Mario Antonio Reda

Interaction between Neuroanatomical and Psychological Changes after Mindfulness-Based Training

Several cross-sectional studies have documented neuroanatomical changes in individuals with a long history of meditation, while a few evidences are available about the interaction between neuroanatomical and psychological changes even during brief exposure to meditation. Here we analyzed several morphometric indexes at both cortical and subcortical brain level, as well as multiple psychological dimensions, before and after a brief -8 weeks- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training program, in a group of 23 meditation naïve-subjects compared to age-gender matched subjects. We found a significant cortical thickness increase in the right insula and the somatosensory cortex of MBSR trainees, coupled with a significant reduction of several psychological indices related to worry, state anxiety, depression and alexithymia. Most importantly, an interesting correlation between the increase in right insula thickness and the decrease in alexithymia levels during the MBSR training were observed. Moreover, a multivariate pattern classification approach allowed to identify a cluster of regions more responsive to MBSR training across subjects. Taken together, these findings documented the significant impact of a brief MBSR training on brain structures, as well as stressing the idea of MBSR as a valuable tool for alexithymia modulation, also originally providing a plausible neurobiological evidence of a major role of right insula into mediating the observed psychological changes.

Depressive episodes in Sardinian emigrants to Argentina: why are females at risk?

Background/ObjectiveTo compare the frequency of ICD-10 depressive episodes in a community sample of Sardinian immigrants in Argentina and a community sample of Sardinian residents in Sardinia, Italy.MethodA search of telephone directories provided all subscribers with Sardinian surnames in the Argentinean area involved. A 75.8% of all subjects thus identified took part in the study (n = 210). The characteristics of randomisation methods used to identify the community sample in Sardinia (n = 1040) have already been published elsewhere. All subjects were interviewed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Simplified.ResultsA higher frequency of depressive disorders was observed among the Sardinian immigrants in Argentina (26.7 vs. 13.5%, P < 0.0001). Females in particular showed a higher risk with respect to the Sardinian sample resident in Sardinia.DiscussionOn comparison of the present findings with the lifetime rate of depressive episodes in Sardinian immigrants in Paris (France), reported in a previous research study, a lower prevalence was observed among the latter group than in Sardinian immigrants in Argentina but the young male immigrants in Paris were at risk.ConclusionThe results obtained seem to suggest that emigration to a country where economic conditions have since dramatically changed may predispose subjects to depressive disorders, particularly when compared to the percentage of affected subjects in their native population and among subjects who had emigrated to more economically stable countries. Further epidemiological studies are warranted in order to confirm the present results and to clarify the determinants of the major risk for females in such a condition.

Social Phobia in an Italian region: do Italian studies show lower frequencies than community surveys conducted in other European countries?

BackgroundThe lifetime prevalence of Social Phobia (SP) in European countries other than Italy has been estimated to range from 3.5% to 16.0%. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of SP in Sardinia (Italy) in order to verify the evidence of a lower frequency of SP in Italy observed in previous studies (from 1.0% to 3.1%).MethodsA randomised cross sample of 1040 subjects, living in Cagliari, in rural areas, and in a mining district in Sardinia were interviewed using a Simplified version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDIS). Diagnoses were made according to the 10th International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10).ResultsLifetime prevalence of SP was 2.2% (males: 1.5%, females: 2.8%) whereas 6-month prevalence resulted in 1.5% (males: 0.9%, females: 2.1%). Mean age at onset was 16.2 ± 9.3 years. A statistically significant association was found with Depressive Episode, Dysthymia and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.ConclusionsThe study is consistent with findings reported in several previous studies of a lower prevalence of SP in Italy. Furthermore, the results confirm the fact that SP, due to its early onset, might constitute an ideal target for early treatment aimed at preventing both the accumulation of social disabilities and impairments caused by anxiety and avoidance behaviour, as well as the onset of more serious, associated complications in later stages of the illness.

Psychopathology in the Dogon Plateau: an assessment using the QDSM and principal components analysis.

Background: The present paper reports the findings of principal components analysis performed on the basis of answers to the Questionnaire pour le Depistage en Santé Mentale (QDSM) administered to subjects from the Bandiagara plateau (Mali), who had been evaluated in a previously published report. Methods: The study sample was made up of 466 subjects (253 males, 213 females), 273 of whom belonged to the Dogon ethnic group, 163 were Peul and the remaining 30 belonged to other groups (Sonrai, Bozo, Tuareg, Bambara). All subjects were submitted to QDSM, a structured interview derived from the Self Reporting Questionnaire. Data obtained were processed by means of principal components analysis, in order to obtain syndromic aggregations. Results: Eight factors with an Eigen value greater than 1 were extracted, which provided sufficient explanation for the overall variance observed among the 23 items. These factors may be termed as follows: Sadness (factor 1); Dysphoria (factor 2); Nightmares (factor 3); Persecution (factor 4); Somatic symptoms (factor 5); Special powers (factor 6); Hopelessness (factor 7); Loss of Interest (factor 8). Conclusions: The findings from this study support the hypothesis of an independence of “psychosomatic” from depressive symptoms. In particular, contrary to some evidence derived from other African studies, the present research appears to suggest a possible counterposition of these two ways of expressing depression, commonly considered as autonomous.