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Challenges in Translational Psychiatry

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A special issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (ISSN 1660-4601). This special issue belongs to the section "Mental Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 14438

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Prof. Dr. Drozdstoy Stoyanov

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Department of Psychiatry and Medical Psychology and Research Institute, Medical University of Plovdiv, 4002 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Interests: psychopathology; psychological assessment; neurobiology; neuroimaging; genetics; immunology; DSM; mental illness; treatment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Giuseppe Delvecchio

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Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy
Interests: neuroimaging; cognitive neuroscience; brain imaging

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Translational neuropsychiatry has achieved substantial progress over the past few decades in bringing together sometimes incommensurable knowledge which ranges from narratives of clinical evaluation to neurobiological data sets. The greatest challenge before the field is developing a proper methodological strategy that may potentially integrate those measurements into nomothetic networks as it is in most recognized medical disciplines [1]. In other words. the challenge is to co-produce meta-language that may translate the values-laden clinical phenomenology into the language of natural sciences, comprising mainly statistical quantities [2,3].

This Special Issue aims to provide insights into the efforts to capture and translate biological signatures of disease to clinical judgement and decision making in psychiatry.

Contributions from the international project “European Research Networks: Development of Institutional Partnerships in the Field of Translational Neuroscience across Europe” (https://mu-plovdiv.bg/en/project-development-of-institutional-partnership-across-europe-in-the-field-of-translational-neuroscience-dip-neuroscience/) as well as any other competitive research groups are most welcome.

References

Stoyanov, D., & Maes, M. H. (2021). How to construct neuroscience-informed psychiatric classification? Towards nomothetic networks psychiatry. World journal of psychiatry, 11(1), 1.
Stoyanov, D., Fulford, B., Stanghellini, G., Van Staden, W., & Wong, M. T. (2021). International perspectives in values-based mental health practice: Case studies and commentaries (p. 436). Springer Nature.
Stoyanov, D., Machamer, P. K., Schaffner, K. F., & Rivera-Hernández, R. (2012). The meta-language of psychiatry as cross-disciplinary effort: In response to Zachar (2012). Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 18(3), 710-720.

Prof. Dr. Drozdstoy Stoyanov
Dr. Giuseppe Delvecchio
Guest Editors

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Keywords

psychiatric diagnosis
biomarkers
biological signature of disease
clinical assessment
translational neuroscience

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 338 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Cognitive Disturbances and Clinical Symptoms on Disability in Patients with Paranoid Schizophrenia: A Study of a Bulgarian Clinical Sample

by Ivanka Veleva, Kaloyan Stoychev, Maya Stoimenova-Popova and Eleonora Mineva-Dimitrova

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(3), 2459; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20032459 - 30 Jan 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1448

