Abstract Objective The aim of this study is to explore empirical clusters within the population of young Spanish individuals attending outpatient pathological gambling treatment. Method The South ...Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), the Symptom Checklist (SCL-90-R), the Temperament and Character Inventory-R (TCI-R) and other clinical and psychopathological measures were administered to 154 patients (between 17 and 25 years old). The two-step cluster analysis explored the presence of empirical heterogeneous groups based on clinical and socio-demographic characteristics. Results Three clusters of young pathological gambling patients emerged. Type I showed less psychopathology and more functional personality traits. Type II showed a profile characterized by major emotional distress, shame, immaturity, hostility and negative feelings. Type III showed the most severe psychopathological profile and most psychopathological disturbances and schizotypal traits. Conclusions These results suggest that three distinct endophenotypes exist, and that environmental factors have a stronger influence in the first, while in the second and third, individual factors related to deficits of emotional regulation stand out.
Introduction Sensory factors may play an important role in the determination of appetite and food choices. Also, some adipokines may alter or predict the perception and pleasantness of specific ...odors. We aimed to analyze differences in smell±taste capacity between females with different weights and relate them with fat and fat-free mass, visceral fat, and several adipokines. Materials and methods 179 females with different weights (from low weight to morbid obesity) were studied. We analyzed the relation between fat, fat-free mass, visceral fat (indirectly estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis with visceral fat rating (VFR)), leptin, adiponectin and visfatin. The smell and taste assessments were performed through the 'Sniffin' Sticks' and 'Taste Strips' respectively. Results We found a lower score in the measurement of smell (TDI-score (Threshold, Discrimination and Identification)) in obese subjects. All the olfactory functions measured, such as threshold, discrimination, identification and the TDI-score, correlated negatively with age, body mass index (BMI), leptin, fat mass, fat-free mass and VFR. In a multiple linear regression model, VFR mainly predicted the TDI-score. With regard to the taste function measurements, the normal weight subjects showed a higher score of taste functions. However a tendency to decrease was observed in the groups with greater or lesser BMI. In a multiple linear regression model VFR and age mainly predicted the total taste scores. Discussion We show for the first time that a reverse relationship exists between visceral fat and sensory signals, such as smell and taste, across a population with different body weight conditions.
Gambling disorder (GD) is a psychiatric condition that was recently recategorized as a non-substance-related addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders. Criminal ...activity is commonly associated with gambling; however, few empirical studies to date have examined sociodemographic and psychological variables in this population. In this study, we explored criminal behavior history in a sample of consecutively recruited treatment-seeking gamblers (n = 382) and compared subjects with a history of illegal acts (n = 103, 26.9%) to those with no criminal record (n = 279, 73.1%). Impulsivity and personality traits were specifically explored, along with other gambling-related severity factors. We found that gamblers who engaged in illegal activity were more likely to endorse high levels of urgency (i.e., the tendency to act out when experiencing heightened emotional states) and increased lack of premeditation. Gamblers with a history of criminal behavior also had greater GD severity levels and gambling-related debts. Additionally, these gamblers reported lower levels of self-directedness, which is characterized by difficulty in establishing and redirecting behavior toward one's goals. Likewise, gamblers who had conducted criminal acts showed a tendency to engage in greater risk-taking behavior. These results shed new light on this understudied population and provide insights for developing targeted harm-prevention interventions and treatment protocols.
Introduction Sensory factors may play an important role in the determination of appetite and food choices. Also, some adipokines may alter or predict the perception and pleasantness of specific ...odors. We aimed to analyze differences in smell±taste capacity between females with different weights and relate them with fat and fat-free mass, visceral fat, and several adipokines. Materials and methods 179 females with different weights (from low weight to morbid obesity) were studied. We analyzed the relation between fat, fat-free mass, visceral fat (indirectly estimated by bioelectrical impedance analysis with visceral fat rating (VFR)), leptin, adiponectin and visfatin. The smell and taste assessments were performed through the 'Sniffin' Sticks' and 'Taste Strips' respectively. Results We found a lower score in the measurement of smell (TDI-score (Threshold, Discrimination and Identification)) in obese subjects. All the olfactory functions measured, such as threshold, discrimination, identification and the TDI-score, correlated negatively with age, body mass index (BMI), leptin, fat mass, fat-free mass and VFR. In a multiple linear regression model, VFR mainly predicted the TDI-score. With regard to the taste function measurements, the normal weight subjects showed a higher score of taste functions. However a tendency to decrease was observed in the groups with greater or lesser BMI. In a multiple linear regression model VFR and age mainly predicted the total taste scores. Discussion We show for the first time that a reverse relationship exists between visceral fat and sensory signals, such as smell and taste, across a population with different body weight conditions.
Co-morbidity between Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) and eating disorders (ED) has been previously described; however the effect of this illness on the outcomes for conventional ED treatments has not ...been previously investigated. This study aims to compare clinical, psychopathological and personality features between two samples of ED individuals: those with comorbid T1DM and those without (No-DM); and to identify differences in treatment outcomes between the groups.
This study compares treatment outcome, dropouts, ED psychopathology and personality characteristics for 20 individuals with ED and T1DM and 20 ED patients without diabetes, matched for diagnostic and treatment type.
The study found higher dropout rates from therapy in individuals with T1DM and worse treatment outcome in spite of having no significant differences in eating disorder psychopathology, although individuals with T1DM report misusing insulin.
The low levels of motivation to change, and insulin abuse in T1DM patients, may suggest that treatment for patients with ED and T1DM should consider the individual's personality and role of insulin abuse when determining the appropriate intervention.
