Monthly Archives:
November 2022

Neuroimmune mechanisms in fear and panic pathophysiology
McMurray KMJ, Sah R. Neuroimmune mechanisms in fear and panic pathophysiology. Front Psychiatry. 2022 Nov 29;13:1015349. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1015349. PMID: 36523875; PMCID: PMC9745203.
“Currently, our understanding of the role of immune mechanisms in the etiology and maintenance of PD remains limited. In the current review, we attempt to summarize findings that support a role of immune dysregulation in PD symptomology. We compile evidence from human studies and panic-relevant rodent paradigms that indicate a role of systemic and brain immune signaling in the regulation of fear and panic-relevant behavior and physiology. Specifically, we discuss how immune signaling can contribute to maladaptive body-to-brain communication and conditioned fear that are relevant to spontaneous and conditioned symptoms of PD and identify putative avenues warranting future investigation.”
Risk of Major Mental Disorder after Severe Bacterial Infections in Children and Adolescents: A Nationwide Longitudinal Study
Hsu TW, Chu CS, Tsai SJ, Bai YM, Su TP, Chen TJ, Chen MH, Liang CS. Risk of Major Mental Disorder after Severe Bacterial Infections in Children and Adolescents: A Nationwide Longitudinal Study. Neuropsychobiology. 2022 Nov 18:1-11. doi: 10.1159/000526984.
    14,024 children and adolescents with hospitalized bacterial infection, and noninfected controls were 1:4 matched from a nationwide cohort between 1997 and 2012,

  • 11 investigated pathogens, namely, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Klebsiella, Hemophilus, Mycoplasma, Tuberculosis, Meningococcus, Escherichia, Chlamydia, and Scrub typhus.
  • The primary outcomes were the subsequent risk of seven MMDs: 1- autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 2- attention-deficiency hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 3- obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), 4- tic disorder, -5 schizophrenia, 6- bipolar disorder, 7- depressive disorder.
  • The secondary outcomes were the subsequent risk of exposure to psychotropic medications.
Conclusions: After bacterial infection, the risk of MMDs increased in children and adolescents compared to controls, and such associations varied with different pathogens. Future studies are warranted to validate our study findings and investigate the potential mechanisms.
A Survey of Demographics, Symptom Course, Family History, and Barriers to Treatment in Children with Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections
SL O’Dor, S Homayoun, OM.Downer, MA Hamel, JS Zagaroli, KA Williams.A Survey of Demographics, Symptom Course, Family History, and Barriers to Treatment in Children with Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections.Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.Nov 2022.476-487.http://doi.org/10.1089/cap.2022.0063
  • At onset, OCD was the most common psychiatric symptom 83.06% reported in children, along with a high percentage of medical and psychiatric comorbidities.
  • Most psychiatric comorbidities began or worsened at the onset of PANS/PANDAS symptoms. However, major depressive disorder was the most frequently reported psychiatric disorder to develop after PANS/PANDAS onset (10%).
  • Family members report high frequency of autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, with 29.95% of mothers endorsing one or more autoimmune conditions.
  • Mean caregiver burden is above “burnout” level. Caregivers had mildly elevated levels of depression, anxiety, and stress.
Preexisting Neuropsychiatric Conditions and Associated Risk of Severe COVID-19 Infection and Other Acute Respiratory Infections

Ranger TA, Clift AK, Patone M, et al. Preexisting Neuropsychiatric Conditions and Associated Risk of Severe COVID-19 Infection and Other Acute Respiratory Infections. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online November 09, 2022. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.3614

Conclusions and Relevance  In this longitudinal cohort study, UK patients with preexisting neuropsychiatric conditions and treatments were associated with similarly increased risks of severe outcome from COVID-19 infection and SARIs, except for dementia.

Long COVID Syndrome Presenting as Neuropsychiatric Exacerbations in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Insights for Treatment

Jyonouchi, H.; Geng, L.; Rossignol, D.A.; Frye, R.E. Long.COVID Syndrome Presenting as Neuropsychiatric Exacerbations in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Insights for Treatment. J. Pers. Med. 2022, 12,1815. https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm12111815

Neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms are emerging as major long-term sequalae. In patients with pre-existing behavioral symptoms, such as individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), the emergence of neuropsychiatric symptoms due to long COVID can be difficult to diagnose and manage. Herein, we present three ASD cases who presented with markedly worsening neuropsychiatric symptoms following COVID-19 exposure and subsequent difficulty in managing the post-COVID neuropsychiatric symptoms.