Pub Date : 2024-07-08DOI: 10.1007/s00406-024-01854-4
Fuping Sun, Zhening Liu, Jun Yang, Zebin Fan, Feiwen Wang, Jie Yang
Working memory (WM) is a distributed and dynamic process, and WM deficits are recognized as one of the top-ranked endophenotype candidates for major depressive disorders (MDD). However, there is a lack of knowledge of brain temporal-spatial profile of WM deficits in MDD. We used the dynamical degree centrality (dDC) to investigate the whole-brain temporal-spatial profile in 40 MDD and 40 controls during an n-back task with 2 conditions (i.e., '0back' and '2back'). We explored the dDC temporal variability and clustered meta-stable states in 2 groups during different WM conditions. Pearson's correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between the altered dynamics with clinical symptoms and WM performance. Compared with controls, under '2back vs. 0back' contrast, patients showed an elevated dDC variability in wide range of brain regions, including the middle frontal gyrus, orbital part of inferior frontal gyrus (IFGorb), hippocampus, and middle temporal gyrus. Furthermore, the increased dDC variability in the hippocampus and IFGorb correlated with worse WM performance. However, there were no significant group-related differences in the meta-stable states were observed. This study demonstrated the increased WM-related instability (i.e., the elevated dDC variability) was represented in MDD, and enhancing stability may help patients achieve better WM performance.
{"title":"Aberrant brain dynamics in major depressive disorder during working memory task.","authors":"Fuping Sun, Zhening Liu, Jun Yang, Zebin Fan, Feiwen Wang, Jie Yang","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01854-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-024-01854-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Working memory (WM) is a distributed and dynamic process, and WM deficits are recognized as one of the top-ranked endophenotype candidates for major depressive disorders (MDD). However, there is a lack of knowledge of brain temporal-spatial profile of WM deficits in MDD. We used the dynamical degree centrality (dDC) to investigate the whole-brain temporal-spatial profile in 40 MDD and 40 controls during an n-back task with 2 conditions (i.e., '0back' and '2back'). We explored the dDC temporal variability and clustered meta-stable states in 2 groups during different WM conditions. Pearson's correlation analysis was used to evaluate the relationship between the altered dynamics with clinical symptoms and WM performance. Compared with controls, under '2back vs. 0back' contrast, patients showed an elevated dDC variability in wide range of brain regions, including the middle frontal gyrus, orbital part of inferior frontal gyrus (IFGorb), hippocampus, and middle temporal gyrus. Furthermore, the increased dDC variability in the hippocampus and IFGorb correlated with worse WM performance. However, there were no significant group-related differences in the meta-stable states were observed. This study demonstrated the increased WM-related instability (i.e., the elevated dDC variability) was represented in MDD, and enhancing stability may help patients achieve better WM performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141554429","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-06DOI: 10.1007/s00406-024-01861-5
Sally Olderbak, Justin Möckl, Christian Rauschert, Evita Schäfer, Stefanie Helmer, Nicki-Nils Seitz, Eva Hoch
During the Covid-19 pandemic Germany experienced its first increase in the proportion of heavy cannabis users since 1995. With the expected nationwide decriminalization of cannabis before 2025, we investigate the potential causes for that increase. Data were from the 2021 European Web Survey on Drugs (EWSD) including 762 12-month marijuana users from Germany (72.9% male, mean age = 29.5 years). Both heavy and regular cannabis consumers reported an increase in marijuana consumption during the pandemic, with infrequent users reporting a decrease. Using multinomial logistic regression, we found younger individuals (OR = 0.95 [95% CI = 0.92, 0.98]) and those not pursuing or completing higher education (OR = 1.86 [1.23, 2.81]) had increased use. Additionally, using cannabis to self-medicate (OR = 2.79 [1.56, 4.99]) and purchasing marijuana (OR = 2.26 [1.35, 3.77]) was associated with increased use. We found, relative to infrequent users, both regular (OR = 4.00 [2.39, 6.72]) and notably heavy users (OR = 31.17 [12.10, 80.32]) were more likely to use cannabis to self-medicate. Both regular (OR = 4.09 [2.47, 6.77]) and especially heavy users (OR = 13.53 [6.74, 27.16]) were also more likely to purchase marijuana. Heavy users were also more likely to be past 30-day tobacco users (OR = 5.92 [2.81, 12.45]). We identified the self-reported motivation of using cannabis to self-medicate as well as act of purchasing marijuana as having the strongest relation to being a heavy user and increasing marijuana use during the Covid-19 pandemic.
