Craving variations in patients with substance use disorder and gambling during COVID-19 lockdown: The Italian experience.

Background: Following the development of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Italy, a strict lockdown was imposed from March 9 to May 5, 2020. The risks of self-medication through alcohol or psychoactive substance abuse were increased, as well as the tendency to adopt pathological behaviors, such as gambling and internet addiction.

Aim: To evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated containment measures on craving in a group of patients suffering from substance use disorder and/or gambling disorder who were in treatment in outpatient units or in residency programs as inpatients.

Hypomanic/manic switch after transcranial magnetic stimulation in mood disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Nowadays there is an increasing use of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) both in neurological and psychiatric fields. After Food and Drug Administration approval of TMS for the therapy of treatment-resistant depression, TMS has been widely used in the context of mood disorders (MD). However, growing reports regarding the possibility of developing hypomanic/manic switch (HMS) have generated concern regarding its use in MDs.

Delirium in COVID-19 patients: a multicentric observational study in Italy.

Introduction: Although recent data show that SARS-CoV-2 infection seems to affect the central nervous system (CNS), little is known about the neuropsychiatric effects resulting from this condition. In addition to the well-known neurotrophism of coronaviruses, recent evidence shows also that the "cytokine storm" induced by the infection is at the basis of the neuroinflammation of the CNS. Furthermore, prolonged hospitalization, polypharmacotherapy, and isolation could be at the basis of the onset of delirium in hospitalized COVID patients.

Corrigendum: Effects of Second Language Learning on the Plastic Aging Brain: Functional Connectivity, Cognitive Decline, and Reorganization.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2019.

Comorbid Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder in Women with Bipolar Disorder: Management Challenges.

Bipolar disorder (BD) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) are two cyclic mood illnesses, sometimes presenting together. Their comorbidity appears to be linked to common biological mechanisms and usually results in more severity of mood symptoms and a poorer long-term outcome. Nevertheless, the management of comorbid PMDD/BD has been scarcely studied.

Subjective Cognitive Decline and Nighttime Sleep Alterations, a Longitudinal Analysis.

: The aim of this study was to analyze quantitative sleep changes and their implication on subjective cognitive decline (SCD). Objective sleep patterns were investigated by an actigraph and recorded at the baseline and 2-year after in order to examine specific sleep alterations in SCD. : Sleep disorders are very common among average elderly adults and an altered sleep pattern is known to be a risk factor for future development of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia.

Effects of Second Language Learning on the Plastic Aging Brain: Functional Connectivity, Cognitive Decline, and Reorganization.

Learning a new language requires the use of extensive neural networks and can represent a powerful tool to reorganize brain neuroplasticity. In this study, we analyze how a 4 months long second language learning program (16, 2 h sessions) can lead to functional changes in the brain of healthy elderly individuals. A large number of studies point out a decline of brain-skills with age; here it is analyzed how cognition together with functional brain organization can be improved later in life.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Reduces Craving in Substance Use Disorders: A Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.

Objectives: The use of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in addiction disorders is still on its rise in comparison with pharmacological and psychotherapeutic strategies that still show low level of evidence. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the anodic tDCS for the short-term treatment of substance craving and other psychiatric symptoms.

Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled trial, inclusion criteria included the diagnosis of substance use disorder and/or gambling disorder.

Efficacy and Safety of Atypical Antipsychotics in Bipolar Disorder With Comorbid Substance Dependence: A Systematic Review.

Objectives: Bipolar disorder (BD) patients with a comorbid substance use disorder (SUD) are notoriously difficult to treat. Atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) are widely prescribed in BD, but their efficacy in patients with comorbid SUD is still debated. The aim of the present article is to systematically review the literature findings on the efficacy and safety of AAPs in BD patients with comorbid SUD.

Pathological Gambling among Italian Nursing Students.

Purpose: To investigate the role of psychiatric dimensions, behavioral or substance addictions and demographical variables as determinants of pathological gambling among nursing students.

Design: Multicenter cross-sectional study.

Methods: From June to October 2015 a survey was carried out among Italian Nursing students.

Bupropion Augmentation in a Case of Compulsive Buying Disorder.

