Examining the association between posttraumatic stress disorder and disruptions in cortical networks identified using data-driven methods.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with lower cortical thickness (CT) in prefrontal, cingulate, and insular cortices in diverse trauma-affected samples. However, some studies have failed to detect differences between PTSD patients and healthy controls or reported that PTSD is associated with greater CT. Using data-driven dimensionality reduction, we sought to conduct a well-powered study to identify vulnerable networks without regard to neuroanatomic boundaries.

PTSD and comorbid MDD is associated with activation of the right frontoparietal network.

There is growing evidence of abnormalities in intrinsic functional connectivity (FC) in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). However, there has been less work on the commonly occurring co-presentation of PTSD and MDD. Characterising intrinsic FC abnormalities in this clinical population is important for understanding how they may contribute towards impairments underpinned by different networks.

Advanced brain ageing in adult psychopathology: A systematic review and meta-analysis of structural MRI studies.

Evidence suggests that psychopathology is associated with an advanced brain ageing process, typically mapped using machine learning models that predict an individual's age based on structural neuroimaging data. The brain predicted age difference (brain-PAD) captures the deviation of brain age from chronological age. Substantial heterogeneity between studies has introduced uncertainty regarding the magnitude of the brain-PAD in adult psychopathology.

The impact of prenatal alcohol and/or tobacco exposure on brain structure in a large sample of children from a South African birth cohort.

Background: Neuroimaging studies have emphasized the impact of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) on brain development, traditionally in heavily exposed participants. However, less is known about how naturally occurring community patterns of PAE (including light to moderate exposure) affect brain development, particularly in consideration of commonly occurring concurrent impacts of prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE).

Methods: Three hundred thirty-two children (ages 8 to 12) living in South Africa's Cape Flats townships underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging.

Pharmacotherapy for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent and disabling disorder. Evidence that PTSD is characterised by specific psychobiological dysfunctions has contributed to a growing interest in the use of medication in its treatment.

Objectives: To assess the effects of medication for reducing PTSD symptoms in adults with PTSD.

Pharmacotherapy for trichotillomania.

Background: Trichotillomania (TTM; hair-pulling disorder) is a prevalent and disabling disorder characterised by recurrent hair-pulling. Here we update a previous Cochrane Review on the effects of medication for TTM.

Objectives: To assess the effects of medication for trichotillomania (TTM) in adults, children and adolescents compared with placebo or other medication.

Executive Function and Contingency Management in Methamphetamine Use Disorder.

Objectives: Contingency management is a promising intervention for Methamphetamine Use Disorder (MUD).Impaired executive function may decrease adherence to such treatment, but there are few data on whether impairment in executive function predicts treatment outcomes. We therefore evaluated whether baseline performance on tests of executive function predicted treatment response in a trial of contingency management for MUD.

The neurocognitive profile of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and PTSD with comorbid MDD.

Objective: Neurocognitive dysfunction has been associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). However, although PTSD is often comorbid with MDD, there is little neurocognitive work to date on individuals who suffer from both PTSD and MDD. Here, we compared neurocognitive domains in individuals with PTSD, MDD, and comorbid PTSD and MDD with those of healthy controls.

The association of peripheral immune markers with brain cortical thickness and surface area in South African people living with HIV.

A spectrum of cognitive impairments known as HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) are consequences of the effects of HIV-1 within the central nervous system. Regardless of treatment status, an aberrant chronic neuro-immune regulation is a crucial contributor to the development of HAND. However, the extent to which inflammation affects brain structures critical for cognitive status remains unclear.

Structural and functional brain network alterations in prenatal alcohol exposed neonates.

Prenatal alcohol exposure leads to alterations in cognition, behavior and underlying brain architecture. However, prior studies have not integrated structural and functional imaging data in children with prenatal alcohol exposure. The aim of this study was to characterize disruptions in both structural and functional brain network organization after prenatal alcohol exposure in very early life.

Decision-Making by Patients With Methamphetamine Use Disorder Receiving Contingency Management Treatment: Magnitude and Frequency Effects.

Background: Individuals with substance use disorders exhibit maladaptive decision-making on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), which involves selecting from card decks differing in the magnitudes of rewards, and the frequency and magnitude of losses. We investigated whether baseline IGT performance could predict responses to contingency management (CM) by treatment-seeking individuals with methamphetamine use disorder (MA Use Disorder) in Cape Town, South Africa.

Methods: Twenty-nine individuals with MA Use Disorder underwent an 8-week, escalating reinforcement, voucher-based CM treatment in a study on the suitability of CM therapy for the South African context.

The Association of Immune Markers with Cognitive Performance in South African HIV-Positive Patients.

Dysregulated expression of neuro-immune markers has previously been linked to HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment. We undertook an exploratory approach in a HIV clade-C cohort, investigating the association between eight immune markers and neurocognitive performance in 99 HIV+ and 51 HIV- participants. Markers were selected on preliminary and putative evidence of their link to key neuro-immune functions.

Social cognition and aggression in methamphetamine dependence with and without a history of psychosis.

In substance use and psychotic disorders, socially problematic behaviours, such as high aggression may, in part, be explained by deficits in social cognition skills, like the detection of emotions or intentions in others. The aim of this study was to assess the magnitude of social cognition impairment and its association with aggression in individuals with methamphetamine (MA) dependence, methamphetamine-associated psychosis (MAP), and healthy controls (CTRL). A total of 20 MAP participants, 21 MA-dependent participants without psychosis, and 21 CTRL participants performed a facial morphing emotion recognition task (ERT) across four basic emotions (anger, fear, happiness and sadness) and the reading the mind in the eyes task (RMET), and completed the aggression questionnaire.

Pharmacotherapy for social anxiety disorder (SAnD).

Background: Recognition is growing that social anxiety disorder (SAnD) is a chronic and disabling disorder, and data from early trials demonstrate that medication may be effective in its treatment. This systematic review is an update of an earlier review of pharmacotherapy of SAnD.

Objectives: To assess the effects of pharmacotherapy for social anxiety disorder in adults and identify which factors (methodological or clinical) predict response to treatment.

Distinct intrinsic functional brain network abnormalities in methamphetamine-dependent patients with and without a history of psychosis.

Chronic methamphetamine use is associated with executive functioning deficits that suggest dysfunctional cognitive control networks (CCNs) in the brain. Likewise, abnormal connectivity between intrinsic CCNs and default mode networks (DMNs) has also been associated with poor cognitive function in clinical populations. Accordingly, we tested the extent to which methamphetamine use predicts abnormal connectivity between these networks, and whether, as predicted, these abnormalities are compounded in patients with a history of methamphetamine-associated psychosis (MAP).

Interhemispheric Functional Brain Connectivity in Neonates with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: Preliminary Findings.

Background: Children exposed to alcohol in utero demonstrate reduced white matter microstructural integrity. While early evidence suggests altered functional brain connectivity in the lateralization of motor networks in school-age children with prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), the specific effects of alcohol exposure on the establishment of intrinsic connectivity in early infancy have not been explored.

Methods: Sixty subjects received functional imaging at 2 to 4 weeks of age for 6 to 8 minutes during quiet natural sleep.