A Bayesian analysis of heart rate variability changes over acute episodes of bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder (BD) involves autonomic nervous system dysfunction, detectable through heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is a promising biomarker, but its dynamics during acute mania or depression episodes are poorly understood. Using a Bayesian approach, we developed a probabilistic model of HRV changes in BD, measured by the natural logarithm of the Root Mean Square of Successive RR interval Differences (lnRMSSD).

Obstetric complications and psychopathology in schizophrenia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a severe mental health condition involving gene-environment interactions, with obstetric complications (OCs) conferring an elevated risk for the disease. Current research suggests that OCs may exacerbate SZ symptoms. This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to comprehensively evaluate differences in psychopathology between individuals with and without exposure to OCs in relation to SZ and related disorders.

Sex differences in prolactin levels and clinical outcomes in patients with a first psychotic episode.

Aim: To analyze the clinical, neurocognitive, and functional impact of prolactin levels according to sex in patients with a First Episode Psychosis (FEP).

Methods: We measured prolactin levels in 221 non-affective FEP patients treated with antipsychotics (AP) and 224 healthy controls, at baseline and 2-year follow-up. We examined whether the relationships between clinical and functional variables were mediated by prolactin, controlling for antipsychotic use, according to sex.

Identifying digital biomarkers of illness activity and treatment response in bipolar disorder with a novel wearable device (TIMEBASE): protocol for a pragmatic observational clinical study.

Background: Bipolar disorder is highly prevalent and consists of biphasic recurrent mood episodes of mania and depression, which translate into altered mood, sleep and activity alongside their physiological expressions.

Aims: The IdenTifying dIgital bioMarkers of illnEss activity and treatment response in BipolAr diSordEr with a novel wearable device (TIMEBASE) project aims to identify digital biomarkers of illness activity and treatment response in bipolar disorder.

Method: We designed a longitudinal observational study including 84 individuals.

Wearable Data From Subjects Playing Super Mario, Taking University Exams, or Performing Physical Exercise Help Detect Acute Mood Disorder Episodes via Self-Supervised Learning: Prospective, Exploratory, Observational Study.

Background: Personal sensing, leveraging data passively and near-continuously collected with wearables from patients in their ecological environment, is a promising paradigm to monitor mood disorders (MDs), a major determinant of the worldwide disease burden. However, collecting and annotating wearable data is resource intensive. Studies of this kind can thus typically afford to recruit only a few dozen patients.

Sleep-wake variations of electrodermal activity in bipolar disorder.

Background: Affective states influence the sympathetic nervous system, inducing variations in electrodermal activity (EDA), however, EDA association with bipolar disorder (BD) remains uncertain in real-world settings due to confounders like physical activity and temperature. We analysed EDA separately during sleep and wakefulness due to varying confounders and potential differences in mood state discrimination capacities.

Methods: We monitored EDA from 102 participants with BD including 35 manic, 29 depressive, 38 euthymic patients, and 38 healthy controls (HC), for 48 h.

Blood Cell Count Ratios at Baseline are Associated with Initial Clinical Response to Clozapine in Treatment-Resistant, Clozapine-Naïve, Schizophrenia-Spectrum Disorder.

Background: Clozapine is the recommended treatment for managing treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS), and immunological mechanisms may be involved in its unique antipsychotic efficacy. This study investigated whether baseline immune abnormalities measured with blood cell count ratios can predict the clinical response after initiating treatment with clozapine in patients with clozapine naïve TRS.

Methods: A longitudinal design was developed, involving 32 patients diagnosed with treatment-resistant, clozapine-naïve schizophrenia-spectrum disorder.

Maternity in women with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

Purpose: Maternity rates in women with schizophrenia have tripled in the past decades, with a current percentage similar to the general population (50-60%). However, mothers with schizophrenia present higher rates of single marital status, and social dysfunction than the general population. In addition, the incidence of unplanned pregnancy, abortions, miscarriages and obstetric complications is higher.

Cognitive reserve moderates the relationship between childhood maltreatment, objective and subjective cognition, and psychosocial functioning in individuals with first-episode psychosis.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the relationship between childhood maltreatment (CM), objective and subjective cognition, and psychosocial functioning in adults with first-episode psychosis (FEP) by examining the moderating role of cognitive reserve (CR). A secondary objective was to explore whether unique CM subtypes (physical and/or emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical and/or emotional neglect) were driving this relationship.

Method: Sixty-six individuals with FEP ( = 27.

Anthropometry in antipsychotic-naïve first-episode psychosis patients: An exploratory approach to the role of environmental early life events in two independent samples.

Background: Patients with schizophrenia exhibit a reduced life expectancy mainly due to medical-related pathologies which might have been initiated due to stressful events during fetal development. Indeed, intra-uterus growth patterns predict anthropometric measures in adulthood, describing risk factors for schizophrenia and metabolic disorders. We aim to evaluate anthropometric values in two cohorts of antipsychotic-naïve first-episode episode psychosis (FEP) and correlated them with surrogate markers of the fetal environment such as birth weight (BW) and season of birth.

