rs2066713, rs25531, rs4251417, rs6354 and rs7224199 were investigated in 4 independent cohorts of subjects with specific psychiatric disorders, including Alcohol dependence disorder (ALC), Alzheimer disease (ALZ), Schizophrenia (SCZ) and Bipolar disorder (BPD). Other variables (biochemical parameters and Psychiatric scales scores) were also tested for association. SLC6A4 polymorphisms are not associated with the risk of developing major psychiatric disorders (SCZ and BPD); however some signals were detected in ALC (HTTLPR pd = 9.25 × 10-03, pr = 7.24 × 10-03; rs2066713 pd = 6.35 × 10-08; rs25531 pd = 2.95 × 10-02; rs4251417 pd = 2.46 × 10-03), and ALZ (rs6354 pr = 1.22 × 10-02; rs7224199 pd = 1.00 × 10-08, pr = 2.65 × 10-02) cohorts. Some associations were also observed on exploratory analyses. Our findings did not reveal any major influence on SCZ and BPD development; On the other hand, some alteration of the SLC6A4 sequence were associated with an increased risk of ALC and ALZ disorders, suggesting common pathways. The results of this study should be carefully interpreted since it suffers of some inherent limitations (e.g. cohort size, slight ethnic heterogeneity). Further analyses may provide better detail on the molecular processes behind SLC6A4 alterations.

Alzheimer's Disease and Neurotransmission Gene Variants: Focus on Their Effects on Psychiatric Comorbidities and Inflammatory Parameters.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder accounting for 60-70% of dementia cases. Genetic origin accounts for 49-79% of disease risk. This paper aims to investigate the association of 17 polymorphisms within 7 genes involved in neurotransmission (COMT, HTR2A, PPP3CC, RORA, SIGMAR1, SIRT1, and SORBS3) and AD. METHODS: A Greek and an Italian sample were investigated, for a total of 156 AD subjects and 301 healthy controls. Exploratory analyses on psychosis and depression comorbidities were performed, as well as on other available clinical and serological parameters. RESULTS: AD was associated with rs4680 within the COMT gene in the total sample. Trends of association were found in the 2 subsamples. Some nominal associations were found for the depressive phenotype. rs10997871 and rs10997875 within SIRT1 were nominally associated with depression in the total sample and in the Greek subsample. rs174696 within COMT was associated with depression comorbidity in the Italian subsample. DISCUSSION: Our data support the role of COMT, and particularly of rs4680, in the pathogenesis of AD. Furthermore, the SIRT1 gene seems to modulate depressive symptomatology in the AD population.

Major Depression and the Degree of Suicidality: Results of the European Group for the Study of Resistant Depression (GSRD).

Background: This European multicenter study aimed to elucidate suicidality in major depressive disorder. Previous surveys suggest a prevalence of suicidality in major depressive disorder of ≥50%, but little is known about the association of different degrees of suicidality with socio-demographic, psychosocial, and clinical characteristics. Methods: We stratified 1410 major depressive disorder patients into 3 categories of suicidality based on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression item 3 (suicidality) ratings (0=no suicidality; 1-2=mild/moderate suicidality; 3-4=severe suicidality). Chi-squared tests, analyses of covariance, and Spearman correlation analyses were applied for the data analyses. Results: The prevalence rate of suicidality in major depressive disorder amounted to 46.67% (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression item 3 score ≥1). 53.33% were allocated into the no, 38.44% into the mild/moderate, and 8.23% into the severe suicidality patient group. Due to the stratification of our major depressive disorder patient sample according to different levels of suicidality, we identified some socio-demographic, psychosocial, and clinical variables differentiating from the patient group without suicidality already in presence of mild/moderate suicidality (depressive symptom severity, treatment resistance, psychotic features, add-on medications in general), whereas others separated only when severe suicidality was manifest (inpatient treatment, augmentation with antipsychotics and benzodiazepines, melancholic features, somatic comorbidities). Conclusions: As even mild/moderate suicidality is associated with a failure of achieving treatment response, adequate recognition of this condition should be ensured in the clinical practice.

