Neuropsychological, clinical and environmental predictors of severe mental disorders in offspring of patients with schizophrenia.

Offspring of individuals with schizophrenia (SZCOff) are at an increased risk for this disorder. Neuropsychological decline is a core feature of the disorder and researchers have reported increasing impairments in cognition during the prodromal phase in high-risk adolescents. Additionally, factors like the presence of prodromal symptoms or specific behavioral patterns could predict, together with neurocognitive functioning, the risk of conversion to severe mental disorders in SCZOff.

AMPA receptor GluA2 subunit defects are a cause of neurodevelopmental disorders.

AMPA receptors (AMPARs) are tetrameric ligand-gated channels made up of combinations of GluA1-4 subunits encoded by GRIA1-4 genes. GluA2 has an especially important role because, following post-transcriptional editing at the Q607 site, it renders heteromultimeric AMPARs Ca-impermeable, with a linear relationship between current and trans-membrane voltage. Here, we report heterozygous de novo GRIA2 mutations in 28 unrelated patients with intellectual disability (ID) and neurodevelopmental abnormalities including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Rett syndrome-like features, and seizures or developmental epileptic encephalopathy (DEE).

Functional Gastrointestinal Disease in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Retrospective Descriptive Study in a Clinical Sample.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders with complex multifactorial etiologies. Medical comorbidities are common in ASD and include functional gastrointestinal disorders (fGID), which are reported in 30-70% of patients. In this research study, we aimed to systematically assess the prevalence of gastrointestinal problems in ASD and describe their clinical correlates.

Randomized trial of omega-3 for autism spectrum disorders: Effect on cell membrane composition and behavior.

A high ω6/ω3 ratio [fatty acid (FA) index] in the cell membrane has been associated with inadequate brain development. It has started to be used as a biomarker of treatment efficacy in human diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate if omega-3 supplementation improves erythrocyte membrane ω6/ω3, plasma antioxidant status (TAS) and autistic behaviors.

Executive function is affected in autism spectrum disorder, but does not correlate with intelligence.

Introduction: Studies of executive function in autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability (ASD-WID) patients are contradictory. We assessed a wide range of executive functioning cognitive domains in a sample of children and adolescents with ASD-WID and compared them with age-, sex-, and intelligence quotient (IQ)-matched healthy controls.

Methods: Twenty-four ASD-WID patients (mean age 12.

Neuropsychological characteristics of child and adolescent offspring of patients with bipolar disorder.

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a severe mental disorder with a strong genetic component. The assessment of child and adolescent offspring of patients diagnosed with BD (BDoff) provides an opportunity to investigate vulnerability factors and the first abnormalities associated with the disorder. Previous literature in child and adolescent BDoff is scarce and controversial.

Practitioner review: Long-term pharmacological treatment of pediatric bipolar disorder.

Background: Although long-term treatment is a core aspect of the management of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder (BD), most clinical recommendations are based on results from short-term studies or adult data. In order to guide clinical practice, we review the efficacy and safety profile of mood stabilizers, antipsychotics, and other pharmacological strategies for the long-term treatment of BD in pediatric patients.

Methods: A MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane and PsycInfo search (inception through November 2013) was performed to identify prospective studies longer than 12 weeks assessing the use of pharmacological strategies for the long-term treatment of BD in pediatric patients (0-18 years of age).

Psychopathology in children and adolescents with ASD without mental retardation.

This study analyzes subclinical psychopathology in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) without mental retardation with no comorbid disorder, assessed by an extensive general psychopathology interview. The K-SADS-PL was administered to a group of 25 patients with ASD (mean age = 12.80 ± 2.

Autism spectrum disorder: does neuroimaging support the DSM-5 proposal for a symptom dyad? A systematic review of functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging studies.

A systematic review of 208 studies comprising functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging data in patients with 'autism spectrum disorder' (ASD) was conducted, in order to determine whether these data support the forthcoming DSM-5 proposal of a social communication and behavioral symptom dyad. Studies consistently reported abnormal function and structure of fronto-temporal and limbic networks with social and pragmatic language deficits, of temporo-parieto-occipital networks with syntactic-semantic language deficits, and of fronto-striato-cerebellar networks with repetitive behaviors and restricted interests in ASD patients. Therefore, this review partially supports the DSM-5 proposal for the ASD dyad.

Estimation of the intelligence quotient using Wechsler Intelligence Scales in children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome.

Asperger syndrome (AS) patients show heterogeneous intelligence profiles and the validity of short forms for estimating intelligence has rarely been studied in this population. We analyzed the validity of Wechsler Intelligence Scale (WIS) short forms for estimating full-scale intelligence quotient (FSIQ) and assessing intelligence profiles in 29 AS patients. Only the Information and Block Design dyad meets the study criteria.

Attitude toward antipsychotic medication as a predictor of antipsychotic treatment discontinuation in first-episode early-onset psychosis.

Background: Antipsychotic drug discontinuation is a key risk factor in psychotic relapses. Clinical relapse is related to poor outcome, especially in the earlier stages of psychotic illness. The attitude toward treatment during the acute phase of a first episode of psychosis has been proposed as one of the main determinants of treatment discontinuation.

Antipsychotic-related abnormal involuntary movements and metabolic and endocrine side effects in children and adolescents.

There has been a remarkable increase in prescription rates of antipsychotics in children and adolescents in recent years. Their side effects are a neglected area of research in this population, despite its vulnerability. In this cross-sectional study, we compared the presence of side effects in 60 children and adolescents who had taken antipsychotic medication for less than 1 month and 66 who had been receiving treatment with antipsychotics for more than 12 months.