{"title":"Predictors of changes in marijuana consumption in Germany during the covid-19 pandemic.","authors":"Sally Olderbak, Justin Möckl, Christian Rauschert, Evita Schäfer, Stefanie Helmer, Nicki-Nils Seitz, Eva Hoch","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01861-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-024-01861-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>During the Covid-19 pandemic Germany experienced its first increase in the proportion of heavy cannabis users since 1995. With the expected nationwide decriminalization of cannabis before 2025, we investigate the potential causes for that increase. Data were from the 2021 European Web Survey on Drugs (EWSD) including 762 12-month marijuana users from Germany (72.9% male, mean age = 29.5 years). Both heavy and regular cannabis consumers reported an increase in marijuana consumption during the pandemic, with infrequent users reporting a decrease. Using multinomial logistic regression, we found younger individuals (OR = 0.95 [95% CI = 0.92, 0.98]) and those not pursuing or completing higher education (OR = 1.86 [1.23, 2.81]) had increased use. Additionally, using cannabis to self-medicate (OR = 2.79 [1.56, 4.99]) and purchasing marijuana (OR = 2.26 [1.35, 3.77]) was associated with increased use. We found, relative to infrequent users, both regular (OR = 4.00 [2.39, 6.72]) and notably heavy users (OR = 31.17 [12.10, 80.32]) were more likely to use cannabis to self-medicate. Both regular (OR = 4.09 [2.47, 6.77]) and especially heavy users (OR = 13.53 [6.74, 27.16]) were also more likely to purchase marijuana. Heavy users were also more likely to be past 30-day tobacco users (OR = 5.92 [2.81, 12.45]). We identified the self-reported motivation of using cannabis to self-medicate as well as act of purchasing marijuana as having the strongest relation to being a heavy user and increasing marijuana use during the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141537706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-06DOI: 10.1007/s00406-024-01857-1
Zhen-An Hwang, Chia-Wei Li, Ai-Ling Hsu, Changwei W Wu, Wing P Chan, Ming-Chyi Huang
Objective: The clinical manifestations of methamphetamine (METH)-associated psychosis (MAP) and acute paranoid schizophrenia (SCZ) are similar. This study aims to assess regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in individuals who use METH and in those with SCZ using the MRI arterial spin labeling (ASL) technique.
Methods: We prospectively recruited 68 participants and divided them into four groups: MAP (N = 15), SCZ (N = 13), METH users with no psychosis (MNP; N = 22), and normal healthy controls (CRL; N = 18). We measured rCBF using an MRI three-dimensional pseudo-continuous ASL sequence. Clinical variables were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS). Group-level rCBF differences were analyzed using a two-sample t-test.
Results: Decreased rCBF was found in the precuneus, premotor cortex, caudate nucleus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and thalamus in the MNP group compared with the CRL group. The MAP group had significantly decreased rCBF in the precuneus, hippocampus, anterior insula, inferior temporal gyrus, inferior orbitofrontal gyrus, and superior occipital gyrus compared with the MNP group. Increased rCBF in the precuneus and premotor cortex was seen in the MAP group compared with the SCZ group. rCBF in the precuneus and premotor cortex significantly correlated negatively with the PANSS but correlated positively with BACS scores in the MAP and SCZ groups.
Conclusion: METH exposure was associated with decreased rCBF in the precuneus and premotor cortex. Patients with MAP exhibited higher rCBF than those with SCZ, implying preserved insight and favorable outcomes. rCBF can therefore potentially serve as a diagnostic approach to differentiate patients with MAP from those with SCZ.
