Current Psychiatry Reviews - Volume 14, Issue 2, 2018

Background: In psychotherapy research numerous Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) have used Waiting-List Control Groups (WLCGs). The focus was primarily on the treatment effects, the results of the WLCGs were used for comparison only. However, the changes occurring in WLCGs are of interest in themselves. They provide information about the effects of waiting for a treatment, which may be, for example, associated wit Read More

Background: Schizophrenia is a severe and debilitating mental disorder whose cause is still unclear. It is accompanied by cognitive deficits that are commonly attributed to a dysfunction of the frontal and temporal lobes. Recently, compelling experimental evidence has been collected suggesting a role also for the parietal lobe. Parietal lobe integrates sensory information among various modalities and is engaged in a number of co Read More

Background: Expressed emotion is a measure of a relative's attitudes and behaviors toward an ill family member. Originally developed and studied among patients with schizophrenia, the construct has been found to be a robust predictor of treatment outcome and relapse across a number of mental and physical illnesses. Objective: This review updates the current literature on expressed emotion and eating disorders. Method: Read More

Objective: Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) is a noninvasive in vivo technique extensively applied to assess the levels of neural metabolites in the brain. We aimed to summarize the findings of proton spectroscopy (1H MRS) studies addressing neuro-metabolite findings in the Basal Ganglia (BG) of patients with Bipolar Disorders (BD). Method: A search of PubMed and Ovid databases was conducted to identify ¹H MRS Read More

Background: The bidirectional relationship between psychiatric disorders and immune dysregulation has been increasingly documented. Moreover, most major mental diseases are notoriously associated with higher prevalence of cardiovascular and metabolic comorbidities. C-Reactive Protein (CRP) emerged as a crucial biomarker in the stratification of cardiovascular risk. Objectives: Reviewing the recent literature upon: neuroi Read More