scholarly journals Frontal D2/3Receptor Availability in Schizophrenia Patients Before and After Their First Antipsychotic Treatment: Relation to Cognitive Functions and Psychopathology

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. pyw006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik Nørbak-Emig ◽  
Bjørn H. Ebdrup ◽  
Birgitte Fagerlund ◽  
Claus Svarer ◽  
Hans Rasmussen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Antipsychotic Treatment ◽  
Before And After

scholarly journals Electroconvulsive Therapy and Age: Effectiveness, Safety and Tolerability in the Treatment of Major Depression among Patients under and over 65 Years of Age

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 582
Author(s):  
Monika Dominiak ◽  
Anna Z. Antosik-Wójcińska ◽  
Marcin Wojnar ◽  
Paweł Mierzejewski
Keyword(s):  
Major Depression ◽  
Autobiographical Memory ◽  
Electroconvulsive Therapy ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Serious Adverse Events ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Trail Making ◽  
Resistant Depression

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) remains the most effective therapy in treatment-resistant depression. However, the safety of ECT has been consistently questioned, particularly among elderly patients. We assessed the efficacy and safety of ECT in patients before and after 65 years old. The study was conducted between 2015 and 2018 and included 91 patients (61 under and 29 over 65 years old) with major depression undergoing ECT. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale was used to evaluate efficacy. Cognitive functions were assessed using: MMSE, RAVLT, Trail Making Test, Stroop Test and Autobiographical Memory Interview-Short Form. ECT was more effective in older patients as compared to younger (p < 0.001). No serious adverse events were observed in either group. Increased blood pressure and arrhythmias were more common in the older compared to the younger group (p = 0.044 and p = 0.047, respectively), while disturbances of consciousness did not differ between groups (p = 0.820). Most of the cognitive functions remained unchanged compared to baseline, whereas the outcomes of MMSE, RAVLT and Stroop tests showed greater improvements in the older compared to the younger group (all p < 0.05). The decline in the retrieval consistency of autobiographical memory was more pronounced in the younger group (p = 0.024). ECT is a highly effective, safe and well-tolerated method of treating depression regardless of age.

scholarly journals Brain Training and Sulforaphane Intake Interventions Separately Improve Cognitive Performance in Healthy Older Adults, Whereas a Combination of These Interventions Does Not Have More Beneficial Effects: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 352
Author(s):  
Rui Nouchi ◽  
Qingqiang Hu ◽  
Toshiki Saito ◽  
Natasha Yuriko dos Santos Kawata ◽  
Haruka Nouchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Active Control ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Memory Performance ◽  
Brain Training ◽  
Beneficial Effects ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Double Blinded

Background: Earlier studies have demonstrated that a single-domain intervention, such as a brain-training (BT) game alone and a sulforaphane (SFN) intake, positively affects cognition. This study examined whether a combined BT and SFN intake intervention has beneficial effects on cognitive function in older adults. Methods: In a 12-week double-blinded randomized control trial, 144 older adults were randomly assigned to one of four groups: BT with SFN (BT-S), BT with placebo (BT-P), active control game (AT) with SFN (AT-S), and active control game with placebo (AT-P). We used Brain Age in BT and Tetris in AT. Participants were asked to play BT or AT for 15 min a day for 12 weeks while taking a supplement (SFN or placebo). We measured several cognitive functions before and after the intervention period. Results: The BT (BT-S and BT-P) groups showed more improvement in processing speed than the active control groups (AT-S and AT-P). The SFN intake (BT-S and AT-S) groups recorded significant improvements in processing speed and working memory performance unlike the placebo intake groups (BT-P and AT-P). However, we did not find any evidence of the combined intervention’s beneficial effects on cognition. Discussion: We discussed a mechanism to improve cognitive functions in the BT and SFN alone interventions.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the Effect of Time Change in Cognitive Function in Volunteers in Tehran

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marjan Erfani ◽  
Hedayat Sahraei ◽  
Zahra Bahari ◽  
Gholam Hossein Meftahi ◽  
Boshra Hatef ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Reaction Time ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Reduction Reaction ◽  
Plasma Cortisol Level ◽  
Mental Fatigue ◽  
Time Change ◽  
General Mental Health ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Time Changes

