Effects of Resilience on Impulsivity, Cognition and Depression during Protracted Withdrawal among Chinese Male Methamphetamine Users

Background Methamphetamine (METH) dependence is a complex and dynamic public health problem. Long-term abuse of METH can increase numerous risks of mental and physical problems. Currently, the methods to reduce METH dependence and improve the withdrawal symptoms are limited and ineffective. Resilience is regarded as an individuals’ protective moderator against stress and may play a role in the stress-related mental diseases. Methods One hundred and twelve males with METH dependence were consecutively recruited from Huanglong Compulsory Isolated Detoxification Center between 2019 and 2021. The Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Self-rating depression scale (SDS), Self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11(BIS-11), and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (Rbans) were used to evaluate resilience, depression, anxiety, impulsivity, and cognition respectively. Results The results showed that high and medium resilience groups showed lower SDS scores than the low resilience group (p<0.05), with high resilience groups showing lower scores using SAS (p<0.05). The high resilience group demonstrated lower cognitive impulsiveness, non-planning impulsiveness, and BIS-11 scores than the low resilience group (all p <0.05). Additionally, compared with the low resilience group, attention was better in the medium resilience group, while delayed memory was better in the high resilience group (both p<0.05). The total scores of Rbans were also higher in the medium and high resilience groups than low resilience group (both p<0.05). Conclusions This study confirmed a correlation between resilience and impulsivity, cognitive function, and depression. It may suggest a potential role of resilience for individuals during protracted METH withdrawal.

Polymorphism of Transferrin Gene Impacts the Mediating Effects of Psychotic Symptoms on the Relationship between Oxidative Stress and Cognition in Patients with Chronic Schizophrenia

A series of studies indicated that iron distribution that partly derives from transferrin-bound iron in the peripheral nervous system in the brain may act in processes such as myelination and brain development. However, the relationship between schizophrenia, its psychotic symptoms, and the transferrin (TF) gene has not been systematically explored. Our study aimed to investigate how a particular polymorphism of the transferrin gene, rs3811655, affects the superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), psychotic symptoms, cognition, or the mediation model between antioxidant enzymes and cognition via symptoms. A total of 564 patients with chronic schizophrenia and 468 healthy control subjects were recruited. The psychotic symptoms and cognition were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), respectively. Furthermore, the serum SOD, MDA activity, and transferrin gene polymorphism were measured in patients. Our results demonstrated that patients with the G allele possessed more severe negative symptoms, worse cognitive performance with respect to attention, and higher serum Mn-SOD activity. Additionally, the rs3811655 polymorphism may act as a moderator in the association between Cu/Zn-SOD activity and cognition, as well as psychotic symptoms in patients suffering from schizophrenia. According to this study, the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs3811655 polymorphism may fail to contribute to the susceptibility of schizophrenia in an individual but is involved in the iron-induced oxidative stress disturbance and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. This deepens our understanding of the critical role of iron-induced oxidative stress that might underlie the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

Harmonious Upbringing of Preschoolers: Physical and Neuropsychological Aspects

The article shows that the cultivation of spirituality in preschoolers is closely related to their physical and neuropsychological development, as well as moral and aesthetic education. The article aims to determine the effectiveness of the implemented programme for harmonious upbringing of children in cultural and educational space of preschools by comparing levels of physical and neurophysiological components. Given the neurophysiological indicators inherent in this age, the control group (CG) included 178 children and the experimental group (EG) 180 children. The pedagogical experiment followed certain diagnostic methods, such as control tests on physical fitness and rhythmoplasty. Importantly, age-related neuropedagogical factors made it possible to use the following organizational forms of work based on rhythmoplasty: traditional (morning exercises, physical education classes, entertainment activities) and alternative (fairy-tale therapy, finger gymnastics, dance and movement therapy, health aerobics classes). All forms of work were previously tested for compliance with neuropsychological and neurophysiological parameters for the specified age. The programme aimed to form children’s positive attitude towards themselves and their bodies, introduce various forms of physical activity, general physical culture, and, most importantly, cultivate “self-concept” that maximally corresponds to preschoolers’ neuropsychological status. The obtained data prove that indicators of EG children are higher than in those of CG children due to the implementation of the proposed programme. The novelty of the article is as follows: for the first time, the above-mentioned indicators of children’s harmonious upbringing in cultural and educational space of Ukrainian preschools have been comprehensively formed and measured. Finally, the article closely correlates with the leading trends in scientific-educational discourse.

