ABSTRACTMaternal deprivation (MD) during early life development has been documented to culminate in long-term alterations in brain function and behavioural manifestations that mimic schizophrenia. This study elucidated the putative neuroprotective roles of vitamin B complex in MD-induced behavioural and neurochemical modifications in hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of Wistar rats. Rat pups were maternally deprived on postnatal day 9 for 24 hours and then treated with or without vitamin B complex for 15 days while a control group was undisturbed during the experimental period. The rats were then subjected to behavioural paradigms to measure memory indices and anxiety levels. The rats were sacrificed to obtain the PFC and hippocampus for histomorphological and biochemical analysis. Behavioural analysis of the animals revealed that MD induced a declination in long- and short-term memory in addition to anxiety-like behaviour in the open field test. Cortico-hippocampal histomorphology of these animals showed an increased astrocytic density and chromatolysis, which were accompanied by reduced levels of superoxide dismutase and catalase enzymes. Vitamin B complex mitigated MD-induced behavioural decline, histomorphological perturbation and oxidative stress by enhancing the intrinsic antioxidant defence, thereby culminating in nootropic behaviour and reduced anxiety. In conclusion, we confirmed the hypothesis that vitamin B complex is neuroprotective against neuropathological alterations induced by maternal deprivation.
•COVID-19 is a common pathology that may affect diverse organs, including the central and peripheral nervous system.•Coronaviruses have important neurotropic potential and they cause neurological alterations that range from mild to severe.•CoV may affect any age group; the main symptoms are headache, dizziness, and altered consciousness.•The neurological symptoms caused by CoV (MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV2) are similar.
•Our study included 30 patients of NMOSD followed up over two years.•Isolated ON was the most common symptom at disease onset.•Serostatus of patients did not significantly affect EDSS score and ARR.•Only quadriparesis at disease onset predicted a worse disease outcome.•Rituximab was most effective in preventing relapse and reduction of EDSS.
ObjectivesSpata19 was one of genes involved in neurogenesis, which mutated in some psychiatric disorders. In the current study, using Spata19 knockout mice, we showed the effect of this gene inactivation on some behaviors of mice.MethodsTwenty-four wild-type (WT) and global Spata19 knockout (KO) mice were divided into four groups (Male: WT, n = 9 (6) | Male: KO, n = 5| Female: WT, n = 6| Female: KO, n = 4 (3)). Four of them died during the study. The behavior of these mice was compared with Open Field, Novel Object Recognition, Social Interaction Test and Forced Swimming Test. In these tests, respectively, time spent in centers and locomotor activity, number of smells, fighting and number of stops were evaluated.ResultsSpata19 gene inactivation had not any effect on the behavior of the female mice but in male mice showed greater locomotor activity and time spent in center of arena in the open field test, different coping behavior in Forced Swimming Test, aggressive behavior in Social Interaction Test and cognitive impairment in Novel Object Recognition. This behavioral difference in male KO vs. other mice was significant with a p-value less than 0.05.ConclusionsThe results showed that gene inactivation was involved in the development of behavioral disorders in males.
PurposeNeuropsychiatric disorders following stroke, including depression and anxiety, are often associated with long-term disability. Neurotrophic factors play an important role in the pathophysiology of many neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. In the current study, we investigated a potential participation of neurotrophic factors in stroke-associated behavioral and pathological changes 14 days after ischemia.MethodsTransient global cerebral ischemia was induced by bilateral occlusion of common carotid arteries (BCCAo) in C57BL/6 mice. Neurological evaluation was performed daily up to 14 days after induction. The Open Field (OF) and Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) tests were performed. After behavioral tests, brains from sham and ischemic mice were removed and processed to evaluate histopathology and immunomarcation for cleaved caspase-3 as well as the neurotrophic factors brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), and neural growth factor (NGF) by ELISA.ResultsIschemic animals presented anxiety-like behavior and histopathological alterations mainly characterized by formation of small necrotic cavities surrounded by penumbra zone and neuropil vacuolation in the frontal cortex, ischemic neurons in the hippocampus and gliosis in the midbrain. Some immunopositive neurons for cleaved caspase-3 were observed in the penumbra by immunohistochemical analysis. Higher levels of NGF were found in the brain of BCCAo mice compared with sham animals. Similar concentrations of BDNF and GDNF were detected in both groups.ConclusionOur results suggested the participation of NGF in anxiety-like behavior at 14 days after induction of experimental cerebral ischemia and reperfusion.
