Orbitofrontal cortex hypergyrification in hallucinating schizophrenia patients: Surface ratio as a promising brain biomarker.

The study of brain gyrification may provide useful information on the cytoarchitecture and connectivity of the brain. One of the methods that have been developed to estimate brain gyrification, known as surface ratio (SR), has not yet been studied in schizophrenia. Here we aimed to assess whether SR could provide new insights on the brain structure of schizophrenia patients and the severity of symptoms.

Functioning in schizophrenia: Recommendations of an expert panel.

Functioning is a fundamental dimension across all aspects of life, frequently compromised or reduced in individuals with schizophrenia. However, the lack of a commonly agreed definition of functioning in schizophrenia makes it difficult to apply this concept in clinical practice. In this document, we make a detailed analysis of the literature to identify and define functioning and describe how it can be used in clinical practice today.

Negative symptoms and sex differences in first episode schizophrenia: What's their role in the functional outcome? A longitudinal study.

Introduction: Negative symptoms (NS) include asociality, avolition, anhedonia, alogia, and blunted affect and are linked to poor prognosis. It has been suggested that they reflect two different factors: diminished expression (EXP) (blunted affect and alogia) and amotivation/pleasure (MAP) (anhedonia, avolition, asociality). The aim of this article was to examine potential sex differences among first-episode schizophrenia (FES) patients and analyze sex-related predictors of two NS symptoms factors (EXP and MAP) and functional outcome.

Alterations in the volume and shape of the basal ganglia and thalamus in schizophrenia with auditory hallucinations.

Different lines of evidence indicate that the structure and physiology of the basal ganglia and the thalamus is disturbed in schizophrenia. However, it is unknown whether the volume and shape of these subcortical structures are affected in schizophrenia with auditory hallucinations (AH), a core positive symptom of the disorder. We took structural MRI from 63 patients with schizophrenia, including 36 patients with AH and 27 patients who had never experienced AH (NAH), and 51 matched healthy controls.

Difficulties during delivery, brain ventricle enlargement and cognitive impairment in first episode psychosis.

Background: Patients with a first episode of psychosis (FEP) display clinical, cognitive, and structural brain abnormalities at illness onset. Ventricular enlargement has been identified in schizophrenia since the initial development of neuroimaging techniques. Obstetric abnormalities have been associated with an increased risk of developing psychosis but also with cognitive impairment and brain structure abnormalities.

Identifying risk factors for predominant negative symptoms from early stages in schizophrenia: A longitudinal and sex-specific study in first-episode schizophrenia patients.

Background: People with schizophrenia and predominant negative symptoms (PNS) present a different clinical and functional profile from those without such symptomatology. Few studies have examined the risk factors and the incidence of PNS in first-episode schizophrenia patients (FES) and differentiating by sex. This study aims to assess prevalence, demographic and clinical characteristics related to PNS from early stages and to study if there are sex-specific features in terms of developing PNS.

Volume alterations of the hippocampus and amygdala in patients with schizophrenia and persistent auditory hallucinations.

Introduction: Auditory hallucinations (AH) are one of the most prevalent symptoms of schizophrenia. They might cause several brain alterations, especially changes in the volumes of hippocampus and amygdala, regions related to the relay and processing of auditory cues and emotional memories.

Material And Methods: We have recruited 41 patients with schizophrenia and persistent AH, 35 patients without AH, and 55 healthy controls.

m-RESIST, a Mobile Therapeutic Intervention for Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Usability Study.

Background: In the European Union, around 5 million people are affected by psychotic disorders, and approximately 30%-50% of people with schizophrenia have treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). Mobile health (mHealth) interventions may be effective in preventing relapses, increasing treatment adherence, and managing some of the symptoms of schizophrenia. People with schizophrenia seem willing and able to use smartphones to monitor their symptoms and engage in therapeutic interventions.

Prodromal symptoms and the duration of untreated psychosis in first episode of psychosis patients: what differences are there between early vs. adult onset and between schizophrenia vs. bipolar disorder?

