Prof. Xenia Gonda, MA (Psychology), PhD (Psychiatry), PharmD, Hungary

Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Semmelweis University New Antidepressant Target Group & MTA-SE Neurochemistry and Neuropsychopharmacology Research group, Semmelweis University and Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Laboratory of Suicide Prevention and Research, National Institute for Psychiatry and Addictology

Inflamed Mind: Focusing on novel neuroinflammatory biomarkers and targets in understanding and managing suicide

Abstract:
Suicide has a huge impact not only on the lives of patients and their families but also mental healthcare, public health and the society in general. In spite of these, we face several unmet needs in understanding, prevention and management of suicide. Our current methods of screening and predicting are highly unspecific and have a low predictive value, thus novel approaches to the etiology of suicide are needed to develop reliable biomarkers. An increased inflammatory state is present in suicidal patients with elevated levels of proinflammatory cytokines and a typical inflammatory signature profile. Based on understanding these processes we have the hope of repurposing currently used antiinflammatory molecules and developing novel ones which specifically target neuroinflammatory components of suicide.

Prof. Domenico De Berardis, MD, PhD, NHS, Italy

Department of Mental Health, Psychiatric Service of Diagnosis and Treatment, “G. Mazzini” Hospital, Asl 4 Teramo, Italy
Department of Neurosciences, Imaging and Clinical Sciences, Chair of Psychiatry, University of Chieti, Italy
Contract Professor of Pharmacology, School of Nursing, University of L’Aquila, Italy

The Alexithymia and its relationships with psychiatric disorders and suicide

Abstract:
It has been extensively proven that subjects with alexithymia may show affective dysregulation as well as the incapacity to self relieve and deal with emotions due to a relative lack of emotional consciousness. Therefore, these subjects may suffer from severe anxiety and depression, usually suffering from a relatively higher psychological pain, and may be at risk of developing both inexplicable somatic symptoms and symptoms of emotional distress as they are, on a psychological point of view, inadequately furnished. Besides, numerous studies showed that alexithymics might insufficiently respond both to psychopharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. The typical characteristics of alexithymic behavior are mostly evident in social relationships with high emotional connotations. A persistent affect-avoiding in interpersonal behaviors are rather distressing and may produce instability and struggles in such significant relationships, subsidizing the increase of symptoms of anxiety and depression, thus increasing the possibility of suicidal ideation and behavior. The aim of this presentation is to give some update on the alexithymia construct and its relationships with psychiatric disorders and to suggest why alexithymia should be investigated in everyday clinical and research practice.

Prof. Petr Morozov, MD, PhD, DMedSc (Psychiatry), Russia

Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Advanced Medical Studies, Russian
National Medical Research University n.a. Pirogov, Moscow, Russia
Russian Society of Psychiatrists Vice-President
World Psychiatric Association General Secretary
Senior Advisor of the International Centre for Education and Research in Neuropsychiatry (ICERN), Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia

The Kandinsky-Clerambault syndrome

Abstract:
Abstract This lecture discovers unique historical, clinical and prognostic issues of the Kandinsky-Clerambault syndrome. Though the syndrome, its symptomatology and relation to schizophrenia are well known, many professionals are not familiar with its eponymic term. Clinical representations of the syndrome and its biological correlates are discussed through the prism of impressive historical retrospective.

Professor Paul Cumming, BSc, MSc, PhD, Australia

Department of Nuclear Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
School of Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane Australia
International Centre for Education and Research in Neuropsychiatry, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia

Molecular imaging of schizophrenia

Abstract:
The technology of molecular imaging of biomarkers in brain has attained considerable maturity as a tool for investigating the pathophysiological basis of schizophrenia. Since the early days of positron emission tomography, much emphasis was placed on positron emission tomography (PET) studies of dopamine synthesis capacity in brain using positron-emitting DOPA decarboxylase substrate such as fluorine-18 FDOPA. Meta-analysis of many such studies confirmed that a group of 300+ untreated patients with schizophrenia had significantly increased dopamine synthesis capacity in striatum. However, there two kinds of schizophrenia with respect to FDOPA-PET results; nearly one half of patients have entirely normal PET results. Other research suggests that high dopamine synthesis in prodromal individuals, and predicts for conversion to psychosis, especially regarding positive symptoms. Other molecular studies link reduced binding sites for muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in patients with schizophrenia, or specific patterns of reduced brain energy metabolism (i.e., glucose consumption) in relation to specific positive or negative symptomatologies. Schizophrenia is a heterogeneous disorder; molecular imaging across a range of markers may eventually support a biochemical typology of its variants, and guide individualized medical therapy.

Assoc. Prof. Daria Smirnova, MD, PhD (Psychiatry), Russia

International Centre for Education and Research in Neuropsychiatry, Samara State Medical University, Samara, Russia

Language phenomenon in schizophrenia

Abstract:
This lecture introduces the psycholinguistic approach in schizophrenia research and the central role of language disturbances in the etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia. The variety of manifestations of thought, language and communication disorder in schizophrenia, represents the core features of this heterogenous group of disorders. The topic of language decline in schizophrenia, from the historical perspective of its origins in the early 20th century and through the prism of current research in applied neurosciences, is reviewed in details. In current linguistic models, language neural circuits are described as underlying the basic symptoms of schizophrenia, such as auditory verbal hallucinations, delusions, and formal thought disorder. Moreover, language deterioration is associated with impaired cognition, negative symptoms domain, poor social functioning and poor outcome for people with schizophrenia. Language impairments of schizophrenia, in particular, decreased verbal fluency and a selective deficit in the production of action verbs, are considered to have hereditary nature and to be the part of cognitive endophenotype of schizophrenia. On the other hand, second language acquisition is not impaired in schizophrenia, and bilingualism may serve as a compensatory resource to maintain verbal fluency. Therapeutic strategies such as cognitive remediation or action language treatment, which target to restore language dysfunction, hold some promise for supporting high quality remission from devastating symptoms in schizophrenia.

Assoc. Prof. Alexey Pavlichenko, MD, PhD (Psychiatry), Russia

Senior Lecturer, Education Centre, Mental Health Clinic No. 1 n.a. N.A. Alekseev, Moscow, Russia

Digital Mental Health: how can modern technologies improve the management of severe mental disorders?

Abstract:
There are big differences between how patients and health care professionals perceive the symptoms of severe mental disorders, thelevel of their severity, and priorities of treatment outcomes (Baune BT, 2019). Modern technologies have demonstrated the new frontiers in psychiatry. Mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, offer clinicians and patients the new ways of providing and receiving clinical treatment, monitoring progress, and increasing understanding of psychiatric illnesses (Hategan A, 2019). The category “digital mental health” includes different technological domains, such as mobile health (mHealth), health information technology, telehealth and wearable medical devices. mHealth includes mobile apps, which can help individuals to promote healthy living, to gain access to useful information, and, in some circumstances,even to receive care or manage their own health via devices. There is an increasing number of initiatives aimed to adapt psychotherapeutic treatments to Internet platforms (Hidalgo-Mazzei D et al., 2015). On the other hand, most of the current smartphone apps cover a small percentage of psychoeducational contents, revealing an overall poor evidence-based quality (Hidalgo-Mazzei D et al., 2017). The guidelines to get better understanding of the nature, correlates and implications of mood and mood instability have been proposed (Faurholt-Jepsen M, 2019). Moreover, digital phenotyping involving the collecting sensor, keyboard, as well as voice and speech data from smartphones to measure behavior, cognition, and mood could become a potential path to the measurement-based care (Insel T, 2017).