Abstract

The study aimed to assess the impact of clinical symptoms and cognitive impairment on disability in patients with paranoid schizophrenia (PS). Methods: 108 patients with schizophrenia were included (66 male and 42 female). Their average age was 38.86 ± 10.02 years and the disease duration was 12.80 ± 8.20 years, with mean disease onset of 24 years. Clinical symptoms were assessed with the PANSS, and cognitive performance was measured using a seven-item neurocognitive battery. The disability level of the subjects was assessed using the World Health Organization—Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHO-DAS 2.0). The relation between the variables studied was assessed using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (r_s) at a probability level of p < 0.05. Results: An increase in symptom severity resulted in worsening of the “participation in society” (r = 0.56, p < 0.01), “life activities—household” (r = 0.55, p < 0.01), and “getting along with people” (r = 0.59, p < 0.01) WHO-DAS 2.0 domains. Positive symptoms (13.89 ± 3.48) correlated strongly with “getting along with people” (r = 0.55, p < 0.01), “life activities—household” (r = 0.58, p < 0.01), and “participation in society” (r = 0.62, p < 0.01), and negative symptoms (14.25 ± 4.16) with “participation in society” (r = 0.53, p < 0.01) and “life activities—household” (r = 0.48, p < 0.01). Symptoms of disorganization (15.67 ± 4.16) had the highest impact on “life activities—household” (r = 0.81, p < 0.01), “getting along with people” (r = 0.56, p < 0.05), and “participation in society” (r = 0.65, p < 0.01). Episodic memory (r = −0.28, p < 0.01) was remotely related to comprehension and communication. The information processing speed (r_s = 0.38, p < 0.01), visual memory (r_s = −0.30, p < 0.01), and focused executive functions showed moderate correlations with all domains on the WHO-DAS 2.0 scale (r_s = 0.38, p < 0.01). Attention (r_s = −0.33, p < 0.01) was moderately related to community activities. Semantic (r_s = −0.29, p < 0.01) and literal (r_s = −0.27, p < 0.01) verbal fluency demonstrated weak correlations with “cognition—understanding”, “getting along with people”, and “participation in society”. Conclusion: Symptoms of disorganization and disturbed executive functions contribute most to disability in patients with schizophrenia through impairment of real-world functioning, especially in social interactions and communication. Severe clinical symptoms (negative and disorganization-related ones) as well as deficits in executive function, verbal memory, and verbal fluency cause the biggest problems in the functional domains of interaction with other people and participation in society. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Translational Psychiatry)

18 pages, 428 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Neurocognitive Impulsivity in Opiate Users at Different Lengths of Abstinence

by Elena Psederska and Jasmin Vassileva

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1236; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021236 - 10 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1179

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to examine the effects of length of abstinence on decision making (impulsive choice) and response inhibition (impulsive action) in former opiate users (OU). Participants included 45 OU in early remission [0–12 months of abstinence], 68 OU in sustained remission [>12 months of abstinence], and 68 control participants. Decision making was assessed with the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), the Cambridge Gambling Task (CGT), and the Monetary Choice Questionnaire (MCQ). Response inhibition was examined with the Stop Signal Task (SST), and the Go/No-Go Task (GNG). Results revealed group differences in decision making under risk (CGT) and ambiguity (IGT), where control participants displayed better decision making compared to OU in early remission. Both groups of former OU were also characterized by higher discounting of delayed rewards (MCQ). Regression analyses revealed minimal effects of length of abstinence on performance on decision-making tasks and no effects on delay discounting. In addition, both OU groups showed reduced action inhibition (GNG) relative to controls and there were no group differences in action cancellation (SST). Length of abstinence had no effect on response inhibition. Overall, our findings suggest that neurocognitive function may not fully recover even with protracted abstinence, which should be addressed by relapse prevention and cognitive remediation programs for OU. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Translational Psychiatry)

17 pages, 3119 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impaired Non-Selective Response Inhibition in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

by Ruslan Masharipov, Alexander Korotkov, Irina Knyazeva, Denis Cherednichenko and Maxim Kireev

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2023, 20(2), 1171; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021171 - 09 Jan 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1853

Abstract

Two prominent features of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are the inability to inhibit intrusive thoughts and behaviors and pathological doubt or intolerance of uncertainty. Previous study showed that uncertain context modeled by equiprobable presentation of excitatory (Go) and inhibitory (NoGo) stimuli requires non-selective response inhibition in healthy subjects. In other words, it requires transient global inhibition triggered not only by excitatory stimuli but also by inhibitory stimuli. Meanwhile, it is unknown whether OCD patients show abnormal brain activity of the non-selective response inhibition system. In order to test this assumption, we performed an fMRI study with an equiprobable Go/NoGo task involving fourteen patients with OCD and compared them with 34 healthy controls. Patients with OCD showed pathological slowness in the Go/NoGo task. The non-selective response inhibition system in OCD included all brain areas seen in healthy controls and, in addition, involved the right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and the anterior insula/frontal operculum (AIFO). Moreover, a between-group comparison revealed hypoactivation of brain regions within cingulo-opercular and cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuits in OCD. Among hypoactivated areas, the right ACC and the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) were associated with non-selective inhibition. Furthermore, regression analysis showed that OCD slowness was associated with decreased activation in cingulate regions and two brain areas related to non-selective inhibition: the right DLPFC and the right inferior parietal lobule (IPL). These results suggest that non-selective response inhibition is impaired in OCD, which could be a potential explanation for a relationship between inhibitory deficits and the other remarkable characteristic of OCD known as intolerance of uncertainty. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Translational Psychiatry)

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18 pages, 1293 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Schizophrenia, the Effects of the IL-6/IL-23/Th17 Axis on Health-Related Quality of Life and Disabilities Are Partly Mediated by Generalized Cognitive Decline and the Symptomatome

by Ali Fattah Al-Musawi, Hussein Kadhem Al-Hakeim, Zahraa Abdulrazaq Al-Khfaji, Inas H. Al-Haboby, Abbas F. Almulla, Drozdstoj St. Stoyanov and Michael Maes

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(22), 15281; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192215281 - 18 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1527

Abstract

Schizophrenia patients show increased disabilities and lower quality of life (DisQoL). Nevertheless, there are no data on whether the activation of the interleukin (IL)-6, IL-23, T helper (Th)-17 axis, and lower magnesium and calcium levels impact DisQoL scores. This study recruited 90 patients with schizophrenia (including 40 with deficit schizophrenia) and 40 healthy controls and assessed the World Health Association QoL instrument-Abbreviated version and Sheehan Disability scale, Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS), IL-6, IL-23, IL-17, IL-21, IL-22, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, magnesium and calcium. Regression analyses showed that a large part of the first factor extracted from the physical, psychological, social and environmental HR-QoL and interference with school/work, social life, and home responsibilities was predicted by a generalized cognitive deterioration (G-CoDe) index (a latent vector extracted from BACs scores), and the first vector extracted from various symptom domains (“symptomatome”), whereas the biomarkers had no effects. Partial Least Squares analysis showed that the IL6IL23Th17 axis and magnesium/calcium had highly significant total (indirect + direct) effects on HR-QoL/disabilities, which were mediated by G-CoDe and the symptomatome (a first factor extracted from negative and positive symptoms). The IL6IL23Th17 axis explained 63.1% of the variance in the behavioral-cognitive-psycho-social (BCPS) worsening index a single latent trait extracted from G-CoDe, symptomatome, HR-QoL and disability data. In summary, the BCPS worsening index is partly caused by the neuroimmunotoxic effects of the IL6IL23Th17 axis in subjects with lowered antioxidant defenses (magnesium and calcium), thereby probably damaging the neuronal circuits that may underpin deficit schizophrenia. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Translational Psychiatry)

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11 pages, 1165 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of the Effect of Cariprazine on Memory and Cognition in Experimental Rodent Models

by Hristina Ivanova Zlatanova, Maria Todorova Georgieva-Kotetarova, Natalia Borisova Vilmosh and Ilin Kostadinov Kandilarov

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(22), 14748; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214748 - 09 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2629

Abstract

The main symptoms of schizophrenia are categorized as positive, negative, and cognitive. Cognitive impairments do not generally respond to antipsychotics. Cariprazine is a novel antipsychotic conceived with the idea that high affinity for D3 receptors may elicit a favorable response in the management of cognitive deficits. We evaluated the pro-cognitive properties of 14-day long pre-treatment with cariprazine (0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg/kg b.w. intraperitoneally) in experimental rodent models with scopolamine-induced memory impairment employing novel object recognition test (NORT), T-maze, Y-maze, and passive avoidance tasks (step-through and step-down). Statistical analysis was performed with One Way ANOVA. In NORT cariprazine increased the recognition index. In T-maze and Y-maze cariprazine increased the working memory index as well as the percentage of spontaneous alternation. Cariprazine improved learning and memory in both short-term and long-term memory retention tests in step-down and step-through tasks. Cariprazine improves learning, recognition, and spatial memory in rats with scopolamine-induced memory impairment. Cariprazine’s beneficial effect on cognition is likely due to its affinity for D3 receptors, as well as agonism at 5-HT1A receptors. Most probably, the cognitive-enhancing properties of cariprazine are the result of integrated modulation in the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Translational Psychiatry)

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19 pages, 2099 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Resting-State Functional Connectivity Impairment in Patients with Major Depressive Episode

by Drozdstoy Stoyanov, Vladimir Khorev, Rositsa Paunova, Sevdalina Kandilarova, Denitsa Simeonova, Artem Badarin, Alexander Hramov and Semen Kurkin

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(21), 14045; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192114045 - 28 Oct 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 1809

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to develop new approaches to characterize brain networks to potentially contribute to a better understanding of mechanisms involved in depression. Method and subjects: We recruited 90 subjects: 49 healthy controls (HC) and 41 patients with a major depressive episode (MDE). All subjects underwent clinical evaluation and functional resting-state MRI. The data were processed investigating functional connectivity network measures across the two groups using Brain Connectivity Toolbox. The statistical inferences were developed at a functional network level, using a false discovery rate method. Linear discriminant analysis was used to differentiate between the two groups. Results and discussion: Significant differences in functional connectivity (FC) between depressed patients vs. healthy controls was demonstrated, with brain regions including the lingual gyrus, cerebellum, midcingulate cortex and thalamus more prominent in healthy subjects as compared to depression where the orbitofrontal cortex emerged as a key node. Linear discriminant analysis demonstrated that full-connectivity matrices were the most precise in differentiating between depression vs. health subjects. Conclusion: The study provides supportive evidence for impaired functional connectivity networks in MDE patients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Translational Psychiatry)

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21 pages, 2085 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Lowered Quality of Life in Long COVID Is Predicted by Affective Symptoms, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Inflammation and Neuroimmunotoxic Pathways

by Michael Maes, Haneen Tahseen Al-Rubaye, Abbas F. Almulla, Dhurgham Shihab Al-Hadrawi, Kristina Stoyanova, Marta Kubera and Hussein Kadhem Al-Hakeim

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(16), 10362; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191610362 - 19 Aug 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2867

Abstract

The physio-affective phenome of Long COVID-19 is predicted by (a) immune-inflammatory biomarkers of the acute infectious phase, including peak body temperature (PBT) and oxygen saturation (SpO2), and (b) the subsequent activation of immune and oxidative stress pathways during Long COVID. The purpose of this study was to delineate the effects of PBT and SpO2 during acute infection, as well as the increased neurotoxicity on the physical, psychological, social and environmental domains of health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) in people with Long COVID. We recruited 86 participants with Long COVID and 39 normal controls, assessed the WHO-QoL-BREF (World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Abridged Version, Geneva, Switzerland) and the physio-affective phenome of Long COVID (comprising depression, anxiety and fibromyalgia-fatigue rating scales) and measured PBT and SpO2 during acute infection, and neurotoxicity (NT, comprising serum interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-18 and caspase-1, advanced oxidation protein products and myeloperoxidase, calcium and insulin resistance) in Long COVID. We found that 70.3% of the variance in HR-QoL was explained by the regression on the physio-affective phenome, lowered calcium and increased NT, whilst 61.5% of the variance in the physio-affective phenome was explained by calcium, NT, increased PBT, lowered SpO2, female sex and vaccination with AstraZeneca and Pfizer. The effects of PBT and SpO2 on lowered HR-QoL were mediated by increased NT and lowered calcium yielding increased severity of the physio-affective phenome which largely affects HR-QoL. In conclusion, lowered HR-Qol in Long COVID is largely predicted by the severity of neuro-immune and neuro-oxidative pathways during acute and Long COVID. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Challenges in Translational Psychiatry)

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