Editorial

5 pages, 197 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Novel Advancements in COVID-19 and Neuroscience

by Alessio Simonetti, Evelina Bernardi and Gabriele Sani

J. Pers. Med. 2024, 14(2), 143; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm14020143 - 28 Jan 2024

Viewed by 634

From an initial cluster of cases reported in Wuhan, the SARS-Cov-2 infection has since spread globally, causing a pandemic that began on 11 March 2020 [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Advance in COVID-19 and Neuroscience)

Research

Jump to: Editorial, Review, Other

12 pages, 1039 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Urgent Psychiatric Consultations for Suicidal Ideation and Behaviors in Italian Adolescents during Different COVID-19 Pandemic Phases

by Giulia Serra, Massimo Apicella, Maria Elena Iannoni, Monia Trasolini, Elisa Andracchio, Fabrizia Chieppa, Roberto Averna, Clotilde Guidetti, Gino Maglio, Antonino Reale and Stefano Vicari

J. Pers. Med. 2023, 13(7), 1112; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm13071112 - 09 Jul 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 981

Abstract

Access to the emergency department (ED) for acute psychiatric problems, especially for suicide attempts (SA), has increased in the last decade. This increase has exceptionally accelerated after the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this project was to study the increase in acute psychiatric [...] Read more.

Access to the emergency department (ED) for acute psychiatric problems, especially for suicide attempts (SA), has increased in the last decade. This increase has exceptionally accelerated after the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of this project was to study the increase in acute psychiatric care demand of children and adolescents in the short and medium term after the pandemic, in relation to public health measures and in comparison with a pre pandemic reference period. We retrospectively studied 5445 child psychiatric (CP) consultations requested for any reason and for suicide attempt (SA), suicidal ideation (SI) and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in a pediatric ED during three different pandemic periods in Italy (from March 2020 to May 2022) and compared them to a pre-pandemic reference period (from January 2018 to February 2020). Monthly CP consultations for any reason increased significantly by 2.2 times from 70.9 in 2018 to 157 in 2022 (p < 0.001). During the pandemic, monthly CP consultations for any reason increased significantly from 75/month in the first lockdown to 153/month in the second lockdown, remaining stable in the following year. CP consultations for SA increased significantly from 5/month in the first lockdown to 16/month in the second. Consultations for SI increased gradually but significantly from the pre-pandemic period to the end of the pandemic. Juveniles evaluated for SA during the pandemic vs. pre-pandemic more frequently attempted suicide by self-poisoning and less frequently by precipitation, and they were more likely to be diagnosed with a major depressive disorder. CP consultations for any reason and for suicide attempts significantly increased in the decade before the pandemic and peaked in the second lockdown period in Italy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Advance in COVID-19 and Neuroscience)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 260 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Association between Older Age and Psychiatric Symptoms in a Population of Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19

by Maria Camilla Cipriani, Cristina Pais, Vezio Savoia, Cinzia Falsiroli, Andrea Bellieni, Antonella Cingolani, Massimo Fantoni, Daniela Pia Rosaria Chieffo, Gabriele Sani, Francesco Landi, Giovanni Landi and Rosa Liperoti

J. Pers. Med. 2023, 13(6), 973; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm13060973 - 09 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 855

Abstract

Increased rates of anxiety and depression have been reported for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known regarding the onset of mental health morbidity during the acute phase of the disease and the role of age as potential independent risk [...] Read more.

Increased rates of anxiety and depression have been reported for older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known regarding the onset of mental health morbidity during the acute phase of the disease and the role of age as potential independent risk factor for psychiatric symptoms. The cross-sectional association between older age and psychiatric symptoms has been estimated in a sample of 130 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 during the first and second wave of the pandemic. Compared to younger patients, those who were 70 years of age or older resulted at a higher risk of psychiatric symptoms measured on the Brief Psychiatric Symptoms Rating Scale (BPRS) (adjusted (adj.) odds ratio (OR) 2.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05–5.30) and delirium (adj. OR 5.24, 95% CI 1.63–16.8)). No association was found between older age and depressive symptoms or anxiety. Age was associated with psychiatric symptoms independently of gender, marital status, history of psychiatric illness, severity of disease and cardiovascular morbidity. Older adults appear at high risk of developing psychiatric symptoms related to COVID-19 disease during hospital stay. Multidisciplinary preventive and therapeutic interventions should be implemented to reduce the risk of psychiatric morbidity and related adverse health care outcomes among older hospital inpatients with COVID-19. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Advance in COVID-19 and Neuroscience)

11 pages, 1061 KiB

Open AccessArticle

High Homocysteine Levels Are Associated with Cognitive Impairment in Patients Who Recovered from COVID-19 in the Long Term

by Pinar Oner, Seda Yilmaz and Serpil Doğan

J. Pers. Med. 2023, 13(3), 503; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm13030503 - 10 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2647

Abstract

In this study, we measured the levels of depression and cognition in people recovering from COVID-19. Moreover, we aimed to investigate the relationship between depression and cognition levels by measuring homocysteine concentrations. It included 62 people recovering from COVID-19 (at least 3 months [...] Read more.

