0000000000171975

AUTHOR

Ana García-blanco

Estudio de los mecanismos fisiopatológicos asociados al inicio y curso de los trastornos del neurodesarrollo en prematuros (estudio PeriSTRESS-PremTEA): justificación, objetivos, diseño y descripción de la muestra

Resumen Introduccion Los factores genetico-ambientales y las vias fisiopatologicas que condicionan la evolucion de forma diferencial a un trastorno de neurodesarrollo (TN) en la poblacion de grandes prematuros (GP) y prematuros extremos (PE) siguen siendo en gran medida desconocidos. Tampoco disponemos a fecha de hoy de marcadores biologicos potencialmente predictivos de TN en estos ninos. El proyecto PeriSTRESS-PremTEA tiene como objetivo estudiar de forma prospectiva, en GP/PE: (i) la aparicion/curso de rasgos y diagnostico TN hasta los 6 anos de vida, (ii) factores de riesgo de aparicion de TN desde la etapa prenatal hasta los 6 anos, (ii) perfiles de biomarcadores en orina predictivos d…

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Manipulating feedback on schizophrenia: Evidence from a Posner task.

Abstract Individuals with schizophrenia show difficulties in achieving vital objectives. Abnormal behavioral and emotional responses to environmental feedback may be some of the psychological mechanisms underlying this lack of goal attainment in schizophrenia. The present study aims to assess how different types of feedback may affect performance in a computerized affective Posner task (non-monetary vs. monetary rewards; contingent vs. non-contingent feedback). The sample was composed of 32 patients with schizophrenia and 35 controls. Reaction times and error rates were the behavioral measurements. The emotional experience was assessed through self-reported affective scales. The results ind…

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A clinical staging model for bipolar disorder: longitudinal approach

AbstractBipolar disorder (BD) has been identified as a life-course illness with different clinical manifestations from an at-risk to a late stage, supporting the assumption that it would benefit from a staging model. In a previous study, we used a clustering approach to stratify 224 patients with a diagnosis of BD into five clusters based on clinical characteristics, functioning, cognition, general health, and health-related quality of life. This study was design to test the construct validity of our previously developed k-means clustering model and to confirm its longitudinal validity over a span of 3 years. Of the 224 patients included at baseline who were used to develop our model, 129 (…

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The effects of reward and frustration in patients with bipolar disorder: Evidence from a computerized task with non-contingent feedback.

Abstract Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by mood changes that implies alterations in reward sensitivity and frustration tolerance. This study examined the effects of monetary reward and frustration on attentional performance and on affective experience across mood states in BD. Methods: An Affective Posner Task in which the nature of contingencies are divided in the three successive blocks (baseline condition, monetary reward and non-contingent feedback) was applied to BD individuals in their different episodes: mania (n = 30), depression (n = 30), and euthymia (n =  30) as well as to a group of healthy controls (n = 30). Results: Monetary reward improved performance (in …

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Classification of patients with bipolar disorder using k-means clustering.

Introduction Bipolar disorder (BD) is a heterogeneous disorder needing personalized and shared decisions. We aimed to empirically develop a cluster-based classification that allocates patients according to their severity for helping clinicians in these processes. Methods Naturalistic, cross-sectional, multicenter study. We included 224 subjects with BD (DSM-IV-TR) under outpatient treatment from 4 sites in Spain. We obtained information on sociodemography, clinical course, psychopathology, cognition, functioning, vital signs, anthropometry and lab analysis. Statistical analysis: k-means clustering, comparisons of between group variables, and expert criteria. Results and discussion We obtain…

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Spanish validation of the Empirically Developed Clinical Staging Model (EmDe-5) for patients with bipolar disorder

Abstract Introduction Bipolar disorder (BD) has been reconceptualised as a progressive disorder that develops from mild to severe presentations. An empirical staging model – the Empirically Developed Clinical Staging Model for BD (EmDe-5) – was developed in a previous study. This study aims to further validate that model using a larger and more representative Spanish sample. Material and methods 183 BD outpatients were recruited at 11 sites in Spain. Assessment included clinical characteristics of the BD (number of hospitalisations, number of suicide attempts, comorbid personality disorders), physical health (BMI, metabolic syndrome, number of physical illnesses), cognition (SCIP), function…

