Frontiers in Psychiatry

Journal: Frontiers in Psychiatry

Abbreviation

Front. Psychiatry

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Frontiers Media

ISSN

1664-0640

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Publications 1 - 10 of 40

Cerebral perfusion differences in the visual cortex and fusiform subregions across the psychosis spectrum
Sritharan, Jothini; Zeng, Victor; Petr, Jan; et al. (2025)
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Background: Approximately 50% of individuals with psychosis spectrum disorders (PSD) experience visual hallucinations and deficits in visual processing. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) alterations have been identified in the occipital lobe (OL) and fusiform gyrus (FG) in PSD. However, prior studies neither report on cytoarchitectonic subregions of the OL or FG, nor their correlations with cognition. Moreover, perfusion differences across neurobiologically defined psychosis Biotypes in these regions are not investigated yet. Methods: ExploreASL and FreeSurfer were used to extract perfusion measures from pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling scans of visual (hOc1-hOc3v, middle temporal area (MT)) and fusiform (FG2-FG4) subregions in 122 bipolar disorder with psychosis (BP), 179 schizoaffective disorder (SAD), 203 schizophrenia (SZ), and 350 healthy controls (NC), as well as psychosis Biotypes (BT1-3). The data was adjusted for scanner effects using ComBat. Analyses were co-varied for total gray matter CBF. We used R to perform statistical comparisons across PSD and NC and across Biotypes. Partial Spearman correlation was performed between CBF and cognitive measures. Benjamini & Hochberg correction was used to correct for multiple comparisons. Results: PSD exhibited greater perfusion in MT and FG2 compared to NC. Perfusion significantly differed across psychosis Biotypes in hOc1 but not across diagnostic groups. Higher MT and FG4 perfusion in PSD were associated with worse overall cognitive performance. Conclusions: Visual and fusiform subregions demonstrate significant perfusion alterations which may indicate neurovascular deficits in PSD. Moreover, these perfusion alterations may contribute to cognitive impairments and visual abnormalities in psychosis.
Limited usefulness of neurocognitive functioning indices as predictive markers for treatment response to methylphenidate or neurofeedback@home in children and adolescents with ADHD
Kaiser, Anna; Aggensteiner, Pascal M.; Blasco Fontecilla, Hilario; et al. (2024)
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Introduction: Earlier studies exploring the value of executive functioning (EF) indices for assessing treatment effectiveness and predicting treatment response in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) mainly focused on pharmacological treatment options and revealed rather heterogeneous results. Envisioning the long-term goal of personalized treatment selection and intervention planning, this study comparing methylphenidate treatment (MPH) and a home-based neurofeedback intervention (NF@Home) aimed to expand previous findings by assessing objective as well as subjectively reported EF indices and by analyzing their value as treatment and predictive markers. Methods: Children and adolescents (n = 146 in the per protocol sample) aged 7–13 years with a formal diagnosis of an inattentive or combined presentation of ADHD were examined. We explored the EF performance profile using the Conners Continuous Performance Task (CPT) and the BRIEF self-report questionnaire within our prospective, multicenter, randomized, reference drug-controlled NEWROFEED study with sites in five European countries (France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium). As primary outcome for treatment response, the clinician-rated ADHD Rating Scale-IV was used. Patients participating in this non-inferiority trial were randomized to either NF@home (34–40 sessions of TBR or SMR NF depending on the pre-assessed individual alpha peak frequency) or MPH treatment (ratio: 3:2). Within a mixed-effects model framework, analyses of change were calculated to explore the predictive value of neurocognitive indices for ADHD symptom-related treatment response. Results: For a variety of neurocognitive indices, we found a significant pre-post change during treatment, mainly in the MPH group. However, the results of the current study reveal a rather limited prognostic value of neurocognitive indices for treatment response to either NF@Home or MPH treatment. Some significant effects emerged for parent-ratings only. Discussion: Current findings indicate a potential value of self-report (BRIEF global score) and some objectively measured neurocognitive indices (CPT commission errors and hit reaction time variability) as treatment markers (of change) for MPH. However, we found a rather limited prognostic value with regard to predicting treatment response not (yet) allowing recommendation for clinical use. Baseline symptom severity was revealed as the most relevant predictor, replicating robust findings from previous studies.
Weakened effective connectivity between salience network and default mode network during resting state in adolescent depression
Willinger, David; Häberling, Isabelle; Ilioska, Iva; et al. (2024)
