A Disrupted-in-Schizophrenia 1 Gene Variant is Associated with Clinical Symptomatology in Patients with First-Episode Psychosis.

Objective: DISC1 gene is one of the main candidate genes for schizophrenia since it has been associated to the illness in several populations. Moreover, variations in several DISC1 polymorphisms, and in particular Ser704Cys SNP, have been associated in schizophrenic patients to structural and functional modifications in two brain areas (pre-frontal cortex and hippocampus) that play a central role in the genesis of psychotic symptoms. This study tested the association between Ser704Cys DISC1 polymorphism and the clinical onset of psychosis.

Aripiprazole, Ziprasidone and Quetiapine in the treatment of first-episode nonaffective psychosis: a 12-week randomized, flexible-dose, open-label trial.

Background: Differences among antipsychotics in terms of effectiveness have turned out to be a topic of increasing research interest, although comparisons between the different second generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are scarce. We aimed to compare the clinical effectiveness in the short-term of Aripiprazole, Ziprasidone and Quetiapine in the treatment of first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

Method: From October 2005 to January 2011, a prospective, randomized, open-label study was undertaken.

Long-term (3-year) neurocognitive effectiveness of antipsychotic medications in first-episode non-affective psychosis: a randomized comparison of haloperidol, olanzapine, and risperidone.

Introduction: The initially postulated superior neurocognitive effectiveness of second-generation antipsychotics is currently under debate.

Methods: A prospective, randomized, open-label study was carried out to compare the long-term neurocognitive effectiveness of haloperidol, olanzapine, and risperidone in the first episode of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. A final sample of 79 patients randomized to haloperidol (N = 28), olanzapine (N = 23), or risperidone (N = 28) who completed clinical and cognitive evaluations at baseline and 3-year follow-up was included in the final analysis.

Aripiprazole, ziprasidone, and quetiapine in the treatment of first-episode nonaffective psychosis: results of a 6-week, randomized, flexible-dose, open-label comparison.

Differences among antipsychotics in effectiveness have turned out to be a topic of increasing research interest, although comparisons between the different second-generation antipsychotics are scarce. From October 2005 to March 2011, a prospective, randomized, open-label study comparing the effectiveness of aripiprazole, ziprasidone, and quetiapine in the short-term treatment of first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders was undertaken. Two hundred two patients were randomly assigned to aripiprazole (n = 78), ziprasidone (n = 62), or quetiapine (n = 62) and followed up for 6 weeks.

The relevance of cognitive, clinical and premorbid variables in predicting functional outcome for individuals with first-episode psychosis: a 3 year longitudinal study.

Real-world functional deficits are common and persistent in individuals with psychosis. Cognitive deficits have been shown to compromise functioning. We aimed to study the predictive values of premorbid, sociodemographic, and baseline clinical and neurocognitive factors on long-term functional outcome for individuals with first episode non-affective psychosis.

The early phases of anxiety disorders: from prevention to treatment.

The 'early intervention' model has been applied with good results to the care of a range of serious medical conditions. The key rationale for this model is to guarantee early identification and treatment for the illness, thus preventing its progression to a more advanced and severe stage. It would also provide a framework for optimal treatment according to the stage of the disorders.

Predictors of neurocognitive impairment at 3 years after a first episode non-affective psychosis.

Background: Neurocognitive impairment is a core component of schizophrenia. However, patients show great variability in the level and course of deficits. The goal of the present longitudinal study was to identify predictors of neurocognitive impairment in first episode psychosis patients.

Community alternatives to acute inpatient care for severe psychiatric patients.

Objectives: Community psychiatry has mainly relied upon intermediate long term care services while there is a large gap between patient's needs and availability of acute care services. Taking this into consideration, the main aim of this paper is to review the evidence supporting the efficacy and feasibility of implementing the new models of care developed to fulfil the gap in the provision of community and hospital care for acute and severely ill patients. Finally the paper will propose a "care balanced approach" to integrate the key elements of the new alternatives of acute community and hospital care in the mental health system.

Predictors of clinical remission following a first episode of non-affective psychosis: sociodemographics, premorbid and clinical variables.

The aim of the study was to identify predictors associated with a lower likelihood of achieving a clinical remission 1 year after the first break of the illness. Participants were 174 consecutive subjects included in a first episode programme with no prior treatment with antipsychotic medication. Patients were assigned to haloperidol, olanzapine or risperidone in a randomized, open-label, prospective clinical trial.

Long-term effect of haloperidol, olanzapine, and risperidone on plasma prolactin levels in patients with first-episode psychosis.

Objective: The main goal of this study was to assess the long-term effect of haloperidol, olanzapine, and risperidone on serum prolactin levels in a naturalistically treated first-episode psychosis population.

Methods: Patients included in this study were drawn from a prospective, randomized, open-label clinical trial. Prolactin levels were measured in 110 patients with medication-naive first-episode psychosis at baseline, 3 months, and 1 year.

Effect of antipsychotic drugs on cortical thickness. A randomized controlled one-year follow-up study of haloperidol, risperidone and olanzapine.

Background: Imaging evidence indicates that brain alterations are primary to the full-blown onset of schizophrenia and seem to progress across time. The potential effects of antipsychotic medication on brain structure represent a key factor in understanding brain changes in psychosis. We aimed to investigate the effects of low doses of haloperidol, risperidone and olanzapine on cortical thickness.

Predicting relapse after a first episode of non-affective psychosis: a three-year follow-up study.

Background: Preventing relapse during the first years of illness has a critical impact on lifelong outcomes in schizophrenia. A better understanding and improvement in factors which influence relapse should diminish the risk of relapse and consequently improve the outcome of the illness.

Objective: To identify factors associated with relapse after 3 years of a first episode in a sample of non-affective psychosis patients who are representative of clinical practice in an epidemiological catchment.

One year longitudinal study of the straight gyrus morphometry in first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum patients.

The aim of this study was to use a region-of-interest approach with magnetic resonance imaging to examine the volume of the straight gyrus volume change in first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum patients compared with healthy subjects over a 1-year follow-up period. We did not find a differential pattern of volumetric change between the two groups.

Early intervention in bipolar disorder: the Jano program at Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla.

Unlabelled: In order to improve relapse and recurrence prevention in bipolar disorder, the purposes of this paper are: (i) to summarize the evidence published on treatments for this disorder, particularly on psychological interventions in its early phases; (ii) to provide a description of the Jano Intervention and Research Program on the Early Phases of Bipolar Disorder, which is being developed at Valdecilla Hospital (Santander, Spain). Firstly, we review the data from randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews regarding four psychotherapies proven to be effective in the treatment of bipolar disorder: psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, family therapy and interpersonal and social rhythm therapy. Secondly, we display a systematic review on the effectiveness of psychological therapies during the early stage of bipolar disorder.

Homocysteine and cognition in first-episode psychosis patients.

In the last years, there has been growing evidence linking elevated homocysteine levels with cognitive dysfunction in several neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential relationship between elevated homocysteine levels and cognitive deficits in first-episode psychosis patients. Plasma levels and cognitive performance of 139 patients and 99 healthy volunteers were compared.

Identifying attentional deficits in people with first-episode psychosis with the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms attention subscale: is it possible?

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the correspondence between clinical ratings of inattention problems in the early course of a psychotic disorder and concurrent neuropsychological data for sustained attention and speed of processing/executive functioning (SP/EF) derived from a comprehensive neuropsychological test battery.

Method: A sample of 131 patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) was clinically rated after clinical stabilization with the attention subscale of the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS) and a completed neuropsychological test battery, which included measurements of sustained attention and SP/EF. To test the associations of the clinical ratings and objective data, correlations and regression analyses were conducted.

Long-term (3-year) effectiveness of haloperidol, risperidone and olanzapine: results of a randomized, flexible-dose, open-label comparison in first-episode nonaffective psychosis.

Rationale: To enhance the effectiveness of antipsychotics in first-episode psychosis is crucial in order to achieve the most favourable prognosis. Difference in effectiveness between antipsychotics is still under debate.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the long-term (3-year) effectiveness and efficacy of haloperidol, risperidone and olanzapine in first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

Using structural equations to test for a direct effect of some antipsychotics on triglyceride levels in drug-naïve first-episode psychosis patients.

Some antipsychotics probably increase the risk of metabolic syndrome. Antipsychotics may differentially influence some elements of metabolic syndrome (obesity, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia or hypertension) through various pharmacological mechanisms. In a published study of all first psychotic episodes in a Spanish hospital's catchment area population in Cantabria (Spain), patients were randomly assigned to receive haloperidol (3-9 mg/day), olanzapine (5-20mg/day) or risperidone (3-6 mg/day).

Insight dimensions in first-episode psychosis patients: clinical, cognitive, pre-morbid and socio-demographic correlates.

Aim: To investigate pre-morbid, socio-demographic, clinical and cognitive variables as predictors of insight in a large and representative sample of first-episode psychosis patients.

Methods: The abbreviated Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder was used to assess insight dimensions. Patients with good and poor insight were independently compared on insight dimensions and logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify explanatory variables associated with each insight dimension.

Effectiveness of haloperidol, risperidone and olanzapine in the treatment of first-episode non-affective psychosis: results of a randomized, flexible-dose, open-label 1-year follow-up comparison.

The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effectiveness and efficacy of haloperidol, risperidone and olanzapine in first-episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. This was a prospective, randomized, open-label study. Data for the present investigation were obtained from a large epidemiological and 3-year longitudinal intervention programme of first-episode psychosis conducted at the University Hospital Marques de Valdecilla, Santander, Spain.

Sex-specific variation of MRI-based cortical morphometry in adult healthy volunteers: the effect on cognitive functioning.

Previous investigations have revealed sex-specific differences in brain morphometry. The effect of sex on cortical thickness may be influencing cognitive differences between sexes. With this exploratory study, we aimed to investigate the effect of sex in MRI-based cerebral cortex morphometry in healthy young volunteers and how the variability in cortical measures might affect cognitive functioning in men and women.

A digit symbol coding task as a screening instrument for cognitive impairment in first-episode psychosis.

Cognitive impairment may be detected largely by examining the performance on a single neuropsychological measure. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the validity and diagnostic accuracy of a coding task in comparison with other related tasks. One hundred thirty-one first-episode psychosis patients were administered five cognitive tasks related to a "speed of processing and executive functioning" dimension (Digit Symbol, Trail Making Test [TMT] parts A and B, Cancellation Test, and Digit Span-backward) and an additional measure of functional outcome.

Relapse prevention and remission attainment in first-episode non-affective psychosis. A randomized, controlled 1-year follow-up comparison of haloperidol, risperidone and olanzapine.

The effectiveness of antipsychotics in preventing relapses and attaining symptomatic remission is a relevant topic of psychopharmacological research. The purpose of the present study was to compare the relapse and symptomatic remission rates during the first year of treatment between low doses of haloperidol and SGAs (olanzapine and risperidone) in drug-naïve first-episode non-affective psychosis individuals. This is a prospective, randomized, open-label study conducted from February 2001 to February 2006.

Effect of FTO, SH2B1, LEP, and LEPR polymorphisms on weight gain associated with antipsychotic treatment.

Weight gain is one of the major adverse effects of antipsychotics. Although mechanisms remain unclear, genetic susceptibility has become increasingly attractive as a potential mechanism that could explain a significant part of interindividual variability. Most investigations have explored genes related with the mechanism of action of antipsychotic drugs.