On the Correlations of Gray Matter with Schizotypy in Mentally Healthy Subjects.

We analyzed the relationships between morphometric characteristics of brain gray matter and schizotypy. Mentally healthy subjects (n=164, age 18-35 years) completed Russian version of SPQ-74 test and underwent high-field 3T MRI. Cortical thickness in the right frontal pole (determined with FreeSurfer 6.0.0) positively correlated with negative schizotypy factor. The revealed features can reflect the protective mechanisms (resilience) against the development of mental disorders and also can be a result of individual ontogenesis trajectories manifested in deceleration of the decrease of the cortex thickness during first 3 decades of life.

MRI-Based Markers of Changes in the Supragranular Cortical Layer in Individuals at Clinically High Risk of Endogenous Psychosis.

We analyzed morphometric MRI parameters indirectly attesting to structural changes in the supragranular layer in 33 non-converted individuals at clinical high risk for endogenous psychosis (follow-up period of 6.7±0.6 years) and in 34 sex- and age-matched healthy controls. In the group of clinical high-risk individuals, changes indicative of potential predominance of supragranular thinning in comparison with a decrease of infragranular cortical layer thickness were revealed. The results are discussed in the context of the concepts of resilience and risk markers of developing endogenous psychosis.

Multimodal MRI of Conduction Tracts and Anatomy of the Cerebral Gray Matter in Familial Risk of Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia.

The present study analyzed diffusion characteristics of white matter tracts and grey matter anatomy in 48 mentally healthy participants, including first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia (N=13) and affective spectrum disorders (N=13). The subgroup with familial risk of schizophrenia displayed abnormalities in the structural connectivity and increased cortical thickness in the superior frontal gyrus. No differences in the analyzed characteristics were revealed in the subgroup with familial risk for affective disorders. The results are discussed within the framework of the concepts of endophenotypes and processes reflecting compensatory and protective mechanisms.

Functional Connectomic Approach to Studying Selank and Semax Effects.

The present study was aimed at the assessment of effects of anxiolytic Selank and nootropic Semax on the whole-brain resting-state functional connectivity (FC) of each of the predefined regions of interest (ROIs) in 52 healthy participants. The ROIs included amygdala (one of the key regions for the regulation of anxiety) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC; the key region for executive functions, including working memory) in the right and left hemisphere. Resting-state fMRI was carried out three times, namely before, after 5 and 20 min of the injection of either Semax, or Selank, or placebo. Between-group alongwith between-condition differences were revealed in FC between the right amygdala and a region in fusiform, inferior and middle temporal as well as parahippocampal gyri in the right hemisphere. Post hoc analysis allowed us to define both general and specific effects of Selank and Semax on FC between the right amygdala and the right temporal cortex for the first time.

Effects of Semax on the Default Mode Network of the Brain.

The effects of nootropic drug Semax on the neuronal network of the brain were studied by the resting state functional magnetic-resonance imaging (resting state fMRI). The study was carried out on two groups of healthy volunteers (11 men and 13 women aged 43.9±9.5 years). Resting state fMRI was carried out 3 times: directly before and 5 and 20 min after intranasal 1% Semax (14 subjects) or placebo (10 subjects). The topography of the resting state default mode network was studied. A greater volume of the default mode network rostral (medial frontal cortex) subcomponent was detected in the Semax group in comparison with controls. Resting state fMRI confirmed Semax effects on the neuronal network of the brain and demonstrated topography of these effects.

MRI Study for the Features of Brain Conduction Pathways in Patients with an Ultra-High Risk of Endogenous Psychoses.

Diffusion parameters of brain tracts (n=18) were studied in 27 men with ultra-high risk of endogenous attack-like psychoses and 27 mentally healthy men of the same age group (fractional anisotropy; and average, radial, and axial diffusion). Correlation analysis was performed between these parameters and severity of mental disorders (SOPS scale). The indexes of radial diffusion and axial diffusion were shown to change in the left anterior thalamic radiation and right posterior cingulum bundle, respectively. Our results are consistent with published data that disturbances in the frontal and temporal lobes play an important role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The degree of mental disorders correlated with diffusion parameters in the left and right anterior cingulum bundle.

(1)H-MRS and MEGA-PRESS pulse sequence in the study of balance of inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmitters in the human brain of ultra-high risk of schizophrenia patients.

The MEGA-PRESS pulse sequence was used for determination of overlapping signals in the (1)H-MRS spectra of the human brain. For the first time, the balance of GABA glutamate/glutamine concentrations was estimated quantitatively in the human brain of patients with ultra-high risk of schizophrenia. It was found that GABA concentration and GABA/GLX ratios were significantly reduced in the left frontal lobe of UHR subjects.

[Relationship of Executive Functions and Processing Speed with Cortical Gray Matter Morphometry in Healthy Adults and at The Early Stages of Schizophrenia].

