Delusions and Hallucinations Are Associated With Greater Severity of Delirium.

BACKGROUND: The 3 core domains of delirium (cognitive, higher level thinking, circadian) do not include the less common noncore psychotic symptoms. However, psychosis might inform about perturbations of neural circuitry, outcomes, or suggest tailored clinical management. OBJECTIVE: We assessed relationships between psychosis and other characteristics of delirium in patients without dementia or antipsychotics treatment. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of 366 adults with delirium per the Delirium Rating Scale Revised-98, whose items distinguish hallucinations and delusions from other types of misperceptions and abnormal thought content, assessed during the preceding 24 hours to capture symptom severity fluctuation. The relationship of psychosis with other delirium characteristics was assessed using bivariate comparisons and analysis of variance as appropriate for groups with no psychosis and any psychosis (hallucinations and/or delusions), and subgroups with only hallucinations, only delusions, or both. A discriminant logistic model assessed variables associated with presence of any psychotic features versus none. RESULTS: Delirium with any psychotic features occurred in 44.5% (163 of 366). Of the 366, 119 (32.5%) had only hallucinations (Hall), 14 (3.8%) had only delusions (Del), and 30 (8.2%) had both (Both). In the psychotic group (n = 163), 73.0% were Hall, 8.6% Del, and 18.4% Both. All psychotic patient groupings had significantly greater delirium severity on the Delirium Rating Scale Revised-98. Delusions and hallucinations were discordant for occurring together. The discriminant model found increased odds of having psychosis as 3 symptom severities increased (visuospatial ability, thought process, and sleep-wake cycle) where these each represented a delirium core domain. The noncore symptom of lability of affect had high odds ratio for psychosis, while motor retardation reduced odds of psychosis in this model. CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with prior reports, psychosis occurred in less than half of delirious patients with delusions being infrequent, and an association with affective lability was found. Given that previous functional magnetic resonance imaging research found a correlation between neural network dysconnectivity with greater severity of delirium, psychotic symptoms might be a clinical marker for greater underlying cerebral cortical neural circuitry dysfunction.

Effect of Exposure to Socio-Political Violence and Abuse During Childhood on Executive Planning in Adult Life.

OBJECTIVE: The exposure to unfavorable environments during childhood negatively affects the development of the executive planning abilities in adult life. In countries with sociopolitical conflicts, children are exposed to traumatic events as a result of child abuse and sociopolitical violence. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of the exposure to both forms of adverse childhood experiences on the executive planning abilities in adults from the general population. METHOD: The history of child abuse and sociopolitical violence during childhood was assessed, as well as the executive planning abilities, in 59 adults older than 49 without cognitive impairment or depressive disorder. RESULTS: Of the sample, 88.1% experienced at least one child abuse event and 47.5% was exposed to sociopolitical violence. Sexual abuse and physical abuse (child abuse) were associated with reduced performance in executive planning. Forced displacement and extortion (sociopolitical violence) had a mixed relationship with planning ability, improving some aspects, and worsening some others. Kidnapping was associated with increased capacity and control of the working memory and executive planning. CONCLUSIONS: The traumatic events during childhood have differential effects on the executive planning skills in the adult life. The exposure to sexual and physical abuse negatively affects executive skills; on the other hand, sociopolitical violence has a mixed or positive impact. Specifically, kidnapping favors the executive planning processes, probably under an evolutionary adaptive mechanism.