{"title":"Assessment of resting cerebral perfusion between methamphetamine-associated psychosis and schizophrenia through arterial spin labeling MRI.","authors":"Zhen-An Hwang, Chia-Wei Li, Ai-Ling Hsu, Changwei W Wu, Wing P Chan, Ming-Chyi Huang","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01857-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-024-01857-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>The clinical manifestations of methamphetamine (METH)-associated psychosis (MAP) and acute paranoid schizophrenia (SCZ) are similar. This study aims to assess regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in individuals who use METH and in those with SCZ using the MRI arterial spin labeling (ASL) technique.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We prospectively recruited 68 participants and divided them into four groups: MAP (N = 15), SCZ (N = 13), METH users with no psychosis (MNP; N = 22), and normal healthy controls (CRL; N = 18). We measured rCBF using an MRI three-dimensional pseudo-continuous ASL sequence. Clinical variables were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS). Group-level rCBF differences were analyzed using a two-sample t-test.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Decreased rCBF was found in the precuneus, premotor cortex, caudate nucleus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and thalamus in the MNP group compared with the CRL group. The MAP group had significantly decreased rCBF in the precuneus, hippocampus, anterior insula, inferior temporal gyrus, inferior orbitofrontal gyrus, and superior occipital gyrus compared with the MNP group. Increased rCBF in the precuneus and premotor cortex was seen in the MAP group compared with the SCZ group. rCBF in the precuneus and premotor cortex significantly correlated negatively with the PANSS but correlated positively with BACS scores in the MAP and SCZ groups.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>METH exposure was associated with decreased rCBF in the precuneus and premotor cortex. Patients with MAP exhibited higher rCBF than those with SCZ, implying preserved insight and favorable outcomes. rCBF can therefore potentially serve as a diagnostic approach to differentiate patients with MAP from those with SCZ.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141544693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-06DOI: 10.1007/s00406-024-01859-z
Gema Mijancos-Martínez, Alejandro Bachiller, Inés Fernández-Linsenbarth, Sergio Romero, Leidy Y Serna, Vicente Molina, Miguel Ángel Mañanas
Transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) recordings are crucial to directly assess cortical excitability and inhibition in a non-invasive and task-free manner. TMS-EEG signals are characterized by TMS-evoked potentials (TEPs), which are employed to evaluate cortical function. Nonetheless, different time windows (TW) have been used to compute them over the years. Moreover, these TWs tend to be the same for all participants omitting the intersubject variability. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess the effect of using different TWs to compute the TEPs, moving from a common fixed TW to more adaptive individualized TWs. Twenty-nine healthy (HC) controls and twenty schizophrenia patients (SCZ) underwent single-pulse (SP) TMS-EEG protocol. Firstly, only the HC were considered to evaluate the TEPs for three different TWs in terms of amplitude and topographical distribution. Secondly, the SCZ patients were included to determine which TW is better to characterize the brain alterations of SCZ. The results indicate that a more individualized TW provides a better characterization of the SP TMS-EEG signals, although all of them show the same tendency. Regarding the comparison between groups, the individualized TW is the one that provides a better differentiation between populations. They also provide further support to the possible imbalance of cortical excitability/inhibition in the SCZ population due to its reduced activity in the N45 TEP and greater amplitude values in the N100. Results also suggest that the SCZ brain has a baseline hyperactive state since the TEPs of the SCZ appear earlier than those of the HC.
{"title":"Individualized time windows enhance TMS-EEG signal characterization and improve assessment of cortical function in schizophrenia.","authors":"Gema Mijancos-Martínez, Alejandro Bachiller, Inés Fernández-Linsenbarth, Sergio Romero, Leidy Y Serna, Vicente Molina, Miguel Ángel Mañanas","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01859-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-024-01859-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Transcranial magnetic stimulation and electroencephalography (TMS-EEG) recordings are crucial to directly assess cortical excitability and inhibition in a non-invasive and task-free manner. TMS-EEG signals are characterized by TMS-evoked potentials (TEPs), which are employed to evaluate cortical function. Nonetheless, different time windows (TW) have been used to compute them over the years. Moreover, these TWs tend to be the same for all participants omitting the intersubject variability. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess the effect of using different TWs to compute the TEPs, moving from a common fixed TW to more adaptive individualized TWs. Twenty-nine healthy (HC) controls and twenty schizophrenia patients (SCZ) underwent single-pulse (SP) TMS-EEG protocol. Firstly, only the HC were considered to evaluate the TEPs for three different TWs in terms of amplitude and topographical distribution. Secondly, the SCZ patients were included to determine which TW is better to characterize the brain alterations of SCZ. The results indicate that a more individualized TW provides a better characterization of the SP TMS-EEG signals, although all of them show the same tendency. Regarding the comparison between groups, the individualized TW is the one that provides a better differentiation between populations. They also provide further support to the possible imbalance of cortical excitability/inhibition in the SCZ population due to its reduced activity in the N45 TEP and greater amplitude values in the N100. Results also suggest that the SCZ brain has a baseline hyperactive state since the TEPs of the SCZ appear earlier than those of the HC.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141537705","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-06DOI: 10.1007/s00406-024-01851-7
