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Pecenak J, Novotny V. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment 2013;9:1595–1604.On page 1601, line 1 in the right-hand column, note that the drug "venlafaxine" is incorrect and should instead be "fluoxetine". The correct sentence is "The response rate in the current study was much higher than in the 6-week and 8-week double-blind, placebo-controlled studies of agomelatine13,36 and higher than in an observational study of different antidepressants where a 38.2% early remission rate and a 20.5% early response rate were found at week 6 of treatment,41 but similar to a double-blind study comparing agomelatine with fluoxetine in patients with severe depression."42Read the original article

Abstract Background This analysis of pooled data evaluates treatment outcomes of patients with schizophrenia receiving maintenance treatment with olanzapine long-acting injection (OLAI) by means of a categorical approach addressing the symptomatic and functional status of patients at different times. Methods Patients were grouped into 5 categories at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Shifts between categories were assessed for individual patients and factors associated with improvement were analyzed. 1182 patients from 3 clinical trials were included in the current analysis. Results At baseline, 434 (36.8%) patients had minimal Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) symptoms but seriously impaired Heinrich Carpenter’s Quality of Life Scale (QLS) functioning; 303 (25.6%) had moderate to severe symptoms and seriously impaired function; 208 (17.6%) had mild to moderate symptoms but good functioning, and 162 (13.7%) had minimal symptoms and good functioning. Baseline category was significantly associated with Clinical Global Impression – Severity (CGI-S), extrapyramidal symptoms, working status, age, and number of previous episodes. The majority of all patients starting OLAI treatment maintained or improved (62% at 6 months and 52% at 12 months) their symptom and functioning levels on OLAI maintenance treatment. Less than 8% of the patients showed worsening of symptoms or functioning. An improvement in category was associated with high PANSS positive and low CGI-S scores at baseline. Conclusions We present evidence that a composite assessment of schizophrenic patients including symptom severity and functioning is helpful in the evaluation of maintenance treatment outcomes. This approach could also be useful for the assessment of treatment options in clinical practice. The trials from which data are reported here were registered on clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00088491, NCT00088465, and NCT00320489.

The development of the concept of anhedonia as a traditionally used psychopathological symptom in the context of new findings published in the literature is described. Anhedonia is defined as a symptom in psychopathology that is primarily a part of depressive syndrome and is defined as an inability to feel pleasure. Théodul Ribot introduced the term into the scientific literature at the end of the 19th century. The term anhedonia appears only rarely among the criteria in the official classification of psychiatric disorders but it is nevertheless often mentioned in clinical and pre-clinical research publications. Research works evaluating anhedonia are coming mainly from the field of affective disorders, schizophrenia, personality disorders and addictions. Preclinical research and application of newer methods in human and animal research have led to the identification of various components of positive hedonic experience (reward) at the level of neuronal circuits and neurotransmitter systems. New concepts such as liking and wanting, consummatory and anticipatory anhedonia have been introduced, extending and refining the traditional understanding of this symptom but not yet adopted in clinical practice. Based on the synthesis of current knowledge, the authors propose a framework for applying new findings and definitions to psychopathological consideration of anhedonia as presented in different mental disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines the impact of induced social stress on facial trustworthiness judgments in individuals with schizophrenia (SCZ) and the associations between symptoms and trustworthiness ratings. Thirty-three individuals with SCZ and forty healthy controls (HC) were asked to rate the trustworthiness of 24 digitally morphed faces in two counterbalanced conditions. Mild social stress was induced by listening to loud noises from a busy street. BPRS, CAPE-42, and the Paranoia Scale measured the severity of symptoms. We did not observe significant differences in trustworthiness judgments between the patient and control groups. Social stress did not impact trust judgments. Paranoia was negatively connected to trustworthiness ratings in the control group. Subjective rating of stress in noise condition was negatively associated with paranoia only in the control sample. In the patient group, a negative correlation was found between trustworthiness ratings in stress conditions and the severity of self-reported negative symptoms. Our results suggest that mild social stress does not significantly affect trustworthiness judgments in either patients with SCZ or in HC. Differences between the patient and control groups in trustworthiness judgments were negligible. Overall, the results of this study can be considered mainly negative and contrast with previous studies. The stress induction paradigm or a smaller sample size might cause observed results. In controls, biased face perception was linked to trait paranoia. By contrast, in SCZ, other factors might impact trust perception and need further examination., (© 2024 The Author(s). PsyCh Journal published by Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Individuals with schizophrenia show aberrant processing of social cues. In the current study, we (1) compared trustworthiness ratings of faces between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls, (2) compared pupillary reactivity between patients and controls (3) examined whether trustworthiness judgments in schizophrenia are related to pupil reactivity, (4) and examined associations between trustworthiness judgements and symptom severity, specifically paranoia. Patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (N = 48) and healthy controls (N = 33) completed a Trustworthiness Task, during which their pupil size was measured via an eye-tracking device. The mean baseline-corrected pupil size was calculated from 24 pictures of real neutral faces, each presented for 2500 ms. Self-reported psychotic experiences were measured by Community Assessment of Psychic Functioning (CAPE-42), and symptom severity was rated by Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). No group differences were found in trustworthiness ratings or pupil reactivity parameters during trustworthiness judgments. Separately, among patients, absolute difference in pupil-size change and dilation after reaching minimum size were related to more severe positive symptoms and self-reported paranoia. Our results did not show social cognitive biases in the stable outpatients with schizophrenia, or the role of pupil reactivity in trustworthiness judgments. Future studies should use longer stimuli for pupillary reactivity and control the type and dosage of utilized antipsychotic medication. Further studies are required to explore relationships in larger and more symptomatic groups of patients., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Recent years have seen a growing interest in the use of digital tools for delivering person-centred mental health care. Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM), a structured diary technique for capturing moment-to-moment variation in experience and behaviour in service users' daily life, reflects a particularly promising avenue for implementing a person-centred approach. While there is evidence on the effectiveness of ESM-based monitoring, uptake in routine mental health care remains limited. The overarching aim of this hybrid effectiveness-implementation study is to investigate, in detail, reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance as well as contextual factors, processes, and costs of implementing ESM-based monitoring, reporting, and feedback into routine mental health care in four European countries (i.e., Belgium, Germany, Scotland, Slovakia)., Methods: In this hybrid effectiveness-implementation study, a parallel-group, assessor-blind, multi-centre cluster randomized controlled trial (cRCT) will be conducted, combined with a process and economic evaluation. In the cRCT, 24 clinical units (as the cluster and unit of randomization) at eight sites in four European countries will be randomly allocated using an unbalanced 2:1 ratio to one of two conditions: (a) the experimental condition, in which participants receive a Digital Mobile Mental Health intervention (DMMH) and other implementation strategies in addition to treatment as usual (TAU) or (b) the control condition, in which service users are provided with TAU. Outcome data in service users and clinicians will be collected at four time points: at baseline (t 0 ), 2-month post-baseline (t 1 ), 6-month post-baseline (t 2 ), and 12-month post-baseline (t 3 ). The primary outcome will be patient-reported service engagement assessed with the service attachment questionnaire at 2-month post-baseline. The process and economic evaluation will provide in-depth insights into in-vivo context-mechanism-outcome configurations and economic costs of the DMMH and other implementation strategies in routine care, respectively., Discussion: If this trial provides evidence on reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance of implementing ESM-based monitoring, reporting, and feedback, it will form the basis for establishing its public health impact and has significant potential to bridge the research-to-practice gap and contribute to swifter ecological translation of digital innovations to real-world delivery in routine mental health care., Trial Registration: ISRCTN15109760 (ISRCTN registry, date: 03/08/2022)., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objectives: Non - clinical individuals with higher levels of autistic traits and psychotic experiences also have problems in social relationships. Therefore, this study aimed to model complex associations between autistic and psychotic phenotypes and indicators of social relationships in the general population using a network approach., Methods: The sample consisted of 649 participants with a mean age of M = 40.23 and SD = 13.09 sampled from the general population. The sample was representative for the 18-65 years old general population in the Slovak Republic. The following scales were administered: Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences, The Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory, and NIH Toolbox Adult Social Relationship Scales. Associations between variables and the presence of communities were identified using Exploratory Graph Analysis., Results: Results revealed four highly stable and densely connected communities within the network: social relationships, autistic traits, positive symptoms, and the last one consisting of all negative symptoms, problems in social interactions, and depression. The most important variables in the network were difficulties in social interaction, perceived rejection, bizarre ideas, depression, and social withdrawal., Conclusions: The psychotic and autistic phenotypes in the general population showed a network of connections with characteristics of social relationships. Community detection revealed that autistic traits and psychotic-like experiences formed relatively independent communities. Further, there was substantial overlap between negative symptoms (e.g., social withdrawal), and core features of the autistic phenotype, especially social interaction difficulties., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Authors do not have any conflicts of interest regarding design and interpretation of results of current study., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

