Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuriy M. Kositsyn, Murilo S. de Abreu, Tatiana O. Kolesnikova, Alexey A. Lagunin, Vladimir V. Poroikov, Hasmik S. Harutyunyan, Konstantin B. Yenkoyan, Allan V. Kalueff
Summary: Depression and schizophrenia are common and debilitating neuropsychiatric disorders, for which current pharmacotherapies have limited efficacy and significant side effects. This highlights the need for novel drug targets. Recent advancements in translational research, research tools, and approaches have provided potential avenues for innovative drug discovery. This article provides a comprehensive overview of current treatments and outlines potential molecular targets for these disorders, while also addressing translational challenges and unanswered questions to encourage further research.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Chao Zhang, Dongdong Zheng, Weijing Feng, Huanji Zhang, Feng Han, Wanbing He, Aiting Liu, Hui Huang, Jie Chen
Summary: The study found a negative association between aortic calcification and APD dose in schizophrenia patients, with olanzapine appearing to play a key role in the relationship between aortic calcification and APD treatment.
FRONTIERS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Tuyen T. Le, Joshua D. Di Vincenzo, Kayla M. Teopiz, Yena Lee, Danielle S. Cha, Leanna M. W. Lui, Nelson B. Rodrigues, Roger C. Ho, Bing Cao, Kangguang Lin, Flora Nasri, Hartej Gill, Orly Lipsitz, Mehala Subramaniapillai, Rodrigo B. Mansur, Joshua D. Rosenblat, Roger S. McIntyre
Summary: Psychotic depression is a severe subtype of major depressive disorder with high relapse and mortality rates. Ketamine may be an alternative pharmacotherapy, but its efficacy and safety in patients with psychotic depression have not been established.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Psychiatry
Jiaxin Zeng, Wenjing Zhang, Guorong Wu, Xiaowan Wang, Chandan Shah, Siyi Li, Yuan Xiao, Li Yao, Hengyi Cao, Zhenlin Li, John A. Sweeney, Su Lui, Qiyong Gong
Summary: The study demonstrates that initiation of antipsychotic treatment alters brain features in ways that further distinguish individual schizophrenia patients from healthy individuals, with illness duration having a modest effect on this differentiation.
SCHIZOPHRENIA BULLETIN
(2022)
Review
Psychiatry
Ella Pearson, Dan Siskind, Ruth E. Hubbard, Emily H. Gordon, Elizabeth J. Coulson, Nicola Warren
Summary: Emerging evidence suggests that individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) are at an increased risk of frailty. This systematic review examined the prevalence and correlates of frailty, as well as the efficacy of interventions, in this population. The findings indicate a high prevalence of frailty among individuals with SMI, with associations to physical comorbidity, cognitive deficits, falls, and mortality. However, further research is needed to develop appropriate interventions for frailty in this population.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Natalie C. Momen, Thalia Robakis, Xiaoqin Liu, Abraham Reichenberg, Veerle Bergink, Trine Munk-Olsen
Summary: The study found no increased risk of psychiatric disorders among children of women who continued antipsychotic treatment during pregnancy. The results suggest that women who need to continue taking antipsychotic medications during pregnancy can do so without adverse psychiatric outcomes for their offspring, after considering the underlying risk posed by maternal psychiatric disorders.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Psychiatry
Thea L. Hedemann, Xinran Liu, Cindy N. Kang, Muhammad I. Husain
Summary: This review examines the association between psoriasis and mental illness, suggesting that the elevated burden of psychiatric comorbidity in psoriasis patients may be explained by an inflammatory model. Psoriasis patients are more likely to experience depressive and anxiety symptoms, and have a higher risk of schizophrenia and suicidal ideation. Increased levels of inflammatory markers are found in both psoriasis and mental illness, indicating potential shared inflammatory pathways.
GENERAL HOSPITAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Review
Neurosciences
Janusz K. Rybakowski
Summary: Antipsychotic drugs have been widely used in the treatment of mood disorders in addition to schizophrenia since their first application in psychiatry seventy years ago. These drugs can be classified into three generations, and each generation has different effects on mood disorders. The second and third generations of antipsychotic drugs have shown efficacy in the treatment of bipolar disorder, including antimanic and antidepressant effects.
Article
Psychiatry
Nicola Warren, Stuart Leske, Urska Arnautovska, Korinne Northwood, Steve Kisely, Dan Siskind
Summary: The prevalence of frailty is higher in individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) than in the general population. Frailty measures such as frailty index, physical frailty phenotype (PFP), and Hospital Frailty Risk Score (HFRS) can help identify those who may benefit from targeted interventions.