Background: Compulsive buying disorder (CBD) is a condition characterized by excessive preoccupations, impulses, and behaviors regarding buying, resulting in serious psychological, social, and financial problems. Even though it has not been included in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, "behavioral addictions" section, CBD is a hot topic in current clinical psychiatry, because of its relevant prevalence (at least 5% in adult populations) and severe effect on quality of life.The CBD shares some clinical features with substance-related and behavioral addictions, impulse control disorders, and obsessive compulsive disorder, and it is often comorbid with other psychiatric illnesses (especially depressive and anxiety disorders).

Resilience and cross-network connectivity: A neural model for post-trauma survival.

Literature on the neurobiological bases of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) considers medial Prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a core region of the Default Mode Network (DMN), as a region involved in response regulation to stressors. Disrupted functioning of the DMN has been recognized at the basis of the pathophysiology of a number of mental disorders. Furthermore, in the evaluation of the protective factors to trauma consequence, an important role has been assigned to resilience.

A Case of Resistant Schizophrenia Successfully Treated With Clozapine/Long-acting Injectable Aripiprazole Combination.

Background: Treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) is a condition characterized by intense symptom severity and poor response to different antipsychotic agents. The first therapeutic option in TRS is clozapine, but often high/medium doses are not tolerated. Adding an oral antipsychotic to low doses of clozapine is a promising strategy in the management of TRS.

Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder Without Comorbid Psychiatric Conditions: A Systematic Review of Therapeutic Options.

Objectives: Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a disabling condition affecting approximately 2% to 8% of women during reproductive age. It has been recently included in the mood disorder section of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, but its treatment as a primary psychiatric illness is still debated, because of the high prevalence of other mental disturbances in PMDD patients. On the other hand, clear clinical guidelines for PMDD patients not suffering from comorbid mental conditions are not yet available.

GABA levels in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex during the viewing of appetitive and disgusting food images.

Characterizing how the brain appraises the psychological dimensions of reward is one of the central topics of neuroscience. It has become clear that dopamine neurons are implicated in the transmission of both rewarding information and aversive and alerting events through two different neuronal populations involved in encoding the motivational value and the motivational salience of stimuli, respectively. Nonetheless, there is less agreement on the role of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and the related neurotransmitter release during the processing of biologically relevant stimuli.

The Novel Antipsychotic Cariprazine (RGH-188): State-of-the-Art in the Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders.

Cariprazine (RGH-188) is a novel antipsychotic drug that exerts partial agonism of dopamine D2/D3 receptors with preferential binding to D3 receptor, antagonism of 5HT2B receptors and partial agonism of 5HT1A. Currently, cariprazine is in late-stage clinical development (phase III clinical trials) in patients with schizophrenia (S) and in patients with bipolar disorder (BD), as well as an adjunctive treatment in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and drug-resistant MDD. Cariprazine has completed phase III trials for the acute treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar mania, phase II trials for the bipolar depression and MDD whilst it is undergoing phase III trials as an adjunct to antidepressants.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging of internet addiction in young adults.

Aim: To report the results of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies pertaining internet addiction disorder (IAD) in young adults.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review on PubMed, focusing our attention on fMRI studies involving adult IAD patients, free from any comorbid psychiatric condition. The following search words were used, both alone and in combination: fMRI, internet addiction, internet dependence, functional neuroimaging.

GABA content within the ventromedial prefrontal cortex is related to trait anxiety.

The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) plays a key role in emotion processing and regulation. vmPFC dysfunction may lead to disinhibition of amygdala causing high anxiety levels. γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) inter-neurons within vmPFC shape the information flow to amygdala.

The bridge between two worlds: psychoanalysis and fMRI.

In recent years, a connection between psychoanalysis and neuroscience has been sought. The meeting point between these two branches is represented by neuropsychoanalysis. The goal of the relationship between psychoanalysis and neuroscience is to test psychoanalytic hypotheses in the human brain, using a scientific method.

BDNF concentration and impulsiveness level in post-traumatic stress disorder.

Among the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), impulsiveness has been observed in patients with high levels of hyperarousal. Recent literature reveals the importance of investigating the role of neurotrophins, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), in several psychiatric disorders. Specifically, contrasting findings have been reported on the levels of serum BDNF in subjects with PTSD.

Targeting the Noradrenergic System in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prazosin Trials.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a chronic psychiatric disorder that may develop after exposure to a life-threatening trauma. As veterans and armed forces may deal with diverse health problems compared with civilians, they have a greater risk for psychiatric disorders, including PTSD, than civilians, even if the disorder may be also frequent in the general population. PTSD is associated with significant comorbidity, especially with mood disorders and substance abuse.