CD33 rs3865444:C>A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) has been previously associated with the risk of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD); however, the results have been inconsistent across different populations. CD33 is a transmembrane receptor that plays an important role in AD pathogenesis by inhibiting amyloid β42 uptake by microglial cells. In this study, we aimed to validate the association between rs3865444 and LOAD risk in the Slovak population and to evaluate whether it was affected by the carrier status of the major LOAD risk allele apolipoprotein (APOE) ε4. CD33 rs3865444 and APOE variants were genotyped in 206 LOAD patients and 487 control subjects using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method and direct sequencing, respectively. Logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association of rs3865444 A allele with a reduced LOAD risk that was only present in APOE ε4 allele carriers (AA + CA versus CC: p = .0085; OR = 0.45; 95% CI = 0.25-0.82). On the other hand, no such association was found in subjects without the APOE ε4 (p = .75; OR = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.61-1.42). Moreover, regression analysis detected a significant interaction between CD33 rs3865444 A and APOE ε4 alleles (p = .021 for APOE ε4 allele dosage and p = .051 for APOE ε4 carriage status), with synergy factor (SF) value of 0.49 indicating an antagonistic effect between the two alleles in LOAD risk. In conclusion, our results suggest that CD33 rs3865444:C˃A substitution may reduce the risk of LOAD in Slovaks by antagonizing the effect conferred by the major susceptibility allele APOE ε4., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Competing Interests: Authors do not report a conflict of interest related to the content of this letter.

Background: Dysfunction of social-cognitive abilities is one of the hallmark features of schizophrenia and is associated with neurocognition and social functioning. The Green and Nuechterlein model proposed that social cognition mediates the relationship between neurocognition and functional outcome. We tested this hypothesis in schizophrenia patients in the everyday clinical setting., Subjects and Methods: Social cognition, executive function and social functioning were assessed in a group of 43 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder using a range of measures., Results: Theory of mind was associated with executive functions and social functioning. Results of our mediation analysis suggested that the relationship between executive functions and social functioning was mediated by theory of mind. No relationships between emotion recognition and the domains of social functioning were found., Conclusions: In line with prior research, zero-order associations were found between theory of mind and social functioning. Theory of mind was a mediator of the relationships between neurocognition and social functioning. Our results suggest that theory of mind should be a potential target of interventions to improve social functioning.

Background: The chronic course of schizophrenia typically results in severe social, vocational and functional impairment, interferes with patients' autonomy, reduces quality of life and increases disability., Aims: The aim of our study was: (1) to assess social and functional impairment in schizophrenia outpatients from the Czech Republic and Slovakia; and (2) to examine a relationship between functioning and antipsychotic treatment and demographic variables., Methods: Schizophrenia outpatients in a stable phase of illness, treated with current antipsychotic medication for a minimum of one month, were enrolled for the study. Demographic and medication data were recorded. The Personal and Social Performance (PSP), Subjective Well-Being under Neuroleptics (SWN) and Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scales were administered., Results: The total number of study subjects was 926. Most PSP values were within the interval of moderate impairment. Functional performance correlated positively with subjective satisfaction with medication and negatively with symptom severity. Higher education predicted better functioning on PSP. The best performance was associated with a stable relationship and a useful work role. Patients who showed the best level of functioning were more likely to be treated with antipsychotic monotherapy. No difference among drugs in monotherapy was found in subjective satisfaction., Conclusions: The PSP values of stable schizophrenia outpatients indicated a moderate degree of impairment. Improvement of functional capacity remains one of the unmet needs of schizophrenia patients., (© The Author(s) 2013.)