Psychometric evaluation and linking of the PHQ-9, QIDS-C, and VQIDS-C in a real-world population with major depressive disorder.

Purpose: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. An accurate assessment of depressive symptomology is crucial for clinical management and research. This study assessed the convergent validity, reliability, and total scale score interconversion across the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) self-report, the 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-clinician report (QIDS-C) (two widely used clinical ratings) and the 5-item Very Brief Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptoms-clinician report (VQIDS-C), which evaluate the core features of MDD.

Associations of comorbid substance use disorders with clinical outcomes in schizophrenia using electronic health record data.

Background And Hypothesis: Schizophrenia and comorbid substance use disorders (SUDs) are associated with poor treatment outcomes but differences between the associations of different SUDs with clinical outcomes are poorly characterized. This study examines the associations of comorbid SUDs with clinical outcomes in schizophrenia using a largescale electronic health record (EHR) database.

Design: Real-world data (RWD) analysis using the NeuroBlu database; de-identified EHR data were analysed.

Early trajectory of clinical global impression as a transdiagnostic predictor of psychiatric hospitalisation: a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Identifying patients most at risk of psychiatric hospitalisation is crucial to improving service provision and patient outcomes. Existing predictors focus on specific clinical scenarios and are not validated with real-world data, limiting their translational potential. This study aimed to determine whether early trajectories of Clinical Global Impression Severity are predictors of 6 month risk of hospitalisation.

Alcohol and the Brain.

Alcohol works on the brain to produce its desired effects, e.g., sociability and intoxication, and hence the brain is an important organ for exploring subsequent harms.

Impact of COVID-19 restrictions on alcohol consumption behaviours.

Background: We aimed to evaluate how coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions had altered individual's drinking behaviours, including consumption, hangover experiences, and motivations to drink, and changing levels of depression and anxiety.

Method: We conducted an online cross-sectional self-report survey. Whole group analysis compared pre- versus post-COVID restrictions.

Pharmacological ablation of astrocytes reduces Aβ degradation and synaptic connectivity in an ex vivo model of Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Astrocytes provide a vital support to neurons in normal and pathological conditions. In Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains, reactive astrocytes have been found surrounding amyloid plaques, forming an astrocytic scar. However, their role and potential mechanisms whereby they affect neuroinflammation, amyloid pathology, and synaptic density in AD remain unclear.

Imidazoline ligand BU224 reverses cognitive deficits, reduces microgliosis and enhances synaptic connectivity in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Background And Purpose: Activation of type 2 imidazoline receptors has been shown to exhibit neuroprotective properties including anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects, suggesting a potential therapeutic value in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here, we explored the effects of the imidazoline-2 ligand BU224 in a model of amyloidosis.

Experimental Approach: Six-month-old female transgenic 5XFAD and wild-type (WT) mice were treated intraperitoneally with 5-mg·kg BU224 or vehicle twice a day for 10 days.

Sensitivity to Experiencing Alcohol Hangovers: Reconsideration of the 0.11% Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Threshold for Having a Hangover.

The 2010 Alcohol Hangover Research Group consensus paper defined a cutoff blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.11% as a toxicological threshold indicating that sufficient alcohol had been consumed to develop a hangover. The cutoff was based on previous research and applied mostly in studies comprising student samples.

Ablation of reactive astrocytes exacerbates disease pathology in a model of Alzheimer's disease.

The role of astrocytes in the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains poorly understood. We assessed the consequences of ablating astrocytic proliferation in 9 months old double transgenic APP23/GFAP-TK mice. Treatment of these mice with the antiviral agent ganciclovir conditionally ablates proliferating reactive astrocytes.