The amended (revised) Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-IA; Beck & Steer, 1993b) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II; Beck, Steer, & Brown, 1996) were self-administered to 140 psychiatric ...outpatients with various psychiatric disorders. The coefficient alphas of the BDI-IA and the BDI-II were, respectively, .89 and .91. The mean rating for Sadness on the BDI-IA was higher than it was on the BDI-II, but the mean ratings for Past Failure, Self-Dislike, Change in Sleeping Pattern, and Change in Appetite were higher on the BDI-II than they were on the BDI-IA. The mean BDI-II total score was approximately 2 points higher than it was for the BDI-IA, and the outpatients also endorsed approximately one more symptom on the BDI-II than they did on the BDI-IA. The correlations of BDI-IA and BDI-II total scores with sex, ethnicity, age, the diagnosis of a mood disorder, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (Beck & Steer, 1993a) were within 1 point of each other for the same variables.
Several studies demonstrated in experimental models and in humans synaptic plasticity impairment in some neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's ...disease, Huntington's disease, and schizophrenia. Recently new neurophysiological tools, such as repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation and transcranial direct current stimulation, have been introduced in experimental and clinical settings for studying physiology of the brain and modulating cortical activity. These techniques use noninvasive transcranial electrical or magnetic stimulation to modulate neurons activity in the human brain. Cortical stimulation might enhance or inhibit the activity of cortico–subcortical networks, depending on stimulus frequency and intensity, current polarity, and other stimulation parameters such as the configuration of the induced electric field and stimulation protocols. On this basis, in the last two decades, these techniques have rapidly become valuable tools to investigate physiology of the human brain and have been applied to treat drug-resistant neurological and psychiatric diseases. Here we describe these techniques and discuss the mechanisms that may explain these effects.
Background: In vivo evaluation of cholinergic circuits of the human brain has recently been introduced using a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) protocol based on coupling peripheral nerve ...stimulation with motor cortex TMS (short latency afferent inhibition, SAI). SAI is reduced in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and drugs enhancing cholinergic transmission increase SAI. Methods: We evaluated whether SAI testing, together with SAI test-retest, after a single dose of the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor rivastigmine, might be useful in predicting the response after 1 year treatment with rivastigmine in 16 AD patients. Results: Fourteen AD patients had pathologically reduced SAI. SAI was increased after administration of a single oral dose of rivastigmine in AD patients with abnormal baseline SAI, but individual responses to rivastigmine varied widely, with SAI change ranging from an increase in inhibition of ∼50% of test size to no change. Baseline SAI and the increase in SAI after a single dose of rivastigmine were correlated with response to long term treatment. A normal SAI in baseline conditions, or an abnormal SAI in baseline conditions that was not greatly increased by a single oral dose of rivastigmine, were invariably associated with poor response to long term treatment, while an abnormal SAI in baseline conditions in conjunction with a large increase in SAI after a single dose of rivastigmine was associated with good response to long term treatment in most of the patients. Conclusions: Evaluation of SAI may be useful for identifying AD patients likely to respond to treatment with AChE inhibitors.
•rTMS was delivered to the temporal poles while showing famous faces and names.•rTMS of the right temporal pole (RTP) inhibited famous faces familiarity feelings.•rTMS of the left temporal pole did ...not inhibit famous names familiarity feelings.•The effect of the rTMS concerned the latency but not the number of correct responses.
The aims of the present experiment was to investigate: (a) if transient disruption of neural activity in the right (RTP) or left temporal pole (LTP) can interfere with the development of a familiarity feeling to the presentation of faces/written names of famous/unknown people; and (b) if this interference specifically affects the familiarity for faces after inhibition of the RTP and for names after inhibition of the LTP. Twenty healthy volunteers took part in the study. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was administered online; it disrupted the neural activity of the right or left TP in concomitance with the presentation of each face and name whose familiarity had to be assessed. Furthermore, in a control group, each participant was submitted to a single experimental session in which rTMS was delivered to the vertex in association with the presentation of faces and written names.
Since previous rTMS studies have shown that the temporary inactivation of the right and left TP influences the response latencies, but not the number of correct responses, in this study we took into account both the number of correct responses obtained in different experimental conditions and the corresponding response latencies.