13 male patients with schizophrenia and 18 age-matched healthy men underwent structural magnetic reso- nance imaging and completed the Stroop task which included the switching condition. As compared to con- trols, the patients showed slowing of color naming in the neutral condition and a reduction ofgray matter vol- ume and thickness in the frontal and temporal areas. In healthy subjects, the time of color naming was neg- atively correlated with gray matter volume in the left cuneus. In the schizophrenia group, there was a positive correlation between the time of color naming and cortical thickness in the middle and inferior frontal gyri of the right hemisphere. These results indicate a change in structural-functional relationships at the early stages of schizophrenia.

Diffusion in the corpus callosum in patients with early schizophrenia.

Diffusion in the cerebral corpus callosum in patients with early schizophrenia was studied by diffusion tensor MRT and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The fraction anisotropy coefficient in the corpus callosum knee was low as a result of high radial diffusion. Spectroscopy detected a decrease of N-acetylaspartate level in the corpus callosum knee indicating axonal lesion during the early stage of schizophrenia.

Characteristics of Diffusion in the Corticospinal Tract of Patients with Early Stage of Schizophrenia: Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Specific features of diffusion in the cerebral corticospinal tract of patients with early stages of schizophrenia were studied using methods of diffusion tensor magnetic-resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. A decrease in the coefficient of fractional anisotropy in the posterior limb of the internal capsule and an increase in diffusion coefficient in the radiate crown and motor cortex were observed. The results reflect different mechanisms of changes in water diffusion in various areas of the corticospinal tract: changes in nerve fiber microstructure in the internal capsule of the left hemisphere and a decrease in their density in the motor cortex and radiate crown.

[The Features of Saccadic Reactions to a Consequent of Visual Stimuli in Healthy Subjects and Patients with Schizophrenia].

We studied the features of cognitive functions of attention and decision making in 18 healthy subjects and 15 patients with schizophrenia with the use of pairs of two short visual stimuli (double step). In the group of patients with schizophrenia, we observed a higher number of errors and higher frequency of modified saccadic pattern--two saccades to each stimulus instead of only one saccade to the second stimulus. In these patients, the latency period of the first saccade was shorter, while the latency period of a single saccade to the second stimulus was longer as compared with healthy subjects. The lateral differences in the saccade latency in schizophrenic and healthy subjects are opposite. The data provide an evidence of disorders in the cognitive control and prognostic processes of saccade programming in schizophrenic patients.

[Effects of anxiety and the COMT gene on cortical evoked potentials and performance effectiveness of selective attention].

We studied influence of the anxiety-related trait Harm Avoidance and the COMT gene, which is an important modulator of prefrontal functioning, on event-related potentials in oddball paradigm and performance effectiveness of selective attention. For 50 individuals accuracy and time of searching words among letters at any desired rate and then under an instruction to perform the task as quickly and accurate as possible were measured. Scores on the Harm Avoidance scale from Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory, N100 and P300 parameters, and COMTVa1158Met genotypes were obtained for them as well. Searching accuracy and time were mainly related to N100 amplitude. The COMT genotype and Harm Avoidance did not affect N100 amplitude; however, the N100 amplitude modulated their effects on accuracy and time dynamics. Harm Avoidance was positively correlated with P300 latency. The results suggest that anxiety and the COMT gene effects on performance effectiveness of selective attention depend on cognitive processes reflected in N100 parameters.

[Application of the biofeedback method in the therapy of depression]. / Primenenie metoda biologicheskoi obratnoi svyazi v terapii depressii.

In order to systematize the modern literature data on the effectiveness of biofeedback in the treatment of patients with depressive disorders, clinical efficacy and prospects for use in psychiatric practice, publications in the MEDLINE / PubMed, eLibrary databases from 2013 to 2023, as well as relevant references in the reference lists of the analyzed articles, were selected by the keywords «biofeedback¼, «depression¼, «depression therapy¼, «electroencephalogram¼, «non-drug treatments for depression¼. The analysis of data has shown that the biofeedback method demonstrates a certain therapeutic potential in the treatment of depression. It can be used to augment therapy in case of insufficient therapeutic effect, with low patient compliance, as well as poor tolerability of psychopharmacotherapy and in the presence of residual symptoms after pharmacological treatment. The method allows the correction of the psycho-emotional state, improves the balance between the parasympathetic and sympathetic divisions of the autonomic nervous system, and contributes to a more stable clinical effect. At the same time, further studies are needed, with the inclusion of large samples of patients from various nosological groups and with an analysis of the comparability of the effects of various biofeedback protocols.

[Structural features of the brain in individuals with youth depression at a clinical risk for psychosis]. / Strukturnye osobennosti golovnogo mozga pri yunosheskikh depressiyakh s klinicheskim riskom manifestatsii psikhoza.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the structural features of the brain (cortical and subcortical) in depressive patients at clinical risk for psychosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Nineteen right-handed male patients with youth depression, who were assessed for high risk of psychotic manifestation, and 20 healthy controls underwent MRI and clinical examination. T1-weighted images were processed in FreeSurfer 7.1.1. For each subject average values for the cortex thickness and area, volumes of subcortical structures, and separately volumes of the amygdala nuclei were obtained. Intergroup comparisons and correlations with clinical scales (SOPS, HDRS) were calculated. RESULTS: Patients showed decreased gray matter thickness in the left (p=0.002) and right (p=0.003) postcentral gyri and increased thickness in the right posterior cingulate cortex (p=0.003) and rostral anterior cingulate cortex (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: These findings may reflect cortical changes at early stages of the psychotic process, including the gray matter loss in some areas and the opposite phenomena in others (it cannot be ruled out that the latter may be the result of altered ontogenesis and/or certain compensatory changes).