Diferencias en el rendimiento en la memoria de trabajo entre hombres y mujeres mayores de 49 años en Medellín, Antioquia / Differences in working memory performance between men and women aged 49 and over in Medellin, Antioquia

RESUMEN INTRODUCCIÓN: El objetivo de la investigación fue la evaluación del rendimiento en la memoria de trabajo de una población de adultos, mayores de 49 años, de la ciudad de Medellín, analizando las diferencias de este desempeño entre hombres y mujeres. MATERIALES Y METODOS: Estudio observacional analítico, con un diseño transversal, en el que se evaluó el rendimiento en este proceso de 144 adultos mayores de 49 años con la tarea de Retención de Dígitos y la tarea de Cubos de Corsi. Participaron 60 hombres (41,7 %) y 84 mujeres (58,3 %), con una edad media de 66,5 ± 9,9 y 69,3 ± 12,1 años, respectivamente. RESULTADOS: La puntuación de los hombres supera ligeramente a la de las mujeres en todas las pruebas realizadas, con una diferencia estadísticamente significativa en la tarea de Cubos de Corsi Inversa (Span Visual © Inverso). Asimismo, se evidencia un mejor desempeño por parte de las mujeres en tareas de amplitud simple y de tipo verbal, mientras que los hombres se desempeñan mejor en tareas amplitud compleja y de tipo visoespacial. CONCLUSIONES: estos hallazgos sugieren una ventaja de los hombres en el control de la atención e indican una mayor capacidad para retener e integrar la información visual y cinestésica, así como un mejor desarrollo en algunas habilidades cognitivas superiores como la comprensión del lenguaje y la orientación visoespacial.

SUMMARY INTRODUCTION: the objective of this study was to evaluate working memory performance in a population aged 50 and over from Medellin, analyzing the differences of this achievement between men and women. MATERIALS AND METHOD: An analytical observational study was carried out with a cross-sectional design in which the performance of this system was evaluated in 144 subjects with the Digit Span and the Corsi Block-Tapping Task. Participants were 60 men (41.7 %) and 84 women (58.3 %) with an average age of 66.5 ± 9.9 and 69.3 ± 12.1 years, respectively. RESULTS: Results show that men's scores slightly surpass those of women in all the tests performed, with a statistically significant difference in the Corsi Block-Tapping Task. Furthermore, women have a better performance in simple span tasks and verbal tasks, while men achieve better results in complex span tasks and visuospatial tasks. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that men have an advantage over women in attentional control, and they have a better capacity to maintain and integrate visual and kinesthetic information. Also, these results indicate that men have a better development in some higher-order cognitive skills as language comprehension and visuospatial orientation.

Distinguishing characteristics of delirium in a skilled nursing facility in Spain: Influence of baseline cognitive status.

OBJECTIVE: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia (DEM) are prevalent in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), confounding delirium detection. We report characteristics of delirium in an SNF to ascertain distinguishing features for delirium diagnosis, despite challenges of comorbidity with MCI and DEM. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 200 consecutive patients from an SNF in Catalunya, Spain, assessed within the first 24 to 48 admission hours by independent experts with Spanish-Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (for MCI-DEM), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) delirium criteria, and Delirium Rating Scale Revised-98 (DRS-R98) for delirium phenomenology. Delirium characteristics were modeled in successive steps, according to the presence of delirium and MCI-DEM, with analysis of variance (ANOVA), receiver operator characteristic analyses, and conditional logistic regression. RESULTS: The final model produced symptoms that represented each of the three delirium core domains (ie, cognitive, higher order thinking, and circadian). The DRS-R98 items rated these symptoms as moderate-severe attention/vigilance, mild-severe language, and moderate-severe sleep-wake cycle alterations. The delirium discriminant accuracy of the three symptoms together was high: 84.6% in the MCI-DEM group to 92.8% in the No MCI-DEM group. CONCLUSIONS: Impairments of attention, language, and sleep-wake cycle indicate delirium in SNF patients regardless of the underlying MCI-DEM status. Because delirium is underdetected in SNFs, where nursing staff/patient ratios are low, brief simple tools that measure these symptoms could potentially enhance delirium detection.

