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IntroductionAlthough the diagnosis of bipolar disorder is currently based on clinical criteria, preliminary studies showed that palmitic and arachidonic acid levels are able to discriminate adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) from those with bipolar disorder (BD).ObjectivesTo replicate and to expand previous findings by investigating the relation between mood disorders and platelet and plasmatic fatty levels.AimsTo compare the lipidic profile of individuals with different mood disorder (MDD vs. BD) and to investigate the relation with specific clinical features (duration of illness, attempted suicide, psychotic symptoms).MethodsPotential participants were recruited from the outpatient and inpatient psychiatric units of the university hospital of Palermo (Italy). Diagnosis of DSM IV mood disorders was made using the MINI. Symptom severity was assessed using the HAM-D rating scale and the YMRS. Fatty acid profile was analyzed using mass spectrometry.ResultsPreliminary analyses were performed on 8 patients with MDD and 6 with BD. Groups were similar in terms of demographic variables. Patients with MDD showed highest levels of platelet palmitic acid, stearic acid, and arachidonic acid. Furthermore, plasmatic docosahexaenoic acid was negatively related with manic symptoms severity (Rho = –0.697; P = 0.025) and platelet alpha linolenic acid was positively related with illness duration (Rho = 0.845; P = 0.040).ConclusionsThese preliminary findings suggest that platelet fatty acids may be possible biological markers to improve the diagnosis of BD.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Introduction A large body of literature has demonstrated that people affected by psychotic disorders show deficits in working memory, in Emotion Recognition (ER) and in data-gathering to reach a decision (Jumping To Conclusions – JTC). Aims To investigate a possible correlation between working memory, JTC and ER in FEP. Methods 41 patients and 89 healthy controls completed assessments of working memory using WAIS shortened version, JTC using the 60:40 Beads Task and ER using Degraded Facial Affect Recognition Task. Results According to the literature, cases had poorer performance in working memory tasks (Digit Span: μ7,72 [ds=2,98] vs μ10,14 [ds=3,10], U=865,00, p=0,00; Digit Symbol: μ5,36 [ds=2,43] vs μ10,05 [ds=3,10], U=455,50, p=0,00; Arithmetic: μ5,46 [ds=2,76] vs μ8,74 [ds=3,24], U=865,50, p=0,00; Block Design: μ4,82 [ds=2,72] vs μ7,60 [ds=3,18], U=912,00, p=0,00), in Beads Task (81,6% vs 51,1%, χ 2 =10,27, p=0,001, μ2,53 [ds=3,57] vs μ4,23 [ds=4,77], U=1171,00, p=0,006) and in DFAR (total errors: μ21,62 [ds=7,43] vs μ16,58 [ds=8,69], U=554,50, p=0,002). Furthermore working memory tasks in cases group correlated significantly with JTC (Digit Span: r rho =0,276, p=0,003; Digit Symbol: r rho =0,275, p=0,002; Arithmetic: r rho =0,265, p=0,003; Block Design: r rho =0,292, p=0,001), but only Digit Span with ER (r rho =-0,239; p=0,021). In addition, we found that JTC and ER were significantly associated (r rho =-0,281; p=0,004). Conclusions Data show that working memory impairments, JTC style and dysfunctions in the facial emotions recognition are phenomena strongly correlated in the group of patients. Preliminary results suggest the importance of early rehabilitation as the impairments detected may lead to difficulties in social and relational adaptation in psychotic patients.

The excess of psychosis among migrants and ethnic minorities is a well defined phenomenon in North Europe, while it should be still demonstrated in south Europe. Because of the variation in prevalence and distribution of risk factors in different national contexts, similar studies in different countries are needed to test the hypotheses and to ensure the generalizability of the findings. Moreover, available studies have been mostly focused on risk factors of psychosis during the post migration phase (such as ethnic fragmentation, unemployment, etc) and among well established ethnic minorities (second and further generations of migrants). In Italy, first generation migrants are still the larger component of the ethnic minorities’ populations and we can evaluate risk factors of psychosis related to the migration history as whole considered (pre-migration, migration and post migration phases). I will present results on risk factors of psychosis among first generations migrants in the three sites involved in the EU-GEI Project in Italy (Bologna, Palermo and Verona) (European Network of National Schizophrenia Networks Studying Gene Environment Interactions Project EU-GEI European Community's Seventh Framework Program, grant agreement No. HEALTH-F2-2009-241909). Particularly, I will discuss our efforts to understand the role of the migration process characteristics in the development of psychosis.