<strong></strong><p><strong>BACKGROUND:</strong> Time change (which can lead to sleep duration decrements) can lead to brain dysfunction if repeated. In the present study, cognitive functions of the volunteers were evaluated before and after the time changes in Tehran.</p><p><strong>METHODS:</strong> Eleven, voluntary healthy persons (21±2 year old) were evaluated for their cognitive functions including sustain attention, reaction time, and mental fatigue twenty-one days before the time changes and thirty-eight days after time change using PASAT software. In addition, plasma cortisol level was measured before and after the time changes.</p><p><strong>RESULTS:</strong> After the time changes salivary cortisol concentration increase, but general mental health was decreased. Sustain attention was shortened after time change which was significantly different compared with before the time changes. Reaction time was increased after the time changes in comparison with the before the time changes, but was not statistically significant. In addition, mental fatigue was increased after the time changes.</p><p><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> It seems that time change may reduce brain cognitive functions which are manifested by general mental health, sustain attention reduction, reaction time as well as mental fatigue.</p>

scholarly journals Normalizing the Abnormal: Do Antipsychotic Drugs Push the Cortex Into an Unsustainable Metabolic Envelope?

2019 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 484-495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico E Turkheimer ◽  
Pierluigi Selvaggi ◽  
Mitul A Mehta ◽  
Mattia Veronese ◽  
Fernando Zelaya ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
Antipsychotic Treatment ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Extrapyramidal Syndrome ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Cardiac Disorders ◽  
Positive Symptoms Of Psychosis ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Novel Model

Abstract The use of antipsychotic medication to manage psychosis, principally in those with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, is well established. Antipsychotics are effective in normalizing positive symptoms of psychosis in the short term (delusions, hallucinations and disordered thought). Their long-term use is, however, associated with side effects, including several types of movement (extrapyramidal syndrome, dyskinesia, akathisia), metabolic and cardiac disorders. Furthermore, higher lifetime antipsychotic dose-years may be associated with poorer cognitive performance and blunted affect, although the mechanisms driving the latter associations are not well understood. In this article, we propose a novel model of the long-term effects of antipsychotic administration focusing on the changes in brain metabolic homeostasis induced by the medication. We propose here that the brain metabolic normalization, that occurs in parallel to the normalization of psychotic symptoms following antipsychotic treatment, may not ultimately be sustainable by the cerebral tissue of some patients; these patients may be characterized by already reduced oxidative metabolic capacity and this may push the brain into an unsustainable metabolic envelope resulting in tissue remodeling. To support this perspective, we will review the existing data on the brain metabolic trajectories of patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia as indexed using available neuroimaging tools before and after use of medication. We will also consider data from pre-clinical studies to provide mechanistic support for our model.

The relationship between premorbid adjustment and cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S78-S79
Author(s):  
P. Stefanatou ◽  
C.S. Karatosidi ◽  
E. Kattoulas ◽  
N. Stefanis ◽  
N. Smyrnis
Keyword(s):  
Processing Speed ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Verbal Learning ◽  
Prognostic Indicators ◽  
Intellectual Quotient ◽  
Premorbid Adjustment ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Competing Interest ◽  
The Relationship

IntroductionPremorbid adjustment (PA) is one of the main prognostic indicators of schizophrenia. Both social and cognitive deficits observed during the premorbid period hold a predictive value for the onset of schizophrenia.ObjectivesTo investigate how cognitive functions are related to aspects of PA.AimsTo examine the relationship of each PA domain (academic and social) at each of the three developmental stages (childhood, early adolescence and late adolescence), as well as their course with the cognitive functions in schizophrenia patients.MethodsPA, intellectual quotient (IQ), verbal learning, memory, processing speed, executive functions and verbal fluency were assessed using PAS, WAIS, RAVLT, TMT, WCST and COWAT measures respectively in a sample of 85 clinically stabilized male schizophrenia inpatients.ResultsNegative correlations emerged between academic PA during adolescence and both verbal IQ and processing speed, while positive correlations were found with working memory. Negative correlations emerged between deterioration in academic PA during adolescence and both processing speed and immediate auditory verbal recall, while correlations with verbal learning were positive. There was no relationship between cognitive functions and either social PA or its deterioration.ConclusionOur findings revealed significant associations between both academic PA and its course with cognitive functions in schizophrenia patients. In summary, deficits in several fields of cognitive functions seem to follow a different path long before and after the onset of the disease, but further investigation is necessary.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Altered expression of the DISC1 gene in peripheral blood of patients with schizophrenia

