Publications by authors named "L Fananas"
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how early-adolescence prodromes in schizophrenia (SCZ) relate to social cognition deficits and sensorimotor impairments, comparing them to autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
- It involves four groups: ASD, SCZ with early-adolescence prodromes (under 15), SCZ with late-adolescence prodromes (over 15), and a control group, analyzing their social cognition and neurological soft signs (NSS).
- Findings indicate that SCZ with early prodromes show similar social cognition impairments as those with ASD, highlighting that age of prodrome onset plays a critical role in understanding SCZ subgroups rather than just the onset of psychosis.
Background: Consistent findings indicate that Theory of Mind (ToM) is impaired in schizophrenia (SZ). To investigate whether such deficits are trait- or state-dependent, we investigated if ToM is modified by clinical liability markers (such as basic symptoms and psychotic-like experiences), focusing on the analysis of unaffected siblings of individuals diagnosed with SZ.
Methods: The study included a total of 65 participants: 38 patients diagnosed with a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder and 27 healthy siblings.
Article Synopsis
- Maternal stress during pregnancy can influence the health of offspring, raising the risk for neuropsychiatric disorders through changes in placental DNA methylation.
- The study examined the effects of maternal stress on DNA methylation of cortisol-regulating genes (NR3C1, FKBP5, HSD11B2) using placental samples from 45 mother-infant pairs divided by stress exposure levels.
- Results indicated that higher maternal cortisol in early pregnancy was linked to specific DNA methylation changes in the NR3C1 and FKBP5 genes, but no direct connection to newborn neurodevelopment was established, underscoring the need for more research on placental epigenetics.
Background: Maternal childhood maltreatment (CM) has been repeatedly associated with negative offspring's emotional outcomes. The dysregulation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis has emerged as the main underlying physiological mechanism.
Objective: To explore the association between maternal CM and newborns' physiological and neurobehavioral stress responses, considering the role of perinatal maternal depression and bonding.