Measuring working memory span with WAIS-IV: Digit sequence is the superior span test.

The Digit Span test has been part of the Wechsler tests from the first version. In the WAIS-IV the Digit Span Sequencing subtest (DSS) was introduced and in the forthcoming WAIS-5 working memory span will also be measured in the visual modality. The present study analyzes WAIS-IV Digit Span, Letter- Number Span (LNS) and WMS-III Spatial Span (SS) performance in a mixed clinical sample, expecting to find that Digit Span Forwards (DSF) lacks sensitivity to the Working Memory impairment evident in D-KEFS Trail Making Test-4 (TMT-4) scores ≤1 SD below normative means in the sample.

Informal care for people with dementia in Europe.

Introduction: Informal care estimates for use in health-economic models are lacking. We aimed to estimate the association between informal care time and dementia symptoms across Europe.

Methods: A secondary analysis was performed on 13,529 observations in 5,369 persons from 9 European pooled cohort or trial studies in community-dwelling persons with dementia.

Brain health in Norwegian female former top-level football players: a protocol for a longitudinal cohort study.

Introduction: Repetitive head impacts (RHI) in sports may represent a risk factor for long-term cognitive and neurological sequelae. Recent studies have identified an association between playing football at the top level and an elevated risk of cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative disease. However, these were conducted on men, and there is a knowledge gap regarding these risks in female athletes.

Benzodiazepine agonist treatment for patients with benzodiazepine dependence undergoing opioid agonist treatment: a study protocol for the randomized controlled trial BMX-BAR.

Background: There is a lack of knowledge on effective treatment methods for comorbid benzodiazepine dependence in populations undergoing opioid agonist treatment (OAT). Tapering and discontinuation of benzodiazepines has long been considered the standard treatment, even though there is limited evidence for this practice. There is also limited research on benzodiazepine agonist treatment; however, peer and clinical experiences indicate that such approaches may be beneficial for a subgroup of the patients with long-lasting benzodiazepine dependence not responding to other treatment approaches.

Patients with Opioid Use Disorder Choosing Treatment with Extended-Release Naltrexone: A 6-Month Naturalistic Study.

Introduction: The treatment efficacy of extended-release naltrexone (XR-NTX) for opioid use disorder (OUD) has been demonstrated in several studies, but not in naturalistic settings where opioid agonist treatment (OAT) is freely accessible. This study aimed to examine the different treatment outcomes of XR-NTX in a setting where the participants freely chose XR-NTX as a treatment option instead of OAT.

Methods: This was a 24-week open-label clinical prospective cohort study conducted in an outpatient setting at five hospitals in Norway.

Cognitive remediation therapy for patients with eating disorders: a qualitative study.

Background: Transdiagnostic Cognitive Remediation Therapy (TCRT) is a new adaptation of cognitive remediation therapy for eating disorders (EDs) developed to address common cognitive difficulties across ED diagnoses (i.e., cognitive flexibility, central coherence, and impulsivity).

A genome-wide association meta-analysis of all-cause and vascular dementia.

Introduction: Dementia is a multifactorial disease with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) pathologies making the largest contributions. Yet, most genome-wide association studies (GWAS) focus on AD.

Methods: We conducted a GWAS of all-cause dementia (ACD) and examined the genetic overlap with VaD.

Clinical characteristics and factors affecting disease severity in hospitalized tick-borne encephalitis patients in Norway from 2018 to 2022.

Purpose: To describe the clinical characteristics and factors associated with disease severity in a Norwegian cohort of hospitalized patients with tick-borne encephalitis (TBE).

Methods: This observational multicenter study included hospitalized patients with TBE in the endemic area in the southeastern region of Norway from 2018 to 2022. Clinical signs and findings from laboratory tests, EEG, CT and MRI scans were recorded.

Dermatological patients with itch report more stress, stigmatization experience, anxiety and depression compared to patients without itch: Results from a European multi-centre study.

Background: Itch as the most common symptom in dermatology has been shown to be related to psychological factors such as stress, anxiety and depression. Moreover, associations were found between perceived stigmatization and itch. However, studies investigating the differences between patients with dermatoses with and without itch regarding perceived stress, stigmatization, anxiety and depression are missing.

