Neurochemical differences between bipolar disorder type I and II in superior temporal cortices: A proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.

BACKGROUND: Despite the diagnostic challenges in categorizing bipolar disorder subtypes, bipolar I and II disorders (BD-I and BD-II respectively) are valid indices for researchers. Subtle neurobiological differences may underlie clinical differences between mood disorder subtypes. The aims of this study were to investigate neurochemical differences between bipolar disorder subtypes. METHODS: Euthymic BD-II patients (n = 21) are compared with BD-I (n = 28) and healthy comparison subjects (HCs, n = 30). Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and proton spectroscopy (1H MRS) were performed on a 3T Siemens Tim Trio system. MRS voxels were located in the left/right superior temporal cortices, and spectra acquired with the single voxel Point REsolved Spectroscopy Sequence (PRESS). The spectroscopic data were analyzed with LCModel (Version 6.3.0) software. RESULTS: There were significant differences between groups in terms of glutamate [F = 6.27, p = 0.003], glutamate + glutamine [F = 6.08, p = 0.004], inositol containing compounds (Ino) (F = 9.25, p < 0.001), NAA [F = 7.63, p = 0.001] and creatine + phosphocreatine [F = 11.06, p < 0.001] in the left hemisphere and Ino [F = 5.65, p = 0.005] in the right hemisphere. Post-hoc comparisons showed that the BD-I disorder group had significantly lower metabolite levels in comparison to the BD-II and the HC groups. LIMITATIONS: This was a cross-sectional study with a small sample size. In addition, patients were on various psychotropic medications, which may have impacted the results. CONCLUSIONS: Neurochemical levels, in the superior temporal cortices, measured with 1H-MRS discriminated between BD-II and BD-I. Although further studies are needed, one may speculate that the superior temporal cortices (particularly left hemispheric) play a critical role, whose pathology may be related to subtyping bipolar disorder.

Reliability and Factorial Validity of the Turkish Version of the Pain Disability Index in Rheumatic Patients With Chronic Pain.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the reliability, factor structure, and validity of the Turkish version of the Pain Disability Index (PDI) in patients with chronic pain. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The PDI Index was translated into Turkish according to the standard procedures and performed on 212 rheumatic patients with chronic pain (34 males, 178 females; mean age 47.9±10.3 years; range 19 to 65 years), with most common diagnoses including rheumatoid arthritis, seronegative spondyloarthropathies, and familial Mediterranean fever. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used for validation and Cronbach's alpha coefficient was determined as the internal reliability of the PDI. Correlations between each item and item-total score were also calculated. RESULTS: The Turkish form of the PDI revealed a two-factor model. Cronbach's alpha for the total scale was found as 0.86. All items were correlated significantly with the total score, with values ranging from 0.73 to 0.81. An analysis of the confirmatory factor revealed that the model fit was adequate. CONCLUSION: The Turkish version of PDI had adequate psychometric properties in rheumatic patients with chronic pain. Thus, it may be useful in clinical practice to assist in better understanding of diseases characterized by chronic pain, providing objective measures for functional deficits, and monitoring treatment or rehabilitation effects.

Motivation for treatment in patients with substance use disorder: personal volunteering versus legal/familial enforcement.

BACKGROUND: Motivation for treatment on the part of patients with addictive disorders is known to affect their prognosis, and lack thereof is reported to be among the most common reasons for failed treatment adherence and relapse after treatment. This study evaluated the relationship between volunteering, personality, demographic factors, and motivation for treatment. METHODS: The study was conducted at a substance dependence center in the eastern part of Turkey. Forty-five patients (mean age 37.9±11.2 years) with a substance use disorder were included. They were assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) Axis II disorders. Depression and anxiety were evaluated using the Beck depression and anxiety inventories, and motivation for treatment was measured using the Turkish version of the Texas Christian University Motivation for Treatment scale. RESULTS: All patients had been using substances daily and 41 (88.9%) had been using multiple drugs. The most commonly used substance was heroin (n=18, 40%). Voluntary admission was a predictor of motivation for treatment (P<0.05). Having a personality disorder and higher depression scores were related to less motivation for treatment. CONCLUSION: Motivation for treatment is affected by external factors such as type of admission and internal factors such as personality disorder and depression. Investigation of ways to encourage voluntary admission for treatment instead of enforced strategies may be helpful for achieving higher levels of motivation for treatment in substance users.

The relationship between cognitive insight, clinical insight, and depression in patients with schizophrenia.

Despite comorbid depression being relatively common even in subjects with schizophrenia, to the best of our knowledge, there is, to date, no report in the literature specifically and detailed examining the cognitive and clinical insight in subjects with schizophrenia and a comorbid depressive syndrome. Hence, in this study, we sought to compare the cognitive and clinical insight in our subjects with schizophrenia with and without a comorbid depressive syndrome. We found that participants in the depressive group scored significantly higher on self-reflectiveness and the reflectiveness-certainty (R-C) index scores than those in the nondepressive group. There was no significant difference among groups on the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms, Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms, and clinical insight scores assessed by the Scale to Assess Unawareness of Mental Disorder. In addition, self-reflectiveness scores significantly correlated with depression, observed depression, hopelessness, and suicidality subscores of the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia. A better understanding of the cognitive component of insight in schizophrenia with comorbid depression may contribute to develop more efficient cognitive strategies, thus improving patient outcome. However, clinicians should be aware of the possibility of exacerbating a sense of hopelessness and suicide risk during the interventions that improve cognitive insight.