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Attentional biases to emotional scenes in schizophrenia: An eye-tracking study

Attentional biases to emotional information may play a key role in the onset and course of schizophrenia. The aim of this experiment was to examine the attentional processing of four emotional scenes in competition (happy, neutral, sad, threatening) in 53 patients with schizophrenia and 51 controls. The eye movements were recorded in a 20-seconds free-viewing task. The results were: (i) patients showed increased attention on threatening scenes, compared to controls, in terms of attentional engagement and maintenance; (ii) patients payed less attention to happy scenes than controls, in terms of attentional maintenance; (iii) whereas positive symptoms were associated with a late avoidance of …

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The effect of concomitant benzodiazepine use on neurocognition in stable, long-term patients with bipolar disorder

Objective: Neurocognitive dysfunction is a common feature of bipolar disorder even in euthymia, and psychopharmacological treatment could have an effect on cognition. Long-term prescription of benzodiazepines in bipolar disorder is a common practice, and their effect on neurocognition has not been well studied in this population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of concomitant benzodiazepine long-term use on neurocognitive function in stable euthymic bipolar disorder patients. Methods: Seventy-three euthymic bipolar disorder outpatients and 40 healthy individuals were assessed using a neurocognitive battery. Patients were classified in two groups according to the presence of…

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Gender differences in C-reactive protein and homocysteine modulation of cognitive performance and real-world functioning in bipolar disorder.

Background: Cognitive and psychosocial impairment has been associated with increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and homocysteine in bipolar disorder, but gender differences have seldom been studied. Methods: Two hundred and twenty-four bipolar outpatients were included. Cognitive performance was assessed through the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP). Psychosocial functioning was evaluated using the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST) and the General Assessment of Functioning (GAF). Homocysteine and CRP levels were determined. Separate analyses were performed by gender. Partial correlations were calculated to test for associations between biomarkers and cognit…

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Do children with overweight respond faster to food-related words?

Abstract Overweight in childhood is a risk factor in developing obesity as an adult, thus having severe consequences on the individuals’ physical health and psychological well-being. Therefore, studying the cognitive and emotional processes that sustain overweight is essential not only at a theoretical level but also to develop effective interventions. In the present experiment, we examined whether children with overweight respond faster to food-related than non-food-related words in a word recognition task: lexical decision. The participants were 24 children diagnosed with exogenous overweight and 24 children with a healthy weight. The stimulus list included positively valenced food-relate…

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Attentional biases towards emotional scenes in autism spectrum condition: An eye-tracking study.

Abstract Background Different attentional processing of emotional information may underlie social impairments in Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC). It has been hypothesized that individuals with ASC show hypersensitivity to threat, which may be related to an avoidance behaviour. However, research on the attentional processing of emotional information in autism is inconclusive. Aim To examine the attentional processing biases of 27 children with ASC and 25 typically developed (TD) participants. Methods and procedures The initial orienting of attention, the attentional engagement, and the attentional maintenance to complex emotional scenes in competition (happy, neutral, threatening, sad) were …

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Sexual Dysfunction and Mood Stabilizers in Long-Term Stable Patients With Bipolar Disorder.

Abstract Background In addition to factors intrinsic to bipolar disorder (BD), sexual functioning (SF) can be affected by extrinsic causes, such as psychotropic drugs. However, the effect of mood stabilizers on SF and quality of life (QoL) is an underexplored research area. Aim To analyze SF in BD outpatients in euthymia for at least 6 months treated only with mood stabilizers and the association between SF and QoL. Methods A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in 114 BD outpatients treated with (i) lithium alone (L group); (ii) anticonvulsants alone (valproate or lamotrigine; A group); (iii) lithium plus anticonvulsants (L+A group); or (iv) lithium plus benzodiazepines (L+B gro…

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