To assess the role of age (early onset psychosis-EOP < 18 years vs. adult onset psychosis-AOP) and diagnosis (schizophrenia spectrum disorders-SSD vs. bipolar disorders-BD) on the duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) and prodromal symptoms in a sample of patients with a first episode of psychosis.

Obstetric complications and clinical presentation in first episode of psychosis.

Objective: Psychotic disorders exhibit a complex aetiology that combines genetic and environmental factors. Among the latter, obstetric complications (OCs) have been widely studied as risk factors, but it is not yet well understood how OCs relate to the heterogeneous presentations of psychotic disorders. We assessed the clinical phenotypes of individuals with a first episode of psychosis (FEP) in relation to the presence of OCs.

The effect of early life events on glucose levels in first-episode psychosis.

First episode of psychosis (FEP) patients display a wide variety of metabolic disturbances at onset, which might underlie these patients' increased morbidity and early mortality. Glycemic abnormalities have been previously related to pharmacological agents; however, recent research highlights the impact of early life events. Birth weight (BW), an indirect marker of the fetal environment, has been related to glucose abnormalities in the general population over time.

Different measures for auditory hallucinations in populations with psychosis. The Validation of the Spanish versions of the Auditory Vocal Hallucination Rating Scale (AVHRS) and the Positive and Useful Voices Inquiry (PUVI).

Introduction: An updated summary of the most used instruments assessing auditory hallucinations in population with psychosis, allows us to underline the scarceness and need of Spanish versions of important instruments. The aim of the study is to examine the psychometric characteristics of two different and complementary instruments for assessing auditory hallucinations, the Spanish version of the Auditory Vocal Hallucination Scale (AVHRS) and the Spanish version of the Positive and Useful Voices Inquiry (PUVI).

Materials And Methods: A sample of 68 patients from four different centres, with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder presenting with auditory hallucinations were included.

The relationship between jumping to conclusions and social cognition in first-episode psychosis.

Jumping to conclusions (JTC) and impaired social cognition (SC) affect the decoding, processing, and use of social information by people with psychosis. However, the relationship between them had not been deeply explored within psychosis in general, and in first-episode psychosis (FEP) in particular. Our aim was to study the relationship between JTC and SC in a sample with FEP.

Alterations in the volume of thalamic nuclei in patients with schizophrenia and persistent auditory hallucinations.

The thalamus is a subcortical structure formed by different nuclei that relay information to the neocortex. Several reports have already described alterations of this structure in patients of schizophrenia that experience auditory hallucinations. However, to date no study has addressed whether the volumes of specific thalamic nuclei are altered in chronic patients experiencing persistent auditory hallucinations.

The network structure of cognitive deficits in first episode psychosis patients.

Network analysis is an important conceptual and analytical approach in mental health research. However, few studies have used network analysis to examine the structure of cognitive performance in psychotic disorders. We examined the network structure of the cognitive scores of a sample of 207 first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients and 188 healthy controls.

Clinical and treatment predictors of relapse during a three-year follow-up of a cohort of first episodes of schizophrenia.

Relapses are frequent in the first years following a first episode of schizophrenia (FES), being associated with a higher risk of developing a chronic psychotic disorder, and poor clinical and functional outcomes. The identification and intervention over factors associated with relapses in these early phases are timely and relevant. In this study, 119 patients in remission after a FES were closely followed over three years.

The role of BDNF and NGF plasma levels in first-episode schizophrenia: A longitudinal study.

Neurotrophins have been proposed to be involved in biological mechanisms which might underlie different clinical outcomes in schizophrenia. The aims of the present study were to examine the BDNF/NGF plasma levels in a cohort of first-episode schizophrenia (FES) patients in remission as potential biological predictors of relapse; to study the associations between these neurotrophins and the symptomatology severity through different stages after a FES in two independent cohorts. 2EPs-Cohort: 69 first-episode in clinical remission were included.