Adolescent gambling in greater Athens area: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: Problem gambling in adolescents has recently emerged as a pressing public health concern. In this context and in light of the pervasive financial crisis in Greece, the present study aimed to explore adolescents' gambling involvement in Athens region to estimate the prevalence of its problematic form and to identify its risk/protective factors. METHODS: A total of 2141 students were recruited from a representative sample of 51 schools located in greater Athens area. The presence of problem gambling was assessed through the use of the DSM-IV-MR-J questionnaire. Data were collected in the form of a self-reported questionnaire during one school hour. RESULTS: Results indicate that 1-year prevalence of high severity problem gambling was found to be 5.6%. Regarding the risk factors for problem gambling; male gender, parental engagement with gambling activities, living without the parents, low grades at school, foreign nationality and the referent absence of availability of food in the household, increased the risk of suffering from the disorder. CONCLUSION: Gambling behavior among adolescents constitutes a problem in Greece and highlights the need for designing and implementing appropriate preventive interventions, especially amid the ongoing financial crisis.

Anxiety and depression among Greek men with primary erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation.

BACKGROUND: Erectile dysfunction (ED) and premature ejaculation (PE) are the two most prevalent sexual disorders among males associated with significant distress and impairment in quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms among patients with primary ED and PE. METHODS: A sample of 57 men (ED = 31; PE = 26) were compared to 25 male outpatients with anxiety disorder (AD) and 25 healthy controls. Principal assessment measures included the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS: Greater levels of STAI state anxiety were reported among the ED, PE, and AD groups as compared to healthy controls. In contrast ED and AD groups scored higher than controls on the STAI trait anxiety and BDI, but PE scores were not different from healthy controls in both measures. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings suggest that both primary ED and PE are conditions associated with significant state anxiety; however, PE appears to be less associated with trait anxiety and depression compared to ED, a finding that corroborates the recent acknowledgement of PE as a more biologically based condition. Limitations and potential clinical implications are also discussed.

Baseline heartbeat perception accuracy and short-term outcome of brief cognitive-behaviour therapy for panic disorder with agoraphobia.

BACKGROUND: Increased heartbeat perception accuracy (HBP-accuracy) may contribute to the pathogenesis of Panic Disorder (PD) without or with Agoraphobia (PDA). Extant research suggests that HBP-accuracy is a rather stable individual characteristic, moreover predictive of worse long-term outcome in PD/PDA patients. However, it remains still unexplored whether HBP-accuracy adversely affects patients' short-term outcome after structured cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) for PD/PDA. AIM: To explore the potential association between HBP-accuracy and the short-term outcome of a structured brief-CBT for the acute treatment of PDA. METHOD: We assessed baseline HBP-accuracy using the "mental tracking" paradigm in 25 consecutive medication-free, CBT-naive PDA patients. Patients then underwent a structured, protocol-based, 8-session CBT by the same therapist. Outcome measures included the number of panic attacks during the past week, the Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire (ACQ), and the Mobility Inventory-Alone subscale (MI-alone). RESULTS: No association emerged between baseline HBP-accuracy and posttreatment changes concerning number of panic attacks. Moreover, higher baseline HBP-accuracy was associated with significantly larger reductions in the scores of the ACQ and the MI-alone scales. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that in PDA patients undergoing structured brief-CBT for the acute treatment of their symptoms, higher baseline HBP-accuracy is not associated with worse short-term outcome concerning panic attacks. Furthermore, higher baseline HBP-accuracy may be associated with enhanced therapeutic gains in agoraphobic cognitions and behaviours.

Correlation between depression, anxiety, and polymorphonuclear cells' resilience in ulcerative colitis: the mediating role of heat shock protein 70.