Article
Neurosciences
Robert A. Mccutcheon, Paul J. Harrison, Oliver D. Howes, Philip K. Mcguire, David M. Taylor, Toby Pillinger
Summary: This study analyzed the receptor affinities of antipsychotic medications and grouped them into four categories based on their predominant receptor affinities. The classification was shown to predict clinical effects of the drugs and has the potential to guide treatment and inform drug development.
BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Masaki Kato, Takahiro Masuda, Fumiya Sano, Tadafumi Kato
Summary: This study investigated the efficacy and safety of lurasidone monotherapy in patients with bipolar I depression. The results showed significant improvement in depressive symptoms in non-rapid cycling patients, while the improvement was weaker in rapid cycling patients.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Ole Kohler-Forsberg, Louisa G. Sylvia, Vicki Fung, Lindsay Overhage, Michael Thase, Joseph R. Calabrese, Thilo Deckersbach, Mauricio Tohen, Charles L. Bowden, Melvin McInnis, James H. Kocsis, Edward S. Friedman, Terence A. Ketter, Susan L. McElroy, Richard C. Shelton, Michael J. Ostacher, Dan V. Iosifescu, Andrew A. Nierenberg
Summary: In this study, adjunctive antidepressant treatment was not associated with lower depressive symptoms or higher mania symptoms in outpatients with bipolar disorder. There were no differences in treatment effects on mania scales, and potential biases due to nonrandomized design complicated causal interpretations, with no evidence suggesting better treatment effects of adjunctive antidepressants.
DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Ju-Wei Hsu, Li-Chi Chen, Shih-Jen Tsai, Kai-Lin Huang, Ya-Mei Bai, Tung-Ping Su, Tzeng-Ji Chen, Mu -Hong Chen
Summary: Studies have shown that there is a positive relationship between resistance to antidepressants and the progression of bipolar disorder. However, the specific influence of different types of antidepressants, such as SSRIs and SNRIs, in this context has not been thoroughly investigated. This study recruited a total of 5,285 young people with antidepressant-resistant depression and 21,140 with antidepressant-responsive depression. It was found that those with resistance to antidepressants, especially to both SSRIs and SNRIs, were at an increased risk of developing bipolar disorder.
EUROPEAN NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Xiaofeng Lan, Yanling Zhou, Chengyu Wang, Weicheng Li, Fan Zhang, Haiyan Liu, Ling Fu, Kai Wu, Roger S. McIntyre, Yuping Ning
Summary: This study found that in depression patients with severe pain, significant improvement in depressive symptoms was observed after six ketamine infusions, while patients with mild pain or no pain showed lower improvement.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Margherita Barbuti, Giulia Menculini, Norma Verdolini, Isabella Pacchiarotti, Georgios D. Kotzalidis, Alfonso Tortorella, Eduard Vieta, Giulio Perugi
Summary: The present systematic review aimed to summarize the evidence about treatment-emergent mood switches in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). Thirty-two original studies met the inclusion criteria, and the majority focused on manic switches with limited research on depressive switches. Treatment-emergent mania/hypomania ranged from 17.3% to 48.8% and was more frequent with antidepressant monotherapy compared to combination treatment with mood stabilizers. Depressive switches were detected in 5-16% of patients and were associated with antipsychotic use. Methodological heterogeneity and small sample sizes were limitations in the included studies.
EUROPEAN NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Clinical Neurology
Gavin P. Reynolds, Olga O. McGowan
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Sri-Arun Iamjan, Samur Thanoi, Paritat Watiktinkorn, Helene Fachim, Caroline F. Dalton, Sutisa Nudmamud-Thanoi, Gavin P. Reynolds
Summary: The study investigated the effects of methamphetamine on DNA methylation of BDNF in humans and rats, finding increased methylation in patients and rats with METH exposure. These changes may affect BDNF expression and contribute to the neurotoxic effects of METH.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Camila M. Loureiro, Helene A. Fachim, Fabiana Corsi-Zuelli, Rosana Shuhama, Paulo R. Menezes, Caroline F. Dalton, Cristina M. Del-Ben, Gavin P. Reynolds, Paulo Louzada-Junior
Summary: The study found that childhood trauma may influence DNA methylation in individuals with a predisposition to psychosis, but not in those with frank schizophrenia or controls.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Helene A. Fachim, Fabiana Corsi-Zuelli, Camila M. Loureiro, Sri-arun Iamjan, Rosana Shuhama, Samia Joca, Paulo Rossi Menezes, Adrian Heald, Paulo Louzada-Junior, Caroline F. Dalton, Cristina Marta Del-Ben, Gavin P. Reynolds
Summary: The study suggests that childhood maltreatment may result in increased BDNF methylation, providing a mechanism underlying the association between early-life stress and psychosis.