Koen Demyttenaere
Lack of positive mood and anhedonia probably are the most specific depressive symptoms. Anhedonia is a multifaceted concept: the clinical language describes anticipatory/consummatory anhedonia and sensory/social anhedonia while the cognitive neuroscience language describes readiness for reward, energy expenditure to attain reward, updating reward presence and value. Mounting evidence supports the potential of kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) antagonists as novel pharmacotherapies for major depressive disorder : aticaprant is a potent, selective, short-acting KOR antagonist. The fast-fail approach evaluated the impact of aticaprant on the brain circuitry hypothesized to mediate anhedonia and significantly increased fMRI activation in the ventral striatal activation during reward anticipation as compared to placebo; the aticaprant induced changes in the self-reported psychological measures of anhedonia were rather inconsistent. The recently reported results of a phase 2a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the efficacy and safety of aticaprant, co-administered to an oral SSRI/SNRI antidepressant in depressed patients who had an inadequate response to 1 or 2 antidepressants. The improvement from baseline favoured the co-administration of aticaprant over the co-administration of placebo at all time points (during 6 weeks), and this was confirmed by higher response rates with aticaprant. A mid-split of patients with higher or lower than median anhedonia also showed that the patients with higher baseline anhedonia had the largest decrease on the MADRS. Tolerability and safety were reassuring. These promising results of the co-administration of aticaprant to an SSRI/SNRI in depressed patients with prominent anhedonia support he further investigation of aticaprant in larger trials.
缺乏积极情绪和失乐症可能是最特殊的抑郁症状。失乐症是一个多层面的概念:临床语言描述的是预期/消费性失乐症和感觉/社交性失乐症,而认知神经科学语言描述的是对奖赏的准备程度、获得奖赏的能量消耗、更新奖赏的存在和价值。越来越多的证据支持卡帕-阿片受体(KOR)拮抗剂作为治疗重度抑郁障碍的新型药物疗法的潜力:阿替卡普兰是一种强效、选择性、短效的 KOR 拮抗剂。快速失败法评估了阿替卡朋对假定介导失乐症的大脑回路的影响,与安慰剂相比,阿替卡朋显著增加了奖赏预期期间腹侧纹状体激活的fMRI激活;阿替卡朋引起的自我报告的失乐症心理测量的变化相当不一致。最近报告了一项2a期随机、双盲、安慰剂对照试验的结果,该试验调查了阿替卡普仑与口服SSRI/SNRI抗抑郁药联合用于对一种或两种抗抑郁药反应不佳的抑郁症患者的疗效和安全性。在所有时间点(6 周内),与同时服用安慰剂相比,同时服用阿替卡普仑更有利于改善基线,而且阿替卡普仑的应答率更高也证实了这一点。对失乐症程度高于或低于中位数的患者进行的中期分化也显示,基线失乐症程度较高的患者的MADRS下降幅度最大。耐受性和安全性令人欣慰。在失乐症突出的抑郁症患者中联合使用阿替卡普仑和SSRI/SNRI的结果令人鼓舞,这支持我们在更大规模的试验中进一步研究阿替卡普仑。
{"title":"Aticaprant, a kappa opioid receptor antagonist, and the recovered 'interest and pleasure' in the concept of major depressive disorder.","authors":"Koen Demyttenaere","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01851-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-024-01851-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lack of positive mood and anhedonia probably are the most specific depressive symptoms. Anhedonia is a multifaceted concept: the clinical language describes anticipatory/consummatory anhedonia and sensory/social anhedonia while the cognitive neuroscience language describes readiness for reward, energy expenditure to attain reward, updating reward presence and value. Mounting evidence supports the potential of kappa-opioid receptor (KOR) antagonists as novel pharmacotherapies for major depressive disorder : aticaprant is a potent, selective, short-acting KOR antagonist. The fast-fail approach evaluated the impact of aticaprant on the brain circuitry hypothesized to mediate anhedonia and significantly increased fMRI activation in the ventral striatal activation during reward anticipation as compared to placebo; the aticaprant induced changes in the self-reported psychological measures of anhedonia were rather inconsistent. The recently reported results of a phase 2a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial investigating the efficacy and safety of aticaprant, co-administered to an oral SSRI/SNRI antidepressant in depressed patients who had an inadequate response to 1 or 2 antidepressants. The improvement from baseline favoured the co-administration of aticaprant over the co-administration of placebo at all time points (during 6 weeks), and this was confirmed by higher response rates with aticaprant. A mid-split of patients with higher or lower than median anhedonia also showed that the patients with higher baseline anhedonia had the largest decrease on the MADRS. Tolerability and safety were reassuring. These promising results of the co-administration of aticaprant to an SSRI/SNRI in depressed patients with prominent anhedonia support he further investigation of aticaprant in larger trials.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141537704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-06DOI: 10.1007/s00406-024-01856-2
Johanna Schwarz, Marcus Gertzen, Andrea Rabenstein, Moritz Straßburger, Alana Horstmann, Oliver Pogarell, Tobias Rüther, Susanne Karch
