Variation of Circulating Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) in Depression: Relationships with Inflammatory Indices, Metabolic Status and Patients' Clinical Features.

This study seeks to offer a contribution to the method of subtyping major depressed patients by exploring the possible relationships between circulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), different peripheral inflammatory/metabolic markers in the blood and clinical characteristics. Thirty-nine patients, thoroughly diagnosed according to the DSM-5 criteria, underwent a comprehensive set of evaluations encompassing structured interviews, rating scales and a panel of blood tests. Correlation and comparison analyses were carried out by means of non-parametric statistical tests.

Asenapine for the treatment of bipolar disorder.

: Bipolar I disorder (BDI) is amongst the most debilitating psychiatric conditions with a great impact on both patients and their families. A class of drugs commonly used in this condition is second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) including asenapine, one of the latest to be introduced into the clinical practice worldwide to treat manic episodes in BDI. : The aim of this paper is to critically review the literature on the pharmacological characteristics, tolerability, and safety data of asenapine, as well as on its short- and long-term clinical trials in manic episodes as both a monotherapy and as an add-on treatment.

Emotional Blunting, Cognitive Impairment, Bone Fractures, and Bleeding as Possible Side Effects of Long-Term Use of SSRIs.

Objective: Selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are amongst the most prescribed drugs worldwide not only for psychiatric conditions, but also for medical purposes. Converging data gathered throughout the decades following their development would indicate that SSRIs have a broader side effect profile than previously assumed. Therefore, the aim of the present paper was to to review available literature highlighting less common side effects emerging with their long-term use.

Is there a relationship between depression with anxious distress DSM-5 specifier and bipolarity? A multicenter cohort study on patients with unipolar, bipolar I and II disorders.

Background: To estimate the prevalence of DSM-5 anxious distress specifier (ADS) in depressed patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar I or II disorder (BD), and to compare socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, and response to naturalistic short-term treatment between ADS and non-ADS group.

Methods: 241 outpatients with a major depressive episode (MDE) were consecutively recruited. Outcome were remission (HDRS total score < 7), response (≥50% reduction of baseline HDRS) and improvement (CGI-i score ≤ 2) after 12 weeks of treatment sustained for 4 weeks.

Stalking: a neurobiological perspective.

Nowadays stalking is becoming a real social emergency, as it may often fuel severe aggressive behaviours. No exhaustive aetiological hypothesis is still available regarding this complex phenomenon. However, the detailed descriptions of some of its peculiar features allow to draw with cautions some general suggestions.

The inflammatory hypothesis of mood spectrum broadened to fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Objectives: The present paper aimed at reviewing literature data on the inflammatory hypothesis of mood spectrum, as well as the overlapping features with some chronic rheumatologic disorders, in particular fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Methods: A literature search was carried out for English papers published in the years 2000-2014, while using the following words: mood spectrum, depression, bipolar disorders, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, neurotransmitters, inflammation, neuroinflammation, cytokines.

Results: Overlapping features were highlighted between mood spectrum, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome suggesting common underlying mechanisms at pathophysiological level involving both central nervous and the immune systems.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of psychotropic drugs: effect of sex.

Data on the specific effects of sex on pharmacokinetics, as well as tolerability, safety, and efficacy of psychotropic medications are still meager, mainly because only recently sex-related issues have attracted a certain degree of interest within the pharmacological domain. Therefore, with the present study, we aimed to provide a comprehensive review of the literature on this topic, through careful MEDLINE and PubMed searches of the years 1990-2012. Generally, data on pharmacokinetics are more consistent and numerous than those on pharmacodynamics.

Serotonin receptors of type 6 (5-HT6): from neuroscience to clinical pharmacology.

The serotonin (5-HT) receptors of type 6 (5-HT6) are quite different from all other 5-HT receptors, as they include a short third cytoplasmatic loop and a long C-terminal tail, and one intron located in the middle of the third cytoplasmatic loop. A lot of controversies still exist regarding their binding affinity, effects of 5-HT6 ligands on brain catecholamines, behavioral syndromes regulated by them, and brain distribution. In spite of the lack of information on metabolic pattern of the various compounds, some of 5-HT6 receptor ligands entered the clinical development as potential anti-dementia, antipsychotic, antidepressant and anti-obese drugs.