The Role of Inflammatory Proteins in Anti-Glucocorticoid Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression.

Background: Optimising treatments for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is key to reducing the burden of this severe illness. The anti-glucocorticoid medication metyrapone has mixed evidence supporting a role as a possible augmentation treatment in TRD. The degree of treatment resistance in depression has been associated prospectively and retrospectively with elevated inflammation, and inflammatory activity may influence responses to antidepressant treatments.

Neuropsychological study of IQ scores in offspring of parents with bipolar I disorder.

Introduction: Studies comparing IQ in Offspring of Bipolar Parents (OBP) with Offspring of Healthy Controls (OHC) have reported conflicting findings. They have included OBP with mental health/neurodevelopmental disorders and/or pharmacological treatment which could affect results. This UK study aimed to assess IQ in OBP with no mental health/neurodevelopmental disorder and assess the relationship of sociodemographic variables with IQ.

Facial emotion labeling in unaffected offspring of adults with bipolar I disorder.

Background: Young people 'at risk' for developing Bipolar Disorder have been shown to have deficits in facial emotion labeling across emotions with some studies reporting deficits for one or more particular emotions. However, these have included a heterogeneous group of young people (siblings of adolescents and offspring of adults with bipolar disorder), who have themselves diagnosed psychopathology (mood disorders and neurodevelopmental disorders including ADHD).

Methods: 24 offspring of adults with bipolar I disorder and 34 offspring of healthy controls were administered the Diagnostic Analysis of Non Verbal Accuracy 2 (DANVA 2) to investigate the ability of participants to correctly label 4 emotions: happy, sad, fear and anger using both child and adult faces as stimuli at low and high intensity.

Family environment of bipolar families: a UK study.

Background: Aspects of family environment (FE) such as family support, organisational structure and levels of conflict can increase risk of Bipolar Disorder (BD) in offspring of BD parents.

Methods: The family environment of 16 BD and 23 healthy control (HC) families was assessed using the Family Environment Scale (FES). Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) was used to determine the degree of variation in scores on the FES dimensions within each family and a Generalised Linear Modelling (GLM) approach was used to investigate the extent to which scores on the different FES dimensions differed between families.

Soft neurological signs do not increase with age in euthymic bipolar subjects.

Background: Soft neurological signs (SNS) are found to be in excess in bipolar disorder (BD). This paper explores changes in SNS with ageing to ascertain whether BD is associated with a progressive neurological decline or a relatively fixed, persistent deficit.

Methods: 53 euthymic BD subjects and controls, aged 15-55 years, were for examined for the presence of SNS which were rated using a modified Kolakowska battery.

Neuropsychological dysfunction, soft neurological signs and social disability in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder.

Background: Neurocognitive deficits exist in euthymic patients with bipolar disorder, but relationships between symptoms, psychosocial and neurological factors remain uncertain.

Aims: To measure neurocognitive function in bipolar disorder and explore links to sub-syndromal mood symptoms, soft neurological signs and psychosocial impairment.

Method: Attention, memory and executive function were tested in 37 euthymic patients with bipolar disorder and 37 controls.

Effects of adjunctive mifepristone (RU-486) administration on neurocognitive function and symptoms in schizophrenia.

Background: It has been suggested that hypercortisolemia may cause or exacerbate both neurocognitive impairment and symptoms in schizophrenia. We hypothesized that antiglucocorticoid treatments, particularly glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonists, would improve neurocognitive functioning and clinical symptoms in this disorder.

Method: Twenty patients with schizophrenia were treated with 600 mg/day of the GR-antagonist mifepristone (RU-486) or placebo for 1 week in a double-blind, crossover design.

Enlargement of the Third Ventricle in affective disorders.

Introduction: There have been inconsistent reports of dilation of the third ventricle (lll-V) in bipolar disorder. Within the lateral walls of lll-V are hypothalamic nuclei which mediate the neuroendocrine, sleep, appetite and autonomic disturbances which characterise a depressive episode.

Methods: The lll-V width, immediately anterior to the mamillary bodies, was measured in 74 bipolar I or II subjects (m=25, f=49, mean age 36.

A randomized controlled trial of fluvoxamine in prostatodynia, a male somatoform pain disorder.

Background: Prostatodynia is a common and often disabling condition that affects males and has the characteristics of a somatoform pain disorder. It presents with urogenital pain and urinary symptoms. Failure of conventional treatment and a successful uncontrolled pilot study with fluvoxamine in this condition prompted this study.