Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry
-
Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Apr 2021
Meta AnalysisPrevalence of anxiety in health care professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: A rapid systematic review (on published articles in Medline) with meta-analysis.
During the COVID-19, healthcare workers are exposed to a higher risk of mental health problems, especially anxiety symptoms. The current work aims at contributing to an update of anxiety prevalence in this population by conducting a rapid systematic review and meta-analysis. Medline and Pubmed were searched for studies on the prevalence of anxiety in health care workers published from December 1, 2019 to September 15, 2020. ⋯ The pooled prevalence of anxiety in healthcare workers was 25% (95% CI: 21%-29%), 27% in nurses (95% CI: 20%-34%), 17% in medical doctors (95% CI: 12%-22%) and 43% in frontline healthcare workers (95% CI: 25%-62%). Our results suggest that healthcare workers are experiencing significant levels of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially those on the frontline and nurses. However, international longitudinal studies are needed to fully understand the impact of the pandemic on healthcare workers' mental health, especially those working at the frontline.
-
Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Jul 2020
Review Meta AnalysisNoninvasive brain stimulation in alcohol craving: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Alcohol dependence (AD) is characterized by a set of physical and behavioral symptoms, which may include withdrawal, tolerance and craving. Recently, noninvasive brain stimulation (NIBS) methods, namely transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), have been investigated as possible new therapeutic approaches for adjusting the pathological neuroplasticity involved in alcohol dependence. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis on the therapeutic uses of tDCS and rTMS in AD patients. ⋯ There is no evidence for a positive effect of tDCS/rTMS on various dimensions of AD. We need more randomized, double blind, sham controlled trials with enough follow-up periods to evaluate the efficacy of tDCS/rTMS for alcohol dependence treatment.
-
Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Jun 2017
Review Meta AnalysisIntrinsic disruption of white matter microarchitecture in first-episode, drug-naive major depressive disorder: A voxel-based meta-analysis of diffusion tensor imaging.
Previous studies have demonstrated the influences of episodes and antidepressant drugs on white matter (WM) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, most diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies included highly heterogeneous individuals with different numbers of depressive episodes or medication status. ⋯ Meta-regression analyses revealed that FA reduction in the right ALIC and right SFG was negatively correlated with symptom severity and duration of depression, respectively. Our findings provide robust evidence that the WM impairments in the interhemispheric connections and frontal-subcortical neuronal circuits may play an important role in MDD pathogenesis.
-
Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Jan 2016
Review Meta AnalysisResting state vagal tone in borderline personality disorder: A meta-analysis.
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is the most common personality disorder in clinical settings. It is characterized by negative affectivity, emotional liability, anxiety, depression, as well as disinhibition (i.e., impulsivity and risk taking), all of which have been linked to lower resting state vagal tone, which may be indexed by vagally-mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV). Here, we aimed to quantify the current evidence on alterations in resting state vmHRV in individuals with BPD, relative to healthy controls. ⋯ Control for potential publication bias did not change observed findings. Lowered resting state vagal tone may be an important trait characteristic underlying BPD. As prior studies have observed lowered vmHRV in a variety of psychiatric disorders, we propose that lowered vmHRV may reflect a common psychophysiological mechanism underlying difficulties in emotion regulation and impulsivity, in particular.
-
Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Jun 2014
Review Meta AnalysisRepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation versus electroconvulsive therapy for major depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is the most effective treatment of depression. During the last decades repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), an alternative method using electric stimulation of the brain, has revealed possible alternative to ECT in the treatment of depression. There are some clinical trials comparing their efficacies and safeties but without clear conclusions, mainly due to their small sample sizes. ⋯ Results based on 3 studies suggested that specific cognitive domains such as visual memory and verbal fluency were more impaired in patients receiving ECT. In conclusion, ECT seemed more effective than and at least as acceptable as rTMS in the short term, especially in the presence of psychotic depression. This review identified the lack of good quality trials comparing the long-term outcome and cognitive effects of rTMS and ECT, especially using approaches to optimize stimulus delivery and reduce clinical heterogeneity.