IntroductionCannabis is one of the commonly used substances among women of childbearing age. The majority of the evidence points to the negative birth outcomes of maternal use of cannabis with some exceptions. This study aims to review the published literature on the effect of prenatal cannabis use in fetal and neonatal development. It also aims to identify neuropsychiatric manifestations among children due to prenatal cannabis use.MethodologyWe performed a systematic review of studies in PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar, and PsycINFO using the keywords: ("Cannabis" or "Marijuana" or "THC" or "Tetrahydrocannabinol" or "Cannabis Sativa") AND Pregnancy. All the case reports, case-series, case-control studies, cross-sectional studies, cohort studies, and Randomized Control Trials (RCTs) published in the English language were systematically reviewed.ResultsA total of 31 studies were included. The bulk of evidence supported significant adverse clinical outcomes among children with prenatal cannabis exposure. The major intrauterine effects included stillbirth and gestational hypertension. Pre-term birth, small for gestational age, low birth weight, and intensive care admission were early neonatal effects whereas lifetime conduct disorder, increased delinquency, depression, including neurobehavioral changes, substance abuse disorder during childhood, etc in offsprings were neuropsychiatric outcomes.ConclusionWe recommend abstinence of cannabis in pregnant mothers in order to avoid any complication. Also, further studies from low and middle-income countries are warranted.
BackgroundCo-morbidty of physical diseases increase the functional disability and mortality of psychiatric patients. The majority of causes attributed to psychiatric patients mortality are due to various co-morbid medical conditions. Screening and early intervention of these conditions in these froups of patients has paramount importance. However, there are limited studies on the comorbidity of physical and mental disorders among psychiatry patients in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study is meant to provide essential data for future interventions.ObjectiveTo assess the medical comorbidity among psychiatric patients treated at Jimma University Medical Center, Southwest EthiopiaMethodsA five years retrospective review of hospital records was performed. Data were extracted using a structured template of data extraction on a wide range of potential factors. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify associated factors and significance was declared at P-value < 0.05.ResultA total of 2117 patient charts were reviewed, and the prevalence of comorbid physical illness was 29.1 % with 95 % CI (27.30, 31.10). The most prevalent comorbid physical illnesses were infectious disease (33.9 %) and disease of the genitourinary system (25.3 %). In the multivariate analysis, age greater than 50, history of the previous admission, duration of psychiatric treatment, and anti-depressant significantly associated with medical comorbidity whereas, government employee and substance/psychiatric comorbidity were less likely associated with comorbid physical illness at p < 0.05.ConclusionA significant proportion of psychiatric patients suffering from comorbid physical illness. As a result, psychiatric patients need early detection and interventions for medical comorbid conditions.
BACKGROUND:Lower middle - income countries of Africa and Asia have accommodated a large portion of the world's population, where mental health research has been under-prioritized. This study aimed to review all published research on mental health issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic in lower middle - income countries of the Afro-Asian region.METHODS:A search was conducted in the PubMed and PubMed Central databases using the terms "mental health," "psychiatric disorders," "COVID-19", "coronavirus," "Asia," "Africa," "Lower Middle-income countries." All articles published in the English language until 3rd July 2020 were included.RESULT:A total of 133 papers were found in lower-middle-income countries of Africa (n = 11) and Asia (n = 122), which discussed various aspects of mental health in the context of COVID-19. Most of the studies are cross-sectional studies that addressed mental morbidities, psychological reactions, stress, coping among the general population, and focused groups (healthcare workers, students, elderly, patients). Researchers attempted to develop and validate tools that measure certain psychological constructs (fear, anxiety) concerning COVID-19. Online surveys were the primary modality of researching this COVID-19 pandemic.CONCLUSION:COVID-19 related mental health research is scarce in lower-middle-income countries of Africa and Asia. Available researches suggest that mental health challenges during this COVID-19 pandemic are enormous and need attention. There is a need for policy and recommendations to deal with the mental health challenges in lower middle - income countries of Africa and Asia.
Background Cognitive reappraisal (CR) and expressive suppression (ES) are emotion regulation strategies that have been demonstrated to be differentially associated with psychological wellbeing. However, this relationship has never been investigated in a Middle Eastern sample. Method As a contribution to the literature, we employed a cross-sectional design in which 147 college students in the United Arab Emirates were sampled (mage = 21.37 years, SD = 4.76). We examined the extent to which CR and ES are used in this context and investigated the association between the use of these two emotion regulation strategies and affect (both positive and negative), flourishing, academic achievement, and social support. Results A series of hierarchical linear regressions indicated that the use of CR was positively associated with positive affect (β = 0.35), flourishing (β = 0.52), emotional coping (β = 0.15), and instrumental coping (β = 0.19), and negatively with negative affect (β = −0.20). ES was positively associated with negative affect (β = 0.20), and negatively with both emotional (β = −0.40) and instrumental coping (β = −0.24). Academic achievement was not significantly associated with either CR or ES. Conclusions This study finds that the use of emotion regulation strategies parallel those obtained elsewhere in the world. Despite cultural variations, participants in this sample also evidenced a preference for the use of CR during times of distress and its use is associated with elevated psychological wellbeing.
Background and objectiveThe current article explored the possibility of using daily internet use time as an indicator for problematic internet use (PIU) among college/ university students based on observations from a multi-centric, multi-country study conducted across eight different countries. Additionally, the current article explored whether daily night time sleep and physical activity can serve as possible indicators of PIU.MethodsThe present article presents the findings from analysis of information collected from 2643 college/university students from eight countries. Area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated to compare the predictive performance of three different indicator variables in the study participants to determine PIU.ResultsThe AUC for daily internet use time was 0.64 (95 % CI: 0.62 to 0.656), which was higher than the AUC for weekly physical activity (0.599; 95 % CI: 0.580 to 0.618) and daily night time sleep (0.563; 95 % CI: 0.544 to 0.582). The AUC for three indicator variables was compared, which showed that the AUC for daily internet time was significantly higher than the AUC for daily night-time sleep.ConclusionsThe assessment of daily internet use time as part of a larger battery of general health-related questions could be applied periodically among young students for screening of PIU in addition to a host of other important mental and physical health related conditions and behaviors. However, further studies are needed to determine optimal cut-off depending upon the desired trade-off between sensitivity and specificity for screening among different populations.
BackgroundElderly population is on the rise and elderly depression is very common. Institutionalization further increases the risk of them being more depressed and can have impact on quality of life. The aim of this study was to find the prevalence of depression in institutionalized elders and assess for the demographic correlates and also assess the quality of life.MethodAn institutionalized based cross- sectional study was conducted from September 2017−18. A total of 159 elders residing in old age home were included in the study. The validated Nepali translation of Geriatric Depression Scale -15 item was used to assess the depression and quality of life was measured using world health organization quality of life- brief. The collected data were coded and analyzed using SPSS version 16. The descriptive statistics was calculated for socio- demographic and association with depression was analyzed using chi square test. The correlation between depression status and quality of life was done using non- parametric Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient test.ResultsAmong the 159 elderly subjects interviewed, prevalence of depression was 39.6 % with mean age of 76 years. Depression in institutionalized elders was found to be more in males (42 %). There was significant association between age, gender and depression status (p < 0.05) whereas there was negative correlation in between depression status and quality of life.ConclusionThe finding of this study concluded that depression among institutionalized elders was a substantial problem and affected their quality of life.
BackgroundBipolar Disorder (BD) is a severe mental disease with a considerable reduction in life quality and high mortality. Self-management interventions and Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) are the most widely investigated psychological treatments for BD. However, recovery rates are low and only small to moderate effect sizes have been found. Metacognitive therapy is a relatively new treatment for mental disorders based on Wells and Matthews’ transdiagnostic model of emotional disorder – the Self-Regulatory Executive Function (S-REF).MethodMCT was delivered to three Danes with a diagnosis of BD ascertained using the SCID (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM). An A–B design with Multiple baseline measures was conducted and the effects associated with treatment was examined at post-treatment and follow-up and 6 and 12 months. The primary outcome was Beck’s Depression Inventory II (BDI-II), rumination time and change in metacognitive beliefs were also assessed using the Cognitive Attentional Syndrome Scale (CAS 1).Results/conclusionThe results demonstrated improvements in depressive symptoms, rumination time and metacognitive beliefs after 7–12 sessions of MCT. Two out of three patients needed 1–3 booster sessions after approximately six months follow-up. However, the effects persisted at 12- months follow-up and all patients were recovered and did not meet the BD diagnosis according to the SCID. Limitations to the findings include the small number of participants and a decreasing baseline score in two of the participants. Nevertheless, it appears that metacognitive therapy is a feasible treatment for BD that might have potential positive effects. Larger studies and randomized controlled trials are now needed to investigate this further.
