Characterizing Heterogeneity in Neuroimaging, Cognition, Clinical Symptoms, and Genetics Among Patients With Late-Life Depression.

Importance: Late-life depression (LLD) is characterized by considerable heterogeneity in clinical manifestation. Unraveling such heterogeneity might aid in elucidating etiological mechanisms and support precision and individualized medicine.

Objective: To cross-sectionally and longitudinally delineate disease-related heterogeneity in LLD associated with neuroanatomy, cognitive functioning, clinical symptoms, and genetic profiles.

Can epigenetics shine a light on the biological pathways underlying major mental disorders?

A significant proportion of the global burden of disease can be attributed to mental illness. Despite important advances in identifying risk factors for mental health conditions, the biological processing underlying causal pathways to disease onset remain poorly understood. This represents a limitation to implement effective prevention and the development of novel pharmacological treatments.

What is the evidence for antipsychotic medication and alternative psychosocial interventions for people with acute, non-affective psychosis?

In this Personal View, we critically appraise and summarise evidence for antipsychotic drugs and alternatives to drug treatment, with a focus on people in their first episode or acute relapses of schizophrenia and related conditions within the first 5-10 years of illness. There is a large body of generally moderate quality evidence from randomised controlled trials for antipsychotics in both treating acute psychosis and reducing relapse, in thousands of people in their first episode and in established illness. There is a much smaller evidence base, of generally low quality, in a few hundred people, for potential benefits of non-drug interventions, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, Open Dialogue, Soteria, and psychoanalytic psychotherapy.

Real-world Implementation of a Smartphone-Based Psychoeducation Program for Bipolar Disorder: Observational Ecological Study.

Background: SIMPLe is an internet-delivered self-management mobile app for bipolar disorder (BD) designed to combine technology with evidence-based interventions and facilitate access to psychoeducational content. The SIMPLe app was launched to the real world to make it available worldwide within the context of BD treatment.

Objective: The main aims of this study are as follows: to describe app use, engagement, and retention rates based on server data; to identify patterns of user retention over the first 6-month follow-up of use; and to explore potential factors contributing to discontinuation of app use.

Charting brain growth and aging at high spatial precision.

Defining reference models for population variation, and the ability to study individual deviations is essential for understanding inter-individual variability and its relation to the onset and progression of medical conditions. In this work, we assembled a reference cohort of neuroimaging data from 82 sites (N=58,836; ages 2-100) and used normative modeling to characterize lifespan trajectories of cortical thickness and subcortical volume. Models are validated against a manually quality checked subset (N=24,354) and we provide an interface for transferring to new data sources.

A critique of narrative reviews of the evidence-base for ECT in depression.

There has been recent debate regarding the efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy in the treatment of depression. This has been based on narrative reviews that contradict existing systematic reviews and meta-analyses. In this special article, we highlight the mistakes that occur when interpreting evidence using narrative reviews, as opposed to conventional systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

The Prevalence and Incidence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Depression and Bipolar Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective: The increased prevalence and incidence of affective disorders among patients with gastrointestinal disease have been well established. However, few studies have investigated the inverse relationship. We aimed to identify all pieces of evidence of the prevalence and incidence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in people with depression and bipolar disorder.

UK Medical Cannabis Registry: an analysis of clinical outcomes of medicinal cannabis therapy for generalized anxiety disorder.

Objectives: Anxiety disorders are one of the most common reasons for seeking treatment with cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs). Current pharmacological treatments are variable in efficacy and the endocannabinoid system has been identified as a potential therapeutic target. This study aims to detail the changes in health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) and clinical safety following CBMP therapy for generalized anxiety disorder.

Internal reliability of blame-related functional MRI measures in major depressive disorder.

Background: In major depressive disorder (MDD), self-blame-related fMRI measures have shown the potential to be used as prognostic markers for recurrence risk. Like most potential fMRI markers, however, their reliability is unclear. Here, we probed the internal reliability of self-blame-related fMRI measures, as well as the impact of different modelling approaches on reliability metrics and validity.

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome among patients with schizophrenia in Ethiopia.

Background: Globally, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is higher among patients with schizophrenia than the general population, and this leads to higher morbidity and mortality in this population. The aim of this study was to investigate the MetS prevalence among patients with schizophrenia in Ethiopia.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data of 200 patients with schizophrenia recruited from Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Maladaptive blame-related action tendencies are associated with vulnerability to major depressive disorder.

Biases towards self-blaming emotions, such as self-contempt/disgust, were previously associated with vulnerability to major depressive disorder (MDD). Self-blaming emotions are thought to prompt specific action tendencies (e.g.

Self-blame in major depression: a randomised pilot trial comparing fMRI neurofeedback with self-guided psychological strategies.

Background: Overgeneralised self-blame and worthlessness are key symptoms of major depressive disorder (MDD) and have previously been associated with self-blame-selective changes in connectivity between right superior anterior temporal lobe (rSATL) and subgenual frontal cortices. Another study showed that remitted MDD patients were able to modulate this neural signature using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) neurofeedback training, thereby increasing their self-esteem. The feasibility and potential of using this approach in symptomatic MDD were unknown.

Ketamine as a Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa: A Narrative Review.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a highly complex disorder to treat, especially in severe and enduring cases. Whilst the precise aetiology of the disorder is uncertain, malnutrition and weight loss can contribute to reductions in grey and white matter of the brain, impairments in neuroplasticity and neurogenesis and difficulties with cognitive flexibility, memory and learning. Depression is highly comorbid in AN and may be a barrier to recovery.

PAX-D: study protocol for a randomised placebo-controlled trial evaluating the efficacy and mechanism of pramipexole as add-on treatment for people with treatment resistant depression.

Introduction: Clinical depression is usually treated in primary care with psychological therapies and antidepressant medication. However, when patients do not respond to at least two or more antidepressants within a depressive episode, they are considered to have treatment resistant depression (TRD). Previous small randomised controlled trials suggested that pramipexole, a dopamine D2/3 receptor agonist, may be effective for treating patients with unipolar and bipolar depression as it is known to influence motivational drive and reward processing.

Resting-state fMRI in depressive and (hypo)manic mood states in bipolar disorders: A systematic review.

Objective: Abnormalities in spontaneous brain activity, measured with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), may be key biomarkers for bipolar disorders. This systematic review compares rs-fMRI findings in people experiencing a bipolar depressive or (hypo)manic episode to bipolar euthymia and/or healthy participants.

Methods: Medline, Web of Science and Embase were searched up until April 2021.

"We improved our life because I cut my drinking": Qualitative analysis of a brief intervention for people with alcohol use disorder in Ethiopian primary health care.

Background: Despite global recommendations that brief, task-shared interventions are effective for addressing problematic alcohol use in primary health care (PHC), low-income countries have made few attempts to implement and scale-up these interventions.

Aim: To explore perspectives and experiences of service users and providers on a brief intervention (BI) for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) delivered by nonspecialist health workers who are health officers and clinical nurses in PHC in a rural Ethiopian district.

Methods: The study team conducted a qualitative study, comprising in-depth interviews with 26 purposively selected participants.

Neural correlates of working memory function in euthymic people with bipolar disorder compared to healthy controls: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Bipolar disorders (BD) are serious mental health disorders that impacts on cognitive and social functioning. We aimed to systematically review and conduct a meta-analysis of fMRI correlates of working memory in euthymic people with BD compared to healthy participants.

Method: Web of Science, Embase and PubMed databases were systematically searched to identify studies which examined the fMRI correlates of working memory function in euthymic people with BD and healthy participants.

Predictive value of cardiometabolic biomarkers and depressive symptoms for symptom severity and quality of life in patients with psychotic disorders.

Background: Patients with psychotic disorders show higher rates of the metabolic syndrome (MS) between the cluster of severe mental illnesses. Depressive symptoms can worsen outcomes of individuals with psychotic disorders. However, research on the association between MS and depression in psychotic disorders and their relevance to outcomes is lacking.

A narrative synthesis of research with 5-MeO-DMT.

Background: 5-Methoxy--dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) is a naturally occurring, short-acting psychedelic tryptamine, produced by a variety of plant and animal species. Plants containing 5-MeO-DMT have been used throughout history for ritual and spiritual purposes. The aim of this article is to review the available literature about 5-MeO-DMT and inform subsequent clinical development.

Performance of primary health care workers in detection of mental disorders comorbid with epilepsy in rural Ethiopia.

Background: Timely detection and management of comorbid mental disorders in people with epilepsy is essential to improve outcomes. The objective of this study was to measure the performance of primary health care (PHC) workers in identifying comorbid mental disorders in people with epilepsy against a standardised reference diagnosis and a screening instrument in rural Ethiopia.

Methods: People with active convulsive epilepsy were identified from the community, with confirmatory diagnosis by trained PHC workers.

Multidimensional and intergenerational impact of Severe Mental Disorders.

Background: Severe Mental Disorders (SMDs) affect multiple generations although this is poorly studied. The aim of this study was to investigate the intergenerational and multidimensional impacts of SMD in rural Ethiopia.

Methods: This comparative study was nested within an existing population-based cohort study.

Perturbations in Gut Microbiota Composition in Psychiatric Disorders: A Review and Meta-analysis.

Importance: Evidence of gut microbiota perturbations has accumulated for multiple psychiatric disorders, with microbiota signatures proposed as potential biomarkers. However, no attempts have been made to evaluate the specificity of these across the range of psychiatric conditions.

Objective: To conduct an umbrella and updated meta-analysis of gut microbiota alterations in general adult psychiatric populations and perform a within- and between-diagnostic comparison.

Serum level of high sensitive C-reactive protein and IL - 6 markers in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia in Ethiopia: a comparative study.

Background: Accumulating evidence indicates that schizophrenia is accompanied by significant activation of the immune system; however, there is limited data from low and middle-income countries (LMIC). Inflammatory markers may be more relevant in LMIC settings where infectious conditions are more prevalent and may thus play some role in the causation and maintenance of schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to assess the level of inflammatory markers high sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in patients with schizophrenia.