SCHIZOPHRENIA BULLETIN

Retina in Clinical High-Risk and First-Episode Psychosis
Demirlek C, Arslan B, Eyuboglu MS, Yalincetin B, Atas F, Cesim E, Demir M, Uzman Ozbek S, Kizilay E, Verim B, Sut E, Baykara B, Kaya M, Akdede BB and Bora E
Abnormalities in the retina are observed in psychotic disorders, especially in schizophrenia.
Probiotic Formulation for Patients With Bipolar or Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder: A Double-Blind, Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial
Borkent J, Ioannou M, Neijzen D, Haarman BCM and Sommer IEC
Probiotic augmentation offers a promising treatment for bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD). By targeting microbiome deviations, they may improve both gut and brain health.
Protective Factors Predict Resilient Outcomes in Clinical High-Risk Youth with the Highest Individualized Psychosis Risk Scores
Cadenhead KS, Addington J, Bearden CE, Cannon TD, Cornblatt BA, Keshavan M, Mathalon DH, Perkins DO, Stone W, Walker EF and Woods SW
Studying individuals at Clinical High Risk (CHR) for psychosis provides an opportunity to examine protective factors that predict resilient outcomes. Here, we present a model for the study of protective factors in CHR participants at the very highest risk for psychotic conversion based on the Psychosis Risk Calculator.
Transcriptomic Analysis of the Amygdala in Subjects with Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder Reveals Differentially Altered Metabolic Pathways
Zhang X, Valeri J, Eladawi MA, Gisabella B, Garrett MR, Vallender EJ, McCullumsmith R, Pantazopoulos H and O'Donovan SM
The amygdala, crucial for mood, anxiety, fear, and reward regulation, shows neuroanatomical and molecular divergence in psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depression. This region is also emerging as an important regulator of metabolic and immune pathways. The goal of this study is to address the paucity of molecular studies in the human amygdala. We hypothesize that diagnosis-specific gene expression alterations contribute to the unique pathophysiological profiles of these disorders.
The Optimal Dosage and Duration of Metformin for Prevention and Treatment of Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Peng TR, Chen JA, Lee JA, Hsing CP, Lee MC and Chen SM
Weight gain and metabolic complications are substantial adverse effects associated with second-generation antipsychotics. However, comprehensive guidelines for managing antipsychotic-induced weight gain are lacking.
Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Cognitive Impairment in Schizophrenia: The Role of Inflammation
Wang G, Liu S, Fan X, Li J, Xue Q, Liu K, Li X, Yang Y, Wang X, Song M, Shao M, Li W, Han Y, Lv L and Su X
The complex immune-brain interactions and the regulatory role of mitochondria in the immune response suggest that mitochondrial damage reported in schizophrenia (SZ) may be related to abnormalities observed in immune and brain functions.
The Therapeutic Relationship That Started My Recovery
Boait E
Psychotic Experiences and Risk of Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Population Studies
O'Hare K, Fadiloglu K, Lång U, Healy C, Cannon M, DeVylder J and Kelleher I
Since a prior systematic review and meta-analysis reported an association between psychotic experiences (PEs) and suicidal thoughts and behaviors, a large number of new studies have been published on the topic, including several novel studies on the association between PEs and transition from suicidal ideation to attempt.
Yoga-Based Group Intervention for Inpatients with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders-Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Outcomes of a Rater-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial
Hahne I, Zierhut M, Bergmann N, Hahn E, Ta TMT, Calvano C, Bajbouj M and Böge K
The efficacy of yoga as an adjunctive treatment for schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) has garnered interest. While yoga may positively influence various symptom domains, further investigation is needed due to the limited number, quality, and generalizability of studies. This study assessed the feasibility and acceptability (primary outcome) of a yoga-based group intervention (YoGI) developed in a participatory approach and explored its preliminary effectiveness.
The Effects of Cognitive Remediation on Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia-Spectrum Illness: A Meta-analytic Investigation of Efficacy
Melville G, Preisig C, Zheng M and Kurtz MM
The number of clinical efficacy trials of Cognitive Remediation (CR), a behavioral intervention consisting of cognitive task practice and/or strategy training to improve cognitive skills in schizophrenia, has increased substantially over the past 25 years. While recent reviews have highlighted the effects of CR on cognition and function, CR effects on negative symptoms remain understudied. Given the overlap between negative symptoms and cognition, CR effects might be expected.
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Contrast Sensitivity in Schizophrenia
Linares D, Joostens A and de la Malla C
Understanding perceptual alterations in mental disorders can help uncover neural and computational anomalies. In schizophrenia, perceptual alterations have been reported for many visual features, including a deficit in contrast sensitivity, a key measure of visual function. The evidence supporting this deficit, however, has not been comprehensively synthesized.
Exploring the Interactions Between Psychotic Symptoms, Cognition, and Environmental Risk Factors: A Bayesian Analysis of Networks
Bosma MJ, Marsman M, Vermeulen JM, Huth KBS, de Haan L, Alizadeh BZ, Simons CJC and Schirmbeck F
Psychotic disorders (PDs) have huge personal and societal impact, and efforts to improve outcomes in patients are continuously needed. Environmental risk factors (ERFs), especially modifiable risk factors, are important to study because they pose a target for intervention and prevention. No studies have investigated ERFs, cognition, and psychotic symptoms together in a network approach.
