Psychiatry research
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Psychiatry research · Oct 2011
Default-mode network connectivity and white matter burden in late-life depression.
The brain's default-mode network has been the focus of intense research. This study characterizes the default-mode network activity in late-life depression and the correlation of the default-mode network activity changes with the white-matter hyperintensities burden. We hypothesized that elderly depressed subjects would have altered default-mode network activity, which would correlate with the increased white-matter hyperintensities burden. ⋯ Remitted elderly depressed subjects had improved functional connectivity compared to pretreatment, although alterations persisted in the anterior cingulate and the prefrontal cortex when remitted elderly depressed subjects were compared with non-depressed elderly. Our study provides evidence for altered default-mode network connectivity in late-life depression. The correlation between white-matter hyperintensities burden and default-mode network connectivity emphasizes the role of vascular changes in late-life depression etiopathogenesis.
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Psychiatry research · Oct 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyPsychiatric symptoms and psychosocial functioning among hospital personnel during the Gaza War: a repeated cross-sectional study.
Studies of mental health among hospital personnel during armed conflict are scarce and usually include single time point investigations without a comparison group. The authors compared the psychiatric symptoms and psychosocial functioning of exposed and unexposed hospital personnel at two time points. The research was conducted during 2009 and included a survey of two random samples of hospital personnel (physicians and nurses), one collected during the Gaza War and the other 6 months later. ⋯ In addition, during the Gaza War, exposed hospital personnel had a significantly higher level of depressive symptoms. However, in the second study, depressive symptoms were similar to those found in the unexposed group. These findings may suggest that war-related stress is associated with post-traumatic symptoms among hospital personnel even 6 months after exposure.
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Psychiatry research · Oct 2011
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialPreliminary investigation of web-camera delivered cognitive-behavioral therapy for youth with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
This study reports a waitlist controlled randomized trial of family-based cognitive-behavioral therapy delivered via web-camera (W-CBT) in children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Thirty-one primarily Caucasian youth with OCD (range=7-16years; 19 male) were randomly assigned to W-CBT or a Waitlist control. Assessments were conducted immediately before and after treatment, and at 3-month follow-up (for W-CBT arm only). ⋯ Gains were generally maintained in a naturalistic 3-month follow-up for those randomized to W-CBT. This preliminary study suggests that W-CBT may be helpful in reducing obsessive-compulsive symptoms in youth with OCD. Given considerable access issues, such findings hold considerable promise for treatment dissemination.
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Joiner's (2005) interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide hypothesizes that painful and provocative events increase pain tolerance. The theory further proposes that increased pain tolerance represents one component of increased suicidal capability. Although initial studies have been consistent with this model, several key aspects remain untested. ⋯ Results also supported the interpersonal-psychological theory hypothesis that nonsuicidal self-injury represents an important painful and provocative event that increases suicidal capability. Specifically, participants with a history of nonsuicidal self-injury displayed increased suicidal capability and decreased pain perception. Overall, these results indicate that pain tolerance plays an important and specific role in suicidal capability.