Psychological medicine
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Psychological medicine · Oct 2014
Amygdala and anterior cingulate resting-state functional connectivity in borderline personality disorder patients with a history of interpersonal trauma.
Studies in borderline personality disorder (BPD) have consistently revealed abnormalities in fronto-limbic brain regions during emotional, somatosensory and cognitive challenges. Here we investigated changes in resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) of three fronto-limbic core regions of specific importance to BPD. ⋯ Our findings suggest alterations in resting-state networks associated with processing of negative emotions, encoding of salient events, and self-referential processing in individuals with BPD compared with HC. These results shed more light on the role of abnormal brain connectivity in BPD.
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Psychological medicine · Sep 2014
Sociodemographic and career history predictors of suicide mortality in the United States Army 2004-2009.
The US Army suicide rate has increased sharply in recent years. Identifying significant predictors of Army suicides in Army and Department of Defense (DoD) administrative records might help focus prevention efforts and guide intervention content. Previous studies of administrative data, although documenting significant predictors, were based on limited samples and models. A career history perspective is used here to develop more textured models. ⋯ A career history approach produces several actionable insights missed in less textured analyses of administrative data predictors. Expansion of analyses to a richer set of predictors might help refine understanding of intervention implications.
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Psychological medicine · Sep 2014
Extensive brain structural network abnormality in first-episode treatment-naive patients with schizophrenia: morphometrical and covariation study.
Alterations in gray matter (GM) are commonly observed in schizophrenia. Accumulating studies suggest that the brain changes associated with schizophrenia are distributed rather than focal, involving interconnected networks of areas as opposed to single regions. In the current study we aimed to explore GM volume (GMV) changes in a relatively large sample of treatment-naive first-episode schizophrenia (FES) patients using optimized voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and covariation analysis. ⋯ Schizophrenia involves regional reductions in GMV and changes in GMV covariance in the insula, amygdala and postcentral gyrus. These findings were evident at the onset of the disorder, before treatment, and therefore cannot be attributable to the effects of chronic illness progression or medication.
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Psychological medicine · Jul 2014
Alterations in brain structure in adults with anorexia nervosa and the impact of illness duration.
Brain structure alterations have been reported in anorexia nervosa, but findings have been inconsistent. This may be due to inadequate sample size, sample heterogeneity or differences in methodology. ⋯ Findings are in accordance with several previous studies on brain structure and match functional studies that have assessed the symptomatology of anorexia nervosa, such as body image distortion and cognitive bias to food. The correlation with duration of illness supports the implication of cerebellar atrophy in the maintenance of low weight and disrupted eating behaviour and illustrates its role in the chronic phase of anorexia nervosa. The lack of other correlations suggests that these findings are not related to the presence of co-morbid disorders.
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Psychological medicine · Apr 2014
ReviewTreatment of depression in adults with cancer: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.
Depression is a leading cause of disease burden worldwide and is especially problematic in people with chronic diseases, including cancer. Although depression can be effectively treated in the general population using antidepressant medication and psychological treatments, these treatments may have different benefits and harms in cancer patients. Previous reviews have not adequately addressed this topic. We therefore aimed to determine which, if any, treatments are effective for patients with diagnoses of both cancer and depression. ⋯ There is very limited evidence from clinical trials to guide the treatment of cancer patients with a diagnosis of depression, especially for psychological treatments. High quality trials of treatments for depression in patients with cancer are urgently needed.