Non-motor manifestations in patients with Parkinson's disease

Objective: to study the structure of NMS, their frequency and clinical significance at all stages of PD; to conduct a comparative analysis of the structure of NMS in PD, depending on the stage, form of the disease and gender characteristics of patients.Material and methods: examined 100 patients with PD, 31 patients as the control, and 11 patients as the comparison with Parkinson’s syndrome. The severity of movement disorders was assessed using the Hen and Yar scale. All patients with PD were also clinically assessed according to the UPDRS scale (parts II, III). Cognitive functions were assessed according to the Montreal CI scale (MOCA). The patients’ neuropsychological status was assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).Results: vegetative disorders are a frequent manifestation of PD; they differ significantly depending on the gender of the patient and on the stage of the disease. In 20% of patients with PD clinically pronounced depression and severe cognitive impairment were revealed. Conclusion: non‑motor disorders are distinguished by a wide variety of manifestations and combinations, and their structure changes significantly from early to late stages of PD. The presence of NMS is an obligatory sign of PD. Although the structure of non‑motor manifestations of the disease is not specific, attention is drawn to the combination of more than ten different NMS in most patients, which does not occur with natural aging.

Acute Inositol-Stabilized Arginine Silicate Improves Cognitive Outcomes in Healthy Adults

Inositol-stabilized arginine silicate (ASI) is an ergogenic aid that upregulates nitric oxide. Acute ASI supplementation improves working memory and processing speed in young adults but there is a lack of data examining other cognitive tasks. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine acute ASI effects on young healthy adults by assessing multiple cognitive domains. Nineteen young adults (20.9 ± 3.2 years) completed this randomized, double-blind, crossover study consuming ASI (1.5 g ASI + 12 g dextrose) and placebo (12 g dextrose). The participants completed the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and two digital cognitive assessments before consuming the supplement and then completed the same battery of tests 60 min post-supplementation. Repeated measures ANOVA demonstrated that ASI consumption significantly improved total RBANS and immediate memory scores compared to the placebo (p < 0.05). However, no significant differences were displayed between trials for other cognitive domains (p > 0.05). Acute ASI ingestion increased overall RBANS scores and immediate memory scores in young adults. More research is needed to examine the acute effects of ASI on other domains of cognition, in older populations, and its long-term effects on cognition.

Magnetic Seizure Therapy Compared to Electroconvulsive Therapy for Schizophrenia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Magnetic seizure therapy (MST) is a potential alternative to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). However, reports on the use of MST for patients with schizophrenia, particularly in developing countries, which is a main indication for ECT, are limited.Methods: From February 2017 to July 2018, 79 inpatients who met the DSM-5 criteria for schizophrenia were randomized to receive 10 sessions of MST (43 inpatients) or ECT (36 inpatients) over the course of 4 weeks. At baseline and 4-week follow-up, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) were used to assess symptom severity and cognitive functions, respectively.Results: Seventy-one patients who completed at least half of the treatment protocol were included in the per-protocol analysis. MST generated a non-significant larger antipsychotic effect in terms of a reduction in PANSS total score [g = 0.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) = −0.30, 0.63] and response rate [relative risk (RR) = 1.41, 95% CI = 0.83–2.39]. Twenty-four participants failed to complete the cognitive assessment as a result of severe psychotic symptoms. MST showed significant less cognitive impairment over ECT in terms of immediate memory (g = 1.26, 95% CI = 0.63–1.89), language function (g =1.14, 95% CI = 0.52–1.76), delayed memory (g = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.16–1.35), and global cognitive function (g = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.45–1.68). The intention-to-treat analysis generated similar results except for the differences in delayed memory became statistically insignificant. Better baseline cognitive performance predicted MST and ECT response.Conclusions: Compared to bitemporal ECT with brief pulses and age-dose method, MST had similar antipsychotic efficacy with fewer cognitive impairments, indicating that MST is a promising alternative to ECT as an add-on treatment for schizophrenia.Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT02746965.

Delirium, depression, and long-term cognition

ABSTRACT Objectives: We examined whether preadmission history of depression is associated with less delirium/coma-free (DCF) days, worse 1-year depression severity and cognitive impairment. Design and measurements: A health proxy reported history of depression. Separate models examined the effect of preadmission history of depression on: (a) intensive care unit (ICU) course, measured as DCF days; (b) depression symptom severity at 3 and 12 months, measured by the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II); and (c) cognitive performance at 3 and 12 months, measured by the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) global score. Setting and participants: Patients admitted to the medical/surgical ICU services were eligible. Results: Of 821 subjects eligible at enrollment, 261 (33%) had preadmission history of depression. After adjusting for covariates, preadmission history of depression was not associated with less DCF days (OR 0.78, 95% CI, 0.59–1.03 p = 0.077). A prior history of depression was associated with higher BDI-II scores at 3 and 12 months (3 months OR 2.15, 95% CI, 1.42–3.24 p = <0.001; 12 months OR 1.89, 95% CI, 1.24–2.87 p = 0.003). We did not observe an association between preadmission history of depression and cognitive performance at either 3 or 12 months (3 months beta coefficient −0.04, 95% CI, −2.70–2.62 p = 0.97; 12 months 1.5, 95% CI, −1.26–4.26 p = 0.28). Conclusion: Patients with a depression history prior to ICU stay exhibit a greater severity of depressive symptoms in the year after hospitalization.