Impact of traumatic life events on clinical variables of individuals with first-episode psychosis and healthy controls.

Background: Traumatic life events (TLEs) are one of the most robust environmental risk factors for the onset of first-episode psychosis (FEP).

Aims: To explore TLEs in FEP patients and healthy controls (HC), to analyze gender differences and to examine whether TLEs were associated with sociodemographic, clinical and psychofunctional variables in all FEP sample and split by age.

Methods: Descriptive and cross-sectional study.

Is the effect of cognitive reserve in longitudinal outcomes in first-episode psychoses dependent on the use of cannabis?

Background: Cognitive reserve (CR) is a protective factor against cognitive and functional impairment in first-episode psychosis (FEP). The aim of this study was to evaluate the differences in clinical presentation according to the use of cannabis (cannabis users vs non-users) among patients presenting a FEP (non-affective vs affective psychosis), to investigate the impact of CR and cannabis use on several outcomes and to explore the potentially mediatory role played by CR in the relationship between cognitive domains or clinical status and functionality, depending on the use of cannabis.

Methods: Linear regression analysis models were carried out to assess the predictive value of CR on clinical, functional and cognitive variables at baseline and at two-year follow-up.

Relationship between cognition and age at onset of first-episode psychosis: comparative study between adolescents, young adults, and adults.

Psychotic disorders typically manifest from late adolescence to early adulthood, and an earlier onset might be associated with greater symptom severity and a worse long-term prognosis. This study aimed to compare the cognitive characteristics of patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) by their age at onset. We included 298 patients diagnosed with FEP and classified them as having an early onset (EOS), youth onset (YOS), or adult onset (AOS) based on age limits of ≤ 18 years (N = 61), 19-24 years (N = 121), and ≥ 25 years (N = 116), respectively.

A longitudinal study of gene expression in first-episode schizophrenia; exploring relapse mechanisms by co-expression analysis in peripheral blood.

Little is known about the pathophysiological mechanisms of relapse in first-episode schizophrenia, which limits the study of potential biomarkers. To explore relapse mechanisms and identify potential biomarkers for relapse prediction, we analyzed gene expression in peripheral blood in a cohort of first-episode schizophrenia patients with less than 5 years of evolution who had been evaluated over a 3-year follow-up period. A total of 91 participants of the 2EPs project formed the sample for baseline gene expression analysis.

Premorbid Characteristics as Predictors of Early Onset Versus Adult Onset in Patients With a First Episode of Psychosis.

To study the differences in early-life characteristics between patients with an early onset of psychotic disorders (EOP, aged < 18 years) versus adult onset of psychotic disorders (AOP, aged ≥ 18 years) and to identify predictors of earlier onset. 278 patients with a first episode of psychosis between the ages of 7 and 35 years were recruited as part of a multicenter prospective longitudinal study conducted in Spain between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2011, with diagnoses made for AOP using the Structured Clinical Interview for Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) and for EOP using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Aged Children (K-SADS). Early-stage factors such as prenatal, perinatal, and other premorbid factors were registered and compared between EOP and AOP patients.

Target selection for deep brain stimulation in treatment resistant schizophrenia.

The use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in treatment resistant patients with schizophrenia is of considerable current interest, but where to site the electrodes is challenging. This article reviews rationales for electrode placement in schizophrenia based on evidence for localized brain abnormality in the disorder and the targets that have been proposed and employed to date. The nucleus accumbens and the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex are of interest on the grounds that they are sites of potential pathologically increased brain activity in schizophrenia and so susceptible to the local inhibitory effects of DBS; both sites have been employed in trials of DBS in schizophrenia.

Predictors of response to pharmacological treatments in treatment-resistant schizophrenia - A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: As the burden of treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) on patients and society is high it is important to identify predictors of response to medications in TRS. The aim was to analyse whether baseline patient and study characteristics predict treatment response in TRS in drug trials.

Methods: A comprehensive search strategy completed in PubMed, Cochrane and Web of Science helped identify relevant studies.