Rebecca Ranieri

Depressive symptoms and major depressive disorder in patients affected by subclinical hypothyroidism: a cross-sectional study.

Abstract The relationship between subclinical hypothyroidism and depression is still controversial. Our objective was to compare the prevalence of depressive symptoms and major depressive disorder in a population of patients affected by subclinical hypothyroidism and a control group without thyroid disease. The authors enrolled 123 consecutive outpatients affected by subclinical hypothyroidism undergoing follow-up at the endocrinology department of San Paolo Hospital in Milan and 123 controls without thyroid disease under the charge of general physicians. All patients and controls underwent an evaluation by means of a psychiatric interview; Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D); Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS); and serum thyroid stimulating hormone, free T4, and free T3 levels. Patients were also screened for thyroid peroxidase antibodies and thyroglobulin antibodies. Patients affected by subclinical hypothyroidism had a prevalence of depressive symptoms of 63.4% at HAM-D and 64.2% at MADRS; 22 patients (17.9%) had a diagnosis of depressive episode (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision criteria). The control group had a prevalence of depressive symptoms of 27.6% at HAM-D and 29.3% at MADRS, and only seven controls had a diagnosis of depressive episode. The prevalence of depressive symptoms between these two groups was statistically different. This study underlines a strong association between subclinical hypothyroidism and depressive symptoms, which could have some important diagnostic and therapeutic implications in the clinical practice.

Stability of cognition across wakefulness and dreams in psychotic major depression

Cognitive bizarreness has been shown to be equally elevated in the dream and waking mentation of acutely symptomatic inpatients diagnosed with affective and non-affective psychoses. Although some studies have reported on dream content in non-psychotic depression, no study has previously measured this formal aspect of cognition in patients hospitalized for Psychotic Major Depression (PMD). Sixty-five dreams and 154 waking fantasy reports were collected from 11 PMD inpatients and 11 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. All narrative reports were scored by judges blind to diagnosis in terms of formal aspects of cognition (Bizarreness). Dream content was also scored (Hall/Van de Castle scoring system). Unlike controls, PMD patients had similar levels of cognitive bizarreness in their dream and waking mentation. Dreams of PMD patients also differed from those of controls in terms of content variables. In particular, Happiness, Apprehension and Dynamism were found to differ between the two groups. Whereas dream content reflects a sharp discontinuity with the depressive state, cognitive bizarreness adequately measures the stability of cognition across dreams and wakefulness in PMD inpatients.

Right hemisphere neural activations in the recall of waking fantasies and of dreams

The story‐like organization of dreams is characterized by a pervasive bizarreness of events and actions that resembles psychotic thought, and largely exceeds that observed in normal waking fantasies. Little is known about the neural correlates of the confabulatory narrative construction of dreams. In this study, dreams, fantasies elicited by ambiguous pictorial stimuli, and non‐imaginative first‐ and third‐person narratives from healthy participants were recorded, and were then studied for brain blood oxygen level‐dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging on a 3.0‐Tesla scanner while listening to their own narrative reports and attempting a retrieval of the corresponding experience. In respect to non‐bizarre reports of daytime activities, the script‐driven recall of dreams and fantasies differentially activated a right hemisphere network including areas in the inferior frontal gyrus, and superior and middle temporal gyrus. Neural responses were significantly greater for fantasies than for dreams in all regions, and inversely proportional to the degree of bizarreness observed in narrative reports. The inferior frontal gyrus, superior and middle temporal gyrus have been implicated in the semantic activation, integration and selection needed to build a coherent story representation and to resolve semantic ambiguities; in deductive and inferential reasoning; in self‐ and other‐perspective taking, theory of mind, moral and autobiographical reasoning. Their degree of activation could parallel the level of logical robustness or inconsistency experienced when integrating information and mental representations in the process of building fantasy and dream narratives.

