Can total electrical energy (TEED) after subthalamic DBS alter verbal fluency in Parkinson's disease patients? A preliminary evidence.

Objective: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) improves motor outcomes in Parkinson's disease (PD) but may have adverse long-term effects on specific cognitive domains. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between total electrical energy (TEED) delivered by DBS and postoperative changes in verbal fluency.

Methods: Seventeen PD patients undergoing bilateral STN-DBS were assessed with the Alternate Verbal Fluency Battery (AVFB), which includes phonemic (PVF), semantic (SVF), and alternate verbal fluency (AVF) tests, before surgery (T0) and after 6 (T1) and 12 months (T2).

Resting-State EEG Alterations of Practice-Related Spectral Activity and Connectivity Patterns in Depression.

Background: Depression presents with altered energy regulation and neural plasticity. Previous electroencephalography (EEG) studies showed that practice in learning tasks increases power in beta range (13-30 Hz) in healthy subjects but not in those with impaired plasticity. Here, we ascertain whether depression presents with alterations of spectral activity and connectivity before and after a learning task.

Impact of Benzodiazepines and Illness Duration on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder during COVID-19 in Italy: Exploring Symptoms' Evolutionary Benefits.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is believed to follow a waxing and waning course, often according to environmental stressors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, pre-existing OCD symptoms were reported to increase and to change from checking to washing behaviors, while new-onset symptoms were predominantly of the hoarding type. In the present study, we followed the evolution of OCD symptoms, anxiety, depression, and insights of illness in forty-six OCD patients throughout the pandemic.

The Neurobiological Underpinnings of Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Psychosis, Translational Issues for Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia.

Almost 25% of schizophrenia patients suffer from obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) considered a transdiagnostic clinical continuum. The presence of symptoms pertaining to both schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) may complicate pharmacological treatment and could contribute to lack or poor response to the therapy. Despite the clinical relevance, no reviews have been recently published on the possible neurobiological underpinnings of this comorbidity, which is still unclear.

Effects of strict COVID-19 lockdown on patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder compared to a clinical and a nonclinical sample.

Background: Symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have been reported to increase during the COVID-19 lockdowns because of the hygiene requirements related to the pandemic. Patients with adjustment disorder (AD) may, in turn, represent a vulnerable population for identifiable stressors. In this study, we aimed at assessing potential symptoms changes in OCD patients during the lockdown in comparison with AD patients as well as versus healthy controls (HC).

Depression and Anxiety Symptoms "Among the Waves" of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Adjustment Disorder Patients.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated restrictions caused great psychological suffering to the general population and psychiatric patients. We aimed to explore the course of depression and anxiety symptoms in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) patients, adjustment disorder (AD) patients, and participants without psychiatric disorders (control group, CG) across the different phases of the pandemic: the first lockdown, a temporary interruption of restrictions, and the second lockdown. Out of the 158 patients screened, we enrolled 46 OCD and 19 AD patients as well as 29 CG participants.

Transcranial direct current stimulation for bipolar depression: systematic reviews of clinical evidence and biological underpinnings.

Despite multiple available treatments for bipolar depression (BD), many patients face sub-optimal responses. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been advocated in the management of different conditions, including BD, especially in treatment-resistant cases. The optimal dose and timing of tDCS, the mutual influence with other concurrently administered interventions, long-term efficacy, overall safety, and biological underpinnings nonetheless deserve additional assessment.

Psychiatric Symptoms in Parkinson's Disease Patients before and One Year after Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation Therapy: Role of Lead Positioning and Not of Total Electrical Energy Delivered.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients may experience neuropsychiatric symptoms, including depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, psychosis, as well as behavioral and cognitive symptoms during all the different stages of the illness. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) therapy has proven to be successful in controlling the motor symptoms of PD and its possible correlation with the occurrence or worsening of neuropsychiatric symptoms has been reported. We aimed to assess the neuropsychiatric symptoms of 14 PD patients before and after one year of Subthalamic Nucleus (STN)-DBS and to correlate the possible changes to the lead placement and to the total electrical energy delivered.

Simultaneous Bilateral Frontal and Bilateral Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Treatment-Resistant Depression-Clinical Effects and Electrical Field Modelling of a Novel Electrodes Montage.

Depressive disorders are one of the leading causes of disability worldwide. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a safe, simple, non-invasive brain stimulation technique showing considerable effectiveness in improving depressive symptoms. Most studies to date have applied anodal tDCS to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), in line with the hypothesis that depressed patients exhibit relative hypoactivity in the left DLPFC compared to the right.

The effects of sustained COVID-19 emergency and restrictions on the mental health of subjects with serious mental illness: A prospective study.

Few longitudinal studies have so far investigated the impact of sustained COVID-19 among people with pre-existing psychiatric disorders. We conducted a prospective study involving people with serious mental illness (n = 114) and healthy controls (n = 41) to assess changes in the Perceived Stress Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire, and Specific Psychotic Experiences Questionnaire scores 18 months after the COVID-19 pandemic outset. Subjects underwent interviews with a mental health professional in April 2020 and at the end of the local third wave (October 2021).

Predicting the Severity of Lockdown-Induced Psychiatric Symptoms with Machine Learning.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, an increase in the incidence of psychiatric disorders in the general population and an increase in the severity of symptoms in psychiatric patients have been reported. Anxiety and depression symptoms are the most commonly observed during large-scale dramatic events such as pandemics and wars, especially when these implicate an extended lockdown. The early detection of higher risk clinical and non-clinical individuals would help prevent the new onset and/or deterioration of these symptoms.

Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study on Efficacy, Feasibility, Safety, and Unexpected Outcomes in Tic Disorder and Epilepsy.

Patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) display distinctive neurophysiological characteristics associated with significant cognitive, emotional, and behavioral symptoms. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to the frontal or temporoparietal lobes has demonstrated potential to reduce the severity of ASD-related symptoms. Recently, the cerebellum has been identified as a brain area involved in ASD pathophysiology.

Efficacy and safety of transcranial direct current stimulation as an add-on treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder: a randomized, sham-controlled trial.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a frequent, disabling disorder with high rates of treatment resistance. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a safe, tolerable noninvasive neuromodulation therapy with scarce evidence for OCD. This double-blind, randomized, and sham-controlled study investigates the efficacy of tDCS as add-on treatment for treatment-resistant OCD (failure to respond to at least one previous pharmacological treatment).

Functional connectivity changes and symptoms improvement after personalized, double-daily dosing, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in obsessive-compulsive disorder: A pilot study.

Background: intrusive thoughts and compulsive behaviors that characterize obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) are associated to aberrant resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) patterns within the cortico-striatal-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuits. A high percentage of OCD patients do not respond to conventional pharmacological treatments or psychotherapy. In these patients, inhibitory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of the Supplementary Motor Area (SMA) resulted in a significant clinical benefit.

Cost-utility analysis of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in non-treatment-resistant depression: the DISCO randomised controlled study protocol.

Introduction: Depression is among the most widespread psychiatric disorders in France. Psychiatric disorders are associated with considerable social costs, amounting to €22.6 billion for treatment and psychotropic medication in 2011.

Translating preclinical findings in clinically relevant new antipsychotic targets: focus on the glutamatergic postsynaptic density. Implications for treatment resistant schizophrenia.

There is a growing interest in new molecular targets for antipsychotic therapy. Multiple signal transduction systems have been recently implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. However, the weight of each specific mechanism remains controversial.

Smoking relapse risk is increased among individuals in recovery.

Background: The prevalence of cigarette smoking among individuals with a history of substance use disorders (SUDs) remains up to four times higher than those without a history of SUDs. More than half of individuals who attain sustained remission from SUDs will die of tobacco-related diseases. The aim of this secondary data analysis was to compare the risk for smoking relapse among smokers with no history of SUDs and smokers in recovery from SUDs after multi-component, cognitive-behavioral treatment for tobacco dependence.

Transcranial direct current stimulation in obsessive-compulsive disorder: an update in electric field modeling and investigations for optimal electrode montage.

: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation intervention that has been investigated for several psychiatric disorders, including Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). As there are several candidate brain regions for targeting OCD relevant networks, clinical studies using tDCS have considerably varied in terms of the electrode montages used. Computer modeling of electric field currents induced by tDCS can help guiding the research of relevant targets for OCD.

Behavioral and Neurophysiological Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) in Fronto-Temporal Dementia.

Fronto-temporal dementia (FTD) is the clinical-diagnostic term that is now preferred to describe patients with a range of progressive dementia syndromes associated with focal atrophy of the frontal and anterior temporal cerebral regions. Currently available FTD medications have been used to control behavioral symptoms, even though they are ineffective in some patients, expensive and may induce adverse effects. Alternative therapeutic approaches are worth pursuing, such as non-invasive brain stimulation with transcranial direct current (tDCS).

Prevalence of HSV1/2 Congenital Infection Assessed Through Genome Detection on Dried Blood Spot in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Background/aim: Etiopathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) remains to be elucidated. Congenital infections, particularly viral infections, have repeatedly been associated with the onset of such disorders. Our study aimed at assessing the prevalence of herpes simplex type 1 and 2 (HSV1/2) congenital infections in patients with ASD.

Aripiprazole-induced atrial fibrillation in a patient with concomitant risk factors.

Aripiprazole is an atypical antipsychotic drug with a polypharmacological mechanism of action and a favorable tolerability profile. Its major indications are schizophrenia and mania in adults and adolescents. Here we present the case of a 43-year-old Caucasian man with schizophrenia who developed atrial fibrillation (AF) after starting aripiprazole treatment.