In this study, we measured the levels of depression and cognition in people recovering from COVID-19. Moreover, we aimed to investigate the relationship between depression and cognition levels by measuring homocysteine concentrations. It included 62 people recovering from COVID-19 (at least 3 months after positive RT-PCR) and 64 people without COVID-19 (control group). At first, the homocysteine levels of participants were measured. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were performed to collect data. Homocysteine levels of the group recovering from COVID-19 (x⁻ = 19.065 µmol/L) were higher than the control group (x⁻ = 11.313 µmol/L). There was no significant difference between the groups for BDI scores. The MoCA scores of the group recovering from COVID-19 (x⁻ = 20.774) were lower than the control group (x⁻ = 24.297). There was a negative high (r = –0.705, p < 0.001) correlation between homocysteine levels and MoCA scores. Linear regression analysis is shown to be significant, and the MoCA explanatory value of the variables in the model is 58.6% (p < 0.0001). A 1 µmol/L observed increase in homocysteine level constituted a risk for a 0.765-point decrease in MOCA scores. In patients recovering from COVID-19, early interventions to high homocysteine levels may prevent cognitive impairments that may persist in the long term. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Advance in COVID-19 and Neuroscience)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Editorial, Research, Other

10 pages, 276 KiB

Open AccessReview

COVID-19 and New-Onset Psychosis: A Comprehensive Review

by Lorenzo Moccia, Georgios D. Kotzalidis, Giovanni Bartolucci, Sara Ruggiero, Laura Monti, Marco Biscosi, Beatrice Terenzi, Ottavia M. Ferrara, Marianna Mazza, Marco Di Nicola, Delfina Janiri, Alessio Simonetti, Emanuele Caroppo, Luigi Janiri and Gabriele Sani

J. Pers. Med. 2023, 13(1), 104; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm13010104 - 02 Jan 2023

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 6428

Abstract

Psychosis is a multifactorial condition that typically involves delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thought, speech or behavior. The observation of an association between infectious epidemics and acute psychosis dates back to the last century. Recently, concerns have been expressed regarding COVID-19 and the risk [...] Read more.

Psychosis is a multifactorial condition that typically involves delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized thought, speech or behavior. The observation of an association between infectious epidemics and acute psychosis dates back to the last century. Recently, concerns have been expressed regarding COVID-19 and the risk for the development of new-onset psychosis. This article reviewed the current evidence of a possible link between SARS-CoV-2 and risk of psychosis as an acute or post-infectious manifestation of COVID-19. We here discuss potential neurobiological and environmental factors as well as a number of challenges in ascribing a causal pathogenic relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection and new-onset psychosis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Advance in COVID-19 and Neuroscience)

18 pages, 442 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Psychiatric Consequences of Long-COVID: A Scoping Review

by Gaia Sampogna, Matteo Di Vincenzo, Vincenzo Giallonardo, Francesco Perris, Antonio Volpicelli, Valeria Del Vecchio, Mario Luciano and Andrea Fiorillo

J. Pers. Med. 2022, 12(11), 1767; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm12111767 - 26 Oct 2022

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 2529

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has represented a new form of traumatic event, affecting the general population worldwide and causing severe disruption of daily routine. A new urgent concern is related to the burden associated with COVID-19 symptoms that persist beyond the onset of infection, [...] Read more.

The COVID-19 pandemic has represented a new form of traumatic event, affecting the general population worldwide and causing severe disruption of daily routine. A new urgent concern is related to the burden associated with COVID-19 symptoms that persist beyond the onset of infection, the so-called long-COVID syndrome. The present paper aims to: (1) describe the most frequent psychiatric symptoms reported by patients affected by long-COVID syndrome; (2) evaluate methodological discrepancies among the available studies; (3) inform clinicians and policy-makers on the possible strategies to be promoted in order to manage the psychiatric consequences of long-COVID syndrome. Twenty-one papers have been included in the present review, mostly with a cross-sectional or cohort design. Significant heterogeneity of long-COVID syndrome definitions was found. The presence of psychiatric symptoms was evaluated with very different assessment tools. The most common psychiatric symptoms of the long-COVID syndrome included fatigue, cognitive disturbances/impairment, depression, and anxiety symptoms. The rate of fatigue varied from 93.2–82.3% to 11.5%, cognitive impairment/cognitive dysfunction from 61.4% to 23.5% and depressive-anxiety symptoms from 23.5%to 9.5%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Advance in COVID-19 and Neuroscience)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Other