Relationship between depressive symptomatology and cognitive performance in older people.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the relationship of depressive symptoms with differentiated components of cognitive function in older adults using the Neuronorma.Co protocol. METHODOLOGY: We analyzed the cognitive performance of 144 adults, 58.3% women, with an average age of 68.1 ± 11.2 years. A factor analysis of main components was performed to identify independent factors of cognitive function. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to estimate the type and strength of association between depressive symptoms and neurocognitive performance components. RESULTS: Seven differentiated components of cognitive performance were identified. In the multivariate analysis, interference control and language were affected by the total score on the Yesavage Geriatric Depression Scale. CONCLUSIONS: The presence and intensity of depressive symptoms is associated with a lower performance in tasks dependent on executive control.

OBJETIVO: Analizar la relación de los síntomas depresivos con componentes diferenciados de la función cognitiva de adultos mayores usando el protocolo Neuronorma.Co. METODOLOGÍA: Se analizó el rendimiento cognitivo de 144 adultos, 58, 3% mujeres, con una edad media de 68, 1 ± 11, 2 años. Se realizó un análisis factorial de componentes principales, para identificar factores independientes de la función cognitiva. Se usó el análisis de regresión lineal múltiple para estimar el tipo y la fuerza de asociación entre síntomas depresivos y los componentes del desempeño neurocognitivo. RESULTADOS: Se identificaron siete componentes diferenciados del rendimiento cognitivo. En el análisis multivariado el control de la interferencia y el lenguaje resultaron afectados por la puntuación total en la Escala de Depresión Geriátrica de Yesavage.

Schizotypal traits and cognitive performance in siblings of patients with psychosis.

INTRODUCTION: Schizotypy has been proposed to be the expression of genetic vulnerability to schizophrenia. The available literature shows cognitive similarities between schizotypy and schizophrenia, with mildly impaired performance being associated with schizotypy. This study aims to determine the relationship between schizotypy and cognitive performance in siblings of patients with psychosis. METHODS: Schizotypal features and cognitive performance on a neuropsychological battery were compared between 48 siblings of patients with psychosis and 44 healthy controls. The relationships between schizotypy and cognitive performance were analysed by controlling the condition of being a sibling. RESULTS: Siblings showed poorer performance on vigilance/sustained attention (M = 37.6; SD = 7.1) and selective attention/interference control/working memory (M = 23.28; SD = 2.7) tasks. The variance in vigilance/sustained attention performance was explained, at 30%, by the interpersonal factor of schizotypy on the suspiciousness dimension and the condition of being a sibling. CONCLUSIONS: Interpersonal features of schizotypy in siblings of patients with psychosis are associated with deficits in vigilance/sustained attention performance.

Relación entre apego y funciones frontales y ejecutivas en niños de 6 a 10 años de una institución educativa pública / Relation between attachment and frontal and executive functions in 6-10 year old kids from a publi school

Resumen Este artículo tiene como objetivo establecer la relación entre los patrones de apego y funciones frontales en niños escolarizados de 6 a 10 años de una institución educativa pública de Bello (Antioquia, Colombia). Método: diseño observacional, analítico, transversal, prospectivo, Muestra: Participaron 29 escolares seleccionados a conveniencia de una institución educativa pública. Se utilizó el test breve de inteligencia de Kaufman (K-BIT), la batería de funciones ejecutivas y lóbulos frontales (BANFE-2) y para evaluar apego el MacArthur Story Stem Battery (MSSB). Resultados: El apego seguro parece estar asociado a un funcionamiento ejecutivo óptimo; específicamente, a la capacidad para desarrollar secuencias consecutivas e inversas, mantener en la memoria de trabajo resultados parciales, inhibir la interferencia, planear una serie de acciones que conllevan a una meta específica, operar en una condición incierta y aprender relaciones que necesitan del análisis riesgo-beneficio para obtener las mayores ganancias posibles.

