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Gianna Sepede,1 Marcella Brunetti,1 Massimo Di Giannantonio1,2 1Department of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio”, Chieti, Italy; 2Department of Mental Health - Chieti, National Health Trust, Chieti, ItalyCorrespondence: Gianna SepedeDepartment of Neuroscience, Imaging, and Clinical Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio”, Via Dei Vestini 33, Chieti, Chieti Scalo (CH) 66013, ItalyTel +39 0871 3556901Fax +39 0871 3556930Email g.sepede@unich.itAbstract: Bipolar disorder (BD) and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) are two cyclic mood illnesses, sometimes presenting together. Their comorbidity appears to be linked to common biological mechanisms and usually results in more severity of mood symptoms and a poorer long-term outcome. Nevertheless, the management of comorbid PMDD/BD has been scarcely studied. Therefore, the aim of the present paper was to review the published literature on the treatment of comorbid PMDD/BD and to provide point-by-point hypotheses to address these complex clinical cases. We searched PubMed to identify the studies focused on the treatment and management of comorbid PMDD/BD using the following search words, alone and in combination: premenstrual dysphoric disorder, bipolar disorder, comorbid, treatment, management, pharmacotherapy, psychotherapy. The search was conducted on the 1st of June 2019 and yielded 55 records. Four papers met our inclusion/exclusion criteria and were therefore included in our qualitative synthesis. Integrating the few data pertaining to the treatment of comorbid PMDD/BD with the large amount of published data on the two conditions separately, we can suggest that the management of comorbid PMDD/BD needs as a first step to stabilize the bipolar symptoms by means of optimal dosages of mood stabilizers. Then, in euthymic BD patients, the PMDD symptoms could be treated with estroprogestins (first-line treatment). On the contrary, during acute phases of BD, antidepressants (for major depressive episodes) and atypical antipsychotics/hormonal modulators (for manic episodes) could be considered as promising add-on treatments to mood stabilizers. In case of resistant PMDD/BD symptoms, combined strategies should be taken into account, as well as alternative treatments, such as lifestyle changes. In conclusion, RCTs on comorbid PMDD/BD are still lacking. The management of this complex condition is therefore challenging and it requires a tailored treatment.Keywords: womens’ health, comorbid mood disorders, combined intervention, treatment challenges

Nicoletta Cera,1,2 Stefania Bifolchetti,1,3 Giovanni Martinotti,1,2 Francesco Gambi,1,2 Gianna Sepede,1,2 Marco Onofrj,1,3 Massimo Di Giannantonio,1 Astrid Thomas1,31Department of Neuroscience and Imaging, “G. d'Annunzio” University, Chieti, Italy; 2ITAB-Institute for Advanced Biomedical Technologies, Chieti, Italy; 3Aging Research Centre, Ce.S.I., “G. d'Annunzio” University Foundation, Chieti, ItalyIntroduction: Dopamine replacement therapy for Parkinson's disease (PD) was recently linked to the development of impulse control disorders such as pathological gambling (PG), hypersexuality, compulsive shopping, and binge or compulsive eating. Antiglutamatergic agents including amantadine (Ama) reduce these behaviors in PD and non-PD patients. The aim of our study is to evaluate the changes in executive functions, emotions, and reward/loss processing during Ama treatment in PD patients.Methods: Thirty-three patients affected by idiopathic PD were selected from a cohort of 1,096 PD patients and categorized in three different groups: ten affected by PG (PD-PG); nine PD patients with other impulse control disorder (PD-ICD); and 14 PD patient without any psychiatric disorder (PD-CTR-controls). For the neuropsychological evaluation, the following behavioral tasks where administered: the Stroop, the emotional Stroop, and the monetary reward/loss risk-taking tasks.Results: During Ama treatment, PD-PGs showed a decrease in risky choices and an increase in non-risky choices (t(9)=−2.40, P

