Rectangular Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Monophasic vs Biphasic Stimulation for Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial.

Objectives: Biphasic sinusoidal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation treatment that has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Recent advances suggest that standard rTMS may be improved by altering the pulse shape; however, there is a paucity of research investigating pulse shape, owing primarily to the technologic limitations of currently available devices. This pilot study examined the feasibility, tolerability, and preliminary efficacy of biphasic and monophasic rectangular rTMS for TRD.

Association of Vascular Risk Factors and Cerebrovascular Pathology With Alzheimer Disease Pathologic Changes in Individuals Without Dementia.

Background And Objectives: Vascular risk factors (VRFs) and cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) are common in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). It remains unclear whether this coexistence reflects shared risk factors or a mechanistic relationship and whether vascular and amyloid pathologies have independent or synergistic influence on subsequent AD pathophysiology in preclinical stages. We investigated links between VRFs, cSVD, and amyloid levels (Aβ) and their combined effect on downstream AD biomarkers, that is, CSF hyperphosphorylated tau (P-tau), atrophy, and cognition.

Ultrasonically Determined Thyroid Volume in Individuals with Bipolar Disorder on Lithium Prophylaxis Compared with Healthy Controls.

Introduction: Lithium is a gold-standard agent for bipolar disorder (BD) and can affect the size, structure and/or function of thyroid gland with long-term exposure. Thyroid ultrasound can detect structural thyroid abnormalities, but it is under-reported with few prior studies in lithium users. The study aimed to evaluate thyroid volume and echogenicity in lithium users with BD and healthy participants, and explores its association with clinical variables and thyroid functions.

Posttraumatic survivor guilt is associated with white matter microstructure alterations.

Background: Military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) commonly experience posttraumatic guilt. Guilt over commission or omission evolves when responsibility is assumed for an unfortunate outcome (e.g.

Plasma oligomer beta-amyloid is associated with disease severity and cerebral amyloid deposition in Alzheimer's disease spectrum.

Background: Multimer detection system-oligomeric amyloid-β (MDS-OAβ) is a measure of plasma OAβ, which is associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. However, the relationship between MDS-OAβ and disease severity of AD is not clear. We aimed to investigate MDS-OAβ levels in different stages of AD and analyze the association between MDS-OAβ and cerebral Aβ deposition, cognitive function, and cortical thickness in subjects within the AD continuum.

Recruitment of pre-dementia participants: main enrollment barriers in a longitudinal amyloid-PET study.

Background: The mismatch between the limited availability versus the high demand of participants who are in the pre-dementia phase of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a bottleneck for clinical studies in AD. Nevertheless, potential enrollment barriers in the pre-dementia population are relatively under-reported. In a large European longitudinal biomarker study (the AMYPAD-PNHS), we investigated main enrollment barriers in individuals with no or mild symptoms recruited from research and clinical parent cohorts (PCs) of ongoing observational studies.

Plasma Oligomer β-Amyloid and White Matter Microstructural Integrity in Cognitively Normal Older Adults According to Cerebral Amyloid Deposition.

Background: Multimer detection system-oligomeric amyloid-β (MDS-OAβ) measure plasma OAβ level, which is associated with earlier Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. However, no study has investigated MDS-OAβ differences in cognitive normal older adults (CN) with or without cerebral Aβ burden and its correlation with Aβ deposition and white matter (WM) integrity.

Objective: To investigate associations among cerebral Aβ burden, MDS-OAβ, and WM integrity in CN.

Reward Behavior Disengagement, a Neuroeconomic Model-Based Objective Measure of Reward Pathology in Depression: Findings from the EMBARC Trial.

The probabilistic reward task (PRT) has identified reward learning impairments in those with major depressive disorder (MDD), as well as anhedonia-specific reward learning impairments. However, attempts to validate the anhedonia-specific impairments have produced inconsistent findings. Thus, we seek to determine whether the Reward Behavior Disengagement (RBD), our proposed economic augmentation of PRT, differs between MDD participants and controls, and whether there is a level at which RBD is high enough for depressed participants to be considered objectively disengaged.

Associations between Parents' Body Weight/Shape Comments and Disordered Eating Amongst Adolescents over Time-A Longitudinal Study.

Parents are key influencers of adolescents' attitudes on weight, shape, and eating, and make more positive than negative comments, with negative comments most impactful. This study examined prospective unique associations of parental positive and negative comments in a community sample of adolescents with paediatric psychosocial quality of life (PED-QoL), Eating Disorder Weight/Shape Cognitions (EDEQ-WS), BMI percentile, and Psychological Distress (K10) scales. Data were from 2056 adolescents from the EveryBODY study cohort.

Professor Bajram Preza (1923-2007), a leading academic figure in the Albanian medicine.

Professor Bajram Preza was a career neurologist with a strong background in research both in neurology and psychiatry. After a period of study in Sarajevo in the immediate post-WWII period, he completed his studies in medicine and a fellowship in neuropsychiatry in Nizhny Novgorod (formerly Gorky). A highly prolific author, he holds the laurels of the first medical dissertation sustained in the University of Tirana (1958) as well as for publishing the first student's textbook on medicine (Semiotics of nervous diseases, 1964) in Albania.

Clinical and neuroradiological correlates of sleep in myotonic dystrophy type 1.

Abnormalities of sleep are common in myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), but few previous studies have combined polysomnography with detailed clinical measures and brain imaging. In the present study, domiciliary polysomnography, symptom questionnaires and cognitive evaluation were undertaken in 39 DM1-affected individuals. Structural brain MRI was completed in those without contra-indication (n = 32).

Exploring associations between positive and negative valanced parental comments about adolescents' bodies and eating and eating problems: a community study.

Background: Adolescence is a time of rapid emotional and physical development when foundational self-concepts (including beliefs about one's weight and shape) are established. Parents are key influencers of adolescent beliefs and behaviours. This study aimed to investigate associations between perceived positive and negative parental comments on weight/shape and eating, with sons' and daughters' psychological distress and eating disorder cognitions (EDCs).

Research output of Iran over the past two years: Contributions from the European Journal of Translational Myology.

Over the last two decades, all branches of science and technology have rapidly progressed, including the medical area. In Middle Eastern countries, including Iran, the increased growth of technology and science production has led to this rapid medical progress. Recent evidence has revealed that the increase in the number of scientific papers generated in Iran after the Iraqi imposed war against Iran has been eight times that in six main countries in the Middle East, including Egypt, Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Syria.

Treatment resistance in psychiatry: state of the art and new directions.

Treatment resistance affects 20-60% of patients with psychiatric disorders; and is associated with increased healthcare burden and costs up to ten-fold higher relative to patients in general. Whilst there has been a recent increase in the proportion of psychiatric research focussing on treatment resistance (R = 0.71, p < 0.