Abstract This article aims to stablish the relationship between attachment patterns and the frontal functions in children who form part of a public school and whose age was 6 - 10 years old. Method: observational, analytic, transversal and prospective design. Sample: 29 children selected by a convenience criterion. It was used the Kaufman's brief Intelligence test (K-BIT), the executive functions and frontal lobules battery (BANFE-2) and in order to evaluate attachment it was used the MacArthur Story Stem Battery (MSSB). Results: The secure attachment could be could be associated to the optimal executive performance; particularly the ability to develop consecutive and inverse sequences, maintaining partial results in work-memory, interference inhibition, planification of goal oriented actions, performance in uncertain conditions and the analysis of benefits-risk actions in order to obtain the highest earnings as possible.

Noninterventional, Naturalistic, Retrospective Study to Describe Prescription Patterns of Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics and the Impact of Introducing a New Atypical Antipsychotic in the Spanish Province of Tarragona Catchment Area.

Background: We studied the patterns and predictors of long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic (AP) use in the treatment of schizophrenia and the effect of introducing a new LAI (paliperidone palmitate [paliperidone-LAI]) in the Spanish province of Tarragona. Methods: This noninterventional, naturalistic, retrospective study included electronic medical record data from a large population-based database of 1,646 patients who were diagnosed with schizophrenia according to ICD-10 criteria and treated between January 2011 and December 2013. Results: During the study period, 42.0% of patients were treated with an LAI AP. The most frequently prescribed initial LAI was risperidone (52.0% of patients). A total of 23% of patients initially treated with an oral AP were switched to an LAI AP, a change that was associated with younger age (P = .001), undifferentiated schizophrenia (P = .015), substance abuse (P < .001), and neuropsychiatric comedication with the following agents: anticonvulsants (P = .004), anticholinergics (P < .001), and hypnotics/sedatives (P = .03). The change from an oral AP to paliperidone-LAI was predicted by younger age (P < .001). Overall, 27.5% of patients switched to another LAI AP, and paliperidone-LAI was the preferred option in 64.7% of cases. The most frequent change involved patients taking risperidone-LAI, many of whom transitioned to paliperidone-LAI (85.0% of cases), particularly patients with a disease duration > 5 years (P = .019). Conclusions: There was a progressive increase in the use of LAI formulations in our catchment area. These agents were preferentially prescribed to patients with chronic disease and a history of substance abuse, as well as patients receiving neuropsychiatric comedication. One-month LAI formulations were commonly used in young patients.

Subsyndromal delirium compared with delirium, dementia, and subjects without delirium or dementia in elderly general hospital admissions and nursing home residents.

INTRODUCTION: Subsyndromal delirium (SSD) complicates diagnosis of delirium and dementia, although there is little research comparing their symptom profiles. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 400 elderly patients' admission to a general hospital or nursing home diagnosed with delirium, SSD, dementia, or no-delirium/no-dementia (NDND). Symptom profiles were assessed using the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 (DRS-R98). RESULTS: Twenty percent patients had delirium, 19.3% had SSD, 29.8% had dementia-only, and 31% had NDND. Eighty-one percent of subsyndromal and 76% of delirium groups had comorbid dementia. DRS-R98 scores showed ascending severity from NDND < dementia-only < SSD < delirium. DRS-R98 scores for items evaluating the three core symptom domains (cognitive, higher-order thinking, and circadian) distinguished SSD from delirium and both from nondelirium groups. DRS-R98 profiles were essentially the same in delirium and SSD subgroups with or without dementia, although total scale scores were generally higher when in comorbid subgroups. DISCUSSION: SSD shared characteristic core domain symptoms with delirium, which distinguished each from nondelirium groups, although severity was intermediate in the subsyndromal group. Delirium core symptoms overshadowed the dementia phenotype when comorbid. Milder disturbances of delirium core domain symptoms are highly suggestive of SSD.

Delirium diagnosis defined by cluster analysis of symptoms versus diagnosis by DSM and ICD criteria: diagnostic accuracy study.