Jump to: Editorial, Research, Review

29 pages, 762 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Are the Post-COVID-19 Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Symptoms Justified by the Effects of COVID-19 on Brain Structure? A Systematic Review

by Georgios D. Kotzalidis, Ottavia Marianna Ferrara, Stella Margoni, Valentina Ieritano, Antonio Restaino, Evelina Bernardi, Alessia Fischetti, Antonello Catinari, Laura Monti, Daniela Pia Rosaria Chieffo, Alessio Simonetti and Gabriele Sani

J. Pers. Med. 2023, 13(7), 1140; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm13071140 - 15 Jul 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1392

Abstract

COVID-19 affects brain function, as deduced by the “brain fog” that is often encountered in COVID-19 patients and some cognitive impairment that is observed in many a patient in the post-COVID-19 period. Approximately one-third of patients, even when they have recovered from the [...] Read more.

COVID-19 affects brain function, as deduced by the “brain fog” that is often encountered in COVID-19 patients and some cognitive impairment that is observed in many a patient in the post-COVID-19 period. Approximately one-third of patients, even when they have recovered from the acute somatic disease, continue to show posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. We hypothesized that the persistent changes induced by COVID-19 on brain structure would overlap with those associated with PTSD. We performed a thorough PubMed search on 25 April 2023 using the following strategy: ((posttraumatic OR PTSD) AND COVID-19 AND (neuroimaging OR voxel OR VBM OR freesurfer OR structural OR ROI OR whole-brain OR hippocamp* OR amygd* OR “deep gray matter” OR “cortical thickness” OR caudate OR striatum OR accumbens OR putamen OR “regions of interest” OR subcortical)) OR (COVID-19 AND brain AND (voxel[ti] OR VBM[ti] OR magnetic[ti] OR resonance[ti] OR imaging[ti] OR neuroimaging[ti] OR neuroimage[ti] OR positron[ti] OR photon*[ti] OR PET[ti] OR SPET[ti] OR SPECT[ti] OR spectroscop*[ti] OR MRS[ti])), which produced 486 records and two additional records from other sources, of which 36 were found to be eligible. Alterations were identified and described and plotted against the ordinary PTSD imaging findings. Common elements were hypometabolism in the insula and caudate nucleus, reduced hippocampal volumes, and subarachnoid hemorrhages, while white matter hyperintensities were widespread in both PTSD and post-COVID-19 brain infection. The comparison partly supported our initial hypothesis. These data may contribute to further investigation of the effects of long COVID on brain structure and function. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Advance in COVID-19 and Neuroscience)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

18 pages, 601 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Cognitive Impairment after Post-Acute COVID-19 Infection: A Systematic Review of the Literature

by Andrea Perrottelli, Noemi Sansone, Giulia Maria Giordano, Edoardo Caporusso, Luigi Giuliani, Antonio Melillo, Pasquale Pezzella, Paola Bucci, Armida Mucci and Silvana Galderisi

J. Pers. Med. 2022, 12(12), 2070; https://doi.org/10.3390/jpm12122070 - 15 Dec 2022

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2415

Abstract

The present study aims to provide a critical overview of the literature on the relationships between post-acute COVID-19 infection and cognitive impairment, highlighting the limitations and confounding factors. A systematic search of articles published from 1 January 2020 to 1 July 2022 was [...] Read more.

The present study aims to provide a critical overview of the literature on the relationships between post-acute COVID-19 infection and cognitive impairment, highlighting the limitations and confounding factors. A systematic search of articles published from 1 January 2020 to 1 July 2022 was performed in PubMed/Medline. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Only studies using validated instruments for the assessment of cognitive impairment were included. Out of 5515 screened records, 72 studies met the inclusion criteria. The available evidence revealed the presence of impairment in executive functions, speed of processing, attention and memory in subjects recovered from COVID-19. However, several limitations of the literature reviewed should be highlighted: most studies were performed on small samples, not stratified by severity of disease and age, used as a cross-sectional or a short-term longitudinal design and provided a limited assessment of the different cognitive domains. Few studies investigated the neurobiological correlates of cognitive deficits in individuals recovered from COVID-19. Further studies with an adequate methodological design are needed for an in-depth characterization of cognitive impairment in individuals recovered from COVID-19. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Advance in COVID-19 and Neuroscience)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Novel Advance in COVID-19 and Neuroscience

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (8 papers)

Editorial

Research

Review

Other

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI