Stout Cole (gymtoy4)
Objective Chronic use of synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) has been associated with a wide range of negative consequences for health including psychotic and affective disturbances. Accumulating evidence indicates that cannabinoids use may be a risk factor for schizophrenia, and chronic natural cannabis users score higher than non-users on measures of schizotypal personality traits. However, little is known regarding the personality characteristics of SC users, especially in comparison with recreational cannabis users and healthy individuals. This study aimed to examine the differences in personality characteristics and schizotypy between SC users, regular cannabis users, and non-users and to compare these measures between groups. Methods Forty-two chronic SC users, 39 natural cannabis users, and 47 non-using control participants, without history of mental disorder, or current substance use diagnosis (mean age 26± 4.47 years; 23 females, 105 males), completed the Big-Five Factor Inventory (BFI), the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B), substance use history, rating scales of depression and anxiety, and a demographic questionnaire. Results On the BFI, SC users scored higher than natural cannabis users and non-users on neuroticism, but lower on agreeableness and extraversion, and endorsed greater schizotypal symptoms on the SPQ-B. In addition, SC users had lower scores on conscientiousness than non-users, and natural cannabis users were more extroverted than non-users. Higher openness and lower conscientiousness predicted schizotypy for both SC and natural cannabis users. Finally, greater neuroticism predicted schizotypy for natural cannabis users, and introversion predicted schizotypy for non-users. Conclusions These results show that chronic SC users differ from natural cannabis users and non-users on dimensions of specific personality traits and schizotypy that may indicate psychotic proneness.Background Individuals with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) experience eating problems that cause persistent failure to meet appropriate nutritional and/or energy needs. These eating problems are not driven by body image concerns but rather by persistent low appetite, sensory sensitivity, or fear of aversive consequences of eating (e.g., choking or vomiting). Although increasing numbers of youth are being referred for treatment of ARFID, no evidence-based treatments yet exist for the disorder. Given family-based treatment (FBT) has demonstrated effectiveness with other pediatric eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa), a manualized version of FBT adapted for use with ARFID patients has been developed and is currently under study. Case presentation The following case report demonstrates how FBT was used to treat a 9-year-old patient with ARFID characterized by sensory sensitivity. Similarities and differences with FBT for anorexia nervosa are illustrated. After 17 sessions across 6 months, the patient no longer met DSM criteria for ARFID, she demonstrated major declines in measures of clinical symptoms, and she gained 2.1 kg. Conclusions FBT for ARFID relies upon the same key interventions as FBT for AN. However, we discuss critical differences in the application of these interventions given the unique challenges of ARFID, particularly when characterized by sensory sensitivity.Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of neurodegenerative dementia. In this study, whole genome sequencing identifies one rare and likely pathogenic mutation in the presenilin 1 (PSEN1) gene (c.356C > T, p.T119I) associated with a frontal variant of AD. Affected individuals in the kindred developed late-onset cognitive decline accompanied with early presentation of psychiatric symptoms. Positive amyloid PiB PET tracing suggested presence of pathophysiological biomarker for AD. Whole genome sequencing analysis evaluated rare coding mutations in susceptible genes for various types of dementia and supported the