BACKGROUND: Information on validity and reliability of delirium criteria is necessary for clinicians, researchers, and further developments of DSM or ICD. We compare four DSM and ICD delirium diagnostic criteria versions, which were developed by consensus of experts, with a phenomenology-based natural diagnosis delineated using cluster analysis of delirium features in a sample with a high prevalence of dementia. We also measured inter-rater reliability of each system when applied by two evaluators from distinct disciplines. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of 200 consecutive patients admitted to a skilled nursing facility, independently assessed within 24-48 h after admission with the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 (DRS-R98) and for DSM-III-R, DSM-IV, DSM-5, and ICD-10 criteria for delirium. Cluster analysis (CA) delineated natural delirium and nondelirium reference groups using DRS-R98 items and then diagnostic systems' performance were evaluated against the CA-defined groups using logistic regression and crosstabs for discriminant analysis (sensitivity, specificity, percentage of subjects correctly classified by each diagnostic system and their individual criteria, and performance for each system when excluding each individual criterion are reported). Kappa Index (K) was used to report inter-rater reliability for delirium diagnostic systems and their individual criteria. RESULTS: 117 (58.5 %) patients had preexisting dementia according to the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly. CA delineated 49 delirium subjects and 151 nondelirium. Against these CA groups, delirium diagnosis accuracy was highest using DSM-III-R (87.5 %) followed closely by DSM-IV (86.0 %), ICD-10 (85.5 %) and DSM-5 (84.5 %). ICD-10 had the highest specificity (96.0 %) but lowest sensitivity (53.1 %). DSM-III-R had the best sensitivity (81.6 %) and the best sensitivity-specificity balance. DSM-5 had the highest inter-rater reliability (K =0.73) while DSM-III-R criteria were the least reliable. CONCLUSIONS: Using our CA-defined, phenomenologically-based delirium designations as the reference standard, we found performance discordance among four diagnostic systems when tested in subjects where comorbid dementia was prevalent. The most complex diagnostic systems have higher accuracy and the newer DSM-5 have higher reliability. Our novel phenomenological approach to designing a delirium reference standard may be preferred to guide revisions of diagnostic systems in the future.

A Non-Interventional Naturalistic Study of the Prescription Patterns of Antipsychotics in Patients with Schizophrenia from the Spanish Province of Tarragona.

BACKGROUND: The analysis of prescribing patterns in entire catchment areas contributes to global mapping of the use of antipsychotics and may improve treatment outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To determine the pattern of long-term antipsychotic prescription in outpatients with schizophrenia in the province of Tarragona (Catalonia-Spain). METHODS: A naturalistic, observational, retrospective, non-interventional study based on the analysis of registries of computerized medical records from an anonymized database of 1,765 patients with schizophrenia treated between 2011 and 2013. RESULTS: The most used antipsychotic was risperidone, identified in 463 (26.3%) patients, followed by olanzapine in 249 (14.1%), paliperidone in 225 (12.7%), zuclopenthixol in 201 (11.4%), quetiapine in 141 (8%), aripiprazole in 100 (5.7%), and clozapine in 100 (5.7%). Almost 8 out of 10 patients (79.3%) were treated with atypical or second-generation antipsychotics. Long-acting injectable (LAI) formulations were used in 44.8% of patients. Antipsychotics were generally prescribed in their recommended doses, with clozapine, ziprasidone, LAI paliperidone, and LAI risperidone being prescribed at the higher end of their therapeutic ranges. Almost 7 out of 10 patients (69.6%) were on antipsychotic polypharmacy, and 81.4% were on psychiatric medications aside from antipsychotics. Being prescribed quetiapine (OR 14.24, 95% CI 4.94-40.97), LAI (OR 9.99, 95% CI 6.45-15.45), psychiatric co-medications (OR 4.25, 95% CI 2.72-6.64), and paliperidone (OR 3.13, 95% CI 1.23-7.92) were all associated with an increased likelihood of polypharmacy. Being prescribed risperidone (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.35-0.83) and older age (OR 0.98, 95% CI 0.97-0.99) were related to a low polypharmacy probability. CONCLUSIONS: Polypharmacy is the most common pattern of antipsychotic use in this region of Spain. Use of atypical antipsychotics is extensive. Most patients receive psychiatric co-medications such as anxiolytics or antidepressants. Polypharmacy is associated with the use of quetiapine or paliperidone, use of a LAI, younger age, and psychiatric co-medication.

