psychiatry

A team of researchers from the United Kingdom has conducted a phase 2/3 clinical trial in people with a psychotic disorder to study the efficacy of interaction with a digital avatar in alleviating the discomfort generated by hearing voices. After analyzing it in 345 people, they conclude that it can reduce the frequency of occurrence at 16 and 28 weeks. The discomfort provoked is reduced at 16 weeks, but not at 28 weeks. The team publishes the results in the journal Nature Medicine.

A phase 2 clinical trial has tested the efficacy and safety of a transcranial magnetic stimulation device used at home to treat major depression in 174 patients. After dividing them into two groups, one group received the treatment and the other a placebo procedure. After ten weeks, both groups had improved their symptoms, but the improvement in the active treatment group was 0.4 points greater on the Hamilton depression scale. According to the authors, who publish the results in the journal Nature Medicine, ‘it could potentially serve as a first-line treatment for major depression’.

A report by the Lancet Commission on Self-Harm highlights that at least 14 million episodes of self-harm occur each year - particularly among young people and in low- and middle-income countries. The paper argues that their impact has been neglected by governments globally and sets out a series of recommendations to reduce their incidence. 

The U.S. FDA has approved a new drug—called Cobenfy—to treat the symptoms of schizophrenia. Unlike traditional treatments, which are based on blocking the effects of dopamine, its mechanism of action simulates the effects of another neurotransmitter, acetylcholine. It is the first drug to be approved with a different mechanism of action in over 70 years.

A study published today in Science Advances suggests that there may be a correlation between having a high body mass index (BMI) in childhood and developing schizophrenia later in life. However, the study also indicates that having a higher BMI in adulthood may be correlated with a lower risk of schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The use of GLP-1 analog diabetes drugs-such as semaglutide, sold under the trade name Ozempic-is not linked to an increased risk of suicide, according to two studies published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The first, led by a U.S. team, analyzes data from more than 3,300 people who have participated in clinical trials. The second analyzes data from 124,517 users of these drugs in Sweden and Denmark, and compares them with an even larger group of people who used another type of diabetes medication.

A team of researchers has analysed data from more than 650,000 residents in Sweden and concluded that the genetic predisposition of peers - especially in high school - influences one's risk of developing anxiety, depression or drug abuse in the future. According to the authors, who publish the results in the American Journal of Psychiatry, this relationship appears "even after controlling statistically for whether peers were affected or not". 

Ketamine extended-release tablets are effective, safe and well tolerated in patients with depression resistant to other treatments, according to a phase 2 clinical trial. Compared to intranasal or intravenous use of ketamine, these oral tablets are easier to administer and would provide less dissociative intensity, lower risk of abuse and cardiovascular adverse effects, the authors write in Nature Medicine. 

The PsychENCODE consortium, established in 2015 and dedicated to illuminating the molecular mechanisms underlying schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum disorder, presents findings based on the examination of human brains at the cellular level. The studies are published today in the journals Science, Science Translational Medicine and Science Advances.

The largest meta-analysis to date that studies the risk of children of people with a mental disorder also suffering from some type of mental disorder during their lifetime has been published, with Spanish participation. According to the study, the risk is more than double that of the rest of the population. To explain the study and resolve any doubts that may arise, the Science Media Centre Spain organised an information session with one of the authors, psychiatrist Joaquim Raduà.