Faculty Bibliography

Translational neuroscience for anxiety has had limited success despite great progress in understanding the neurobiology of Pavlovian fear conditioning and extinction. This chapter explores the idea that conditioning paradigms have had a modest impact on translation because studies in animals and humans are misaligned in important ways. For instance, animal conditioning studies typically use imminent threats to assess short-duration fear states with single behavioral measures (e.g., freezing), whereas human studies typically assess weaker or more prolonged anxiety states with physiological (e.g., skin conductance) and self-report measures. A path forward may be more animal research on conditioned anxiety phenomena measuring dynamic behavioral and physiological responses in more complex environments. Exploring transitions between defensive brain states during extinction, looming threats, and post-threat recovery may be particularly informative. If care is taken to align paradigms, threat levels, and measures, this strategy may reveal stable patterns of non-conscious defense in animals and humans that correlate better with conscious anxiety. This shift in focus is also warranted because anxiety is a bigger problem than fear, even in disorders defined by dysfunctional fear or panic reactions.

INTRODUCTION:Neurological/neuropsychiatric symptoms are commonly reported by children/young people with long COVID, especially headache, fatigue, cognitive deficits, anosmia and ageusia, dizziness, mood symptoms, and sleep problems. However, reported prevalence estimates are highly variable due to study heterogeneity and often small sample size; most studies only considered short-term follow-ups; and, apart from mood and sleep problems, neuropsychiatric conditions have received less attention. Considering the potential debilitating effects of neurological/neuropsychiatric conditions, a comprehensive review of the topic is timely, and needed to support clinical recognition as well as to set the direction for future research. AREAS COVERED:The authors discuss neurological/neuropsychiatric manifestations of long COVID in pediatric populations, with a focus on prevalence, associated demographic characteristics, and potential pathogenetic mechanisms. EXPERT OPINION:Children/young people may develop persistent neurological/neuropsychiatric symptoms following acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, which may affect daily functioning and well-being. Studies in larger samples with longer follow-ups are needed to clarify prevalence and symptom duration; as well as less investigated risk factors, including genetic predisposition, ethnicity, and comorbidities. Controlled studies may help separate infection-related direct effects from pandemic-related psychosocial stressors. Clarifying pathogenetic mechanisms is paramount to develop more targeted and effective treatments; whilst screening programs and psychoeducation may enhance early recognition.

BACKGROUND:Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may provide a potential therapy for cognitive deficits caused by traumatic brain injury (TBI), yet its efficacy and mechanisms of action are still uncertain. OBJECTIVE:We hypothesized that anodal tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) would boost the influence of a cognitive training regimen in a mild-to-moderate TBI (mmTBI) sample. Cognitive enhancement was measured by examining event-related potentials (ERPs) during cognitive control tasks from pre- to post-treatment. METHODS:Thirty-four participants with mmTBI underwent ten sessions of cognitive training with active (n = 17) or sham (n = 17) anodal tDCS to the left DLPFC. ERPs were assessed during performance of an auditory oddball (3AOB), N-back, and dot pattern expectancy (DPX) task before and after treatment. RESULTS:P3b amplitudes significantly decreased from baseline to post-treatment testing, regardless of tDCS condition, in the N-back task. The active tDCS group demonstrated a significantly increased P3a amplitude in the DPX task. No statistically significant stimulation effects were seen during the 3AOB and N-back tasks. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Active anodal tDCS paired with cognitive training led to increases in P3a amplitudes in the DPX, inferring increased cognitive control. P3b decreased in the N-back task demonstrating the effects of cognitive training. These dissociated P3 findings suggest separate mechanisms invoked by different neuroplasticity-inducing paradigms (stimulation versus training) in brain networks that support executive functioning.

BACKGROUND/UNASSIGNED:-methyl-D-aspartate receptor autoimmune encephalitis have been reported after infections with the herpes-simplex virus or, more recently, in patients with severe COVID-19 disease. CASE PRESENTATION/UNASSIGNED:-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in the cerebrospinal fluid without other major abnormalities. After establishing the diagnosis, initiation of immunomodulatory therapy stopped the symptom progression and led to full recovery within 2 months. CONCLUSION/UNASSIGNED:-methyl-D-aspartate receptor autoimmune encephalitis developed shortly after a COVID-19 infection in an adolescent, despite the individual experiencing only mild COVID symptoms. The diagnosis should be considered in cases of acute-onset psychotic symptoms during or after COVID-19 infection, particularly in individuals without a prior psychiatric history, who present with atypical psychiatric or neurological features.

Olanzapine is one of the most widely used antipsychotics since its initial approval by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1996 and has undergone extensive pharmacokinetic study. Despite being utilized in clinical psychiatry for decades, there remain questions regarding the variety of available formulations, the utility of therapeutic drug monitoring, altered kinetic properties in special populations/medical illnesses, the use of high-dose olanzapine, and drug interactions, among many others. We performed a narrative literature review of olanzapine pharmacokinetics in June 2023 using the US National Library of Medicine's PubMed.gov resource (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed) and Google Scholar. Herein, we review clinically relevant aspects of olanzapine pharmacokinetic data while highlighting knowledge gaps and potential areas of future study.

