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BackgroundPeripersonal Space (PS) is represented as the immediate area surrounding an individual. The extent of PS changes in relation to several factors, including emotional states, type of relationship or psychopathology. Attachment anxiety has an impact on the social adaptability of peripersonal space and anxiety and fear are associated with an expansion of peripersonal space, possibly serving as a mechanism of self-protection. Peripersonal space appears to be intricately linked to various psychiatric conditions like anxiety disorders and converging evidence suggests that social maladjustment may predict or exacerbate eating disorder symptoms expression.MethodsFifty-eight healthy adolescents (38F, 20M) performed a comfort distance estimation task to assess peripersonal space. The Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP) was used to assess sensory profiles and the SAFA protocol to investigate psychopathological aspects. Data was analysed using Network Analysis, estimating a Gaussian Graphical Models with a Bayesian approach.ResultsWe found that the task related to comfort estimation distance demonstrated a correlation with the visual scale of the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP). Additionally, a correlation was observed with the Eating Disorder scale of the SAFA protocol. The touch scale also was negatively correlated with Eating disorder symptoms but not with the comfort estimation task.ConclusionOur results demonstrate a relation between peripersonal space and eating disorder symptoms in healthy adolescents in line with previous findings in adults with eating disorders diagnosis. These findings suggest that socio-emotional difficulties may be possible precursors or reinforce for the development of an eating disorder symptoms.

BackgroundAlcohol use disorder (AUD) is a major public health concern due to its various physical, psychological, and social consequences. Despite regulatory differences, abstinence remains the primary treatment objective. Addressing the multifaceted nature of alcohol use disorder requires a comprehensive approach.Methods150 AUD patients (66%male) with a mean age of 54.10 ± 11.3 years were recruited for the study. Depression, impulsivity, alexithymia, and hopelessness were assessed to determine if there were significant differences in these dimensions between abstinent (N=72) and active drinkers (N=78).ResultsThe study found significant differences in the psychological dimensions scores, active drinkers exhibited higher levels of depression, impulsivity, alexithymia, and hopelessness compared to abstinent patients.ConclusionTreatment outcomes for patients with AUD vary between regulatory agencies, but abstinence remains the safest and most preferred objective in managing AUD. Prioritizing abstinence-oriented interventions is crucial for achieving long term recovery and minimizing relapse risk. These results emphasize the intricate relationship between AUD and mental health issues, highlighting the need for comprehensive interventions addressing both alcohol consumption and associated psychological distress. Promoting abstinence (or at least reducing alcohol consumption) not only preserves mental health but also prevents life-threatening consequences such as suicide.

IntroductionPersonality shapes the cognitive, affective, and behavioral interactions between individuals and the environment. Defensive peripersonal space (DPPS) is the projected interface between the body and the world with a protective function for the body. Previous studies suggest that DPPS displays inter-individual variability that is associated with psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety. However, DPPS may share a link with personality traits.MethodsFifty-five healthy participants were assessed with the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5)–Adult to evaluate personality dimensions. Subjects underwent the Hand Blink Reflex (HBR) task that estimates the DPPS limits by assessing the modulation of blink intensity in response to the median nerve stimulation. Data of the HBR was analyzed with Bayesian multilevel models, while the relationship between DPPS and personality traits was explored using network analysis.ResultsHBR was best modeled using a piecewise linear regression model, with two distinct slope parameters for electromyographic data. Network analyzes showed a positive correlation between the proximal slope and detachment personality trait, suggesting that individuals with higher scores in the detachment trait had an increased modulation of HBR, resulting in a larger extension of the DPPS.DiscussionFeatures of the detachment personality trait include avoidance of interpersonal experiences, restricted affectivity, and suspiciousness, which affect interpersonal functioning. We suggest that DPPS may represent a characteristic feature of maladaptive personality traits, thus constitute a biomarker or a target for rehabilitative interventions.

IntroductionThe ability to process sensory information is an essential adaptive function, and hyper- or hypo-sensitive maladaptive profiles of responses to environmental stimuli generate sensory processing disorders linked to cognitive, affective, and behavioral alterations. Consequently, assessing sensory processing profiles might help research the vulnerability and resilience to mental disorders. The research on neuroradiological correlates of the sensory processing profiles is mainly limited to the young-age population or neurodevelopmental disorders. So, this study aims to examine the structural MRI correlates of sensory profiles in a sample of typically developed adults.MethodsWe investigated structural cortical thickness (CT) and white matter integrity, through Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), correlates of Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP) questionnaire subscales in 57 typical developing subjects (34F; mean age: 32.7 ± 9.3).ResultsWe found significant results only for the sensation seeking (STS) subscale. Positive and negative correlations emerged with fractional anisotropy (FA) and radial diffusivity (RD) in anterior thalamic radiation, optic radiation, superior longitudinal fasciculus, corpus callosum, and the cingulum bundle. No correlation between sensation seeking and whole brain cortical thickness was found.DiscussionOverall, our results suggest a positive correlation between sensation seeking and higher white matter structural integrity in those tracts mainly involved in visuospatial processing but no correlation with gray matter structure. The enhanced structural integrity associated with sensation seeking may reflect a neurobiological substrate linked to active research of sensory stimuli and resilience to major psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression.

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, reading facial expressions has become more complex due to face masks covering the lower part of people's faces. A history of psychiatric illness has been associated with higher rates of complications, hospitalization, and mortality due to COVID-19. Psychiatric patients have well-documented difficulties reading emotions from facial expressions; accordingly, this study assesses how using face masks, such as those worn for preventing COVID-19 transmission, impacts the emotion recognition skills of patients with psychiatric disorders. To this end, the current study asked patients with bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, and healthy individuals to identify facial emotions on face images with and without facial masks. Results demonstrate that the emotion recognition skills of all participants were negatively influenced by face masks. Moreover, the main insight of the study is that the impairment is crucially significant when patients with major depressive disorder and schizophrenia had to identify happiness at a low-intensity level. These findings have important implications for satisfactory social relationships and well-being. If emotions with positive valence are hardly understood by specific psychiatric patients, there is an even greater requirement for doctor-patient interactions in public primary care.

This study analyzed the impact of meteorological variables and high-lethality suicide attempts (HLSA) to assess a potential time shift of HLSA affected by climate evolution to predict the suicide attempt cases over different periods of the year. After attempting suicide, 225 subjects were admitted to the emergency ward of the IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino and later to the psychiatric unit from March 2016 to July 2018. Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics as well as the meteorological variables were collected. The Mann-Kendall test as well as redundancy and cross-correlation analyses were performed to analyze the trends, statistically correlations, and correspondence of the trends, respectively between suicidal behaviors and climatic factors. Sixty-seven (29.8%) committed a HLSA. Our findings indicate a significant association between HLSA and male gender and apparent temperature with a strong correlation of 75% with a phase shift of −1 month. Solar radiation and air pollution (PM2.5) have a positive correlation of 65 and 32%, respectively, with a zero-time lag. Limitations include that the data are limited to a single hospital; psychological factors, or other clinical variables that could be ruled out as a trigger have not been considered. Meteorological variables may not mirror the temperature that the patient is exposed to due to the air conditioning systems. Exploring those environmental factors associated with HLSA in a more detailed manner could lead to early intervention and prevention strategies for such distressing admissions.