Acta Neuropsychiatrica 

About: Acta Neuropsychiatrica is an academic journal published by Cambridge University Press. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Bipolar disorder & Schizophrenia. It has an ISSN identifier of 0924-2708. Over the lifetime, 1459 publications have been published receiving 16273 citations. The journal is also known as: Acta neuro psychiatrica & Acta neuro-psychiatrica.

A meta-analytic study of changes in brain activation in depression.

Abstract: Objective:A large number of studies with considerably variable methods have been per- formed to investigate brain regions involved in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder. The aim of this study was to use a quantitative meta-analytic technique to synthesise the results of much of this research.Methods:Three separate quantitative meta-analytical studies were conducted using the Activation Likelihood Estimation technique. Analysis was performed on three types of studies: (1) those conducted at rest comparing brain activation in patients with depression and controls; (2) those involving brain changes following antidepressant treatment; and (3) those comparing brain activation patterns induced by the induction of positive or negative emotion in patients with depression com- pared with controls.Results:There appears to be a complex series of areas of the brain implicated in the pathophysiology of depression although limited overlap was found across imaging paradigms. This included a network of regions including frontal and temporal cortex as well as the insula and cer- ebellum that are hypoactive in depressed subjects and in which there is increase in activity with treat- ment. There was a corresponding set of subcortical and limbic regions in which opposite changes were found.Conclusions:There is limited overlap between the brain regions identified using differing imaging methods. The most consistently identified regions include areas of the anterior cingulate, dorsolateral, medial and inferior prefrontal cortex, insula, superior temporal gyrus, basal ganglia and cerebellum. Further research is required to identify if different imaging methods are identifying complementary networks that are equally involved in the disorder.Hum Brain Mapp 29:683-695, 2008. V C 2007Wiley-Liss,Inc.

The validity of the 21-item version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales as a routine clinical outcome measure.

Abstract: Objective: This study aimed to test the validity of the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) as a routine clinical outcome measure in the private in-patient setting. We hypothesized that it would be a suitable routine outcome instrument in this setting. Method: All in-patients treated at a private psychiatric hospital over a period of 24 months were included in the study. Data were collected on demographics, service utilization, diagnosis and a set of four routine measures both at admission and discharge. These measures consisted of the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scales, Health of the Nation Outcome Scales (HoNOS), the Mental Health Questionnaire (MHQ-14) and DASS-21. The results of these measures were compared. Results: Of 786 admissions in total, the number of fully completed (ie paired admission and discharge) data sets for the DASS-21 depression, anxiety and stress subscales were 337, 328 and 347, respectively. All subscales showed statistically significant reductions in mean scores from admission to discharge (P Conclusions: The findings from the present study support the validity of DASS-21 as a routine clinical outcome measure in the private in-patient setting.

The psychological and neurophysiological concomitants of mindfulness forms of meditation

Abstract: Objective: To provide a comprehensive review and evaluation of the psychological and neurophysiological literature pertaining to mindfulness meditation. Methods: A search for papers in English was undertaken using PsycINFO (from 1804 onward), MedLine (from 1966 onward) and the Cochrane Library with the following search terms: Vipassana, Mindfulness, Meditation, Zen, Insight, EEG, ERP, fMRI, neuroimaging and intervention. In addition, retrieved papers and reports known to the authors were also reviewed for additional relevant literature. Results: Mindfulness-based therapeutic interventions appear to be effective in the treatment of depression, anxiety, psychosis, borderline personality disorder and suicidal/self-harm behaviour. Mindfulness meditation per se is effective in reducing substance use and recidivism rates in incarcerated populations but has not been specifically investigated in populations with psychiatric disorders. Electroencephalography research suggests increased alpha, theta and beta activity in frontal and posterior regions, some gamma band effects, with theta activity strongly related to level of experience of meditation; however, these findings have not been consistent. The few neuroimaging studies that have been conducted suggest volumetric and functional change in key brain regions. Conclusions: Preliminary findings from treatment outcome studies provide support for the application of mindfulness-based interventions in the treatment of affective, anxiety and personality disorders. However, direct evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation per se in the treatment of psychiatric disorders is needed. Current neurophysiological and imaging research findings have identified neural changes in association with meditation and provide a potentially promising avenue for future research.

Inflammation and depression: a causal or coincidental link to the pathophysiology?

Abstract: This review summarises the evidence that chronic low grade inflammation triggers changes that contribute to the mental and physical ill health of patients with major depression. Inflammation, and the activation of the hypothalamic pituitary axis by stress, are normal components of the stress response but when stress is prolonged and the endocrine and immune system become chronic resulting in the activation of the peripheral macrophages, the central microglia and hypercortisolemia, the neuronal networks are damaged and become dysfunctional. The proinflammatory cytokines, in addition to activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and thereby increasing cortisol synthesis, also activate the tryptophan-kynurenine pathway. This results in the synthesis of the neurotoxic N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate agonist quinolinic acid and 3-hydroxykynurenine thereby enhancing oxidative stress and contributes to neurodegeneration which characterise major depression particularly in late life.While antidepressants attenuate some of the endocrine and immune changes caused by inflammation, not all therapeutically effective antidepressants do so. This suggests that drugs which specifically target the immune, endocrine and neurotransmitter systems may be more effective antidepressants.The preliminary clinical evidence that some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as the cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitor celecoxib, can enhance the response to standard antidepressant treatment is therefore considered and a critical assessment made of the possible limitations of such an approach to novel antidepressant development.

The depressive state of Denmark during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract: 1Department of Political Science, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; 2Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; 3The Danish National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark; 4Department of Affective Disorders, Aarhus University Hospital – Psychiatry, Aarhus, Denmark and 5Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark