Investigation of the Mesencephalic Astrocyte Derived Neurotrophic Factor-Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress Pathway in Mood Disorders.

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) has been associated with impaired cellular resilience. Recent studies have shown abnormalities in the unfolded protein response (UPR) in BD. The UPR is the cellular response to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress.

No prediction without prevention: A global qualitative study of attitudes toward using a prediction tool for risk of developing depression during adolescence.

Given the rate of advancement in predictive psychiatry, there is a threat that it outpaces public and professional willingness for use in clinical care and public health. Prediction tools in psychiatry estimate the risk of future development of mental health conditions. Prediction tools used with young populations have the potential to reduce the worldwide burden of depression.

Childhood maltreatment and the structural development of hippocampus across childhood and adolescence.

Background: Prior studies suggest that childhood maltreatment is associated with altered hippocampal volume. However, longitudinal studies are currently scarce, making it difficult to determine how alterations in hippocampal volume evolve over time. The current study examined the relationship between childhood maltreatment and hippocampal volumetric development across childhood and adolescence in a community sample.

Application of the transgender male voice questionnaire in a Brazilian population sample.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to adapt and apply the Portuguese version of the Transgender Man Voice Questionnaire in a sample of Brazilian transgender men and to investigate the relationship between voice satisfaction and hormone therapy duration. In addition, we suggest reducing and reformulating the questionnaire for screening.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 31 transgender men aged 18-50 years undergoing hormone therapy who answered a questionnaire adapted from the Transgender Woman Voice Questionnaire, validated in Portuguese.

Domestic and external violence, parental neglect, and social sanctions among crack users: A cross-sectional study exploring the role of gender.

Background: Substance Use Disorders are often associated with significant levels of domestic and external violence registered among abusers. This investigation aimed to evaluate the Domestic Violence Involvement (DVI) and related gender differences among Crack Cocaine Users in Brazil.

Methods: For this purpose, a secondary data analysis of a multicenter cross-sectional study involving 780 Crack Cocaine Users from 6 Brazilian capitals was performed.

Predictors of dropout in cognitive behavior and interpersonal online brief psychotherapies for essential professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Premature dropout from psychotherapy can harm patients and increase mental health costs. This study identified predictors of dropout in brief online psychotherapy for essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a secondary analysis of a randomized trial on 4-week CBT or IPT protocols.

Clinical Staging of Alcohol Use Disorder: Proposal of a New Stratified Approach.

Introduction: Clinical staging is widely applied in various fields of Medicine. Staging makes it possible to constitute early diagnoses and interventions, improving prognosis and preventing disease progression. In relation to Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), staging is still an underdeveloped subject in the scientific literature.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of N-acetylcysteine as an adjuvant treatment for alcohol use disorder.

Objective: We aimed to assess the effect of N-acetylcysteine (NAC), as an adjuvant treatment, on treatment adherence (primary outcome), in peripheral biomarkers and clinical improvement (secondary outcomes) in alcohol use disorders (AUD) patients.

Methods: A 9-week randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (RCT) was conducted on 53 (n=25 NAC, n=28 placebo) inpatients with AUD. Neuropeptide Y (NPY), oxidative stress and inflammatory biomarkers, and hepatic parameters were analyzed in three-time moments.

Non-attendance in randomized remote mental health clinical trial during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant increase in psychiatric symptoms was found among essential service professionals (professionals or interns from the health and educational sector) who were exposed to high-risk contamination areas. These symptoms impair functionality, impacting quality of life, work, autonomy, and relationships. Recent data show that brief interventions are effective; however, between 20 and 30% of those individuals often do not attend their scheduled appointments.

Clinical and lifestyle predictors of loneliness: A two-year longitudinal study.

Background: While loneliness is a global public health problem, the literature lacks studies assessing loneliness predictors in low- and middle-income countries. Therefore, we aimed to analyze clinical and lifestyle predictors of loneliness.

Methods: We conducted a 2-year longitudinal study in Brazil based on a snowball sample and online surveys (baseline: May 6 to June 6, 2020).

Molecular signature underlying (R)-ketamine rapid antidepressant response on anhedonic-like behavior induced by sustained exposure to stress.

Anhedonia induced by sustained stress exposure is a hallmark symptom of major depressive disorder (MDD) and in rodents, it can be accessed through the sucrose preference test (SPT). (R)-ketamine is a fast-acting antidepressant with less detrimental side effects and abuse liability compared to racemic ketamine. The present study combined high-throughput proteomics and network analysis to identify molecular mechanisms involved in chronic variable stress (CVS)-induced anhedonia and promising targets underlying (R)-ketamine rapid antidepressant response.

mTOR signaling pathway as a pathophysiologic mechanism in preclinical models of autism spectrum disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly prevalent multifactorial disorder characterized by social deficits and stereotypies. Despite extensive research efforts, the etiology of ASD remains poorly understood. However, studies using preclinical models have identified the mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase (mTOR) signaling pathway as a key player in ASD-related features.

Characteristics and Predictors of Fluctuating Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in the Multimodal Treatment of ADHD (MTA) Study.

Recent studies report a fluctuating course of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) across development characterized by intermittent periods of remission and recurrence. In the Multimodal Treatment of ADHD (MTA) study, we investigated fluctuating ADHD including clinical expression over time, childhood predictors, and between- and within-person associations with factors hypothesized as relevant to remission and recurrence. Children with ADHD, combined type (N 483), participating in the MTA adult follow-up were assessed 9 times from baseline (mean age = 8.

Effect of home-based transcranial direct current stimulation combined with nutritional counseling therapy on binge eating disorder symptoms: A randomized pilot trial.

Objective: To examine the effect of nutritional counseling therapy (NCT) combined with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on Binge Eating Disorder (BED) symptoms.

Methods: 40 women with BED were randomly (ratio of 2:2:2) allocated to one of the groups: active tDCS (a-tDCS), NCT, sham tDCS (s-tDCS) with NCT, and a-tDCS with NCT. Home-based tDCS was applied to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for 28 sessions.

Predictors of response to emotional distress with Single session interventions: using Enhanced Psychoeducation in a crisis situation.

Single-session interventions (SSI) are an effective strategy reducing emotional distress. Enhanced psychoeducation (EP), which includes empathic listening, risk stratification, symptom monitoring, and habit modification is particularly suitable for SSIs. We investigate predictors of response to an online EP intervention among essential service professionals during COVID-19 in Brazil.

Associations between perceived parenting, brain activity and connectivity, and depression symptoms in Brazilian adolescents.

In adolescence, parental care is associated with lower depression symptoms whereas parental overprotection is associated with greater depression symptoms, effects which may be mediated by adolescent brain activity and connectivity. The present study examined associations between perceived parenting, brain activity and connectivity, and depression symptoms in adolescents from Brazil, a middle-income country (MIC). Analyses included 100 adolescents who underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning while completing a face matching task.

Where do neurodevelopmental conditions fit in transdiagnostic psychiatric frameworks? Incorporating a new neurodevelopmental spectrum.

Features of autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, learning disorders, intellectual disabilities, and communication and motor disorders usually emerge early in life and are associated with atypical neurodevelopment. These "neurodevelopmental conditions" are grouped together in the DSM-5 and ICD-11 to reflect their shared characteristics. Yet, reliance on categorical diagnoses poses significant challenges in both research and clinical settings (e.