Introduction: Addictions are associated with decision making impairments. The present study explores decision making in Substance use disorder (SUD), Gambling disorder (GD) and Obesity (OB) when ...assessed by Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and compares them with healthy controls (HC). Methods: For the aims of this study, 591 participants (194 HC, 178 GD, 113 OB, 106 SUD) were assessed according to DSM criteria, completed a sociodemographic interview and conducted the IGT. Results: SUD, GD and OB present impaired decision making when compared to the HC in the overall task and task learning, however no differences are found for the overall performance in the IGT among the clinical groups. Results also reveal some specific learning across the task patterns within the clinical groups: OB maintains negative scores until the third set where learning starts but with a less extend to HC, SUD presents an early learning followed by a progressive although slow improvement and GD presents more random choices with no learning. Conclusions: Decision making impairments are present in the studied clinical samples and they display individual differences in the task learning. Results can help understanding the underlying mechanisms of OB and addiction behaviors as well as improve current clinical treatments.
Introduction: Addictions are associated with decision making impairments. The present study explores decision making in Substance use disorder (SUD), Gambling disorder (GD) and Obesity (OB) when ...assessed by Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and compares them with healthy controls (HC). Methods: For the aims of this study, 591 participants (194 HC, 178 GD, 113 OB, 106 SUD) were assessed according to DSM criteria, completed a sociodemographic interview and conducted the IGT. Results: SUD, GD and OB present impaired decision making when compared to the HC in the overall task and task learning, however no differences are found for the overall performance in the IGT among the clinical groups. Results also reveal some specific learning across the task patterns within the clinical groups: OB maintains negative scores until the third set where learning starts but with a less extend to HC, SUD presents an early learning followed by a progressive although slow improvement and GD presents more random choices with no learning. Conclusions: Decision making impairments are present in the studied clinical samples and they display individual differences in the task learning. Results can help understanding the underlying mechanisms of OB and addiction behaviors as well as improve current clinical treatments.
Whether the executive profile is different between obesity (OB) and morbid obesity (MO) remains unclear. Recent evidence suggests that physical activity (PA) can act as a cognitive enhancer. Irisin ...is a recently discovered hormone associated with some of the positive effects of PA. The objective of the study was to investigate the executive profile in OB and MO, and to explore the role of PA and irisin. 114 participants were included (21 OB, 44 MO and 49 healthy controls-HC) in the study and assessed with the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Stroop Color and Word Test, and Iowa Gambling Task. All participants were female, aged between 18 and 60 years. Results showed a similar dysfunctional profile on decision making in OB and MO compared with HC. Thus, no specific neuropsychological profiles between OB and MO can be clearly observed in our sample. However, a negative correlation was found between irisin and executive functioning. These results demonstrate a specific executive profile in OB and a relevant and negative modulation of irisin on executive functioning. Although irisin might be a promising target for the treatment of obesity, its effects on cognition might be considered when thinking about its therapeutic use.
Copper is a highly reactive element involved in a myriad of biological reactions. Thus, while essential for mammalian cells, its concentrations must be kept in check in order to avoid toxicity. This ...metal participates in redox reactions and may exacerbate oxidative stress in aerobic organisms. Nonetheless, the actual driving force of copper-induced cell death is yet unknown. Likely, free copper ions may target different biomolecules that are crucial for the proper functioning of an organism. In this work, we show that free copper induces protein aggregation in serum. The wide set of proteins present in these biological samples are not equally prone to copper-induced aggregation and some, such as albumin, are highly resistant, whereas γ-globulins are highly sensitive. The identity of the proteins in the aggregates becomes fairly homogeneous as metal concentrations go as low as 20 μM. The identification of the proteins by mass spectrometry indicates a preponderance of IgG and a minor presence of other different proteins. Therefore, free copper in blood may contribute to the formation of circulating protein aggregates with a core of IgG. This may impact health not only due to the activity of aggregated IgG but also due to the many proteins co-aggregated. Understanding whether the γ-globulin core and the heterogeneous subgroup of proteins elicit differential responses in the organisms requires further research.
Background Frontostriatal and frontoamygdalar connectivity alterations in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) have been typically described in functional neuroimaging studies. However, ...structural covariance, or volumetric correlations across distant brain regions, also provides network-level information. Altered structural covariance has been described in patients with different psychiatric disorders, including OCD, but to our knowledge, alterations within frontostriatal and frontoamygdalar circuits have not been explored. Methods We performed a mega-analysis pooling structural MRI scans from the Obsessive–compulsive Brain Imaging Consortium and assessed whole-brain voxel-wise structural covariance of 4 striatal regions (dorsal and ventral caudate nucleus, and dorsal-caudal and ventral-rostral putamen) and 2 amygdalar nuclei (basolateral and centromedial-superficial). Images were preprocessed with the standard pipeline of voxel-based morphometry studies using Statistical Parametric Mapping software. Results Our analyses involved 329 patients with OCD and 316 healthy controls. Patients showed increased structural covariance between the left ventral-rostral putamen and the left inferior frontal gyrus/frontal operculum region. This finding had a significant interaction with age; the association held only in the subgroup of older participants. Patients with OCD also showed increased structural covariance between the right centromedial-superficial amygdala and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Limitations This was a cross-sectional study. Because this is a multisite data set analysis, participant recruitment and image acquisition were performed in different centres. Most patients were taking medication, and treatment protocols differed across centres. Conclusion Our results provide evidence for structural network–level alterations in patients with OCD involving 2 frontosubcortical circuits of relevance for the disorder and indicate that structural covariance contributes to fully characterizing brain alterations in patients with psychiatric disorders.
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