Comparison of common data elements from the Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) Network integrated database and a well-characterized sample with nonepileptic seizures

INTRODUCTION Epilepsy and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are both chronic illnesses characterized by similar and overlapping clinical features. A limited number of studies comparing people with epilepsy (PWE) and patients with PNES that address determinants of health outcomes exist. We conducted an analysis using a well-characterized sample of people with PNES and the Managing Epilepsy Well (MEW) Network integrated data, comparing descriptive data on samples with epilepsy and with documented PNES. Based on the pooled data, we hypothesized that people with PNES would have worse QOL and higher depression severity than PWE. MATERIAL AND METHODS We used data from the MEW Network integrated database involving select epilepsy self-management studies comprising 182 PWE and 305 individuals with documented PNES from the Rhode Island Hospital Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology Clinic. We conducted a matched, case-control study assessing descriptive comparisons on 16 common data elements that included gender, age, ethnicity, race, education, employment, income, household composition, relationship status, age at seizure onset, frequency of seizures, seizure type, health status, healthy days, quality of life, and depression. Standardized rating scales for depression and quality of life were used. RESULTS Median seizure frequency in the last 30days for PWE was 1, compared to 15 for patients with PNES (p<0.05). People with epilepsy had a QOLIE-10 mean score of 3.00 (SD: 0.91) compared to 3.54 (0.88) (p<0.01) for patients with PNES. Depression severity was moderate to severe in 7.7% of PWE compared to 34.1% (p<0.05) of patients with PNES. DISCUSSION People with epilepsy in selected MEW Network programs are fairly well educated, mostly women, with few minorities and low monthly seizure rates. Those with PNES, however, have higher levels of not working/on disability and had more frequent seizures, higher depression severity, and worse QOL. These differences were present despite demographics that are largely similar in both groups, illustrating that other determinants of illness may influence PNES.

Comments on Reuber et al. Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures: Review and update. Epilepsy & Behavior 2003;4:205-216

a Department of Neurology and Comprehensive Epilepsy Program, Rhode Island Hospital (RIH), Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA b Department of Psychiatry, RIH, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, USA c Division of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurology, Rhode Island Hospital, USA d Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Providence, RI, USA e Department of Psychiatry, Universita degli Studi di Milano, Ospedale San Paolo, Milano, Italy

Manipulating an internal pulse generator until twiddler’s syndrome in a patient treated with deep brain stimulation for obsessive-compulsive disorder

Background: Twiddler’s syndrome consists of rotation or manipulation of an implantable pulse generator (IPG) in its subcutaneous pocket by a patient, thus causing hardware malfunction. Methods: This syndrome is being reported more frequently in patients treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS). Results: We report the case of a woman who had received bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNST) electrodes for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and developed twiddler’s syndrome a few months after surgery, causing hardware malfunction due to obsessive manipulation of the IPG. Conclusion: The patient did not have compulsions related to touching objects at admission, thus making it difficult to foresee and prevent TS.

Dream content and intrusive thoughts in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Although central to any exhaustive theory of human subjectivity, the relationship between dream and waking consciousness remains uncertain. Some findings suggest that dream consciousness can be influenced by severe disorders of thought content. The suppression of unwanted thoughts has been shown to influence dream content in healthy individuals. In order to better define this phenomenon, we evaluated the persistence of obsessive/compulsive themes across the dream and waking cognition of OCD patients and in a control group of healthy subjects. Participants were administered a shortened version of the Thematic Apperception Test to produce a waking fantasy narration, and were trained to keep a dream diary. Dream and waking narrative contents were analyzed in order to recognize obsessive/compulsive themes, and to calculate Mean Dream Obsession/Compulsion (MDO, MDC) and Mean TAT Obsession/Compulsion (MTO, MTC) parameters. No differences were found between the two populations in terms of MDO, MDC, MTO, nor MTC. Density of obsessive and compulsive themes were significantly higher in dream reports than in waking narratives for both groups. No correlation was observed between MDO/MDC scores and Y-BOCS obsession/compulsion scores in the OCD group. These findings strengthen the discontinuity hypothesis, suggesting that ruminative aspects of cognition are somehow interrupted during dream activity.