A three-way factorial ANOVA carried out on the Response Scores showed only a general effect of the Type of Stimuli, due to better performances on names than on faces. This greater familiarity of names is consistent with previous data reported in the literature. In the three-way factorial ANOVA carried out on the Latency Scores, post-hoc analyses showed an increased latency of responses to faces after right stimulation in Latency Total, Latency on Correct responses and Latency on Unfamiliar faces. None of these results were obtained in the control group. These data suggest that rTMS at the level of the RTP preferentially affects the development of familiarity feelings to the presentation of faces of famous people.
Introduction The Japanese Saito coined the term “hikikomori” to define an extreme form of social withdrawal, particularly present in Japan (1998). In the West there is an increasing frequency of ...adolescents hikikomori. Objectives and Aims The UFSMIA Arezzo has received a number of requests to take care of adolescents bearing strong similarities to hikikomori teenagers or “on the way of the social withdrawal”. These admissions have led to an epidemiological study in order to quantify these behaviors among very young teenagers in a Italian town. Methods The research used a questionnaire addressed to the coordinator teachers of the middle schools of Arezzo (2694 students). The questionnaire collected information on the single student absent from school for more than 40 days asking reasons for the absence. Results Absents from school for more than 40 days not for an illness were 27. The average age was 14,5 years, 59,3% males, 40,7% females. The 66,6% of the students repeated one or more times a year of school. The teachers do not know the reasons for the absences for 29,6% of students but for 51,9% they indicate psychological problems as the main reason of the absences. The 40,7% of students showed difficulty waking up, leaving home, coming to school, difficulty in relating to others and low self-esteem. These signs could bring to identify hikikomori subjects. Conclusions The research shows that the school is not able to recognize a student hikikomori, but it can provide valuable informations to identify a teenager with social withdrawal.
The test of short latency afferent inhibition (SAI) of the motor cortex is helpful in demonstrating dysfunction of central cholinergic circuits in Alzheimer disease (AD). The authors evaluated SAI in ...20 patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and compared data with those from 20 patients with AD and 20 controls. SAI was normal in FTD, whereas it was reduced in AD. SAI may represent an additional tool to discriminate FTD from AD.
Introduction The Internet provides adolescents the chance to experience autonomy through the collection of information and contact with peers with whom to share experiences, emotions and thoughts. A ...misuse of the Internet can occur if a teenager avoids real relationships and surfing the web turns into a psychological defense, in contrast with a healthy mental development. Objectives and Aims The research investigates forms and motivations of misuse of the internet among a group of Italian teenagers. Objective of the work is the hypothesis of a correlation between massive use of internet and behaviours of social retreat. Methods The research used a questionnaire. The areas of investigation were: school performance, hours of internet surfing, activity on the Internet (social networks, games, information research, gambling online), psychological reasons of the Internet use, behaviours of social retreat. 583 adolescents (45% males and 54% females, mean age 17 years) responded to the questionnaire. Results The 6% of adolescents sample responded to always think the Internet even when not on the computer or gets irritated and reacts impulsively if someone bothers him while it is connected. The 5% prefer surfing rather then going out with friends. Hours of internet sulfing and responses of social retreat were correlated. Conclusions The social retreat can be one of consequences of the Internet misuse, with difficulties in socializing and use of the Internet as a psychological defense.
PURPOSETo describe the influences on clinical academic physicians’ postdoctoral career decision making.
METHODThirty-five doctoral trainee physicians from University College London took part in ...semistructured interviews in 2015 and 2016. Participants were asked open-ended questions about their career to date, their experiences undertaking a PhD, and their career plans post PhD. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to generate, review, and define themes from the transcripts. Emerging differences and similarities in participants’ reasons for pursuing a PhD were then grouped to produce typologies to explore how their experiences influenced their career decision making.
RESULTSParticipants described four key reasons for undertaking a PhD, which formed the basis of the four typologies identified. These reasons included the followingto pursue a clinical academic career; to complete an extensive period of research to understand whether a clinical academic career was the desired path forward; to improve clinical career prospects; and to take a break from clinical training.
CONCLUSIONSThese findings highlight the need to target efforts at retaining clinical academic physicians according to their reasons for pursuing a PhD and their subsequent experiences with the process. Those responsible for overseeing clinical training must be well informed of the long-term benefits of training academically qualified physicians. In light of current political uncertainty, universities, hospitals, and external agencies alike must increase their efforts to inspire and assuage early-career clinical academic physicians’ fears regarding their academic future.
PDF