PROGRESS IN NEURO-PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY & BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Review
Genetics & Heredity
Adam Jameson, Beth Fylan, Greg C. Bristow, Gurdeep S. Sagoo, Caroline Dalton, Alastair Cardno, Jaspreet Sohal, Samantha L. McLean
Summary: The use of pharmacogenetics (PGx) in psychiatry aims to personalize medication selection, but its implementation in mental health settings in the UK has been slow. Barriers to implementation include cost, workflow integration concerns, and limited knowledge about PGx, while enablers include optimism for precision medicine, reducing ADRs, and becoming a routine part of psychiatric care. Overcoming these barriers and capitalizing on the enablers are crucial for the uptake of PGx in NHS psychiatric care settings.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2021)
Meeting Abstract
Clinical Neurology
H. Fachim, C. Loureiro, F. Corsi-Zuelli, P. Rossi-Menezes, P. Louzada-, C. Dalton, A. Heald, C. M. Del-Ben, G. Reynolds
EUROPEAN NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Gavin P. Reynolds
Summary: Research in Peter Riederer's lab in Vienna in the late 1970s stemmed from a strong tradition in post-mortem neurochemical studies, acknowledging the value of post-mortem brain tissue in understanding pharmacological mechanisms of neuropsychiatric treatments. Investigating dopamine, D2 receptors, and GABAergic neurons led to the discovery of deficits associated with schizophrenia. Subsequent research on DNA methylation of the parvalbumin gene aims to further understand these findings in psychotic illness and its animal models.
JOURNAL OF NEURAL TRANSMISSION
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Camila M. Loureiro, Helene A. Fachim, Michael K. Harte, Caroline F. Dalton, Gavin P. Reynolds
Summary: This study investigated the DNA methylation and protein expression changes in NMDAR subunits in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of rats after subchronic PCP administration. The results showed hypermethylation of Grin1 and Grin2b promoters and reduction in NR1 protein levels. These alterations may contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Keke Hao, Huiling Wang, Yuejin Zhang, Xinhui Xie, Huan Huang, Cheng Chen, Shilin Xu, Rui Xu, Chang Shu, Zhongchun Liu, Yuan Zhou, Gavin P. Reynolds, Gaohua Wang
Summary: Early life stress may lead to schizophrenia-like phenotypes and persistent hippocampal abnormalities. Nicotinamide may be a safe and effective treatment in adolescence to restore normal hippocampal function and prevent or ameliorate schizophrenia-like behavior.
JOURNAL OF NEUROINFLAMMATION
(2022)
Review
Psychiatry
David Taylor, Ramalingam Chithiramohan, Jasdev Grewal, Avirup Gupta, Lars Hansen, Gavin P. Reynolds, Sofia Pappa
Summary: There are three marketed dopamine D2 partial agonists worldwide: aripiprazole, brexpiprazole, and cariprazine. These drugs have similar pharmacological properties and clinical effects, including being effective antipsychotics with antimanic and antidepressant activity. They are well tolerated with minimal side effects and have a low risk of increased prolactin, weight gain, and tardive dyskinesia.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY IN CLINICAL PRACTICE
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
John Cookson, Jonathan Pimm, Gavin Reynolds
Summary: This study examines the effects of combining partial agonists and full antagonists in the treatment of psychosis and analyzes the impact of the dopamine hypothesis on treatment outcomes. The combinations considered include aripiprazole with amisulpride, with risperidone in people with hyperprolactinaemia, and with olanzapine to mitigate weight gain. The study discusses the potential worsening of symptoms by adding or switching to a partial agonist and explores the adverse interaction with a full antagonist, such as haloperidol, during a subsequent relapse to control severe agitation.
Article
Education & Educational Research
Melissa M. Lacey, Hollie Shaw, Nikki Abbott, Caroline J. Dalton, David P. Smith
Summary: This study investigates the inspirations and aspirations of first year Biosciences and Chemistry undergraduates, and reveals the connection between career goals and ethnicity. The findings also highlight the importance of aligning course content with students' career aims for increased motivation and engagement.
EDUCATION SCIENCES
(2022)
Letter
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Gavin P. Reynolds