Gross anatomical features of the insular cortex in affective disorders.

Introduction: The number of insular gyri is elevated in patients with schizophrenia. Thus, it has potential as a marker of early neurodevelopmental abnormalities. However, currently it remains unclear whether patients with other neuropsychiatric disorders, such as affective disorders, also have this gross brain anatomical feature.

Brainwide Anatomical Connectivity and Prediction of Longitudinal Outcomes in Antipsychotic-Naïve First-Episode Psychosis.

Background: Disruptions of axonal connectivity are thought to be a core pathophysiological feature of psychotic illness, but whether they are present early in the illness, prior to antipsychotic exposure, and whether they can predict clinical outcome remain unknown.

Methods: We acquired diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance images to map structural connectivity between each pair of 319 parcellated brain regions in 61 antipsychotic-naïve individuals with first-episode psychosis (15-25 years, 46% female) and a demographically matched sample of 27 control participants. Clinical follow-up data were also acquired in patients 3 and 12 months after the scan.

Combining Clinical With Cognitive or Magnetic Resonance Imaging Data for Predicting Transition to Psychosis in Ultra High-Risk Patients: Data From the PACE 400 Cohort.

Background: Multimodal modeling that combines biological and clinical data shows promise in predicting transition to psychosis in individuals who are at ultra-high risk. Individuals who transition to psychosis are known to have deficits at baseline in cognitive function and reductions in gray matter volume in multiple brain regions identified by magnetic resonance imaging.

Methods: In this study, we used Cox proportional hazards regression models to assess the additive predictive value of each modality-cognition, cortical structure information, and the neuroanatomical measure of brain age gap-to a previously developed clinical model using functioning and duration of symptoms prior to service entry as predictors in the Personal Assessment and Crisis Evaluation (PACE) 400 cohort.

Inflammatory subgroups of schizophrenia and their association with brain structure: A semi-supervised machine learning examination of heterogeneity.

Objective: Immune system dysfunction is hypothesised to contribute to structural brain changes through aberrant synaptic pruning in schizophrenia. However, evidence is mixed and there is a lack of evidence of inflammation and its effect on grey matter volume (GMV) in patients. We hypothesised that inflammatory subgroups can be identified and that the subgroups will show distinct neuroanatomical and neurocognitive profiles.

Effects of risperidone/paliperidone versus placebo on cognitive functioning over the first 6 months of treatment for psychotic disorder: secondary analysis of a triple-blind randomised clinical trial.

The drivers of cognitive change following first-episode psychosis remain poorly understood. Evidence regarding the role of antipsychotic medication is primarily based on naturalistic studies or clinical trials without a placebo arm, making it difficult to disentangle illness from medication effects. A secondary analysis of a randomised, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial, where antipsychotic-naive patients with first-episode psychotic disorder were allocated to receive risperidone/paliperidone or matched placebo plus intensive psychosocial therapy for 6 months was conducted.

Heschl's gyrus duplication pattern and clinical characteristics in borderline personality disorder: A preliminary study.

Inter-individual variations in the sulco-gyral pattern of Heschl's gyrus (HG) might contribute to emotional processing. However, it remains largely unknown whether borderline personality disorder (BPD) patients exhibit an altered HG gyrification pattern, compared with healthy individuals, and whether such a brain morphological feature, if present, might contribute to their clinical characteristics. The present study used magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the distribution of HG gyrification patterns (single or duplicated) and their relationship to clinical characteristics in teenage BPD patients with minimal treatment exposure.

Different Frequency of Heschl's Gyrus Duplication Patterns in Neuropsychiatric Disorders: An MRI Study in Bipolar and Major Depressive Disorders.

An increased prevalence of duplicated Heschl's gyrus (HG) has been repeatedly demonstrated in various stages of schizophrenia as a potential neurodevelopmental marker, but it remains unknown whether other neuropsychiatric disorders also exhibit this macroscopic brain feature. The present magnetic resonance imaging study aimed to examine the disease specificity of the established finding of altered HG patterns in schizophrenia by examining independent cohorts of bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Twenty-six BD patients had a significantly higher prevalence of HG duplication bilaterally compared to 24 age- and sex-matched controls, while their clinical characteristics (e.

Pineal morphology of the clinical high-risk state for psychosis and different psychotic disorders.

Background: Pineal volume reductions have been reported in schizophrenia and clinical high-risk states for the development of psychosis, supporting the role of melatonin dysregulation in the pathophysiology of psychosis. However, it remains unclear whether pineal volume is associated with the later onset of psychosis in individuals at clinical high-risk (CHR) of psychosis or if pineal atrophy is specific to schizophrenia among different psychotic disorders.

Methods: This magnetic resonance imaging study examined the volume of and cyst prevalence in the pineal gland in 135 individuals at CHR of psychosis [52 (38.

Prognostic factors in the elderly: a profile and outcomes study of a community palliative care service.

Our ageing population creates challenges for palliative care, including accuracy of prognostication. This study highlights this by profiling the outcomes of an Australian, community-based palliative service over 6 months with collection of epidemiological, comorbidity and physical function data. Most patients had cancer, comorbidities and died during the study.