The latest medical research on Psychosomatic Medicine
The research magnet gathers the latest research from around the web, based on your specialty area. Below you will find a sample of some of the most recent articles from reputable medical journals about psychosomatic medicine gathered by our medical AI research bot.
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Request AccessImaging endolymphatic space of the inner ear in vestibular migraine.
Neurology, Neurosurgery and PsychiatryVestibular migraine (VM), the most frequent episodic vertigo, is difficult to distinguish from Ménière's disease (MD) because reliable biomarkers are missing. The classical proof of MD was an endolymphatic hydrops (EH). However, a few intravenous gadolinium-enhanced MRI studies of the inner ear (iMRI) also revealed an EH in VM. The major questions were the frequency and distribution characteristics of EH in VM for diagnostic use.
In a prospective case-control study of 200 participants, 75 patients with VM (49 females; mean age 46 years) and 75 with MD (36 females; mean age 55 years), according to the Bárány and International Headache Society, and 50 age-matched participants with normal vestibulocochlear testing (HP), were enrolled. Analyses of iMRI of the endolymphatic space included volumetric quantification, stepwise regression, correlation with neurotological parameters and support vector machine classification.
EH was maximal in MD (80%), less in VM (32%) and minimal in HP (22%). EH was milder in VM (mean grade 0.3) compared with MD (mean grade 1.3). The intralabyrinthine distribution was preferably found in the vestibulum in VM, but mainly in the cochlea in MD. There was no interaural lateralisation of EH in VM but in the affected ear in MD. The grade of EH in the vestibulum was correlated in both conditions with the frequency and duration of the attacks.
Three features of the iMRI evaluation were most supportive for the diagnosis of VM at group and individual levels: (1) the bilateral manifestation, (2) the low-grade EH and (3) the intraaural distribution.
Investigating colour vision and its structural correlates 15 years following a first demyelinating event.
Neurology, Neurosurgery and PsychiatryWe investigated the long-term colour and contrast vision outcomes, 15 years after a first demyelinating event, with their structural correlates using optical coherence tomography (OCT) and brain MRI.
Patients recruited with their first demyelinating event, were invited~15 years later to undergo clinical assessments, OCT and brain MRI and were clinically classified according to multiple sclerosis (MS) phenotypes. Linear mixed models evaluated associations between visual outcomes, MS phenotypes and OCT measures.
94 patients were evaluated after a median of 14.3 years. 111 eyes affected by optic neuritis and 77 unaffected eyes were studied. Optic neuritis eyes displayed worse colour vision than unaffected eyes. Unaffected eyes showed worse colour vision in relapsing-remitting MS and secondary progressive MS (SPMS) than clinically isolated syndrome, while no similar discriminatory ability was seen for OCT measures. However, ganglion cell inner plexiform layer (GCIPL) was superior to peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (pRNFL) in predicting all visual outcomes. Worse colour vision was associated with lower retinal thicknesses and higher brain T2 lesion load; adding MRI volumetrics to macular GCIPL predictors did not improve model prediction of visual outcomes.
Colour vision was impaired in unaffected eyes, especially in SPMS. GCIPL thinning underpinned this impairment more than pRNFL, suggesting neuroaxonal loss as the pathobiological substrate. The correlation between worse colour vision and increasing T2 lesion load suggests that colour dysfunction reflects overall greater disease burden. Quantitative evaluation of colour vision in addition to OCT may be useful to assess disease severity in patients after a first demyelinating event.
Distinct plasma lipids predict axonal injury and multiple sclerosis activity.
Neurology, Neurosurgery and PsychiatryLipids are of particular interest for the study of neuroinjury and neuroinflammation as structural lipids are major components of myelin, and a variety of lipid species modulate inflammation. In this study, we performed an in-depth lipidomics analysis to identify lipids associated with injury and disease activity.
Plasma samples were collected from paediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) cases within 4 years of disease onset from 17 sites. The lipidome was measured using untargeted and targeted mass spectrometry. For cross-sectional analyses, the agreement between multiple machine learning models was used to predict neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels. In longitudinal analyses, the association between clinical (relapse count) and imaging (MRI count with ≥1 enhancing or new T2 lesion) outcomes with each metabolite was estimated using adjusted negative binomial regression.
At sample collection, 68% of the 435 included individuals were treatment-naive, with a median disease duration of 0.8 years (IQR 0.3-1.7). For longitudinal analyses, 381 and 335 subjects had at least 1 year of clinical and imaging follow-up, respectively. In cross-sectional analyses, NfL chain levels identified structural lipids (phosphatidylcholines and phosphatidylethanolamines) as the highest-performing predictors, including external validation. In contrast, longitudinal analyses found polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and their derivatives to be protective from subsequent disease activity (q<0.001, multiple outcomes).
There are two categories of lipids associated with MS processes. First, structural lipids strongly associated with NfL levels may result from cell lysis secondary to acute inflammation. In contrast, PUFAs, especially ω-3, had a protective effect on subsequent disease activity.
Anger Expression Styles, Cynical Hostility, and the Risk for the Development of Type 2 Diabetes or Diabetes-Related Heart Complications: Secondary Analysis of the Health and Retirement Study.
Psychosomatic MedicineLimited research has examined associations between trait anger and hostility and incident type 2 diabetes (T2D) and diabetes-related heart complications. However, anger expression styles (i.e., anger-in, anger-out) have not been examined. The present study used secondary data to examine the associations between anger expression styles, cynical hostility, and the risk of developing T2D (objective 1) or diabetes-related heart complications (objective 2).
Self-report data came from participants aged 50-75 in the Health and Retirement Study. Anger-in (anger that is suppressed and directed toward oneself), anger-out (anger directed towards other people or the environment), and cynical hostility were measured at baseline (i.e., 2006 or 2008). Follow-up data (i.e., diabetes status or diabetes-related heart complications status) were collected every two years thereafter until 2020. The objective 1 sample included 7,898 participants without T2D at baseline, whereas the objective 2 sample included 1,340 participants with T2D but without heart complications at baseline.
Only anger-in was significantly associated with incident T2D after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, HR = 1.08, 95% CI [1.01, 1.16], but the association did not hold after further adjustment for depressive symptoms. Only anger-out was significantly associated with incident diabetes-related heart complications after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, health-related covariates, and depressive symptoms, HR = 1.21, 95% CI [1.02, 1.39].
Anger expression styles were differentially related to diabetes outcomes. These findings demonstrate the value of expanding the operationalization of anger beyond trait anger in this literature and encourage further investigation of anger expression styles.
Correlates and predictors of symptom severity over time in people under investigation for postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS).
Psychosomatic MedicinePostural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a poorly understood chronic disorder characterised by an unexplained excessive increase in heartbeat upon standing. The aim of this study was to investigate psychosocial and physiological correlates and predictors of symptom severity over time in patients presenting with POTS-like symptoms.
Longitudinal cohort study of patients under investigation for POTS (n = 149). Patients completed questionnaires at one month pre-clinic appointment and 6 months later. Diagnosis, blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) measures were collected from medical records. Data were analysed using hierarchical linear multiple regression.
Orthostatic and small fibre neuropathy (SFN) symptoms remained stable over time and were significantly correlated with distress, cardiac anxiety, threatening views of the illness, and cognitive-behavioural responses to symptoms, but not with emotional reactivity or social support. Baseline psychosocial factors collectively explained 48% (F = 5.37, p < .001) of the variance in orthostatic symptoms, and 35% (F = 3.49, p < .001) of the variance of SFN symptoms at baseline, but a non-significant amount of variance in symptoms at 6 months when controlling for baseline symptoms. Haemodynamic measures explained a significant 4% (F = 3.37, p = .026) of variance of orthostatic symptoms at 6 months.
Symptom burden in patients with suspected POTS remained high over 6 months. Psychosocial factors explained a large amount of the variance in symptoms at baseline. As symptoms did not change/improve over time, baseline symptoms accounted for most of the variance in symptoms at 6 months. An integrated approach addressing psychosocial factors alongside medical treatments may promote adjustment to the condition and lessen symptom burden for this group.
The relationship between corticospinal excitability and structural integrity in stroke patients.
Neurology, Neurosurgery and PsychiatryEvaluation of the structural integrity and functional excitability of the corticospinal tract (CST) is likely to be important in predicting motor recovery after stroke. Previous reports are inconsistent regarding a possible link between CST structure and CST function in this setting. This study aims to investigate the structure‒function relationship of the CST at the acute phase of stroke (<7 days).
We enrolled 70 patients who had an acute ischaemic stroke with unilateral upper extremity (UE) weakness. They underwent a multimodal assessment including clinical severity (UE Fugl Meyer at day 7 and 3 months), MRI to evaluate the CST lesion load and transcranial magnetic stimulation to measure the maximum amplitude of motor evoked potential (MEP).
A cross-sectional lesion load above 87% predicted the absence of MEPs with an accuracy of 80.4%. In MEP-positive patients, the CST structure/function relationship was bimodal with a switch from a linear relationship (rho=-0.600, 95% CI -0.873; -0.039, p<0.03) for small MEP amplitudes (<0.703 mV) to a non-linear relationship for higher MEP amplitudes (p=0.72). In MEP-positive patients, recovery correlated with initial severity. In patients with a positive MEP <0.703 mV but not in patients with an MEP ≥0.703 mV, MEP amplitude was an additional independent predictor of recovery. In MEP-negative patients, we failed to identify any factor predicting recovery.
This large multimodal study on the structure/function of the CST and stroke recovery proposes a paradigm change for the MEP-positive patients phenotypes and refines the nature of the link between structural integrity and neurophysiological function, with implications for study design and prognostic information.
Sports-related concussion not associated with long-term cognitive or behavioural deficits: the PROTECT-TBI study.
Neurology, Neurosurgery and PsychiatryThe cognitive effects of sports-related concussion (SRC) have been the subject of vigorous debate but there has been little research into long-term outcomes in non-athlete populations.
This cohort study of UK community-dwelling adults (aged 50-90 years) was conducted between November 2015 and November 2020, with up to 4 years annual follow-up (n=15 214). Lifetime history of concussions was collected at baseline using the Brain Injury Screening Questionnaire. The first analysis grouped participants by type of concussion (no concussion, only SRC, only non-SRC (nSRC), mixed concussions (both SRC and nSRC)) and the second grouped the participants by number (0, 1, 2 or 3+ SRC or nSRC). Mixed models were used to assess the effect of concussion on outcomes including four cognitive domains and one behavioural measure (Mild Behavioural Impairment-C).
Analysis of the included participants (24% male, mean age=64) at baseline found that the SRC group had significantly better working memory (B=0.113, 95% CI 0.038, 0.188) and verbal reasoning (B=0.199, 95% CI 0.092, 0.306) compared with those without concussion. Those who had suffered one SRC had significantly better verbal reasoning (B=0.111, 95% CI 0.031, 0.19) and attention (B=0.115, 95% CI 0.028, 0.203) compared with those with no SRC at baseline. Those with 3+ nSRCs had significantly worse processing speed (B=-0.082, 95% CI -0.144 to -0.019) and attention (B=-0.156, 95% CI -0.248 to -0.063). Those with 3+ nSRCs had a significantly worse trajectory of verbal reasoning with increasing age (B=-0.088, 95% CI -0.149 to -0.026).
Compared with those reporting no previous concussions, those with SRC had no cognitive or behavioural deficits and seemed to perform better in some tasks. As indicated by previous studies, sports participation may confer long-term cognitive benefits.
Predictors of relapse risk and treatment response in AQP4-IgG positive and seronegative NMOSD: A multicentre study.
Neurology, Neurosurgery and PsychiatryNeuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) can be categorised into aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-IgG) NMOSD or seronegative NMOSD. While our knowledge of AQP4-IgG NMOSD has evolved significantly in the past decade, seronegative NMOSD remains less understood. This study aimed to evaluate the predictors of relapses and treatment responses in AQP4-IgG NMOSD and seronegative NMOSD.
This was a multicentre, international, retrospective cohort study using the MSBase registry. Recurrent relapse risk was assessed using an Andersen-Gill model and risk of first relapse was evaluated using a Cox proportional hazards model. Covariates that putatively influence relapse risk included demographic factors, clinical characteristics and immunosuppressive therapies; the latter was assessed as a time-varying covariate.
A total of 398 patients (246 AQP4-IgG NMOSD and 152 seronegative NMOSD) were included. The AQP4-IgG NMOSD and seronegative NMOSD patients did not significantly differ by age at disease onset, ethnicity or annualised relapse rate. Both low-efficacy and high-efficacy immunosuppressive therapies were associated with significant reductions in recurrent relapse risk, with notably greater protection conferred by high-efficacy therapies in both AQP4-IgG NMOSD (HR 0.27, 95% CI 0.15 to 0.49, p<0.001) and seronegative NMOSD (HR 0.21, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.51, p<0.001). Longer disease duration (HR 0.97, 95% CI 0.95 to 0.99, p<0.001) and male sex (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.84, p=0.007) were additional protective variables in reducing the recurrent relapse risk for the AQP4-IgG NMOSD group.
Although further studies are needed to improve our understanding of seronegative NMOSD, our findings underscore the importance of aggressive treatment with high-efficacy immunotherapies in both NMOSD subtypes, regardless of serostatus.
Total bilirubin modified the association between diabetes and stroke: a cross-sectional study from NHANES 2011-2016.
Neurology, Neurosurgery and PsychiatryTotal bilirubin (TBIL) has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study aimed to determine whether elevated TBIL could modify the association between diabetes and stroke.
Data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2016. TBIL was stratified by median (10.3 µmol/L). The association between diabetes and stroke was quantified using multivariable logistic regression models. The cut-off concentration for the presence of TBIL modification effects was identified by Johnson-Neyman analyses. Mediation analyses were performed to determine the influence of TBIL on mediating factors that mediate the relationship between diabetes and stroke.
This cross-sectional study included 16 130 participants, with the mean age of 46.8±0.4 years and 48.5% of men. Diabetes was associated with the presence of stroke at TBIL <10.3 µmol/L (OR=2.19, 95% CI 1.58 to 3.05) but not at TBIL ≥10.3 µmol/L (OR=1.27, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.88) after adjustment for confounders. Above associations were significantly different between the two TBIL concentrations (P for interaction=0.03). Moreover, the modification effect of TBIL specifically occurred in men (P for interaction=0.02) rather than in women (P for interaction=0.08). The cut-off concentration for the presence of TBIL modification effects was 17.05 µmol/L. Additionally, the TBIL of ≥10.3 µmol/L inhibited mediating effects of hypersensitive C reactive protein (mediating effect=0.03, 95% CI -0.15 to 0.22, P=0.72) and systemic immune-inflammation index (mediating effect=0.01, 95% CI -0.01 to 0.04, P=0.29) as compared with the TBIL of <10.3 µmol/L.
Elevated TBIL modified the association between diabetes and stroke through inhibiting mediating effects of inflammatory factors.
Long-term disability trajectories in multiple sclerosis: a group-based trajectory analysis of the AusLong cohort.
Neurology, Neurosurgery and PsychiatryPrevious natural history studies highlighted a consistent heterogeneity of disability trajectories among individuals with primary or secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). However, evidence on disability progression in relapsing onset MS is scarce.The aim of this study was to investigate heterogeneity in disability accumulation over 10 years following a first clinical diagnosis of central nervous system demyelination (FCD) and identify genetic, demographic, environmental and clinical factors associated with these trajectories.
We used group-based trajectory models to measure heterogeneity in disability trajectories based on the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) in a prospectively assessed cohort of 263 participants. To capture sustained neurological impairments and avoid issues related to significant changes in EDSS associated with relapse, we did not consider EDSS points recorded within 3 months of a relapse.
We identified three distinct and clinically meaningful disability trajectories: No/minimal, moderate and severe. Those in the no/minimal disability trajectory showed no appreciable progression of disability (median EDSS∼1 at 10-year review) while those in the moderate and severe disability trajectories experienced disability worsening (median time to reach EDSS 4 was 9 and 7 years, respectively). Compared with the no/minimal disability trajectory, those with older age, a higher number of relapses within the first 5 years post-FCD, and a higher number of comorbidities at baseline were more likely to be in the worse disability trajectory. Surprisingly, baseline MRI and anatomical site of initial symptoms did not influence long-term outcomes.
Those at higher risk of faster MS disability progression can be identified based on their early clinical characteristics with potential therapeutic implications for early intervention and treatment escalation.
Psychological factors modulate quantitative sensory testing measures in fibromyalgia patients: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis.
Psychosomatic MedicineConsidering the growing evidence that psychological variables might contribute to fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), our study aims to understand the impact of psychological factors in quantitative sensory testing (QST) in FMS patients by performing a systematic review with metanalysis.
A systematic search was carried out in Pubmed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and PsycINFO databases for records up until January 2024. We included 20 studies (n = 1623, 16 RCTs, and four non-RCTs) with low or moderate risk of bias included.
From non-randomized evidence, our meta-analysis found a baseline relationship between anxiety, depression, and pain catastrophizing and QST measures in FMS patients. Higher pain catastrophizing levels were associated with less efficient CPM. Higher anxiety and depression were associated with lower PT. Randomized evidence showed a statistically significant increase in PT after fibromyalgia treatments (ES = 0.29, 95% CI 0.03 to 0.56). The effect was not influenced by treatment type. Moreover, we found that only anxiety levels before treatment negatively influenced the PT improvements after treatment.
FMS patients with higher anxiety levels at baseline showed a smaller increase in PT after the intervention. Depression factor was not significant in either changes in anxiety or depression. Baseline anxiety levels should be monitored as possible confounders of QST measurements. Understanding how psychological factors and QST are related in FMS patients is critical for improving the syndrome's management and treatment.Protocol Registration: CRD42023429397.
Ecologically Assessed Sleep Duration and Arterial Stiffness in Healthy Men and Women.
Psychosomatic MedicineAmong younger adults, to determine the associations of actigraph- and self-reported sleep duration with arterial stiffness (AS) assessed in clinic and in ecologically valid contexts, and to examine sex-specific associations.
Healthy adults (n = 282, median age = 29, 67% women) completed a state-of-the-art assessment of AS at rest (SphygmoCor; carotid femoral pulse wave velocity [cfPWV]; central augmentation index [cAIx]) and 7 days of actigraphy-assessed sleep with concurrent, momentary cAIx assessment for 36 hours (Oscar-2). Multivariable regressions were conducted on the full sample, and sex-stratified, to examine cross-sectional linear and quadratic associations of average sleep duration with resting PWV and cAIx, average cAIx while awake and asleep, and nocturnal cAIx dipping, adjusted for demographic and health covariates. Exploratory analyses included self-reported sleep duration with AS, and of actigraphy and self-reported sleep duration with the ambulatory arterial stiffness index (AASI; Oscar-2).
Overall and by sex, associations of average sleep duration with resting cfPWV, resting cAIs, and awake cAIx were not significant. Sleep duration showed a positive, linear association with sleep cAIx in women (95% CI:1.07,5.86, ΔR2 = 0.021). Among women, sleep duration was also inversely associated with cAIx dipping (95% CI:-4.48,-0.95, ΔR2 = 0.020). Analyses with self-reported sleep duration and AASI as alternate predictors and outcomes were not significant.
Certain sleep duration-AS associations may be sex-specific. Assessing sleep and momentary AS in ecologically valid conditions outside the research laboratory is valuable to understand these relations. While this investigation should be replicated, findings raise the question of whether interventions to target sleep duration also reduce AS.