Chemsex describes the use of specific substances (methamphetamine, GHB/GBL, mephedrone, ketamine) which initiate or enhance sexual experiences and is mainly prevalent among men who have sex with men. Many Chemsex users experience somatic complications (for example sexually transmitted diseases) and sometimes adverse sociological, psychological, and neurological symptoms, such as depression, impulse control disorders or hypersexuality. Changes in impulsivity and deficits in executive functions have demonstrated to be associated with addiction and impulse control disorders as well as frontal brain dysfunction and behavioral control deficits. This study aims to explore the effects of neurophysiological correlates of inhibition and decision making in Chemsex users with an EEG paradigm using event-related potentials (N2, P3). 15 Chemsex users and 14 matched control subjects, all of them men who have sex with man, participated in an auditory Go/NoGo/Voluntary Selection EEG paradigm. In addition, clinical data (e.g. regarding depression), demographic information as well as measures of well-being and sexual behavior were collected. The results demonstrated that clinical symptoms, hypersexuality, and sexual risk behavior were more pronounced in Chemsex users compared to non-users. P3 amplitudes did not differ significantly between groups. However, the Chemsex users showed decreased electrophysiological N2 responses in fronto-central brain regions during decision-making, indicating compromised executive function and inhibitory control. The observed impairments may lead to increased risk behavior regarding drug abuse and hypersexuality. Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms can contribute to targeted interventions in order to mitigate the negative consequences of engaging in Chemsex and improve general well-being.
{"title":"What Chemsex does to the brain - neural correlates (ERP) regarding decision making, impulsivity and hypersexuality.","authors":"Johanna Schwarz, Marcus Gertzen, Andrea Rabenstein, Moritz Straßburger, Alana Horstmann, Oliver Pogarell, Tobias Rüther, Susanne Karch","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01856-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-024-01856-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chemsex describes the use of specific substances (methamphetamine, GHB/GBL, mephedrone, ketamine) which initiate or enhance sexual experiences and is mainly prevalent among men who have sex with men. Many Chemsex users experience somatic complications (for example sexually transmitted diseases) and sometimes adverse sociological, psychological, and neurological symptoms, such as depression, impulse control disorders or hypersexuality. Changes in impulsivity and deficits in executive functions have demonstrated to be associated with addiction and impulse control disorders as well as frontal brain dysfunction and behavioral control deficits. This study aims to explore the effects of neurophysiological correlates of inhibition and decision making in Chemsex users with an EEG paradigm using event-related potentials (N2, P3). 15 Chemsex users and 14 matched control subjects, all of them men who have sex with man, participated in an auditory Go/NoGo/Voluntary Selection EEG paradigm. In addition, clinical data (e.g. regarding depression), demographic information as well as measures of well-being and sexual behavior were collected. The results demonstrated that clinical symptoms, hypersexuality, and sexual risk behavior were more pronounced in Chemsex users compared to non-users. P3 amplitudes did not differ significantly between groups. However, the Chemsex users showed decreased electrophysiological N2 responses in fronto-central brain regions during decision-making, indicating compromised executive function and inhibitory control. The observed impairments may lead to increased risk behavior regarding drug abuse and hypersexuality. Understanding the neurobiological mechanisms can contribute to targeted interventions in order to mitigate the negative consequences of engaging in Chemsex and improve general well-being.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141537707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-03DOI: 10.1007/s00406-024-01830-y
Harry Kam Hung Tsui, Yingqi Liao, Janet Hsiao, Yi Nam Suen, Eric Wai Ching Yan, Lap-Tak Poon, Man Wah Siu, Christy Lai Ming Hui, Wing Chung Chang, Edwin Ho Ming Lee, Eric Yu Hai Chen, Sherry Kit Wa Chan
Mentalizing, or theory of mind (ToM), impairments and self-referential hypermentalizing bias are well-evident in schizophrenia. However, findings compared to individuals with at-risk mental states (ARMS) are inconsistent, and investigations into the relationship between social cognitive impairments and social anxiety in the two populations are scarce. This study aimed to examine and compare these deficits in first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorder (FES) and ARMS, and to explore potential specific associations with neurocognition and symptomatology. Forty patients with FES, 40 individuals with ARMS, and 40 healthy controls (HC) completed clinical assessments, a battery of neurocognitive tasks, and three social cognitive tasks. The comic strip and hinting tasks were used to measure non-verbal and verbal mentalizing abilities, and the gaze perception task was employed to assess self-referential hypermentalizing bias. FES and ARMS showed comparable mentalizing impairments and self-referential hypermentalizing bias compared to HC. However, only ambiguous self-referential gaze perception (SRGP) bias remained significantly different between three groups after controlling for covariates. Findings suggested that self-referential hypermentalizing bias could be a specific deficit and may be considered a potential behavioral indicator in early-stage and prodromal psychosis. Moreover, working memory and social anxiety were related to the social cognitive impairments in ARMS, whereas higher-order executive functions and positive symptoms were associated with the impairments in FES. The current study indicates the presence of stage-specific mechanisms of mentalizing impairments and self-referential hypermentalizing bias, providing insights into the importance of personalized interventions to improve specific neurocognitive domains, social cognition, and clinical outcomes for FES and ARMS.
