The European Journal of Psychiatry

Maximino Lozano

Identifying Symptoms in Diagnostic Labyrinths: Adaptative Beacons from Biomarkers and Genetic Polymorphisms

Study of Neurocognitive correlates of Schizotypy Personality Clusters in healthy individuals

Background and Objectives: Inconsistencies in the relationship between schizotypy dimensions and neurocognitive functions found in correlational studies may be clarified with the use of alternative methodological approaches. The aim of this study was to examine the existence of different profiles of schizotypal traits and their neurocognitIve correlates in non-clinical subjects by means of cluster analysis. Methods: We examined seventy six healthy adults from the general population with a comprehensive neurocognitive battery and a schizotypal personality self-report. Results: Four neurocognitive factors were extracted: visuospatial, semantic evocation, verbal memory, and set-shifting. A three cluster model yielded the following clusters: "lowschizotypy", "positive schizotypy", and "negative/disorganized schizotypy". The positive and negative/disorganized schizotypy clusters showed poorer performance on semantic evocation compared with the low schizotypy cluster. Conclusions: We found different patterns of specific schizotypy features in a healthy adult community sample and these clusters presented differential performance in relation with the ability to evoke semantic information.

QEEG mapping and methadone

Background and Objectives: The aim of the study was to characterise methadone effects on human brain activity in opiate dependence subjects enrolled in a methadone maintenance program (MMP) for at least six months and steady in their diary oral dose for at least one month. Methods: Resting QEEG activity was evaluated in fifteen MMP subjects for the delta, theta, alpha and beta frequency band. Each subject participated in two similar sessions of QEEG recording. The interval between sessions were three hours. Results: Changes in brain activity were shown by QEEG-mapping. MMP subjects showed a decrease in alpha activity and an increase in slow activity. The first QEEG recording showed theta activity and the second displayed delta and theta activity. Conclusions: Results suggest cognitive dysfunction in MMP subjects.

Are individual and group treatments equally effective in the treatment of depression in adults?: A meta-analysis

Background and Objectives: It is well-established that psychological interventions are effective in the treatment of depression. However, it is not yet clear what the optima format is in which psychological treatments should be delivered. Although several studies have examined whether individual and group treatments are equally effective in the treatment of depression, no comprehensive meta-analysis has examined this. Methods: We searched major bibliographical databased and conducted a meta-analysis of 15 studies in which individual and group therapies were compared directly to each other. Results: The mean effect size indicating the difference between individual and group therapies in depressive symptomatology at post-test was 0.20 (95% CI: [0.05 0.35]; p < 0.01), in favor of individual therapies, with a lower drop-out rate in individual interventions (OR = 0.56; 95% CI: [0.37, 0.86]; p < 0.01). At follow-up no significant differences were found. Conclusions: Although individual therapy seems to be somewhat more effective than group therapy at the short term, it is not clear whether this is relevant from a clinical point of view. Because of the small number of studies and the limited quality, more research is needed to examine whether the difference between individual and group treatment is clinically relevant.

Psychosomatic Psychiatry: a comment from Italy