BACKGROUND: To investigate whether anxiety and depression levels are associated with Heat Shock Protein 70 (HSP70) induction in the colon of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). METHODS: The design was cross-sectional. Clinical activity was assessed by the Rachmilewitz Index (CAI). Three psychometric questionnaires were used: Zung Depression Rating Scale (ZDRS), Spielberg State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Colon biopsies were obtained from each affected anatomical site. Severity of inflammation was assessed by eosin/hematoxylin. Constitutive (HSP70c) and inducible (HSP70i) HSP70 expression were immunohistochemically studied. RESULTS: 29 UC patients were enrolled (69% men). Mean age was 46.5 years (SD: 19.5). Inflammation severity was moderate in 17 patients, severe in 6, and mild in 6. The mean number of years since diagnosis was 7.9 (SD: 6.5). The mean CAI was 6.4 (SD: 3.1). In active UC, there was downregulation of HSP70c in inflamed epithelium, without significant HSP70 induction. In 22/29 cases of active cryptitis, polymorphonuclear cells (PMN) clearly expressed HSP70i, with weak, focal positivity in the other 7 cases. Except for the hospital anxiety scale, scores in all psychometric tools were higher in patients with strong HSP70i immunoreactivity in the PMN. Logistic regression showed a strong positive relationship between HSP70i immunoreactivity in the PMN cells and scores in the trait anxiety, ZDRS, and hospital depression scales, (Odds ratios 1.3, 1.3, and 1.5; P = 0.018, 0.023, and 0.038; Wald test, 5.6, 5.2, and 4.3 respectively) and a weaker but significant positive correlation with the CAI (Odds ratio 1.654; P = 0.049; Wald test 3.858). CONCLUSION: HSP70 is induced in PMN cells of UC patients and its induction correlates with depression and anxiety levels.

Cytokines, diabetes mellitus and psychopathology: a challenging combination.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the association of IL-6, IL-12, and TNF-α with trait and state psychological factors in type 2 diabetic patients. DESIGN: Patients were divided in two groups. Group A consisted of 86 controlled diabetic patients (HbA1c<7) and the Group B consisted of 45 uncontrolled diabetic patients (HbA1c ≥ 7). SETTINGS: During the initial phase of the study (T0), blood samples were taken for measuring IL-6, IL-12 and TNF-α serum levels as well as a battery of psychometric instruments. One year later (T1), the uncontrolled diabetic patients were re-evaluated with the use of the same psychometric instruments and with the identical blood analysis. RESULTS: The average values of tnf-α were significantly different among controlled (7.73 ± 5.51) and uncontrolled patients (9.29 ± 4.52) at a significance level of 5% (p=0.009). Controlled diabetic patients show a statistically significant relationship between IL-6 and neuroticism (rp=0.303, p=0.010), and between IL-12 and psychotism, (rsp=0.382, p=0.001). Controlled diabetic patients show a statistically significant relationship between IL-12 and the act out hostility (rsp=-0.307, p=0.009). The scores of the psychometric tests differ significantly between the first and second evaluation. Acting out hostility and the direction of hostility increased when HbA1c values fell below the threshold of 7, while the total hostility index, as well as all other scales, dropped when patients controlled their metabolic profile. CONCLUSIONS: The present results provide evidence that IL-6, IL-12 and TNF-α are closely related to the course and treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in adult psychiatric outpatients with depressive or anxiety disorders.

BACKGROUND: There are very few studies reporting on the prevalence and the contribution of not previously diagnosed ADHD in the clinical picture of other psychiatric disorders. The aim of our study is to determine the prevalence and clinical correlates of comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adult psychiatric outpatients with depressive or anxiety disorders. METHODS: During a 6-month period, 114 outpatients with depressive or anxiety disorders were evaluated for ADHD diagnosis. Assessment included interviews with both patient and relatives/friends and the use of a daily diary. Moreover, the patients completed the self-report scales Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Spielberger's Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Symptom Checklist-90-R Rating Scale (SCL-90-R). RESULTS: A total of 22 out of 114 patients (19.3%) received an ADHD diagnosis for the first time in their life. Comorbid ADHD compared to non ADHD patients scored significantly higher (p < 0.05) for depression (BDI), state and trait anxiety (STAI) and in the following SCL-90-R factors: Positive Symptoms Distressing Index, Positive Symptoms Index, Somatization, Obsessive Compulsive, Depression, Anxiety, and Hostility. CONCLUSIONS: ADHD might go unrecognized among psychiatric outpatients. Patients with depressive or anxiety disorder reporting more severe symptomatology should be carefully screened for possible comorbid adult ADHD.

Association between Sirtuin 2 gene rs10410544 polymorphism and depression in Alzheimer's disease in two independent European samples.

Among the several genes associated with late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD), recently, Sirtuin genes have roused a growing interest because of their involvement in metabolic homeostasis and in brain aging. Particularly SIRT2 gene has been associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) as well as with mood disorders. The aim of this study is to investigate the possible associations between Sirtuin 2 gene (SIRT2) rs10410544 polymorphism and AD as well as depression in AD. In addition, we performed some exploratory analyses to investigate possible associations between the rs10410544 genotype and clinical features. We investigated these associations in two independent samples: the first one was composed of 275 Greek inhabitants and 117 patients; the second sample counted 181 Italian people and 43 patients. All patients were affected by LOAD. We failed to find any association between rs10410544 genotype and AD in the two samples. On the other hand, we found an association between the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and depressive symptomatology (in the total sample p = 0.002), which was modulated by the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) values. Particularly, TT genotype seems to be protective versus depression. Finally, in the exploratory analyses, we found that the TT genotype was associated with earlier AD onset and a longer duration of the illness. In conclusion, we confirmed the association between SIRT2 gene and mood disturbances, although in AD patients. Further, we provided evidence that the TT genotype may be protective versus depressive symptoms, allowing an easier and thus earlier diagnosis of AD. This awareness may lead to a more detailed approach to these patients concerning diagnosis and therapy.

Pregabalin augmentation of antidepressants in older patients with comorbid depression and generalized anxiety disorder-an open-label study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this 12-week open-label study was to evaluate the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of pregabalin as an adjunctive treatment to antidepressants in older patients suffering from depression and comorbid generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). METHODS: The initial sample of this open-label study consisted of 94 older patients fulfilling criteria for depression with comorbid GAD who were treated with antidepressants. Twenty of them who had received antidepressant monotherapy for an adequate time and shown partial response to the antidepressant prescribed, in terms of either anxiety or depressive symptomatology, followed the next phase. During the 12-week study period, pregabalin was gradually added to the previously prescribed antidepressant, reaching 225 mg/day over 4 weeks. Depression and anxiety scores as well as side effects were monitored. Within groups, differences of depression and anxiety scores at baseline and during the following 12 weeks of treatment were estimated with repeated-measure analysis of variance. RESULTS: A statistical significant reduction in depression scores was observed after the 4th week of treatment (p < 0.01), which further improved between the 8th and 12th weeks (p < 0.01). Concerning overall anxiety scores, a statistically significant improvement was noted between the 2nd and 4th weeks (p < 0.01), which further continued throughout the 8th (p < 0.05) and 12th weeks (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated a good therapeutic response to pregabalin in patients with depression comorbid with GAD after a 12-week treatment period. Both anxiety and depressive symptomatology significantly improved, and minimal side effects were observed.

Prevalence of psychiatric disorders among homeless people in Athens area: a cross-sectional study.

PURPOSE: Homelessness is a chronic social phenomenon in European and other Western cities. In the recent years, the number of homeless people in Greece, mainly in Athens, is also increasing. METHOD: The aim of this study was to explore the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among a sample of 254 homeless people, using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.). The sample was drawn from the existing shelters, soup kitchens, and the streets. RESULTS: The sample was predominantly male (74 %) with mean age 51 years, being in their majority homeless for over 25 months, 27 % of them living in the streets. The vast majority of the sample was single or separated with an education level <12 years. Current prevalence of psychiatric disorders was 56.7 % with 20.8 % comorbidity. For psychotic and mood disorders, current prevalence rates were 13 and 16 %, respectively. One year prevalence of alcohol and drug dependence was found to be low. Logistic regression analysis revealed that being older with higher number of months living in the streets and exposed to high frequency of adverse social events, increase the likelihood to become a psychiatric case. Finally, the vast majority of the identified psychiatric cases were lacking any current psychiatric care. CONCLUSIONS: The magnitude of the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity was more than three times higher than that of the general population in Athens. Implications for psychosocial care and the organization of a support network for the homeless people are discussed.

Motive related positivity: decision-making during a prisoners' dilemma task.