Focus on post-exertional malaise when approaching ME/CFS in specialist healthcare improves satisfaction and reduces deterioration.

Background: Post-exertional malaise (PEM) is considered a hallmark characteristic of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). This may also apply to subgroups of patients with long COVID-induced ME/CFS. However, it is uncertain to what extent PEM is acknowledged in routine specialist healthcare for ME/CFS patients, and how this affects patient outcomes.

Risk of developing psychiatric disease among adult patients with skin disease: A 9-year national register follow-up study in Norway.

Background: The existing association between skin disease and psychiatric comorbidity has gained attention during the last decades. Stress and mental illness can directly or indirectly affect skin disease, while dermatological conditions, known to impair life quality and mental well-being, can promote psychiatric conditions.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the risk of developing psychiatric disease among adult dermatological patients over a period of time.

Patterns of proactive interference in CVLT-II: evidence of a low-organized, disorganized, and highly organized learning style.

Objective: Previous studies have interpreted proactive interference (PI) either as indicating executive dysfunction or a normal process indicating deep level encoding. We investigated these competing models of PI in a large clinical sample using cluster analyses. We expected to find clusters defined by high PI but otherwise characterized by either EF impairment or of good memory performance.

White paper on psychodermatology in Europe: A position paper from the EADV Psychodermatology Task Force and the European Society for Dermatology and Psychiatry (ESDaP).

Psychodermatology is a subspecialty of dermatology that is of increasing interest to dermatologists and patients. The case for the provision of at least regional psychodermatology services across Europe is robust. Psychodermatology services have been shown to have better, quicker and more cost-efficient clinical outcomes for patients with psychodermatological conditions.

The relationship between the brain-derived neurotrophic factor and neurocognitive response to physical exercise in individuals with schizophrenia.

Objective: Physical exercise can improve neurocognition in individuals with schizophrenia, presumably by facilitating neuroplasticity. There is, however, large inter-individual variation in response. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been proposed to mediate these effects.

Living with young-onset dementia in the family - a mixed method study.

Studies on disease-related obstructions experienced in everyday life of younger people with dementia (YOD ≤ 65 years) and their families are encouraged. To explore how the family carers experience six predefined topics that influence the everyday life and needs of persons with YOD. A quantitative and a qualitative study including family carers of persons with young-onset Alzheimer's dementia (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

Experiences of the Quality of the Interplay between Home-Living Young Adults with Serious Mental Illness and Their Social Environments.

The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of the interplay between home-living young adults in the community with a serious mental illness (SMI) and their social environment and how this experience influence their mental health and well-being in light of the theory of salutogenesis. In a qualitative study, nine young adults with SMI were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and subjected to reflexive thematic analysis.

Deficit of homozygosity among 1.52 million individuals and genetic causes of recessive lethality.

Genotypes causing pregnancy loss and perinatal mortality are depleted among living individuals and are therefore difficult to find. To explore genetic causes of recessive lethality, we searched for sequence variants with deficit of homozygosity among 1.52 million individuals from six European populations.

Experiences with physical activity, health and well-being among young adults with serious mental illness.

Purpose: To explore how young adults with serious mental illness (SMI) experience physical activity and how these experiences influence their perceived health and well-being.

Methods: Nine young adults with SMI who had participated in an aerobic high-intensity interval training program were interviewed in depth. The interviews were transcribed and subjected to reflexive thematic analysis.

Shared genetic loci between Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis: Crossroads between neurodegeneration and immune system.

Background: Neuroinflammation is involved in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD), including immune-linked genetic variants and molecular pathways, microglia and astrocytes. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, immune-mediated disease with genetic and environmental risk factors and neuropathological features. There are clinical and pathobiological similarities between AD and MS.

Alterations in inflammatory markers after a 12-week exercise program in individuals with schizophrenia-a randomized controlled trial.

Background: In individuals with schizophrenia, inflammation is associated with depression, somatic comorbidity and reduced quality of life. Physical exercise is known to reduce inflammation in other populations, but we have only limited knowledge in the field of schizophrenia. We assessed inflammatory markers in plasma samples from individuals with schizophrenia participating in an exercise intervention randomized controlled trial.