Daytime sleepiness and health-related quality of life in patients with childhood-onset craniopharyngioma.

Overall survival rates after craniopharyngioma (CP) are high (92%), but frequently quality of life (QoL) is impaired in patients with CP involving hypothalamic structures. Tumour- and/or treatment-related hypothalamic lesions may result in disturbances of circadian rhythms including increased daytime sleepiness. We investigated the relationship between health-related QoL and daytime sleepiness in patients with childhood-onset CP.

Neural Correlates and Sex-Specific Effects of Affectively Driven Processes Underlying Decision-Making in Adult ADHD.

Aims: Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often exhibit heightened risk-taking behavior due to disadvantageous decision-making. This study investigates the influence of preceding unconscious and affectively driven processes on this behavior, with a focus on sex-specific effects.

Methods: Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to examine neural activity during the anticipation phase of decision-making in 18 individuals with ADHD (10 females and 8 males) and 20 healthy controls (10 females and 10 males) using a modified version of the Balloon Analogue Risk Task.

[Is Physical Activity a Treatment Option for ADHD?].

Is Physical Activity a Treatment Option for ADHD? Physical activity as an option for the prevention and treatment of psychiatric disorders is increasingly becoming the focus of research. In particular, because of improvements in cognitive functioning, attentional performance, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, physical exercise could be a promising treatment option for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this narrative review, we present and evaluate the current state of research on exercise effects in children and adolescents as well as in adults with ADHD.

Treatment of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS): study protocol for a parallel, randomized, double-blinded, sham-controlled, multicenter trial (Stim-ADHD).

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation treatment used as an alternative or complementary treatment for various neuropsychiatric disorders, and could be an alternative or add-on therapy to psychostimulants in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Previous studies provided some evidence for improvements in cognition and clinical symptoms in pediatric and adult ADHD patients. However, data from multi-center randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for this condition are lacking.

Neuroplasticity to autophagy cross-talk in a therapeutic effect of physical exercises and irisin in ADHD.

Adaptive neuroplasticity is a pivotal mechanism for healthy brain development and maintenance, as well as its restoration in disease- and age-associated decline. Management of mental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) needs interventions stimulating adaptive neuroplasticity, beyond conventional psychopharmacological treatments. Physical exercises are proposed for the management of ADHD, and also depression and aging because of evoked brain neuroplasticity.

Virtual reality in the diagnostic and therapy for mental disorders: A systematic review.

Background: Virtual reality (VR) technologies are playing an increasingly important role in the diagnostics and treatment of mental disorders.

Objective: To systematically review the current evidence regarding the use of VR in the diagnostics and treatment of mental disorders.

Data Source: Systematic literature searches via PubMed (last literature update: 9 of May 2022) were conducted for the following areas of psychopathology: Specific phobias, panic disorder and agoraphobia, social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, dementia disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, depression, autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and addiction disorders.

Unimpaired social cognition in adult patients with ADHD: brain volumetric and behavioral results.

The present study aimed to investigate whether adult patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show deficits in social cognition and to identify the structural neural correlates of social cognitive skills in ADHD. Twenty-six adult patients with ADHD and 26 matched healthy control participants performed the Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition and underwent a structural magnetic resonance imaging scan. We compared theory of mind (ToM) performance between ADHD patients and healthy controls.

Social Cognition in Patients With Hypothalamic-Pituitary Tumors.

The current study aimed to investigate whether childhood-onset craniopharyngioma patients are impaired in social-cognitive skills, and whether individual differences in task performance are modulated by the neurohormone oxytocin. We tested 31 adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma patients with and without hypothalamic lesions and 35 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. To test for between-group differences in social-cognitive skills, we experimentally assessed participants' abilities to interpret social signs or dispositions and to understand others' thoughts, feelings, and intentions.

Physical exercise in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder - evidence and implications for the treatment of borderline personality disorder.

A growing body of literature indicates a potential role for physical exercise in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Suggested effects include the reduction of ADHD core symptoms as well as improvements in executive functions. In the current review, we provide a short overview on the neurophysiological mechanisms assumed to underlie the beneficial effects of exercise.

Patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasms show different states of health-related quality of life and different coping styles depending on the choice of therapy: findings from the CIN study.

Purpose: To examine the effects of type of therapy (conservative therapy vs conization) on the psychosocial well-being of patients with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade II (CIN II) in a prospective cross-sectional study designed to simplify future choice of therapy.

Patients And Methods: In a cross-sectional study comparing 24 CIN II patients who were treated via conservative therapy with 17 CIN II patients who were treated via conization (not randomized), we examined the association between therapy type and psychosocial well-being after the treatment. Scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) (prevalence of depression/anxiety), SF-12 (health-related quality of life (HRQoL)) and Brief COPE (coping mechanisms) questionnaires were compared between the two subgroups via nonparametric Mann-Whitney U-tests.

Intensity-Dependent Effects of Acute Exercise on Executive Function.

Numerous studies suggest beneficial effects of aerobic exercise at moderate intensity on cognition, while the effects of high-intensity exercise are less clear. This study investigated the acute effects of exercise at moderate and high intensities on executive functions in healthy adults, including functional MRI to examine the underlying neural mechanisms. Furthermore, the association between exercise effects and cardiorespiratory fitness was examined.

Acute Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Executive Function and Attention in Adult Patients With ADHD.

Aerobic exercise can improve cognitive functions in healthy individuals and in various clinical groups, which might be particularly relevant for patients with ADHD. This study investigated the effects of a single bout of aerobic exercise on attention and executive functions in adult patients with ADHD, including functional MRI to examine the underlying neural mechanisms. On two different days, 23 adult patients with ADHD and 23 matched healthy controls performed in a flanker task, while functional MR images were collected, following 30 min of continuous stationary cycling with moderate intensity as well as after a control condition (watching a movie).

Self- and informant-rated apathy in patients with childhood-onset craniopharyngioma.

Introduction: The current study aimed to assess whether childhood-onset craniopharyngioma patients suffer from symptoms of apathy, as assessed by patients themselves and their close others. We further analyzed whether apathy scores are related to symptoms of depression.

Methods: Childhood-onset craniopharyngioma patients (n = 35, 16 female, median age = 22) and matched healthy controls (n = 35, 19 female, median age = 21) were asked to complete self-ratings of the Apathy Evaluation Scale, whereas informant-ratings were obtained from their close others.