Publications by authors named "Joao Quevedo"

Background: Few treatments are available for individuals with marked treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

Objective: Evaluate the safety and effectiveness of FDA-approved adjunctive vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) in patients with marked TRD.

Methods: This 12-month, multicenter, double-blind, sham-controlled trial included 493 adults with marked treatment-resistant major depression who were randomized to active or no-stimulation sham VNS for 12 months.

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Background: Depression treatments aim to minimize symptom burden and optimize quality of life (QoL) and psychosocial function.

Objective: Compare the effects of adjunctive versus sham vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on QoL and function in markedly treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

Methods: In this multicenter, double-blind, sham-controlled trial, 493 adults with TRD and ≥4 adequate but unsuccessful antidepressant treatment trials (current episode) were randomized to active (n = 249) or sham (n = 244) VNS (plus treatment as usual) over a 12-month observation period.

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The field of psychoneuroimmunology has significantly expanded in the last few decades and so has our understanding of the bidirectional communications between the immune and central nervous systems (CNS). There is a preponderance of evidence supporting the fact that immunological pathways and neuroinflammation are involved in the pathophysiology of multiple neurological and mental health conditions. In this chapter, we have explored various neuroimmunological biomarkers involved in these pathways, responsible for developing and perpetuating different neuropsychiatric disorders.

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Article Synopsis
  • Childhood maltreatment is linked to changes in epigenetics and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which play a role in psychiatric conditions like bipolar disorder (BD), though specific mechanisms are still unclear.
  • The study involved 36 BD patients and 46 healthy controls, using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) to evaluate the history of maltreatment and various biological markers related to epigenetics and BDNF.
  • Findings indicate that emotional abuse is the main type of childhood maltreatment affecting epigenetic markers in BD, but it is suggested that these effects are cumulative and may interact with other factors influencing BD, rather than being a direct cause of the disorder.
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Article Synopsis
  • * It examines the neural networks involved in depression, the technical aspects of DBS, and reviews clinical trial outcomes while addressing safety and ethical issues.
  • * Finally, the chapter proposes future research directions for DBS, highlighting innovations like closed-loop systems and machine-learning approaches to improve study designs and efficacy.
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Comparing one's appearance to other people's and believing in an ideal body shape can negatively impact an individual. The probability of developing ED in individuals with high body dissatisfaction is higher than in the general population, leading to long-term emotional and metabolic damage. Populational studies on the prevalence of ED in Brazil are scarce in the literature.

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The present study aimed to investigate the effects of paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) on behavioral and oxidative stress parameters in the brain and serum of mice submitted to the animal model of hyperglycemia induced by alloxan, mimicking the main symptom of diabetes mellitus (DM). Adults C57BL/6 male and female mice received an injection of alloxan, and ten days later, the animals were submitted to the PSD for 36 h. The animals' behavioral parameters were evaluated in the open-field test.

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Background: RECOVER is a randomized sham-controlled trial of vagus nerve stimulation and the largest such trial conducted with a psychiatric neuromodulation intervention.

Objective: To describe pre-implantation baseline clinical characteristics and treatment history of patients with unipolar, major depressive disorder (MDD), overall and as a function of exposure to interventional psychiatric treatments (INTs), including electroconvulsive therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and esketamine.

Methods: Medical, psychiatric, and treatment records were reviewed by study investigators and an independent Study Eligibility Committee prior to study qualification.

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Background: Treatment of refractory bipolar disorder (BD) is extremely challenging. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) holds promise as an effective treatment intervention. However, we still understand very little about the mechanisms of DBS and its application on BD.

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Major Depressive Disorder continues to remain one of the most prevalent psychiatric diseases globally. Despite multiple trials of conventional therapies, a subset of patients fail to have adequate benefit to treatment. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising treatment in this difficult to treat population and has shown strong antidepressant effects across multiple cohorts.

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Article Synopsis
  • Older adults, especially those aged 80 and above, face a growing risk of cognitive impairment, which this study aimed to assess in community-dwelling seniors.
  • The research involved 165 participants who were interviewed using health and demographic questionnaires, with results indicating that 35.2% exhibited poor cognitive performance as measured by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).
  • Key factors associated with cognitive impairment included body mass index (BMI), income level, functional disability, and anxiety, although the study has limitations like its cross-sectional nature and a small sample size.
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Background: Major depression has a complex and multifactorial etiology constituted by the interaction between genetic and environmental factors in its development.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of sodium butyrate (SD) on epigenetic enzyme alterations in rats subjected to animal models of depression induced by maternal deprivation (MD) or chronic mild stress (CMS).

Methods: To induce MD, male Wistar rats were deprived of maternal care during the first 10 days of life.

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Although many efforts have been made to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms of COVID-19, critical gaps remain to be explored. This study aimed to investigate potential alterations in adipokine levels (specifically adiponectin, leptin, and resistin) among individuals with COVID-19. Within this population, we further assessed the association between these markers with both, body mass index (BMI) and psychiatric symptoms.

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Notwithstanding advances in understanding the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD), no single mechanism can explain all facets of this disorder. An expanding body of evidence indicates a putative role for the inflammatory response. Several meta-analyses showed an increase in systemic peripheral inflammatory markers in individuals with MDD.

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