The neural mechanisms underlying decision-making to cooperate or defect were investigated using event-related potentials during an iterated computer Prisoner's Dilemma task, adapted to induce working memory operation. Event-related potentials from 64 leads of 22 participants were recorded during 90 trials and averaged depending on the condition of cooperation and defect. The P200 component of the event-related potentials provided evidence for activation differences between cooperation and defect. Cooperation elicited significantly increased P200 activation at parieto-occipital leads, while defect activated primarily the prefrontal electrodes. Functional mapping using Low Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography indicated that in the 150-180 ms time window Brodmann areas 19 (precuneus) and 17 (lingual gyrus), exhibited increased activation during cooperation, while Brodmann area 6 (precentral gyrus) exhibited increased activation when participants defected. In conclusion, the current study provides evidence that cooperation and defect elicit different brain activation at specific loci and within specific time windows.

The practice of electroconvulsive therapy in Greece.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the practice of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in Greece. METHODS: A survey was conducted during the academic year 2008-2009. Electroconvulsive therapy use was investigated for 2007. All civilian institutions providing inpatient care were included. Centers that provided ECT completed a 57-item questionnaire. Centers that did not offer ECT completed a 13-item questionnaire. RESULTS: Fifty-five (82.1%) of 67 institutions responded. Electroconvulsive therapy was offered in 18 hospitals. Only 2 of 10 university hospitals offered ECT. Overall, 137 patients were treated with 1271 sessions in 2007. Only 1.47% discontinued treatment owing to adverse events. There were no deaths. Schizophrenia was the most common diagnosis (41.3%) among those receiving ECT, followed by major depression (28.9%), bipolar depression (9.1%), catatonia (4.1%), suicidal ideation (3.3%), and schizoaffective disorder (2.5%). Physicians considered major depression (93.8%), catatonia (86.5%), schizophrenia (56.3%), and mania (50%) the most appropriate indications. Written informed consent was required in 77.8% of the institutions, whereas the rest required verbal consent. Bilateral ECT was the preferred electrode placement (88.9%). Modified ECT was used exclusively. Propofol was the preferred anesthetic (44.4%), followed by thiopental (38.9%). Seven (38.9%) of 18 hospitals used a fixed stimulus dose at first treatment. Five (27.8%) of 18 hospitals used the half-age method. Continuation/maintenance ECT was used in 33.3% of the hospitals. Outpatient ECT was seldom used. Lack of training, difficult access to anesthesiology, billing issues, and stigma were cited as the main impediments to the practice of ECT. CONCLUSIONS: Electroconvulsive therapy is practiced in moderate numbers in Greece and almost exclusively on an inpatient basis. Lack of training and lack of availability of anesthesiologists were cited as the most common obstacles to providing ECT.

Depressive symptomatology and pineal epidermoid cyst: a case report.

Introduction Intracranial epidermoid cysts are congenital cysts. They comprise 0.2-1.8% of primary intracranial tumours and are four to nine times as common as dermoid cysts. Case report We here in present the case of a 32-year-old man who reported sudden onset of symptoms of a depressive symptomatology and particularly severe headache, accompanied by fatigue, depressed mood most of the day, marked diminished interest or pleasure in all or almost all activities, insomnia and diminished ability to think or concentrate. Brain magnetic resolution imaging examination revealed a pineal epidermoid cystic lesion, visualised in the posterior part of the third ventricle, with a maximum diameter of ∼2.8 cm and obstructing the aqueduct of Sylvius, causing obstructive hydrocephalus. Discussion Pineal cysts may enlarge over time, because of either increased cyst fluid or intracystic haemorrhage, and become symptomatic. Brain radiological investigations in patients with depressive symptomatology may be substantial.

The association of the metabolic profile in diabetes mellitus type 2 patients with obsessive-compulsive symptomatology and depressive symptomatology: new insights.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between diabetes mellitus type 2, Obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD) symptomatology and depressive symptomatology with the metabolic profile of diabetic patients. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-one diabetic patients were randomly selected. In the first assessment all participants completed the Zung Self Rating Scale (ZUNG) and the Maudsley O-C Inventory Questionnaire (MOCI). After 1 year, diabetic patients that were initially uncontrolled (n = 31) (HbA1c > 7) were re-evaluated by the same psychometric tools. From those 31 patients, 10 had managed to control their metabolic profile. RESULTS: In the first evaluation MOCI and the sub-scale of slowness were statistically related with the diabetic profile (controlled, HbA1c ≤ 7; uncontrolled, HbA1c > 7), with uncontrolled patients scoring significantly higher on the overall MOCI score and the factor of slowness of MOCI scale (P = 0.028). The analysis revealed a positive association between depressive symptomatology (P = 0.004) and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptomatology (P < 0.001) and the metabolic profile of the patients. In the second evaluation the patients that managed to control their metabolic profile scored lower in both ZDRS and MOCI, although these differences in scores failed to reach significance levels were indicative of a tendency. CONCLUSIONS: The present results provide initial evidence that diabetes mellitus type 2 is associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder symptomatology and depressive symptomatology.

