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Background Dyslexia is one of the common problems seen in children worldwide. There is high co-morbidity of dyslexia with attentional and behaviour problems which could have familial pattern. This study aims to compare the attentional and behavioural problems in children with dyslexia and their first-degree relatives with controls. Methods This is a cross-sectional comparative study with single interview method in an out-patient setting. Formally diagnosed (ICD-10) cases of 30 children with specific reading disorder and 30 healthy matched controls and their first-degree relatives were assessed using scales in a single setting after application of inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results The children with dyslexia had significantly more problems in the domains of selective attention and behavioural problems as compared to controls and the siblings of the cases had significant problems in selective attention but not in behavioural problems. Also, no difference was seen in ADHD symptoms of parents in cases and controls. Conclusion The results from our study are keeping with most of the published literature. We expect that this study will help in laying a good foundation for further studies with stronger methodologies incorporating molecular genetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with no clear etiopathogenesis. Owing to unique socio cultural milieu of India, it is worthwhile reviewing research on ADHD from India and comparing findings with global research. Thereby, we attempted to provide a comprehensive overview of research on ADHD from India. Methods A boolean search of articles published in English from September 1966 to January 2017 on electronic search engines Google Scholar, PubMed, IndMED, MedIND, using the search terms “ADHD”, “Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder”, “Hyperactivity” ,“Child psychiatry”, “Hyperkinetic disorder”, “Attention Deficit Disorder”, “India”was carried out and peer – reviewed studies conducted among human subjects in India were included for review. Case reports, animal studies, previous reviews were excluded from the current review. Results Results of 73 studies found eligible for the review were organized into broad themes such as epidemiology, etiology, course and follow up, clinical profile and comorbidity, assessment /biomarkers, intervention/treatment parameters, pathways to care and knowledge and attitude towards ADHD. Discussion There was a gap noted in research from India in the domains of biomarkers, course and follow up and non-pharmacological intervention. The prevalence of ADHD as well as comorbidity of Bipolar Disorder was comparatively lower compared to western studies. The studies found unique to India include comparing the effect of allopathic intervention with Ayurvedic intervention, yoga as a non pharmacological intervention. There is a need for studies from India on biomarkers, studies with prospective research design, larger sample size and with matched controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Cue-induced craving is known to be associated with a higher risk of relapse, wherein drug-specific cues become conditioned stimuli, eliciting conditioned responses. Cue-reactivity paradigm are important tools to study psychological responses and functional neuroimaging changes. However, till date, there has been no specific study or a validated paradigm for inhalant cue-induced craving research. The study aimed to develop and validate visual cue stimulus for inhalant cue-associated craving. Method The first step ( picture selection ) involved screening and careful selection of 30 cue- and 30 neutral-pictures based on their relevance for naturalistic settings. In the second step ( time optimization ), a random selection of ten cue-pictures each was presented for 4 s, 6 s, and 8 s to seven adolescent male inhalant users, and pre-post craving response was compared using a Visual Analogue Scale(VAS) for each of the picture and time. In the third step ( validation ), craving response for each of 30 cue- and 30 neutral-pictures were analysed among 20 adolescent inhalant users. Results Findings revealed a significant difference in before and after craving response for the cue-pictures, but not neutral-pictures. Using ROC-curve, pictures were arranged in order of craving intensity. Finally, 20 best cue- and 20 neutral-pictures were used for the development of a 480 s visual cue paradigm. Conclusion This is the first study to systematically develop an inhalant cue picture paradigm which can be used as a tool to examine cue induced craving in neurobiological studies. Further research, including its further validation in larger study and diverse samples, is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim There is paucity of research in the putative role of hormonal biomarkers in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The current study aimed to analyze the clinical profile, socio-demographic status, co-morbidity, hormonal biomarkers namely Thyroid hormones and Cortisol in children with ADHD and compare them with healthy controls and to explore the association of the hormonal biomarkers with severity of ADHD. Methods Thirty children with DSM-IV TR diagnosis of ADHD were assessed using semi structured proforma, Conners’ Parent Rating Scale revised short (CPRS – R: S) , Mini international neuropsychiatric interview for children and adolescents and Childrens' Global Assessment Scale as well as serum levels of total Triiodothyronine (T3) ,total Thyroxine (T4) , Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) and Cortisol using chemiluminescent immunometric assay and compared with 30 age- and gender -matched controls. Results The typical profile of cases of ADHD was of a male with mean age of 9.47 years (S.D = 2.43) belonging to Hyperactive subtype of ADHD. Serum T4 was significantly lower in cases compared to controls. No significant difference was found in serum T3, TSH and Cortisol levels. No significant correlation between the CPRS : R-S scores and the hormonal biomarkers. Conclusions There is need for exploration of Serum T4 as putative biomarker for ADHD with replication in future studies. It may also be important to report the negative finding of Cortisol as a biomarker of ADHD in the context of effective utilization of resources for research with special relevance to resource deficit developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Introduction: Most of existing literature on dementia caregiving comes from Western countries but the caregiving experience appears to vary in different societies. The cultural norms and socioeconomic resources of India are in stark contrast to western societies, however the dementia caregiver burden remains understudied in Indian context. Aim: We aim to assess the burden in relation to key variables and explore its predictors in caregivers of Alzheimer''s disease. Method: Thirty-two patient-caregiver dyads were selected. The dementia characteristics were assessed with Hindi Mental State Examination and Clinical Dementia Rating; burden was evaluated using Burden Assessment Schedule. Results: The caregiver sample had an overall moderate degree of burden. The burden in patient''s behavior and external support area increased with the degree of cognitive impairment. Caregivers for male patients were found to have a higher burden. The female caregivers perceived higher burden in physical and mental health, spouse related and caregiver''s routine. The burden in caregivers from joint families did not differ from nuclear families except for a lower burden in external support area. On stepwise multiple regression, spousal relation, HMSE score and male patient emerged as significant predictors of total burden. Conclusion: There is a need to devote more research attention towards dementia caregivers from developing countries and to understand the culture-specific impact of caregiving. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]