The impact of smoking status on cognition and brain morphology in schizophrenia spectrum disorders

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Elysha Ringin ◽  
Vanessa Cropley ◽  
Andrew Zalesky ◽  
Jason Bruggemann ◽  
Suresh Sundram ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cigarette Smoking ◽  
Statistical Power ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Brain Morphology ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Cortical Volume ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽  
Left Posterior ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Cigarette smoking is associated with worse cognition and decreased cortical volume and thickness in healthy cohorts. Chronic cigarette smoking is prevalent in schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD), but the effects of smoking status on the brain and cognition in SSD are not clear. This study aimed to understand whether cognitive performance and brain morphology differed between smoking and non-smoking individuals with SSD compared to healthy controls. Methods Data were obtained from the Australian Schizophrenia Research Bank. Cognitive functioning was measured in 299 controls and 455 SSD patients. Cortical volume, thickness and surface area data were analysed from T1-weighted structural scans obtained in a subset of the sample (n = 82 controls, n = 201 SSD). Associations between smoking status (cigarette smoker/non-smoker), cognition and brain morphology were tested using analyses of covariance, including diagnosis as a moderator. Results No smoking by diagnosis interactions were evident, and no significant differences were revealed between smokers and non-smokers across any of the variables measured, with the exception of a significantly thinner left posterior cingulate in smokers compared to non-smokers. Several main effects of smoking in the cognitive, volume and thickness analyses were initially significant but did not survive false discovery rate (FDR) correction. Conclusions Despite the general absence of significant FDR-corrected findings, trend-level effects suggest the possibility that subtle smoking-related effects exist but were not uncovered due to low statistical power. An investigation of this topic is encouraged to confirm and expand on our findings.

scholarly journals The impact of schizotypy on pragmatics

2020 ◽  
Vol 62 ◽  
pp. e020014
Author(s):  
Monica de Freitas Frias Chaves ◽  
Cilene Rodrigues
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Contextual Information ◽  
Brazilian Portuguese ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Semantic Meaning ◽  
General Hypothesis ◽  
Schizotypal Personality ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
The Impact

High levels of linguistic referential failures are associated with liability to develop schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, and it has been shown that these failures can differentiate healthy subjects, high-schizotypal and schizophrenics groups. Nevertheless, few investigations have focused on whether or not schizotypal traits in nonclinical populations can also impact linguistic reference. In Brazilian Portuguese, only one previous study (acceptability judgements task) had been conducted, and its results suggest association between schizotypal traits and a more rigid preference for assignment of specific readings to definite singular DPs. Here, we present another experimental study in Brazilian Portuguese,  a comprehension task designed to examine possible effects of schizotypal personality traits on the interpretation of definite singular DPs. The findings, in line with the previous results, support the conclusion that schizotypy does affect the interpretation of definite singular DPs in Brazilian Portuguese. Together, these two experiments suggest that schizotypal personality traits impact the integration of linguistic contextual information into the semantic meaning of definite DPs. This is  consistent with the general hypothesis that schizotypy, similarly to schizophrenia, is associated with pragmatic difficulties. Yet, our results emphasize that the impact of schizotypal traits on pragmatics can be observed even in healthy (nonclinical) speakers.

scholarly journals A Randomized Clinical Trial of Oxytocin or Galantamine in Schizophrenia: Assessing the Impact on Behavioral, Lexical, and Self-Report Indicators of Social Affiliation

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen R Dwyer ◽  
Alexandra M Andrea ◽  
Christina L G Savage ◽  
Ryan D Orth ◽  
LeeAnn Shan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Social Affiliation ◽  
Subjective Responses ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Prior studies examining the impact of oxytocin on negative symptoms in schizophrenia have yielded mixed results. The current study explored whether oxytocin can improve more proximal indicators of social affiliation as indicated by changes in behavior, language and subjective indices of social affiliation among individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders during a role-play designed to elicit affiliative responses. We tested the hypothesis that daily intranasal oxytocin administered for 6 weeks would improve social affiliation as manifested by increased social skill ratings, use of positive, affiliative, and social words, and subjective responses from a previously published randomized controlled trial. Forty outpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were randomized to the oxytocin, galantamine, or placebo group and completed affiliative role-plays and self-report questionnaires of affect, reactions to the affiliative confederate, and willingness to interact at baseline and post-treatment. Results demonstrated that oxytocin was not effective at improving behavioral or subjective indicators of social affiliation. This study adds to a growing literature that the prosocial effects of oxytocin in schizophrenia are limited or null.

