The complex interplay of Depression, Inflammation and Omega-3: state of the art and progresses in research.

Many epidemiological and preclinical studies have proven the potential benefit and critical role of omega-3 PUFAs in the development and management of depressive disorders. Depression may be the consequence of a complex interplay between cell-mediated-immune activation and inflammation evolving in neuroprogression. Associations between n-3 PUFAs, inflammation, oxidative stress and the risk of depression have been demonstrated and clinical and animal supplementation studies have shown the potential of PUFAs to decrease neurodegeneration and inflammation. Future research should focus on the dynamic interactions between the different cell signaling networks and oxidative and nitrosative stress pathways that cause depression.

Omega-3 fatty acids and schizophrenia: evidences and recommendations.

Schizophrenia is a brain disease that represents a not rare condition, in fact the lifetime risk of developing schizophrenia is widely accepted to be around 1 in 100. Schizophrenia clinically manifests with acute episodes which are associated with hallucinations, delirium, behavioral disorders and a variable range of chronic persistent symptoms, which can be debilitating. The causes of schizophrenia are not clearly understood. It seems that genetic factors may produce a vulnerability to schizophrenia, along with environmental factors that contribute in a different way from individual to individual. In this context schizophrenia constitutes the outcome of a complex interaction between multiple genes and environmental risk factors, none of which on its own causes the disorder itself. Antipsychotic medications represent the first line of psychiatric treatment for schizophrenia. But there is a growing body of evidence that omega-3 fatty acids can prevent the disease or at least mitigate the course and symptoms. Probably, an appropriate dietary supplementation can play a partially therapeutic effect, even in more severe patients, improving some behavioral aspects and, mainly, reducing the cognitive deterioration. In this context the role of omega-3 fatty acids as a treatment for schizophrenia will strengthen the thrust of researchers and clinicians to the integrated approach to the prevention and cure of a disease that for more than a century challenging researchers.

Functional neuroimaging: points of intersection between biology and psychotherapy.

OBJECTIVES: In the evaluation of the biological basis of psychotherapeutic changes many researches have noticed potential effects of psychotherapeutic interventions on the neural correlates of mental illness. In a psychotherapeutic setting, modifications in individual thoughts and feelings can restore brain functioning at physiological levels. This paper gives an overview about neurobiological methods and their potential to support psychotherapy research and to examine psychotherapy effects across a number of psychiatric disorders. METHODS: Relevant informations are identified through searches of MEDLINE and Current Contents/Clinical Medicine. RESULTS: Studies demonstrate that it is important to consider putative neural mechanisms of psychotherapy, changes in the brain associated with psychotherapy on a global and molecular level, intervention-specific effects and prediction of outcome. Pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy converge in a common change of neuronal functions that might be detected by imaging techniques and might resemble correlates of clinical improvement. CONCLUSIONS: Neuroimaging techniques applied to psychotherapy research are relevant for further understanding neurobiological underpinnings of psychotherapy processes and predicting treatment outcome in order to improve clinical decision-making and treatment.