[Some structural and functional features of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the corpus callosum genu and auditory information processing (P300) in healthy subjects and patients with juvenile schizophrenia].

Some structural and functional characteristics of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and corpus callosum genu were analyzed in comparison with electrophysiological markers of selective attention in 18 mentally healthy subjects and 22 remitted patients with juvenile schizophrenia. In both topography zones there were no statistically significant intergroup differences in N-acetylaspartate and choline compounds (by proton MR-spectroscopy), whereas fractional anisotropy (by diffusion tensor imaging) in the corpus callosum genu was lower in patients. Absence of significant correlations between the imaging characteristics and psychopathology scores and their weak correlations with P300 suggest a poor involvement of the analyzed structures in the processes which determine cognitive disorders in patients with juvenile schizophrenia.

[Some electrophysiological and hemodynamic characteristics of auditory selective attention in norm and schizophrenia].

Six patients in the state of remission after the first episode ofjuvenile schizophrenia and seven sex- and age-matched mentally healthy subjects were examined by fMRI and ERP methods. The auditory oddball paradigm was applied. Differences in P300 parameters didn't reach the level of significance, however, a significantly higher hemodynamic response to target stimuli was found in patients bilaterally in the supramarginal gyrus and in the right medial frontal gyrus, which points to pathology of these brain areas in supporting of auditory selective attention.

[Rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of resistant depression in schizophrenia]. / Ritmicheskaya transkranial'naya magnitnaya stimulyatsiya v terapii rezistentnykh depressii pri shizofrenii.

Rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has long been actively used in the treatment of depressive disorders in various mental illnesses. At the same time, the question of the predictability of the results of this method for an individual patient remains open. Based on the existing ideas about the relationship of rTMS mechanisms with changes in the state of neural networks, one of the most perspective line is the search for prognostically significant neurophysiological markers. The study analyzed a wide range of EEG characteristics and evoked potentials recorded before treatment in the groups of responders and nonresponders in patients with depressive symptoms in schizophrenia, who have completed a course of rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation. The study revealed associations between an unfavorable treatment outcome and greater coherence in the alpha range (mainly in the caudal regions bilaterally) and less coherence in the beta1 range (involving temporal leads and left-hemisphere asymmetry). At the same time, such indicators as the amplitude of the N100 wave and the negativity of the mismatch were uninformative in terms of predicting the effectiveness of therapy.

[EEG, ERP in selective attention paradigm and the level of some metabolites in brain prefrontal cortex].

The preliminary analysis at the first stage of the research has revealed the statistically significant correlations between electrophysiological parameters and the level of several metabolites (determined by magnetic-resonance spectroscopy) in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The findings are assumed to be due to the individually specific peculiarities of activation of this brain region and its impact on the information processing. The neurophysiological markers of decreased brain functional state are associated with the lower N-acetyl aspartate and choline and higher level of creatin/phosphocreatin in the tested region of prefrontal cortex.

[Neurophysiological characteristics of juvenile schizophrenia patients examined at the very remote follow up stage]. / Neirofiziologicheskaya kharakteristika bol'nykh yunosheskoi shizofreniei na etape otdalennogo katamneza.

OBJECTIVE: To determine neurophysiological characteristics of patients with long-term follow up (>20 years) and to find correlations between neurophysiological parameters and clinical features of schizophrenia. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The patients were divided into three groups: with predomination of personality changes (group 1, n=17), with negative disorders (group 2, n=23) and with positive and negative disorders (group 3, n=40). A psychopathological method and electroencephalography with evoked potentials testing were used. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In group 3, the statistically significant higher frequencies of theta-rhythm and lower of alpha-rhythm were found. Also, theta frequency correlated with PANSS positive scores. The significant intergroup differences by auditory oddball P300 were lacked. The findings are discussed in view of the hypothesis of theta-rhythm as a marker of hippocampal-prefrontal connectivity.

[The effectiveness of high-frequency rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation in endogenous depressive disorders in youth]. / Éffektivnost' vysokochastotnoi ritmicheskoi transkranial'noi magnitnoi stimuliatsii pri éndogennykh depressivnykh rasstroistvakh v iunosheskom vozraste.

AIM: To search for neurophysiological predictors of the effectiveness of rhythmic transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in patients with depressive disorder of various nosology. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-four young male patients with protracted treatment resistant depression were studied using psychopathological, psychometric methods and encephalography. A search for predictors of therapeutic efficacy was carried out in a wide range of neurophysiological indicators using different high-frequency rTMS protocols (10 Hz and 20 Hz).. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The most significant changes were obtained using rTMS with a frequency of 20 Hz. A favorable effect of treatment was correlated with higher spectral power of the alpha- and beta 1-rhythm bands in EEG.