Performance of the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 Against Different Delirium Diagnostic Criteria in a Population With a High Prevalence of Dementia.

BACKGROUND: Delirium diagnosis in elderly is often complicated by underlying dementia. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated performance of the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98 (DRS-R98) in patients with high dementia prevalence and also assessed concordance among past and current diagnostic criteria for delirium. METHODS: Cross-sectional analysis of newly admitted patients to a skilled nursing facility over 6 months, who were rated within 24-48 hours after admission. Interview for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd edition-R (DSM)-III-R, DSM-IV, DSM-5, and International Classification of Diseases 10th edition delirium ratings, administration of the DRS-R98, and assessment of dementia using the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly were independently performed by 3 researchers. Discriminant analyses (receiver operating characteristics curves) were used to study DRS-R98 accuracy against different diagnostic criteria. Hanley and McNeil test compared the area under the curve for DRS-R98's discriminant performance for all diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: Dementia was present in 85/125 (68.0%) subjects, and 36/125 (28.8%) met criteria for delirium by at least 1 classification system, whereas only 19/36 (52.8%) did by all. DSM-III-R diagnosed the most as delirious (27.2%), followed by DSM-5 (24.8%), DSM-IV-TR (22.4%), and International Classification of Diseases 10th edition (16%). DRS-R98 had the highest AUC when discriminating DSM-III-R delirium (92.9%), followed by DSM-IV (92.4%), DSM-5 (91%), and International Classification of Diseases 10th edition (90.5%), without statistical differences among them. The best DRS-R98 cutoff score was ≥14.5 for all diagnostic systems except International Classification of Diseases 10th edition (≥15.5). CONCLUSIONS: There is a low concordance across diagnostic systems for identification of delirium. The DRS-R98 performs well despite differences across classification systems perhaps because it broadly assesses phenomenology, even in this population with a high prevalence of dementia.

Personality dimensions of schizophrenia patients compared to control subjects by gender and the relationship with illness severity.

BACKGROUND: Personality traits and schizophrenia present gender differences; however, gender has not been considered in most studies on personality and schizophrenia. This study aims to identify the different personality dimensions of schizophrenia patients and healthy control subjects by gender and to explore the relationship between personality dimensions and illness severity variables by analyzing data for males and females separately. METHODS: Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised dimensions were compared by gender between 161 schizophrenia patients and 214 healthy controls from a population-based sample using independent t-tests. We then investigated whether personality dimensions are related to illness severity variables using correlation analyses and bivariate logistic regression, also by gender. RESULTS: The patients had significantly higher scores for harm avoidance (HA) and self-transcendence (ST) and lower scores for reward dependence (RD), cooperativeness (C), and self-directedness (SD) than the controls. Similar results were obtained when the sample was stratified by gender, however the differences were higher and more significant for HA among males and for RD among females. The number of admissions to a psychiatric hospital positively correlated with novelty seeking (NS) in males and negatively with SD in females. In males, SD and ST negatively correlated with the number of suicide attempts. CONCLUSIONS: Male and female patients present difficulties for regulating and adapting behavior to achieve goals (SD) and for identifying and accepting others (C), as well as a great sense of spirituality and universe identification (ST). However, male patients are more characterized by being fearful, doubtful and easily fatigued (HA), while female patients are characterized by presenting difficulties maintaining and pursuing associated reward behaviors (RD). Furthermore, male and female patients who are frequently admitted to psychiatric hospitals and male patients who attempt suicide should be evaluated regarding their personality dimensions. Future studies assessing the relationship between personality dimensions and the clinical features of schizophrenia should consider gender differences.