Nonepileptic seizures - objective phenomena.

This chapter describes the evaluation process for the diagnosis of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES), which is determined based on concordance of the composite evidence available, including historic and physical exam findings, seizure semiology, and ictal/interictal electroencephalogram (EEG). No single clinical feature is pathognomonic of PNES. The diagnosis of PNES can be at times challenging, such as when seizure documentation on video-EEG cannot be readily achieved. A multicomponent approach to the diagnosis of PNES, with use of all available evidence, may facilitate diagnosis and then care of patients with PNES. Emerging evidence supports the use of symptom identification by the patient as part of the treatment of these patients. With advances in diagnostic methods and criteria, the diagnosis of PNES can be made reliably.

1746 – A case of isoniazid-induced delirium

Objective To report a case of isoniazid-induced delirium. Case summary A 56-year-old man affected by alcoholism and hepatic cirrhosis was admitted to hospital for a suspected pneumonia with pleural effusion and thickenings. A Mantoux skin test was positive. A core biopsy of the pleural nodules revealed a tubercular granulomatous pleuritis. An isoniazid, ethambutol and rifampicin therapy was then started. Subsequently the patient developed a state of delirium. A diagnostic work-up was carried out considering different hypothesis: hepatic encephalopathy was ruled out because of lack of response to appropriate treatment; negative encephalic CT scan, liquor examination and EEG excluded a tubercular involvement of the central nervous system or other neurologic etiologies. Haloperidol and delorazepam were administered under the suspicion of Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, without any benefit. Finally a toxic etiology was considered. Among isoniazid side effects psychosis is described, though rare. Isoniazid therapy was then stopped and substituted by moxifloxacin, with progressive improvement of the state of consciousness. Discussion Cases of isoniazid-related psychiatric disorders reported include psychosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder and mood alterations. Two mechanisms are generally considered as responsible: pyridoxin deficiency and isoniazid toxicity, a molecule chemically near to iproniazid, a powerful monoamineoxidase inhibitors. This is the first report of a case of isoniazidinduced pure delirium, with all clinical features according to DSM-IV criteria. We also confirmed successful resolutions of symptoms only by discontinuation of therapy. Conclusions In the work-up of a state of delirium, when investigating the toxic hypothesis, clinicians should consider neuropsychiatric side effects of isoniazid.

1791 – A case of psychosis in a patient affected by beta thalassemia major: a genetic link?

A 35-year-old man affected by betathalessemia major was treated at the age of 10 years old by allogeneic bone marrow transplant and then he had a one-year treatment with cyclosporine. In March 2012 he was admitted to our psychiatric department because of delusional thoughts, hallucinations, anxiety and behavioral abnormalities. The insight was absent. His parents reported a progressive social retirement from the age of 16 years old and hallucinations even in the last few years. Furthermore the familial history was positive for psychotic symptoms (brother). During the hospitalization, an antipsychotic therapy based on paliperidone was started. After two weeks at the dosage of 9 mg per day his psychopatological condition slowly improved. He was discharged after one month: delusions, hallucinations and behavioral abnormalities disappeared, anxiety decreased. During the following months the patient was evaluated: no relapse of positive symptoms was observed but his personal, social and working functioning remained significantly impaired. A diagnosis of schizophrenia has not been formulated yet because of the temporalcriterion. Cases where schizophrenia and betathalassemia occurred simultaneously were reported in literature, mostly when psychotic symptoms affected more than one family member. The association maybe suggests a genetic link between these two disorders. Previous studies showed that genetic abnormalities in the short arm of chromosome 11, responsible of betathalassemia, are also known as crucial regions for the genetic susceptibility of schizophrenia.Further studies are needed to better clarify this genetic association in order to verify which abnormalities of chromosome 11 are more associated with the onset of schizophrenia.