scholarly journals How do ethnicity and deprivation impact on life expectancy at birth in people with serious mental illness? Observational study in the UK

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Jayati Das-Munshi ◽  
Chin-Kuo Chang ◽  
Alex Dregan ◽  
Stephani L. Hatch ◽  
Craig Morgan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Bipolar Disorders ◽  
Mental Illnesses ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Life Expectancy At Birth ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Deprived Areas

Abstract Background Across international contexts, people with serious mental illnesses (SMI) experience marked reductions in life expectancy at birth. The intersection of ethnicity and social deprivation on life expectancy in SMI is unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of ethnicity and area-level deprivation on life expectancy at birth in SMI, defined as schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, bipolar disorders and depression, using data from London, UK. Methods Abridged life tables to calculate life expectancy at birth, in a cohort with clinician-ascribed ICD-10 schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, bipolar disorders or depression, managed in secondary mental healthcare. Life expectancy in the study population with SMI was compared with life expectancy in the general population and with those residing in the most deprived areas in England. Results Irrespective of ethnicity, people with SMI experienced marked reductions in life expectancy at birth compared with the general population; from 14.5 years loss in men with schizophrenia-spectrum and bipolar disorders, to 13.2 years in women. Similar reductions were noted for people with depression. Across all diagnoses, life expectancy at birth in people with SMI was lower than the general population residing in the most deprived areas in England. Conclusions Irrespective of ethnicity, reductions in life expectancy at birth among people with SMI are worse than the general population residing in the most deprived areas in England. This trend in people with SMI is similar to groups who experience extreme social exclusion and marginalisation. Evidence-based interventions to tackle this mortality gap need to take this into account.

scholarly journals Clozapine treatment and risk of COVID-19 infection: retrospective cohort study

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Risha Govind ◽  
Daniela Fonseca de Freitas ◽  
Megan Pritchard ◽  
Richard D. Hayes ◽  
James H. MacCabe
Keyword(s):  
Service Use ◽  
Smoking Status ◽  
Antipsychotic Treatment ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Clozapine Treatment ◽  
Susceptibility To Infection ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Clinical Records

Background Clozapine, an antipsychotic with unique efficacy in treatment-resistant psychosis, is associated with increased susceptibility to infection, including pneumonia. Aims To investigate associations between clozapine treatment and increased risk of COVID-19 infection in patients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders who are receiving antipsychotic medications in a geographically defined population in London, UK. Method Using information from South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLAM) clinical records, via the Clinical Record Interactive Search system, we identified 6309 individuals who had an ICD-10 diagnosis of schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and were taking antipsychotics at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic onset in the UK. People who were on clozapine treatment were compared with those on any other antipsychotic treatment for risk of contracting COVID-19 between 1 March and 18 May 2020. We tested associations between clozapine treatment and COVID-19 infection, adjusting for gender, age, ethnicity, body mass index (BMI), smoking status and SLAM service use. Results Of 6309 participants, 102 tested positive for COVID-19. Individuals who were on clozapine had increased risk of COVID-19 infection compared with those who were on other antipsychotic medication (unadjusted hazard ratio HR = 2.62, 95% CI 1.73–3.96), which was attenuated after adjusting for potential confounders, including clinical contact (adjusted HR = 1.76, 95% CI 1.14–2.72). Conclusions These findings provide support for the hypothesis that clozapine treatment is associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 infection. Further research will be needed in other samples to confirm this association. Potential clinical implications are discussed.

scholarly journals The Role of Dopaminergic Genes in Probabilistic Reinforcement Learning in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Dorota Frydecka ◽  
Błażej Misiak ◽  
Patryk Piotrowski ◽  
Tomasz Bielawski ◽  
Edyta Pawlak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Genetic Polymorphisms ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽  
Probabilistic Reinforcement ◽  
Healthy Control ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Dopaminergic Genes ◽  
Allele Repeat

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SZ) are characterized by impairments in probabilistic reinforcement learning (RL), which is associated with dopaminergic circuitry encompassing the prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia. However, there are no studies examining dopaminergic genes with respect to probabilistic RL in SZ. Thus, the aim of our study was to examine the impact of dopaminergic genes on performance assessed by the Probabilistic Selection Task (PST) in patients with SZ in comparison to healthy control (HC) subjects. In our study, we included 138 SZ patients and 188 HC participants. Genetic analysis was performed with respect to the following genetic polymorphisms: rs4680 in COMT, rs907094 in DARP-32, rs2734839, rs936461, rs1800497, and rs6277 in DRD2, rs747302 and rs1800955 in DRD4 and rs28363170 and rs2975226 in DAT1 genes. The probabilistic RL task was completed by 59 SZ patients and 95 HC subjects. SZ patients performed significantly worse in acquiring reinforcement contingencies during the task in comparison to HCs. We found no significant association between genetic polymorphisms and RL among SZ patients; however, among HC participants with respect to the DAT1 rs28363170 polymorphism, individuals with 10-allele repeat genotypes performed better in comparison to 9-allele repeat carriers. The present study indicates the relevance of the DAT1 rs28363170 polymorphism in RL in HC participants.

scholarly journals EPA guidance on physical activity as a treatment for severe mental illness: a meta-review of the evidence and Position Statement from the European Psychiatric Association (EPA), supported by the International Organization of Physical Therapists in Mental Health (IOPTMH)

2018 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 124-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brendon Stubbs ◽  
Davy Vancampfort ◽  
Mats Hallgren ◽  
Joseph Firth ◽  
Nicola Veronese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Mental Illness ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽  
Meta Review ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
The Impact

AbstractPhysical activity (PA) may be therapeutic for people with severe mental illness (SMI) who generally have low PA and experience numerous life style-related medical complications. We conducted a meta-review of PA interventions and their impact on health outcomes for people with SMI, including schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder. We searched major electronic databases until January 2018 for systematic reviews with/without meta-analysis that investigated PA for any SMI. We rated the quality of studies with the AMSTAR tool, grading the quality of evidence, and identifying gaps, future research needs and clinical practice recommendations. For MDD, consistent evidence indicated that PA can improve depressive symptoms versus control conditions, with effects comparable to those of antidepressants and psychotherapy. PA can also improve cardiorespiratory fitness and quality of life in people with MDD, although the impact on physical health outcomes was limited. There were no differences in adverse events versus control conditions. For MDD, larger effect sizes were seen when PA was delivered at moderate-vigorous intensity and supervised by an exercise specialist. For schizophrenia-spectrum disorders, evidence indicates that aerobic PA can reduce psychiatric symptoms, improves cognition and various subdomains, cardiorespiratory fitness, whilst evidence for the impact on anthropometric measures was inconsistent. There was a paucity of studies investigating PA in bipolar disorder, precluding any definitive recommendations. No cost effectiveness analyses in any SMI condition were identified. We make multiple recommendations to fill existing research gaps and increase the use of PA in routine clinical care aimed at improving psychiatric and medical outcomes.

scholarly journals Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders: narrative review

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naista Zhand ◽  
Ridha Joober
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Patient Population ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
Case Series ◽  
World Health ◽  
Treatment Recommendation ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Schizophrenia Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
The Impact

Background COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March 2020, by the World Health Organization. The pandemic has had unprecedented worldwide implications, in particular on marginalized populations. Aims The aim of this study is to review the impact of the pandemic on patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Method A number of databases were searched for this review, including PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO and Google Scholar. Search terms included psychosis and COVID-19, schizophrenia and COVID-19, and severe mental illness and COVID-19. We included all English language papers and preprints. The final search was done on 15 July 2020. Results Forty-seven relevant studies were identified and included in this review. Studies were summarised into five main subcategories: potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical health outcomes of patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders, impact on mental health outcomes, review of case reports and case series to date, treatment recommendation guidelines and risk of increased prevalence of psychosis. Conclusions Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders may be vulnerable to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This patient population has a number of risk factors, including psychosocial adversities and illness related factors. Continuous monitoring and long-term studies of the impact of the pandemic on this patient population are required.

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