N-Methyl-d-Aspartate Receptor Antibody and Sensory Gating Deficits in Non-smoking, Minimal Antipsychotic Medication Exposure, and First-Episode Patients With Schizophrenia
Tong J, Yang K, Li W, Wang L, Yin Y, Zhou Y, Huang J, Zhang P, Zhao Y, Chen S, Fan H, Cui Y, Luo X, Tan S, Wang Z, Feng W, Tian B, Li CR, Hong LE and Tan Y
Sensory gating deficit is considered a pathophysiological feature of schizophrenia, which has been linked to N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction as one of the potential underlying mechanisms. Here, we hypothesize that higher levels of NMDAR antibody (Ab) may contribute to the sensory gating deficits in schizophrenia.
Correction to: Genetic Insights of Schizophrenia via Single Cell RNA-Sequencing Analyses
Bistable Perception Discriminates Between Depressive Patients, Controls, Schizophrenia Patients, and Their Siblings
Arani E, Garobbio S, Roinishvili M, Chkonia E, Herzog MH and van Wezel RJA
Individuals with schizophrenia have less priors than controls, meaning they rely less upon their prior experiences to interpret the current stimuli. These differences in priors are expected to show as higher alternation rates in bistable perception tasks like the Structure-from-Motion (SfM) paradigm. In this paradigm, continuously moving dots in two dimensions are perceived subjectively as traveling along a three-dimensional sphere, which results in a direction of motion (left or right) that shifts approximately every few seconds.
Clinician-Reported Negative Symptom Scales: A Systematic Review of Measurement Properties
Weigel L, Wehr S, Galderisi S, Mucci A, Davis JM and Leucht S
Negative symptoms of schizophrenia are correlated with reduction of normal function and lower quality of life. They were newly defined by the NIMH-MATRICS Consensus in 2005, dividing the rating tools to assess them into first-generation scales, developed before the Consensus, and second-generation scales, based on the recently introduced definitions.
Sex Differences in Subclinical Psychotic Experiences: The Role of Daily-Life Social Interactions
Akcaoglu Z, Myin-Germeys I, Vaessen T, Janssens JJ, Wampers M, Bamps E, Lafit G, Kirtley OJ and Achterhof R
Sex differences in psychosis are reported across the psychosis spectrum, including in subclinical stages. An important factor in understanding these variations is the subjective experience of everyday social interactions (SI). We investigated whether the presence of psychotic experiences (PEs), as well as associated distress, differs between men and women. We focused on the role of daily-life SI quality and whether its association with PEs varies by sex.
Day to Day Living With Schizophrenia
Jepson J
Effectiveness of Omega-3 Fatty Acids Versus Placebo in Subjects at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis: The PURPOSE Randomized Clinical Trial
Winter-van Rossum I, Slot MIE, van Hell HH, Bossong MG, Berger G, Aschauer H, Maat A, Walitza S, Lavan O, Baeza I, Dolz M, Monducci E, Fiori Nastro P, Kroken RA, Lawrie SM, Díaz-Caneja CM, Renner T, Schlögelhofer M, Scharinger C, Spalletta G, Banaj N, Otero S, Schipper M, Kwakkel DB, and Kahn RS
In the past 2 decades, substantial effort has been put into research on therapeutic options for people at ultra-high risk (UHR) for developing a first episode of psychosis (FEP), focusing on omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in preventing transition to psychosis. Despite an initial positive finding, subsequent studies failed to find a beneficial effect. The current study aimed to further investigate the effect of omega-3 PUFAs in UHR, to determine whether this line of research is worth pursuing.
Language, Motor Ability and Related Deficits in Children at Familial Risk of Schizophrenia or Bipolar Disorder
Schiavon M, Burton BK, Hemager N, Greve AN, Spang KS, Ellersgaard D, Plessen KJ, Jepsen JRM, Thorup AAE, Werge T, Nordentoft M and Nudel R
It is known that impairments in linguistic ability and motor function tend to co-occur in children, and that children from families with parental mental illness such as schizophrenia tend to perform poorly in both domains, but the exact nature of these links has not yet been fully elucidated.
Molecular Evidence for Altered Angiogenesis in Neuroinflammation-Associated Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder Implicate an Abnormal Midbrain Blood-Brain Barrier
Zhu Y, Webster MJ, Mendez Victoriano G, Middleton FA, Massa PT and Weickert CS
Angiogenesis triggered by inflammation increases BBB permeability and facilitates macrophage transmigration. In the midbrain, we have discovered molecular alterations related to the blood-brain barrier (BBB), including endothelial cell changes associated with macrophage diapedesis, in neuroinflammatory schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, but changes in angiogenesis are yet to be reported. Hypothesis: We expected to discover molecular evidence of altered angiogenesis in the midbrain in individuals with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder compared to controls, with these changes more evident in "high" inflammation schizophrenia as compared to "low" inflammation.