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Adolescent major depressive disorder (MDD) is associated with altered resting-state connectivity between the default mode network (DMN) and the salience network (SN), which are involved in self-referential processing and detecting and filtering salient stimuli, respectively. Using spectral dynamical causal modelling, we investigated the effective connectivity and input sensitivity between key nodes of these networks in 30 adolescents with MDD and 32 healthy controls while undergoing resting-state fMRI. We found that the DMN received weaker inhibition from the SN and that the medial prefrontal cortex and the anterior cingulate cortex showed reduced self-inhibition in MDD, making them more prone to external influences. Moreover, we found that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) intake was associated with decreased and increased self-inhibition of the SN and DMN, respectively, in patients. Our findings suggest that adolescent MDD is characterized by a hierarchical imbalance between the DMN and the SN, which could affect the integration of emotional and self-related information. We propose that SSRIs may help restore network function by modulating excitatory/inhibitory balance in the DMN and the SN. Our study highlights the potential of prefrontal-amygdala interactions as a biomarker and a therapeutic target for adolescent depression.
Sleep Disturbances and Suicidality – A Longitudinal Analysis From a Representative Community Study Over 30 Years
Rössler, Wulf; Angst, Jules; Ajdacic-Gross, Vladeta; et al. (2018)
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Social Robots for Supporting Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Diagnosis and Treatment
Laban, Guy; Ben-Zion, Ziv; Cross, Emily S. (2022)
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a severe psychiatric disorder with profound public health impact due to its high prevalence, chronic nature, accompanying functional impairment, and frequently occurring comorbidities. Early PTSD symptoms, often observed shortly after trauma exposure, abate with time in the majority of those who initially express them, yet leave a significant minority with chronic PTSD. While the past several decades of PTSD research have produced substantial knowledge regarding the mechanisms and consequences of this debilitating disorder, the diagnosis of and available treatments for PTSD still face significant challenges. Here, we discuss how novel therapeutic interventions involving social robots can potentially offer meaningful opportunities for overcoming some of the present challenges. As the application of social robotics-based interventions in the treatment of mental disorders is only in its infancy, it is vital that careful, well-controlled research is conducted to evaluate their efficacy, safety, and ethics. Nevertheless, we are hopeful that robotics-based solut
Sleep spindles across youth affected by schizophrenia or anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptor encephalitis
Dimitriades, Maria E.; Markovic, Andjela; Gefferie, Silvano R.; et al. (2023)
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Background: Sleep disturbances are intertwined with the progression and pathophysiology of psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia. Reductions in sleep spindles, a major electrophysiological oscillation during non-rapid eye movement sleep, have been identified in patients with schizophrenia as a potential biomarker representing the impaired integrity of the thalamocortical network. Altered glutamatergic neurotransmission within this network via a hypofunction of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) is one of the hypotheses at the heart of schizophrenia. This pathomechanism and the symptomatology are shared by anti-NMDAR encephalitis (NMDARE), where antibodies specific to the NMDAR induce a reduction of functional NMDAR. However, sleep spindle parameters have yet to be investigated in NMDARE and a comparison of these rare patients with young individuals with schizophrenia and healthy controls (HC) is lacking. This study aims to assess and compare sleep spindles across young patients affected by Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia (COS), Early-Onset Schizophrenia, (EOS), or NMDARE and HC. Further, the potential relationship between sleep spindle parameters in COS and EOS and the duration of the disease is examined. Methods: Sleep EEG data of patients with COS (N = 17), EOS (N = 11), NMDARE (N = 8) aged 7-21 years old, and age- and sex-matched HC (N = 36) were assessed in 17 (COS, EOS) or 5 (NMDARE) electrodes. Sleep spindle parameters (sleep spindle density, maximum amplitude, and sigma power) were analyzed. Results: Central sleep spindle density, maximum amplitude, and sigma power were reduced when comparing all patients with psychosis to all HC. Between patient group comparisons showed no differences in central spindle density but lower central maximum amplitude and sigma power in patients with COS compared to patients with EOS or NMDARE. Assessing the topography of spindle density, it was significantly reduced over 15/17 electrodes in COS, 3/17 in EOS, and 0/5 in NMDARE compared to HC. In the pooled sample of COS and EOS, a longer duration of illness was associated with lower central sigma power. Conclusions: Patients with COS demonstrated more pronounced impairments of sleep spindles compared to patients with EOS and NMDARE. In this sample, there is no strong evidence that changes in NMDAR activity are related to spindle deficits.
Smoking trends and health equity in Switzerland between 1992 and 2017: dependence of smoking prevalence on educational level and social determinants
Wehrli, Daniel; Gilljam, Hans; Koh, Dow Mu; et al. (2023)