The interference of introversion-extraversion and depressive symptomatology with reasoning performance: a behavioural study.

The objective of this study was to investigate the link between the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) scores and depressive symptomatology with reasoning performance induced by a task including valid and invalid Aristotelian syllogisms. The EPQ and the Zung Depressive Scale (ZDS) were completed by 48 healthy subjects (27 male, 21 female) aged 33.5 ± 9.0 years. Additionally, the subjects engaged into two reasoning tasks (valid vs. invalid syllogisms). Analysis showed that the judgment of invalid syllogisms is a more difficult task than of valid judgments (65.1% vs. 74.6% of correct judgments respectively, p < 0.01). In both conditions, the subjects' degree of confidence is significantly higher when they make a correct judgment than when they make an incorrect judgment (83.8 ± 11.2 vs. 75.3 ± 17.3, p < 0.01). Subjects with extraversion as measured by EPQ and high sexual desire as rated by the relative ZDS subscale are more prone to make incorrect judgments in the valid syllogisms, while, at the same time, they are more confident in their responses. The effects of extraversion/introversion and sexual desire on the outcome measures of the valid condition are not commutative but additive. These findings indicate that extraversion/introversion and sexual desire variations may have a detrimental effect in the reasoning performance.

Cortical interactions during the experience of auditory verbal hallucinations.

Auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs), the perception of voices in the absence of auditory stimuli, are common and distressing symptoms reported by 50%-80% of patients with schizophrenia. However, the results in a number of imaging and electrophysiological studies on the origins of AVH are not consistent, and the underlying pathophysiology remains unclear. The authors enrolled a group of schizophrenia patients and normal-control subjects, age 18-45 years. Two patient groups participated in the study; 1) a group of 8 patients with drug-resistant spontaneous AVHs; and 2) a group of 7 patients whose AVHs were successfully controlled with neuroleptic medication; along with 16 normal-control subjects. The entire sample had EEG recording done, with the AVH group told to press a button when they experienced a hallucination, and the other two groups randomly told when to press the button. In the AVH group, hallucinations were longer in the "eyes-closed" than "eyes-open" condition. There was spreading phase-coupling in the AVH group, intra- and inter-hemispherically, at left and right frontal and temporal areas, under both eyes-closed and eyes-open condition, during the experience of AVH. There was a statistically significant increase of α-band frequency-specific synchrony maximum values in the AVH group. AVHs are considered to be complex features, and, as such, they reflect abnormal functional connectivity in multiple related regions in both intra- and inter-hemispherical brain sites, primarily defined by phase-integration.

Effects of wi-fi signals on the p300 component of event-related potentials during an auditory hayling task.

The P300 component of event-related potentials (ERPs) is believed to index attention and working memory (WM) operation of the brain. The present study focused on the possible gender-related effects of Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity) electromagnetic fields (EMF) on these processes. Fifteen male and fifteen female subjects, matched for age and education level, were investigated while performing a modified version of the Hayling Sentence Completion test adjusted to induce WM. ERPs were recorded at 30 scalp electrodes, both without and with the exposure to a Wi-Fi signal. P300 amplitude values at 18 electrodes were found to be significantly lower in the response inhibition condition than in the response initiation and baseline conditions. Independent of the above effect, within the response inhibition condition there was also a significant gender X radiation interaction effect manifested at 15 leads by decreased P300 amplitudes of males in comparison to female subjects only at the presence of EMF. In conclusion, the present findings suggest that Wi-Fi exposure may exert gender-related alterations on neural activity associated with the amount of attentional resources engaged during a linguistic test adjusted to induce WM.