Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Oct 2013
Abnormal gray and white matter volume in delusional infestation.
Little is known about the neural basis of delusional infestation (DI), the delusional belief to be infested with pathogens. Case series and the response to anti-dopaminergic medication indicate disruptions in dopaminergic neurotransmission in the striatum (caudate, putamen), but did not allow for population-based inference. Here, we report the first whole-brain structural neuroimaging study to investigate gray and white matter abnormalities in DI compared to controls. ⋯ Lower gray matter volume in DI patients compared to controls was found in left medial, lateral and right superior frontal cortices, left anterior cingulate cortex, bilateral insula, left thalamus, right striatal areas and in lateral and medial temporal cortical regions (p<0.05, cluster-corrected). Higher white matter volume in DI patients compared to controls was found in right middle cingulate, left frontal opercular and bilateral striatal regions (p<0.05, cluster-corrected). This study shows that structural changes in prefrontal, temporal, insular, cingulate and striatal brain regions are associated with DI, supporting a neurobiological model of disrupted prefrontal control over somato-sensory representations.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Oct 2013
Is there a cerebellar compensatory effort in first-episode, treatment-naive major depressive disorder at rest?
This study was undertaken to explore whether there is a cerebellar compensatory response in patients with first-episode, treatment-naive major depressive disorder (MDD). The cerebellar compensatory response is defined as a cerebellar hyperactivity which would be inversely correlated with both the activation of the functionally connected cerebral regions and the depression severity. ⋯ Our findings suggest that increased cerebellar activity at resting state may be a disease state phenomenon but not a compensatory response to the dysfunction of the default mode network (DMN) in MDD.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Aug 2013
Meta AnalysisWhite matter deficits in first episode schizophrenia: an activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis.
Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been widely used in psychiatric research and has provided evidence of white matter abnormalities in first episode schizophrenia (FES). The goal of the present meta-analysis was to identify white matter deficits by DTI in FES. ⋯ The current findings provide evidence confirming the lack of connection in the fronto-limbic circuitry at the early stages of the schizophrenia. Because the coordinates reported in the primary literature were highly variable, future investigations with large samples would be required to support the identified white matter changes in FES.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Aug 2013
Comparative StudyA retrospective comparison of the effects of propofol and etomidate on stimulus variables and efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy in depressed inpatients.
To compare the effects of propofol and etomidate on the stimulus variables and efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in depressed inpatients. ⋯ Anesthesia with propofol has a significant reducing effect on seizure duration during the course of ECT which results in more inadequate seizures, despite the use of a higher mean stimulus charge. Regarding the possible effect of the anesthetics on ECT, randomized clinical trials with sufficient power to detect differences are warranted.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Aug 2013
Meta AnalysisMeta-analysis: aerobic exercise for the treatment of anxiety disorders.
This meta-analysis investigates the efficacy of exercise as a treatment for DSM-IV diagnosed anxiety disorders. ⋯ Current evidence does not support the use of aerobic exercise as an effective treatment for anxiety disorders as compared to the control conditions. This remains true when controlling for length of exercise sessions and type of anxiety disorder. Future studies evaluating the efficacy of aerobic exercise should employ larger sample sizes and utilize comparison interventions that control for exercise time.