{"title":"Mentalizing impairments and hypermentalizing bias in individuals with first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorder and at-risk mental state: the differential roles of neurocognition and social anxiety.","authors":"Harry Kam Hung Tsui, Yingqi Liao, Janet Hsiao, Yi Nam Suen, Eric Wai Ching Yan, Lap-Tak Poon, Man Wah Siu, Christy Lai Ming Hui, Wing Chung Chang, Edwin Ho Ming Lee, Eric Yu Hai Chen, Sherry Kit Wa Chan","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01830-y","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-024-01830-y","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mentalizing, or theory of mind (ToM), impairments and self-referential hypermentalizing bias are well-evident in schizophrenia. However, findings compared to individuals with at-risk mental states (ARMS) are inconsistent, and investigations into the relationship between social cognitive impairments and social anxiety in the two populations are scarce. This study aimed to examine and compare these deficits in first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorder (FES) and ARMS, and to explore potential specific associations with neurocognition and symptomatology. Forty patients with FES, 40 individuals with ARMS, and 40 healthy controls (HC) completed clinical assessments, a battery of neurocognitive tasks, and three social cognitive tasks. The comic strip and hinting tasks were used to measure non-verbal and verbal mentalizing abilities, and the gaze perception task was employed to assess self-referential hypermentalizing bias. FES and ARMS showed comparable mentalizing impairments and self-referential hypermentalizing bias compared to HC. However, only ambiguous self-referential gaze perception (SRGP) bias remained significantly different between three groups after controlling for covariates. Findings suggested that self-referential hypermentalizing bias could be a specific deficit and may be considered a potential behavioral indicator in early-stage and prodromal psychosis. Moreover, working memory and social anxiety were related to the social cognitive impairments in ARMS, whereas higher-order executive functions and positive symptoms were associated with the impairments in FES. The current study indicates the presence of stage-specific mechanisms of mentalizing impairments and self-referential hypermentalizing bias, providing insights into the importance of personalized interventions to improve specific neurocognitive domains, social cognition, and clinical outcomes for FES and ARMS.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141497494","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-02DOI: 10.1007/s00406-024-01846-4
Valentina Rosolen, Luigi Castriotta, Marco Driutti, Umberto Albert, Fabio Barbone, Giulio Castelpietra
Purpose: A rise in affective and anxiety disorders and in antidepressant (AD) treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic has been extensively described, but few studies were provided at the individual level, further considering COVID-19 severity and vaccination status.
Methods: Case-control study evaluating the association between the new use of ADs and a previous COVID-19 infection, in Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Italy, from March 1, 2020, to July 19, 2022. Multiple conditional logistic regressions assess the association between a new AD use and a COVID-19 infection previous to the index date, stratified by gender, age and anti-COVID-19 vaccination status. Odds Ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were reported.
Results: COVID-19 was associated with AD treatment after the infection. The disease severity was positively associated with a growing risk of being dispensed an AD, with the highest risk in unvaccinated subjects previously hospitalised in ICU (OR = 28.77). The risk of using ADs after COVID-19 infection was higher in unvaccinated subjects aged 65 years and older, both females and males. The association between COVID-19 infection and AD dispensation in vaccinated subjects was not significant, with the exception of females aged 65 years and over.