Electrodermal activity in bipolar disorder: Differences between mood episodes and clinical remission using a wearable device in a real-world clinical setting.

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) lacks objective measures for illness activity and treatment response. Electrodermal activity (EDA) is a quantitative measure of autonomic function, which is altered in manic and depressive episodes. We aimed to explore differences in EDA (1) inter-individually: between patients with BD on acute mood episodes, euthymic states and healthy controls (HC), and (2) intra-individually: longitudinally within patients during acute mood episodes of BD and after clinical remission.

Nurse-led lifestyle intervention in a cohort of schizophrenia patients treated with clozapine.

Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia are characterized by early mortality compared to the general population. The main cause of this premature death reflects medical complications linked to metabolic syndrome (MetS). The use of antipsychotics such as clozapine is associated with weight gain and metabolic disturbances in certain predisposed individuals.

Exploring Digital Biomarkers of Illness Activity in Mood Episodes: Hypotheses Generating and Model Development Study.

Background: Depressive and manic episodes within bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) involve altered mood, sleep, and activity, alongside physiological alterations wearables can capture.

Objective: Firstly, we explored whether physiological wearable data could predict (aim 1) the severity of an acute affective episode at the intra-individual level and (aim 2) the polarity of an acute affective episode and euthymia among different individuals. Secondarily, we explored which physiological data were related to prior predictions, generalization across patients, and associations between affective symptoms and physiological data.

Obstetric complications and clinical presentation in first episode of psychosis.

Objective: Psychotic disorders exhibit a complex aetiology that combines genetic and environmental factors. Among the latter, obstetric complications (OCs) have been widely studied as risk factors, but it is not yet well understood how OCs relate to the heterogeneous presentations of psychotic disorders. We assessed the clinical phenotypes of individuals with a first episode of psychosis (FEP) in relation to the presence of OCs.

The effect of early life events on glucose levels in first-episode psychosis.

First episode of psychosis (FEP) patients display a wide variety of metabolic disturbances at onset, which might underlie these patients' increased morbidity and early mortality. Glycemic abnormalities have been previously related to pharmacological agents; however, recent research highlights the impact of early life events. Birth weight (BW), an indirect marker of the fetal environment, has been related to glucose abnormalities in the general population over time.

Obstetric complications and cognition in schizophrenia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Schizophrenia (SZ) is a complex brain disorder linked to cognitive and neurostructural abnormalities that involves genetic and environmental factors with obstetric complications (OCs) at birth conferring a high risk for the disease. Indeed, current research in the general population describes the deleterious effect of OCs on cognitive performance in adulthood. With this rationale, we aim to review the relationship between OCs and cognition in SZ and related psychotic disorders.

The U-shaped relationship between parental age and the risk of bipolar disorder in the offspring: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Parenthood age may affect the risk for the development of different psychiatric disorders in the offspring, including bipolar disorder (BD). The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to appraise the relationship between paternal age and risk for BD and to explore the eventual relationship between paternal age and age at onset of BD. We searched the MEDLINE, Scopus, Embase, PsycINFO online databases for original studies from inception, up to December 2021.

Shaped before birth: Obstetric complications identify a more severe clinical phenotype among patients presenting a first affective or non-affective episode of psychosis.

Obstetric complications (OCs) may contribute to the heterogeneity that characterizes psychiatric illness, particularly the phenotypic presentation of first episode psychoses (FEP). Our aim was to examine the relationship between OCs and socio-demographic, clinical, functioning and neuropsychological characteristics in affective and non-affective FEP. We performed a cross-sectional,study where we recruited participants with FEP between 2011 and 2021, and retrospectively assessed OCs using the Lewis-Murray scale.

Prodromal phase: Differences in prodromal symptoms, risk factors and markers of vulnerability in first episode mania versus first episode psychosis with onset in late adolescence or adulthood.

Objective: This study was aimed at identifying differences in the prodromal symptoms and their duration, risk factors and markers of vulnerability in patients presenting a first episode mania (FEM) or psychosis (FEP) with onset in late adolescence or adulthood in order to guide tailored treatment strategies.

Methods: Patients with a FEM or FEP underwent a clinical assessment. Prodromes were evaluated with the Bipolar Prodrome Symptom Scale-Retrospective (BPSS-R).

Antipsychotic-Associated Weight Gain and Clinical Improvement Under Clozapine Treatment.

Background: Antipsychotic-associated weight gain is a common adverse effect with several negative outcomes in the clinical evolution of patients, which might also affect patients' self-identity from physical appearance and imply treatment discontinuation. However, recent research has drawn attention to an unexpected clinical improvement associated with weight gain, mostly in patients under treatment with clozapine or olanzapine.

Methods: Twenty-three treatment-resistant psychosis patients initiating clozapine were evaluated.