P50 sensory gating is a trait marker of the bipolar spectrum.

UNLABELLED: Sensory gating deficit, assessed by a paired auditory stimulus paradigm (P50), has been reported as a stable marker of schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to explore if this neurophysiological disturbance also fulfilled stability criteria in the bipolar disorder (BD) spectrum bipolar, as state independence is one of the main points to be considered as a potential endophenotype of the illness. The P50 evoked potential was studied in 95 healthy controls and 126 bipolar euthymic patients. Euthymia was established according to Van Gorp's criteria. Bipolar I and II subtypes were analyzed separately. The influence of a lifetime history of psychoses was also evaluated in the clinical sample. P50 gating was deficitary in all the subsamples of patients relative to healthy comparison subjects. Bipolar I patients with and without a history of psychosis showed higher P50 ratios than the other subgroups of patients, although these differences were not significant. P50 alterations were mainly due to a deficit in the inhibition of the second wave (test wave or S2) amplitude. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that this inhibitory deficit can be considered characteristic of the illness and that the intensity of the gating abnormality varies according to the severity of BD.

Brief cognitive-behavioral therapy with fibromyalgia patients in routine care.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) group intervention for fibromyalgia syndrome in routine care. METHOD: Thirty-four female outpatients who participated in a 5- to 6-week group CBT program were assessed for depression (Beck Depression Inventory), anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), coping strategies (Coping Questionnaire for Chronic Pain), physical functioning (Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire), and somatization (Health Attitude Survey) at 3 time points (baseline, pretreatment, and posttreatment) using a pre-post, quasi-experimental design. RESULTS: Twenty-three female outpatients (68% of the initial sample) for which data were available in all 3 time points were included in the analyses. No changes were found during the waiting period. During the treatment period, there were significant reductions in depression (P = .001) and anxiety (P = .006) symptoms and an increased use of distraction skills (P < .001). The analysis of rate of change showed a significant correlation between anxiety and depression (P = .004), but not between these variables and the use of distraction as a coping strategy. CONCLUSION: Brief group CBT is effective in reducing emotional distress in female patients with long-standing fibromyalgia syndrome in the context of routine care. Attention-distraction skills appear to be amenable to change by means of brief CBT, but further research is needed to clarify their contribution to short-term clinical improvement.