Conclusions: Anti-COVID-19 vaccination, especially among the elderly, might prevent post-COVID AD treatment. Clinicians should be aware that COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalisation are more likely to experience these symptoms, given their higher risk of being dispensed ADs. Future studies may benefit by analysing the incidence of both mental disorders and psychotropic treatment in post-COVID patients, considering socioeconomic factors and vaccination status.
{"title":"Association between previous SARs-CoV-2 infection and new prescription of antidepressant drugs: a case-control study in Friuli Venezia Giulia region, Italy.","authors":"Valentina Rosolen, Luigi Castriotta, Marco Driutti, Umberto Albert, Fabio Barbone, Giulio Castelpietra","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01846-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-024-01846-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>A rise in affective and anxiety disorders and in antidepressant (AD) treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic has been extensively described, but few studies were provided at the individual level, further considering COVID-19 severity and vaccination status.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Case-control study evaluating the association between the new use of ADs and a previous COVID-19 infection, in Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, Italy, from March 1, 2020, to July 19, 2022. Multiple conditional logistic regressions assess the association between a new AD use and a COVID-19 infection previous to the index date, stratified by gender, age and anti-COVID-19 vaccination status. Odds Ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals were reported.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>COVID-19 was associated with AD treatment after the infection. The disease severity was positively associated with a growing risk of being dispensed an AD, with the highest risk in unvaccinated subjects previously hospitalised in ICU (OR = 28.77). The risk of using ADs after COVID-19 infection was higher in unvaccinated subjects aged 65 years and older, both females and males. The association between COVID-19 infection and AD dispensation in vaccinated subjects was not significant, with the exception of females aged 65 years and over.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Anti-COVID-19 vaccination, especially among the elderly, might prevent post-COVID AD treatment. Clinicians should be aware that COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalisation are more likely to experience these symptoms, given their higher risk of being dispensed ADs. Future studies may benefit by analysing the incidence of both mental disorders and psychotropic treatment in post-COVID patients, considering socioeconomic factors and vaccination status.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141491368","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-02DOI: 10.1007/s00406-024-01844-6
Wido Rippe, L Weisner, J Ewen, P Mench, T Koppius, S Borgwardt, B Tari, M Heath, A Sprenger, B Wilms, R Lencer
Background: People with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) engage less in physical activity than healthy individuals. The impact of subjectively assessed physical fitness levels on motivation for sports engagement and its relation to objective fitness parameters in SSD is unclear.
Methods: 25 patients with SSD (P-SSD) and 24 healthy controls (H-CON) participated in a randomized controlled study. Individual anaerobic thresholds (AT) were determined by an incremental exercise test and on separate days, aerobic exercise (cycling at 80% of workload at AT) and non-exercise control (sitting on an ergometer without cycling) sessions were performed. Demographic, clinical and objective physical fitness data (i.e., weekly physical activity, workload at AT, heart rate) were collected. Subjective physical fitness parameters were assessed before and after exercise and control sessions.
Results: Weekly physical activity in P-SSD was lower than in H-CON (p < 0.05) attributed to reduced engagement in sport activities (p < 0.001). Workload and percentage of predicted maximal heart rate at AT were also reduced in P-SSD compared to H-CON (both p < 0.05). Although objective and subjective physical fitness parameters were related in H-CON (p < 0.01), this relationship was absent in P-SSD. However, during exercise sessions subjective physical fitness ratings increased to a stronger extent in P-SSD than H-CON (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: The missing relationship between subjective and objective physical fitness parameters in people with SSD may represent a barrier for stronger engagement in physical activity. Accordingly, supervised exercise interventions with individually adjusted workload intensity may support realistic subjective fitness estimations and enhance motivation for sports activity in individuals with SSD.