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Background: Switzerland ranks among the top three healthcare systems in the world with regards to healthcare access, suggesting a high degree of health equity. However, Switzerland has few preventive strategies against smoking abuse. The aim of this study is to clarify whether educational level and citizenship status have an influence on the prevalence of smoking in Switzerland and whether there is health inequity related to a lack of preventive strategies. Methods: We based our analysis on publicly available health data published in the Swiss government's Swiss health survey (1992–2017). We compared the prevalence of smoking across the years and correlated these data with levels of educational attainment, citizenship status and age. Results: A continuous significant decline in smokers is observed in the highest education group (TERT). Over time, prevalence was reduced from 29% in 1992 to 23% in 2017 (p < 0.001). The intermediate-level educational group (SEK 2) showed smaller but also significant decline on a 0.05 sigificance level over the same period, from 31% to 29% (p = 0.003). The lowest educational group showed a nonsignificant decline from 28% to 27% (p = 0.6). The population who holds Swiss citizenship showed a decrease in smoking from 28% to 26% within the time frame (p < 0.001). People without Swiss citizenship had a much higher prevalence of smokers, at 38% in 1992 and declining to 32% in 2017 (p < 0.001). All cohorts from age 15 to age 64 have a far higher prevalence of smokers than cohorts at an older age, with the highest prevalence in the 25–34 age group. Conclusion: In Switzerland, individuals with lower levels of education and non-Swiss populations are more susceptible to health risk of smoking. This is despite the existence of a high-quality healthcare system that has nevertheless failed to negated health inequities.
Food-predicting stimuli differentially influence eye movements and goal-directed behavior in normal-weight, overweight, and obese individuals
Lehner, Rea; Balsters, Joshua H.; Bürgler, Alexandra; et al. (2017)
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Obese individuals have been shown to exhibit abnormal sensitivity to rewards and reward-predicting cues as for example food-associated cues frequently used in advertisements. It has also been shown that food-associated cues can increase goal-directed behavior but it is currently unknown, whether this effect differs between normal-weight, overweight, and obese individuals. Here, we investigate this question by using a Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) task in normal-weight (N = 20), overweight (N = 17), and obese (N = 17) individuals. Furthermore, we applied eye tracking during Pavlovian conditioning to measure the participants’ conditioned response as a proxy of the incentive salience of the predicted reward. Our results show that the goal-directed behavior of overweight individuals was more strongly influenced by food-predicting cues (i.e., stronger PIT effect) than that of normal-weight and obese individuals (p < 0.001). The weight groups were matched for age, gender, education, and parental education. Eye movements during Pavlovian conditioning also differed between weight categories (p < 0.05) and were used to categorize individuals based on their fixation style into “high eye index” versus “low eye index” as well. Our main finding was that the fixation style exhibited a complex interaction with the weight category. Furthermore, we found that normal-weight individuals of the group “high eye index” had higher body mass index within the healthy range than individuals of the group “low eye index” (p < 0.001), but this relationship was not found within in the overweight or obese groups (p > 0.646). Our findings are largely consistent with the incentive sensitization theory predicting that overweight individuals are more susceptible to food-related cues than normal-weight controls. However, this hypersensitivity might be reduced in obese individuals, possibly due to habitual/compulsive overeating or differences in reward valuation.
"Placement Budgets" for Supported Employment-Impact on Quality of Life in a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial
Rössler, Wulf; Kawohl, Wolfram; Nordt, Carlos; et al. (2018)
Frontiers in Psychiatry
Background: Employment is an important aspect of psychiatric rehabilitation. The objective of this analysis was to explore how quality of life (QoL) may affect the outcome of supported employment and vice versa. Methods: A total of 116 participants with severe mental disorders were randomly assigned to either 25, 40, or 55 h placement budgets, which comprises job coaches' time resources to support a client in finding a job. The intervention followed the individual placement and support model and lasted up to 36 months. Primary outcome was employment in the first labor market for at least 3 months. QoL was assessed 7 times over the entire 36-months observation period using the WHO QoL Bref, which comprises the dimensions physical health, psychological, social relationships, and environment. Results: The three placement budgets did not differentially relate to QoL, but QoL environment showed a significant increase over time across all three groups. Baseline QoL environment weakly predicted subsequent obtainment of employment (F = 4.08, df = 1, p = 0.046, Cohen's d = 0.39). Controlling for baseline QoL, those participants who obtained a job, as compared to those who did not, showed persistent increases in QoL physical health (b = 0.39, p = 0.002, Cohen's d = 0.50) and QoL psychological (b = 0.40, p < 0.001, Cohen's d = 0.47). Conclusion: Obtaining employment in the first labor market improves patients' QoL. Supported employment is a valuable intervention that may benefit patients with severe mental disorder.
Editorial: Obsessive-compulsive related disorders (OCRD) across the lifespan
Lochner, Christine; Prochwicz, Katarzyna; Grünblatt, Edna (2023)
Frontiers in Psychiatry

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