BackgroundThe lifetime risk of suicide is significantly higher in patients with schizophrenia than in the general population. It has been suggested that insight is an important risk factor for suicidality in schizophrenia, but only in the presence of feelings of hopelessness and demoralization more generally.MethodsThis study set out to investigate these assumptions in a sample of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (n = 81) with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I. We hypothesized that there would be a positive association between insight in schizophrenia, measured by the Insight Scale for Psychosis, and suicidality among these patients, measured by the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation. Furthermore, we expected demoralization, measured by the Demoralization Scale, to mediate the association between insight and suicidality.ResultsWith regard to the association between insight and suicidality, only the dimension awareness of illness was significantly positively associated with suicidality (r = .34, p ≤ .01**). Demoralization fully mediated the relationship between awareness of illness and suicidality (Sobel test z = 1.93, p < .05).LimitationsThis was a cross-sectional study in a relatively small sample, based on self-report questionnaires only.ConclusionsThis study emphasizes the importance of recognizing and treating demoralization features in schizophrenia.
BackgroundMany children present with uncontrollable outbursts that present diagnostic challenges. Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) is a diagnosis that may capture their behavior. We examined the prevalence of DMDD in a series of 100 child discharges from inpatient care after the introduction of DSM-5 and in 100 children who received diagnoses of mood or bipolar disorder NOS prior to the advent of DSM-5.MethodsAll children were re-diagnosed with a retrospective chart review procedure. In the first sample, 100 consecutive discharges were reviewed. In the second study, children seen prior to the release from DSM-5 had their charts reviewed. The reviews addressed the presence of DMDD, as well as other conditions that may be co-morbid with DMDD.Results18 of the 100 consecutively discharged children (18 %) received a retrospective diagnosis of DMDD and 9 (50 %) received a comorbid diagnosis of major depression. Only 4 of the 18 children had a discharge diagnosis of DMDD. For the 100 children with NOS diagnoses prior to DSM-5, 37 (37 %) received retrospective diagnosis of DMDD. The major specific feature of DMDD was the higher frequency of temper outbursts. Longer length of stay and higher discharge GAF scores were also seenDiscussionDMDD was present in approximately the same proportion of children as previous studies, in samples admitted before and after DSM-5. Clinical diagnoses of mood disorders NOS are common in children who meet criteria for DMDD and DMDD diagnoses still do not appear to be given to many children who meet the criteria.
Background Although media reporting has influence on suicide there has no report in Thailand regarding the quality of media in reporting suicidal news. Objectives This study aimed to assess the quality of English language media reports of suicidal behaviors in Thailand against the World Health Organization (WHO) media guidelines. Methods We scrutinized the suicide news contents of four purposively selected English language newspapers in Thailand. Using Google search function of the online newspapers, the keywords of “suicide”, “hanging self”, and “drink poison” were used to search the suicide-related news contents. Results The vast majority of English newspapers in Thailand reported harmful information in reporting suicide-related news. Almost all reported locations where the suicide took place, methods of suicide, gender and age of the victim. Approximately one-fourth also showed a picture of the person who died by suicide. Conclusions The English online newspaper in Thailand did not follow the WHO media guidelines in reporting suicide news. Harmful information to the readers was presented in both title and content of the news. Meanwhile, potentially helpful information such as who to contact or where to seek help had been rarely reported.