{"title":"We like to move it - patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders are impaired in estimating their physical fitness levels and benefit from individualized exercise.","authors":"Wido Rippe, L Weisner, J Ewen, P Mench, T Koppius, S Borgwardt, B Tari, M Heath, A Sprenger, B Wilms, R Lencer","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01844-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-024-01844-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>People with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) engage less in physical activity than healthy individuals. The impact of subjectively assessed physical fitness levels on motivation for sports engagement and its relation to objective fitness parameters in SSD is unclear.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>25 patients with SSD (P-SSD) and 24 healthy controls (H-CON) participated in a randomized controlled study. Individual anaerobic thresholds (AT) were determined by an incremental exercise test and on separate days, aerobic exercise (cycling at 80% of workload at AT) and non-exercise control (sitting on an ergometer without cycling) sessions were performed. Demographic, clinical and objective physical fitness data (i.e., weekly physical activity, workload at AT, heart rate) were collected. Subjective physical fitness parameters were assessed before and after exercise and control sessions.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Weekly physical activity in P-SSD was lower than in H-CON (p < 0.05) attributed to reduced engagement in sport activities (p < 0.001). Workload and percentage of predicted maximal heart rate at AT were also reduced in P-SSD compared to H-CON (both p < 0.05). Although objective and subjective physical fitness parameters were related in H-CON (p < 0.01), this relationship was absent in P-SSD. However, during exercise sessions subjective physical fitness ratings increased to a stronger extent in P-SSD than H-CON (p < 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The missing relationship between subjective and objective physical fitness parameters in people with SSD may represent a barrier for stronger engagement in physical activity. Accordingly, supervised exercise interventions with individually adjusted workload intensity may support realistic subjective fitness estimations and enhance motivation for sports activity in individuals with SSD.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141491369","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-07-01DOI: 10.1007/s00406-024-01832-w
Alisa Stampf, Larissa Schwarzkopf, Albert Batalla, Daniel Feingold, Benedikt Fischer, Eva Hoch
Post-2000, the prevalence of cannabis consumption has been rising internationally. This paper investigates whether cannabis-related treatment demand in German outpatient addiction care facilities (OACFs) has been following this trend. Treatment demand related to cannabis use disorder (CUD) for the period 2001 to 2021 was investigated using data from the nation-wide standardized German Addiction Care Statistical Service. Analyses covered all and first-time treatment admissions, demographics, and treatment outcomes. We identified years with significant changes in slope or direction of trends through joinpoint regression. Trends within the CUD client population were contrasted with trends among the entire OACF client population. CUD is the second-most common cause for OACF admissions in Germany. Between 2001 and 2021, the share of CUD-related cases among total OACF caseload increased from 7.1 to 19.9%, whereby the share of first-time treatment admissions declined from 79.6 to 55.6%. The share of CUD client population > 35 years almost tripled from 6.0 to 17.4%, that of female client population rose from 15.6 to 18.1%. From 2001 to 2007, the share of CUD-related treatments completed with improved symptomatology increased from 54.7 to 65.6%, followed by a marginal decline. CUD-related treatment demand is growing in Germany's OACFs, involving a client population that is increasingly older and more experienced with the addiction care system. As current intervention programmes mainly target adolescents and young adults who have been consuming cannabis only for a short time, adapting service offers to the changing client profiles appears paramount to improve treatment effectiveness.
{"title":"Cannabis-related treatment demand at the eve of German cannabis legalization - a 20-years trend analysis.","authors":"Alisa Stampf, Larissa Schwarzkopf, Albert Batalla, Daniel Feingold, Benedikt Fischer, Eva Hoch","doi":"10.1007/s00406-024-01832-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-024-01832-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Post-2000, the prevalence of cannabis consumption has been rising internationally. This paper investigates whether cannabis-related treatment demand in German outpatient addiction care facilities (OACFs) has been following this trend. Treatment demand related to cannabis use disorder (CUD) for the period 2001 to 2021 was investigated using data from the nation-wide standardized German Addiction Care Statistical Service. Analyses covered all and first-time treatment admissions, demographics, and treatment outcomes. We identified years with significant changes in slope or direction of trends through joinpoint regression. Trends within the CUD client population were contrasted with trends among the entire OACF client population. CUD is the second-most common cause for OACF admissions in Germany. Between 2001 and 2021, the share of CUD-related cases among total OACF caseload increased from 7.1 to 19.9%, whereby the share of first-time treatment admissions declined from 79.6 to 55.6%. The share of CUD client population > 35 years almost tripled from 6.0 to 17.4%, that of female client population rose from 15.6 to 18.1%. From 2001 to 2007, the share of CUD-related treatments completed with improved symptomatology increased from 54.7 to 65.6%, followed by a marginal decline. CUD-related treatment demand is growing in Germany's OACFs, involving a client population that is increasingly older and more experienced with the addiction care system. As current intervention programmes mainly target adolescents and young adults who have been consuming cannabis only for a short time, adapting service offers to the changing client profiles appears paramount to improve treatment effectiveness.</p>","PeriodicalId":11822,"journal":{"name":"European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.5,"publicationDate":"2024-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141476231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}