BACKGROUND:Peripartum adolescents experience significant interpersonal transitions in their lives. Depression and emotional distress are often exacerbated by adolescents' responses to these interpersonal changes. Improved understanding of pregnancy-related social changes and maladaptive responses to these shifts may inform novel approaches to addressing the mental health needs of adolescents during the perinatal period. The paper aims to understand the sources of psychological distress in peripartum adolescents and map these to Interpersonal Psychotherapy's (IPT) problem areas as a framework to understand depression. METHOD/METHODS:We conducted interviews in two Nairobi primary care clinics with peripartum adolescents ages 16-18 years (n = 23) with experiences of depression, keeping interpersonal psychotherapy framework of problem areas in mind. We explored the nature of their distress, triggers, antecedents of distress associated with an unplanned pregnancy, quality of their relationships with their partner, parents, and other family members, perceived needs, and sources of support. RESULTS:We found that the interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) framework of interpersonal problems covering grief and loss, role transitions, interpersonal disputes, and social isolation was instrumental in conceptualizing adolescent depression, anxiety, and stress in the perinatal period. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Our interviews deepened understanding of peripartum adolescent mental health focusing on four IPT problem areas. The interpersonal framework yields meaningful information about adolescent depression and could help in identifying strategies for addressing their distress.

OBJECTIVES:To summarise evidence on intrawork breaks and their associated effect on doctors' well-being and/or performance at work. DESIGN:Systematic review following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 statement guidelines DATA SOURCES: Embase, PubMed, Web of Science (Core Collection) and PsychINFO were systematically searched on 6 June 2021. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:No restrictions were placed on language, study design or date of publication. DATA EXTRACTION AND ANALYSIS:Methodological quality was appraised using Cochrane's Risk of Bias (ROB-2), Cochrane's Risk of Bias in Non-randomised Studies (ROBINS-I), and the Johanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklists for cross-sectional, cohort and qualitative studies. Quantitative synthesis was not undertaken due to substantial heterogeneity of design and outcomes. Results are presented narratively. RESULTS:Database searches returned 10 557 results and searches of other sources returned two additional records. Thirty-two papers were included in the systematic review, comprised of 29 unique studies, participants and topics and 3 follow-up studies. A variety of well-being and performance outcome measures were used. Overall, findings indicate that intrawork breaks improved some measures of well-being and/or work performance. However, methodological quality was judged to be low with a high risk of bias in most included studies. DISCUSSION:Using existing evidence, it is not possible to conclude with confidence whether intrawork breaks improve well-being and/or work performance in doctors. There is much inconsistency regarding how breaks are defined, measured and the outcomes used to assess effectiveness. Future research should seek to: (a) define and standardise the measurement of breaks, (b) use valid, reliable outcome measures to evaluate their impact on well-being and performance and (c) minimise the risk of bias in studies where possible. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER:CRD42020156924; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=156924.

BACKGROUND:Children referred for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often present with a broader pattern of conduct problems including oppositionality and defiance. This combination can be extremely stressful to parents, lower parents' self-esteem and negatively impact family life. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that families receive support as soon as possible after their referral. However, as clinical services are overstretched, and traditional in-person parenting intervention programmes are expensive, families often must wait times a long time prior to receiving this vital input. To address this, we have created a digital parenting programme called STEPS. It is delivered as a mobile phone app providing a set of tools and resources that can be easily accessed at parents' convenience. This study aims to evaluate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of STEPS in supporting parents of children with high levels of hyperactivity/impulsivity, inattention and conduct problems, who are waiting to be assessed by specialist children's clinical services. METHODS:Online Parent Training for The Initial Management of ADHD referrals (OPTIMA) is a two-arm superiority parallel randomised controlled trial with an internal pilot study. We aim to recruit 352 parents and their children, who have been accepted onto a waitlist in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services or similar child health services. Parents who consent will be randomised 1:1 to either the STEPS or wait-as-usual (WAU) group. The trial will be conducted remotely (online and telephone) with measures taken at baseline and 3, 6, 9 and 12 months post-randomisation. The primary objective is to evaluate whether STEPS reduces the severity of children's oppositional and defiant behaviour, as rated by parents, measured at 3 months post-randomisation compared to WAU. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS:Digital solutions, such as mobile phone apps, have potential for delivering psychological support for parents of children with clinical-level needs in a timely and inexpensive manner. This trial will provide data on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the STEPS app, which could support the implementation of this scalable parenting intervention programme into standard clinical care and, ultimately, improve the outcomes for families of children referred to specialist child and adolescent health services. TRIAL REGISTRATION/BACKGROUND:ISRCTN 16523503. Prospectively registered on 18 November 2021. https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN16523503.

The British Association for Psychopharmacology course on child and adolescent psychopharmacology has been run for more than 20 years and is currently a very popular course, attracting around 140 delegates/year from across the United Kingdom and abroad. As Faculty of recent sessions of the course, we have selected the most common questions we have been asked in recent years and provided evidence-based and/or expert-informed answers. We have included 27 questions and answers related to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depressive disorders, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, epilepsy (in differential diagnosis or comorbid with mental health conditions), obsessive-compulsive disorder, personality disorders, psychotic spectrum disorders, and tics/Tourette syndrome in children and young people. We hope that this article will be helpful for prescribers in their daily clinical practice and we look forward to further, high-level evidence informing the answers to these and other questions in child and adolescent psychopharmacology.