BackgroundIt is postulated that mirror neurons (MNs) abnormalities are associated with social skills.ObjectivesUsing DTI, altered structural connectivity and its association with social cognition in MNs-hub regions was investigated in schizophrenia in comparison to healthy.MethodsFifteen patients with schizophrenia in their first episode and 15 healthy controls were included in this study. They were subjected to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorder (SCID-I), Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), with special consideration to “Anhedonia and Asociality” subscale, Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) and a comprehensive cognitive assessment. DTI scans were acquired in patients and controls. FA and Trace of the regions of interest rich in mirror neurons were evaluated, i.e., anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), inferior parietal lobe (IPL) and premotor cortex (PMC).ResultsA significant difference in Trace of these 3 regions was observed in schizophrenia patients. There were no group differences in FA. There was a significant positive correlation between the Trace of the right IPL and right and left PMA, with the “Anhedonia & Associability” subscale.ConclusionsMirror neuron system in schizophrenia patients might be connected to negative symptoms, more specifically, to social deficits.
Dysphagia affects more than 50 % of stroke survivors. The most common consequences of post-stroke dysphagia are malnutrition, dehydration, aspiration pneumonia, choking, limited quality of life, increased mortality and morbidity rate. Patients with post-stroke dysphagia should be identified as soon as possible so that special measures can be taken to avoid these consequences. The objectives of our study were to evaluate the prevalence of post-stroke dysphagia in a tertiary care hospital, to analyse the reliability of predicting risk factors for dysphagia and to determine the stroke locations and brain regions respectively connected with post-stroke dysphagia. We included 207 patients who presented with acute stroke and were admitted to Department of Neurology – Stroke Unit from September 2016 to September 2017. Forty-three percent of patients had post-stroke dysphagia. We investigated patient's age, gender, arterial hypertension, diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, previous statin therapy, severity of stroke and localisation of stroke as possible predicting factors for post-stroke dysphagia.Our results showed that the only reliable predicting factor for post-stroke dysphagia was the location of the brain lesion, which according to our study were Brodmann areas 4, 8, 24, 30 and pons lesions.
BackgroundKetamine provides rapid antidepressant response in those struggling with major depressive disorder (MDD). This study measured acute changes in brain activity over 24 h after a single infusion of ketamine using arterial spin labeled (ASL) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in patients with MDD. ASL is a novel technique that provides quantitative values to measure cerebral blood flow (CBF).MethodsA single sub-anesthetic dose (0.5 mg/kg) of ketamine was delivered intravenously. Treatment-refractory patients (n = 11) were assessed at: Baseline (pre-infusion), and approximately 1 h, 6 h, and 24 h post-infusion. Linear mixed-effects models detected changes in CBF with respect to treatment outcome, and results were corrected for false discovery rate (FDR).ResultsAfter ketamine infusion, increased CBF was observed in the thalamus, while decreased CBF was observed in lateral occipital cortex in all patients. Time-by-response interactions were noted in ventral basal ganglia and medial prefrontal cortex, where CBF change differed according to antidepressant response.LimitationsModest sample size is a limitation of this pilot study; strict statistical correction and visualization of single-subject data attempted to ameliorate this issue.ConclusionIn this pilot study, a sub-anesthetic dose of ketamine was associated with acute neurofunctional changes that may be consistent with altered attention, specifically increased thalamus activity coupled with decreased cortical activity. By contrast, antidepressant response to ketamine was associated with changes in reward-system regions, specifically ventral basal ganglia and medial prefrontal cortex. Further work is needed to determine whether these results generalize to larger samples and/or serial ketamine infusions associated with longer-lasting clinical effects.
Since the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Wuhan, China, this highly transmissible virus has since spread rapidly around the world. Though respiratory complication is the primarily reported manifestation though rare, yet serious neurological complications are being frequently reported in the literature. In selected coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) cases neurologic complications may manifest as seizures. In this paper, we have reviewed current literature on seizures linked with SARS- COV 2 infection including published or pre-print original articles, review articles, and case reports. We have discussed the electroencephalogram (EEG), imaging, and Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings in patients with COVID-19 presenting with seizure. We will be concluding the paper by briefly discussing the three mechanisms by which seizures can develop in patients infected with SARS- COV 2 - (a) Direct Mechanism (b) Indirect Mechanism and (c) Exacerbation of Seizure in Patients with Epilepsy (PWE). Our aim is to update the physicians working with COVID-19 patients about this potential complication and hope that understanding of these proposed mechanisms can provide an opportunity for the physicians for early diagnosis or even better, help prevent this complication.
•Non-verbal behavior changes markedly throughout recovery from MDD.•Ethograms capture multiple dimensions of non-verbal behavior.•Non-verbal behavior can deepen traditional understandings of the recovery process.
