Psychiatrikē = Psychiatriki
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In the last decade there is extensive evidence to suggest that cognitive functions depending on coordination of distributed neuronal responses are associated with synchronized oscillatory activity in various frequency ranges suggesting a functional mechanism of neural oscillations in cortical networks. In addition to their role in normal brain functioning, there is increasing evidence that altered oscillatory activity may be associated with certain neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. Consequently, disturbances in neural synchronization may represent the functional relationship of disordered connectivity of cortical networks underlying the characteristic fragmentation of mind and behavior in schizophrenia. ⋯ One of the coordinating mechanisms appears to be the synchronization of neuronal activity by phase locking of self-generated network oscillations. This led to the hypothesis that the cerebral cortex might exploit the option to synchronize the discharges of neurons with millisecond ` theoretical formulations of the binding-by-synchrony hypothesis were proposed earlier by Milner (1974), but the Singer lab in the 1990s was the first to obtain experimental evidence supporting the potential role of synchrony as a relational code. The results concerning the functional connectivity of the brain during TBs further support the hypothesis of phase synchronization as a key mechanism for neuronal assemblies underlying mental representations in the human brain.
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Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus due to idiopathic aqueductal stenosis is a chronic abnormal accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the cerebral ventricles caused by an obstruction in the Sylvian aqueduct. This leads to a dilatation of the ventricular system and to subsequent damage of the adjacent parenchyma. Although NPH typically presents with the progressive 'triad' of cognitive impairment, gait disturbance and urinary incontinence, it has been described that it rarely manifests in the form of predominant psychotic symptoms. ⋯ The atypical presentation of hydrocephalus in the aforementioned case underlines the necessity to thoroughly investigate the possible presence of an underlying organic factor in those patients who present with predominant psychotic symptoms in association with soft non-localising neurological signs and mild cognitive deficits. Furthermore, our patient's marked improvement indicates that, in cases where the primary cause is treated conservatively, hydrocephalic psychosis could respond to 2nd generation antipsychotics. In light of this case report, we reviewed past and present literature on the matter.
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Since 2008 several European countries have fallen into a financial crisis. This crisis has mainly affected the Greek population. The lower of income and the increase of unemployment as consequences of crisis lead to negative effects on people's mental health. ⋯ In absolute count the total suicide cases for the year 2011 in Greece were 477 (SSR=4.22) and the male suicides 393 (SSR=7.02) which are the highest number of suicides observed in Greece during the last decades. Findings suggest an increase in suicide mortality in Greece during the financial crisis. Reorientation of the goals of the national mental health system as well as targeted interventions should be applied in high risk individuals, i.e. unemployed, poor, suffering from mental or/and physical illnesses, in order to prevent or to mitigate the impact of the financial crisis in the greek population.
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Mood and pain are interrelated to each other in a mutual and complex manner. Patient populations in headache clinics exhibit more emotional disturbance than general practice patients. Nonetheless, the degree of psychological illness among headache patients is less than maybe found in psychiatric outpatients. ⋯ However, we did not find any significant relation between depression or anxiety and parameters such as pain intensity, monthly attack frequency, attack duration, presence or absence of aura, appearance of pre-ictal prodromal symptoms and migraine career duration (age of assessment minus age of migraine onset). These findings suggest that migraine, although often comorbid with depression and anxiety, has no specific headache characteristics causally related to mood abnormalities. Larger samples will be required in future studies to address the question of a link between more specific mood and mental disturbances with primary headache syndromes.