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2009.04.012 Byline: G. Martinotti (a), V. Carli (b), D. Tedeschi (a), M. Di Giannantonio (c), A. Roy (d), L. Janiri (a), M. Sarchiapone (b) Keywords: Polysubstance dependence; Comorbidity; Childhood trauma; Personality; Suicidal behaviour Abstract: The study aimed to examine the clinical correlates of polysubstance dependence. Author Affiliation: (a) Institute of Psychiatry, Catholic University Medical School, Rome, Italy (b) Department of Health Sciences, University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy (c) Institute of Psychology, University 'G. D'Annunzio', Chieti, Italy (d) New Jersey VA Healthcare System, Psychiatry Service, East Orange, USA

Background. In this review, we aimed to evaluate the association between language proficiency (LP) and the prevalence and severity of mental disorders in migrants. Secondarily, we aimed to consider whether sociodemographic and migration-related factors may affect the correlation between LP and mental disorders. Methods. MEDLINE, PsycArticles, EMBASE, and PsycInfo were systematically searched in April 2020 to identify original studies reporting prevalence of psychiatric symptoms or disorders among migrants and taking into account linguistic factors. Results. The search of electronic databases initially yielded 1,944 citations. Of the 197 full texts assessed for eligibility, 41 studies were selected for inclusion in the systematic review. Thirty-five of the papers included reported a significant negative association between low LP and prevalence and/or severity of psychiatric symptoms or disorders, whereas only two records found the opposite relationship and four papers reported no association between them. Inadequate LP was consistently associated with several mental disorders in migrants, including psychotic, mood, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorders. Notably, all the four longitudinal studies that met inclusion criteria for this review reported a positive effect of LP acquisition over time on prevalence or symptom severity of mental disorders. Conclusions. Even though larger prospective studies are needed to better evaluate the relationship between LP and psychiatric disorders among migrants, we believe that the present findings could be inspiring for authorities to provide support and courses to improve migrants' language proficiency upon arrival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early 1990s, several studies reported the misuse of codeine and promethazine hydrochloride cough syrup. Since then, the combination of this pharmaceutical, together with sprite or alcohol, known on the streets as "purple drank" or "lean", has become a popular drug among rap singers who promote its tranquilizing and euphoric effects through their music and videos. This review examines the "purple drank" phenomenon, taking into consideration its clinical and social implications. The study was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science as search engines, applying several inclusion and exclusion criteria and the string "Purple AND drank", resulting in 138 records. Seven papers that met our criteria were found. The risk of bias assessment, when applicable, was also considered, resulting in a low level of risk. Epidemiological data highlighted a heterogeneous diffusion of the misuse of this mixture, which is not exclusively linked to a specific type of user (African-American teenagers, athletes, and rappers), as previously reported in American newspapers and in the social media. New digital tools should be taken into consideration for further social and medical evaluations of this phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The increased use of the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) to investigate cognitive dysfunctions in schizophrenia fostered interest in its sensitivity in the context of family studies. As various measures of the same cognitive domains may have different power to distinguish between unaffected relatives of patients and controls, the relative sensitivity of MCCB tests for relative–control differences has to be established. We compared MCCB scores of 852 outpatients with schizophrenia (SCZ) with those of 342 unaffected relatives (REL) and a normative Italian sample of 774 healthy subjects (HCS). We examined familial aggregation of cognitive impairment by investigating within-family prediction of MCCB scores based on probands’ scores. Methods: Multivariate analysis of variance was used to analyze group differences in adjusted MCCB scores. Weighted least-squares analysis was used to investigate whether probands’ MCCB scores predicted REL neurocognitive performance. Results: SCZ were significantly impaired on all MCCB domains. REL had intermediate scores between SCZ and HCS, showing a similar pattern of impairment, except for social cognition. Proband's scores significantly predicted REL MCCB scores on all domains except for visual learning. Conclusions: In a large sample of stable patients with schizophrenia, living in the community, and in their unaffected relatives, MCCB demonstrated sensitivity to cognitive deficits in both groups. Our findings of significant within-family prediction of MCCB scores might reflect disease-related genetic or environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]