Encephale
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Over the last 30 years, several questionnaires have been developed and validated in order to assess many aspects of the motivation to eat that might be susceptible to impair adequate food intake and body weight control. A few of such questionnaires are described here, in particular, the "Three Factor Eating Questionnaire" also called the "Eating Inventory", and the "Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire". Critical aspects of the motivation to eat assessed by these tools are presented, such as dietary restraint, disinhibition, hunger, vulnerability to eat in response to external cues or emotional states, etc. ⋯ It then becomes critical to know whether the psychological dimensions assessed by such questionnaires reflect the action of pharmacological agents that induce weight gain. A research project is now in progress at Sainte-Anne Hospital to investigate many dimensions of the motivation to eat, as assessed by the questionnaires, in psychiatric patients receiving various types of antipsychotic agents. The results of this original study might provide hints about the mechanisms that lead to body weight gain in patients receiving certain types of antipsychotic pharmacological agents and potentially help in preventing or reversing the weight gain associated with such treatments.
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Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common and impairing neuropsychiatric disorder with preschool onset. ADHD occurs in approximately 3-9% of the childhood population. There is a much higher incidence rate in boys who are around three times more likely than girls to be diagnosed. Approximately 30-60% of individuals diagnosed with ADHD in youth have symptoms that persist into adulthood. ⋯ This review provides an overview of the main imaging studies that investigated the neurobiological substrate of ADHD. Some guidelines for future functional magnetic imaging studies are also suggested.
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CLINICAL BACKGROUND: Autism is a developmental disorder that is usually diagnosed in early childhood. According to ICD-10 criteria, autism can be characterized by delays in language skills, by impaired social interaction, verbal or non-verbal communication and by repetitive, stereotyped or severely restricted activities and interests. The causes of autism are not yet elucidated, but both genetics and environment seem to play a role in 10 to 25% of autism cases. Several biochemical abnormalities, such as impairment of serotoninergic, catecholinergic, dopaminergic, and opioid systems have been reported. Autism therapies are designed to treat symptoms, and medication can be associated with psychoeducational and environmental interventions. Generally, the medications that are currently used are not intended for autism, and must be used with caution and selected according to the type and intensity of symptoms. The most common medication consists of psychotropic therapies by administration of dopaminergic and/or serotoninergic receptor antagonists (haloperidol, risperidone, clomipramine). Several drugs, such as anxiolytics (buspirone), mood stabilisers (lithium, sodium valproate), vitamins (vitamins B6, B12) or opioid antagonists (naltrexone) can be prescribed, in second intention, in cases of severe behavioural disorders. The prescription of opioid antagonists is based on the possible implication of an opioid system disorder observed in some cases. Nevertheless, several clinical studies reveal its variable effectiveness. Naltrexone is a competitive antagonist of opioid receptors OPRM1, OPRD1 and OPRK1. In France, this drug is prescribed for treating opioid and alcohol dependence. Moreover, several studies describe naltrexone as a possible treatment of autistic children in cases of developmental disorder and hyperactivity. ⋯ This clinical case confirms that treatment of a serious autistic disorder in children using Naltrexone in oral suspension form is a potentially interesting therapeutic alternative for treating behavioural symptoms resistant to classical drug therapy.
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Cognitive impairments are a core feature in schizophrenia. They impact several cognitive abilities but most importantly attention, memory and executive functions, consequently leading to great difficulties in everyday life. Most schizophrenia patients need assurance and require assistance and help from care workers, family members and friends. Family members taking care of a patient have additional daily work burden, and suffer psychological anguish and anxiety. Therefore, improving cognitive functions in schizophrenia patients is essential for the well-being of patients and their relatives. Reducing these deficits may decrease the economic burden to the health care system through lower numbers of hospital admissions and shorter hospitalisation periods, for example. Cognitive rehabilitation was developed to address the limited benefits of conventional treatments on cognitive deficits through the use of assistive technology as a means of enhancing memory and executive skills in schizophrenia patients. ⋯ Schizophrenia treatments must take into account not only patients' symptoms, but also the associated cognitive deficits which constitute an important factor in their social problems. It has been shown that several cognitive remediation programs are efficient in schizophrenia. New technologies complement the benefits of such programs, and support pharmacological treatments and psychotherapies.
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The commercial introduction of atypical antipsychotics, called second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs), a few years ago, has led to a world-wide reappraisal of the established treatment strategies for people with psychotic or bipolar disorders. They permitted improvements in the pharmacologic management of psychiatric diseases. As compared to conventional neuroleptics or first-generation antipsychotics (FGAs), they promised better efficacy especially on negative symptoms and cognitive impairments of psychiatric diseases and, at the same time, better tolerance on neurological side effects. Now, they have shown other side effects and they have a higher acquisition cost than FGAs. ⋯ This kind of survey, far too rare, was very important because it showed the routine clinical settings in which these new drugs were really used. The results showed that SGAs appeared to take the place of the FGAs used in the treatment of psychoses, particularly schizophrenia, but also in the treatment of mood disorders and they reflected actual clinical practices. Other surveys must be conducted to see whether our study confirms the general trend concerning the use of these drugs and, therefore, to reassess these prescribing practices.