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoqian Fu ◽  
Guofu Zhang ◽  
Yansong Liu ◽  
Ling Zhang ◽  
Fuquan Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Neuronal Morphology ◽  
Antipsychotic Treatment ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Peripheral Blood Mononuclear ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Blood Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Before And After

Abstract Background Schizophrenia is a severe, heritable, and refractory psychiatric disorder. Several studies have shown that the disrupted in schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) gene is closely associated with schizophrenia by its role in neuronal morphology, synaptic function, brain development, and dopamine homeostasis etc. This study intended to investigate the expression levels of DISC1 gene in schizophrenia patients compared with healthy controls, and the expression variation of DISC1 gene before and after antipsychotic treatment in schizophrenia patients. Methods In this study, we compared DISC1 expression levels in blood of 48 healthy controls, and 32 schizophrenia patients before and after 12 weeks of antipsychotic treatment using real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis. Results The expression levels of DISC1 gene in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of schizophrenia patients before antipsychotic treatment were higher than those in healthy controls (P < 0.01); whereas after antipsychotic treatment, the expression levels of DISC1 gene in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of schizophrenia patients still remained increased (P < 0.01). Conclusions Our study provided further support for the involvement of DISC1 in the development of schizophrenia.

Changes in the cytokine profile in first episode, drug-naïve patients with psychosis after short-term antipsychotic treatment

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S371-S371
Author(s):  
P. Petrikis ◽  
P. Voulgari ◽  
V. Boumba ◽  
D. Archimandriti ◽  
P. Skapinakis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Antipsychotic Medication ◽  
Transforming Growth Factor ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
First Episode ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Antipsychotic Treatment ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Drug Naïve ◽  
Competing Interest

IntroductionAn increasing body of evidence suggests that antipsychotic medication can cause immunological changes that could be attributed to the amelioration of psychotic symptoms or the metabolic side effects of the drugs. So far, the results of the studies remain controversial.ObjectiveOur aim was to compare the levels of interleukin (IL) IL-2, IL-6 and transforming growth factor-β2 (TGF-β2) in drug-naïve, first-episode patients with psychosis before and after six weeks of antipsychotic medication.MethodsThirty-nine first episode patients with psychosis were enrolled in the study. Serum levels of IL-2, IL-6 and TGF-β2 were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) before and six weeks after the initiation of antipsychotic medication. In addition, clinical psychopathology was assessed using Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) before and after treatment.ResultsSerum levels of IL-2 were significantly higher in the study group six weeks after the initiation of antipsychotic treatment (P < 0.001) while TGF-β2 levels were decreased (P < 0.001) and IL-6 levels were slightly reduced (P < 0.004).ConclusionThe changes in cytokine levels may be attributed to the action of antipsychotic medication and the remission of psychopathology. The reduction in TGF-β2 levels is observed in all patients and with all antipsychotic medications used. TGF-β2 may be a marker of clinical efficacy.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Cognitive Performance following Carotid Endarterectomy or Stenting in Asymptomatic Patients with Severe ICA Stenosis

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Livio Picchetto ◽  
Gianfranco Spalletta ◽  
Barbara Casolla ◽  
Claudia Cacciari ◽  
Michele Cavallari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carotid Stenosis ◽  
Cognitive Functions ◽  
Verbal Fluency ◽  
Stroke Risk ◽  
Brain Functions ◽  
Immediate Recall ◽  
Asymptomatic Patients ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Ica Stenosis

Background. Endarterectomy (CEA) or stenting (CAS) of a stenotic carotid artery is currently undertaken to reduce stroke risk. In addition removal of the arterial narrowing has been hypothesized to improve cerebral hemodynamics and provide benefits in cognitive functions, by supposedly resolving a “hypoperfusion” condition. Methods. In this study we sought to test whether resolution of a carotid stenosis is followed by measurable changes in cognitive functions in 22 subjects with “asymptomatic” stenosis. Results. A main finding of the study was the statistically significant pre-post difference observed in the performance of phonological verbal fluency and Rey’s 15-word immediate recall. Remarkably, there was a significant interaction between phonological verbal fluency performance and side of the carotid intervention, as the improvement in the verbal performance, a typical “lateralized” skill, was associated with resolution of the left carotid stenosis. Conclusion. The results reflect a substantial equivalence of the overall performance at the before- and after- CEA or CAS tests. In two domains, however, the postintervention performance resulted improved. The findings support the hypothesis that recanalization of a stenotic carotid could improve brain functions by resolving hypothetical “hypoperfusion” states, associated with the narrowing of the vessels.

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