Commentary: School closures, the pandemic, and pediatric mental health: Scrutinizing the evidence.

The COVID-19 pandemic arrived with significant hardship. The secondary impacts of the pandemic and our response with respect to pediatric mental health has been a subject of significant discussion in the lay public, media, and decision-maker groups. The initiatives to control SARS-CoV-2 have become politicized.

Evaluating the psychosocial status of BC children and youth during the COVID-19 pandemic: A MyHEARTSMAP cross-sectional study.

Background: Understanding the psychosocial status of children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic is vital to the appropriate and adequate allocation of social supports and mental health resources. This study evaluates the burden of mental health concerns and the impact of demographic factors while tracking mental health service recommendations to inform community service needs.

Methods: MyHEARTSMAP is a digital self-assessment mental health evaluation completed by children and their guardian throughout British Columbia between August 2020 to July 2021.

Differential age-associated brain atrophy and white matter changes among homeless and precariously housed individuals compared with the general population.

Background: Homeless or precariously housed individuals live with poor health and experience premature mortality compared with the general population, yet little is known about age-related brain changes among these individuals. We evaluated whether MRI measures of brain structure are differentially associated with age and selected risk factors among individuals who are homeless or precariously housed compared with a general population sample.

Methods: We compared T1-weighted and diffusion tensor imaging measures of brain macrostructure and white matter microstructure in a well-characterised sample of 312 precariously housed participants with a publicly available dataset of 382 participants recruited from the general population.

Dynamic networks of psychotic symptoms in adults living in precarious housing or homelessness.

Background: People living in precarious housing or homelessness have higher than expected rates of psychotic disorders, persistent psychotic symptoms, and premature mortality. Psychotic symptoms can be modeled as a complex dynamic system, allowing assessment of roles for risk factors in symptom development, persistence, and contribution to premature mortality.

Method: The severity of delusions, conceptual disorganization, hallucinations, suspiciousness, and unusual thought content was rated monthly over 5 years in a community sample of precariously housed/homeless adults ( = 375) in Vancouver, Canada.

Amygdala Nuclei Volumes Are Selectively Associated With Social Network Size in Homeless and Precariously Housed Persons.

: The amygdala is a brain region comprised of a group of functionally distinct nuclei that play a central role in social behavior. In homeless and precariously housed individuals, high rates of multimorbidity, and structural aspects of the environment may dysregulate social functioning. This study examined the neurobiological substrates of social connection in homeless and precariously housed persons by examining associations between amygdala nuclei volumes and social network size.

Medial temporal lobe cortical changes in response to exercise interventions in people with early psychosis: A randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Individuals with early psychosis may have prefrontal-limbic cortical deficits, which are associated with symptom severity and cognitive impairment. This study investigated the impact of an exercise intervention on fronto-temporal cortical plasticity in female participants with early psychosis.

Methods: In a cohort of 51 female participants with early psychosis from Hong Kong, we investigated the effects of a 12-week, moderate intensity aerobic or Hatha yoga exercise trial (yoga (N = 21), aerobic (N = 18) or waitlist group (N = 12)) on cortical grey matter.

Cognitive Impairment in Marginally Housed Youth: Prevalence and Risk Factors.

Homeless and marginally housed youth are particularly vulnerable members of society, and are known to experience numerous health problems, including psychiatric illness, substance use, and viral infection. Despite the presence of these risk factors for cognitive compromise, there is limited research on the cognitive functioning of homeless and marginally housed youth. The present study examines the degree and pattern of cognitive impairment and associations with key risk factors in a sample of marginally housed young adults.

Reduced cardiovascular fitness associated with exposure to clozapine in individuals with chronic schizophrenia.

Studies show that individuals with schizophrenia have impaired cardiovascular fitness (i.e., low peak aerobic power (VOpeak)).

Heart-rate response to alpha-adrenergic receptor antagonism by antipsychotics.

Purpose: To explore the relationship between antipsychotic-associated antagonism of alpha-adrenergic receptors and resting heart rate in individuals with schizophrenia.

Methods: Thirty-one inpatients treated with antipsychotics were included in this exploratory analysis. Antipsychotic doses were converted to haloperidol equivalents for alpha-adrenergic receptor antagonism.

Pharmacological inhibition of O-GlcNAcase (OGA) prevents cognitive decline and amyloid plaque formation in bigenic tau/APP mutant mice.

Background: Amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are the defining pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Increasing the quantity of the O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) post-translational modification of nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins slows neurodegeneration and blocks the formation of NFTs in a tauopathy mouse model. It remains unknown, however, if O-GlcNAc can influence the formation of amyloid plaques in the presence of tau pathology.