Fuchs' superficial marginal keratitis managed with circumferential marginal corneoscleral lamellar patch graft.

PURPOSE: To report a case of Fuchs' superficial marginal keratitis managed with circumferential marginal corneoscleral lamellar patch graft. METHODS: Interventional case report. RESULTS: A 34-year-old man presented with several years' history of ill-defined symptoms of binocular ocular irritation associated with vision loss, mostly in the left eye. A superior marginal corneal thinning was found at biomicroscopy of the left eye, with 2 finely vascularized descemetoceles, and a gray epithelial demarcation line without lipid infiltrates. The right eye was clinically normal. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography demonstrated an important corneal thinning from the 7 o'clock to 3 o'clock positions, without scleral involvement. A circumferential marginal corneoscleral lamellar patch graft was done involving 3 mm of sclera and 3 mm of cornea. CONCLUSIONS: Fuchs' superficial marginal keratitis is a rare entity, mostly affecting young adults. It should be considered part of a spectrum of corneal thinning disorders, together with Terrien's marginal degeneration. Definitive treatment with a marginal corneoscleral lamellar patch graft with or without conjunctival autograft is suggested.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in brain samples from patients with major psychiatric disorders: gene expression profiles, mtDNA content and presence of the mtDNA common deletion.

Several lines of evidence support a mitochondrial dysfunction in major psychiatric disorders. The objective of this study was to determine whether mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) expression or content are implicated in the mitochondrial dysfunction observed in schizophrenia (SCH), bipolar disorder (BD), and major depressive disorder (MDD). MtDNA gene expression and mtDNA content (including the MT-ND4 deletion) were measured by RT-qPCR and qPCR, respectively. Post-mortem brain tissue from 60 subjects, divided evenly into four diagnostic groups (SCH, BD, MDD, and control (C)), was analyzed. MT-ND1 gene expression was significantly increased in the BD group compared with the C group. MDD and SCH patients showed a similar pattern of mtDNA expression, which was different from that in BD patients. Similarly, a larger number of MDD and SCH patients tended to have the MT-ND4 gene deleted compared with BD and C subjects. However, no other significant differences were observed in mtDNA gene expression and mtDNA content. Notably, high variability was observed in the mtDNA gene expression and content in each diagnostic group. Previous studies and the present work provide evidence for a role of mtDNA in SCH, BD and MDD. However, further studies with larger patient and control groups as well as by analyzing distinct brain regions are needed to elucidate the role of mtDNA in major psychiatric disorders.

Initial validation of the Spanish childhood trauma questionnaire-short form: factor structure, reliability and association with parenting.

The present study examines the internal consistency and factor structure of the Spanish version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF) and the association between the CTQ-SF subscales and parenting style. Cronbach's α and confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) were performed in a female clinical sample (n = 185). Kendall's ι correlations were calculated between the maltreatment and parenting scales in a subsample of 109 patients. The Spanish CTQ-SF showed adequate psychometric properties and a good fit of the 5-factor structure. The neglect and abuse scales were negatively associated with parental care and positively associated with overprotection scales. The results of this study provide initial support for the reliability and validity of the Spanish CTQ-SF.

Relationships between childhood maltreatment, parenting style, and borderline personality disorder criteria.

This study examines the relationship of different types of childhood maltreatment and the perceived parenting style with borderline personality disorder (BPD) criteria. Kendall's Tau partial correlations were performed controlling for the effect of simultaneous adverse experiences and Axis I and II symptoms in a sample of 109 female patients (32 BPD, 43 other personality disorder, and 34 non-personality disorder). BPD criteria were associated with higher scores on emotional and sexual abuse, whereas parenting style did not show a specific association with BPD. Findings of the present study help clarify the effects of overlapping environmental factors that are associated with BPD.