European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
May 21, 2024
Zack Y Shan, Adem T. Can, Abdalla Z Mohamed et al.
3 citations
Ketamine treatment for chronic suicidality alters how brain networks synchronize and transition over time. In a 6-week open-label trial with 29 patients, those who received ketamine showed significantly more transitions among whole-brain connectivity states after treatment. At a 10-week follow-up, patients spent more time in and more frequently visited a highly synchronized brain state, and these changes correlated with reduced suicidal ideation scores. Patients who persistently responded to ketamine had a higher baseline fraction of a cognitive control network state with strong connections, suggesting that pre-treatment brain connectivity patterns may help predict who will benefit from ketamine therapy. These findings point to a biological mechanism for ketamine's suicide-prevention effects.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
July 1, 2025
Erhan Kavakbasi, Kevin Rosemann, Mert Yilmaz et al.
2 citations
In patients with treatment-resistant depression, a history of not responding to electroconvulsive therapy does not significantly affect the outcome of subsequent treatment with intranasal esketamine. Among 96 inpatients, those who had previously not responded to ECT showed similar improvements in depression scores compared to those who had not received an adequate ECT course. Response and remission rates were numerically lower in the ECT non-response group, but the differences were not statistically significant. The findings support offering esketamine to ECT non-responders, given limited alternative treatments.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
June 1, 2025
Jan Sarlon, Else Schneider, Annette B Brühl et al.
2 citations
Adding a daily 30-day mindfulness mobile app (Headspace) to standard treatment helped reduce depression severity more than standard treatment alone in people with major depressive disorder. In a randomized trial with 83 patients, those using the app showed a significantly greater decrease in clinician-rated depression scores (HDRS) and lower systolic blood pressure after one month. Both groups improved from partial remission at hospital discharge, but the app group improved more. The total dropout rate was 29%. Short-term app-based mindfulness appears beneficial as a supplement to usual care.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
November 7, 2023
Ana-Maria Iorgu, Andrei-Nicolae Vasilescu, Natascha Pfeiffer et al.
2 citations
Psilocybin, unlike S-ketamine and MK-801, does not induce neuronal damage in the retrosplenial cortex of rats. Both S-ketamine and psilocybin are rapid-acting antidepressants that increase glutamate signalling and cortical hyperexcitation, but S-ketamine is known to cause neurotoxicity (Olney's lesions) in the retrosplenial cortex. Using immunohistochemical whole-brain mapping for heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in rats, no HSP70-positive neurons were detected in the retrosplenial cortex of psilocybin-treated animals, whereas S-ketamine and MK-801 produced such markers. This suggests psilocybin may be safer for clinical use regarding neuronal damage.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
June 1, 2026
Ziping He, Yijie Wang, Jiemin Chen et al.
1 citation
A review of seven trials involving 464 adults with major depressive disorder found that psilocybin significantly reduces depression symptoms and is generally safe and tolerable. Higher doses (35–50 mg per 70 kg of body weight) and a double-dosing schedule were associated with better outcomes. The overall quality of the trials was moderate, and the authors note that the results are limited by small sample sizes and short follow-up periods, indicating a need for further research.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
March 28, 2026
Yves Martins Varela, Vagner Deuel O de Tavares, Luiza Macedo Delgado et al.
1 citation
Cognitive-behavioral therapies are being combined with psychedelic substances such as ketamine, psilocybin, and MDMA to treat mental disorders, but the way they are integrated varies widely across studies. A systematic review of 9 clinical trials involving 283 patients found that traditional cognitive behavioral therapy was the most common approach, used in 6 studies, while mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy were each used in 2 and 1 studies respectively. The timing of therapy relative to the psychedelic experience—before, during, or after—also differed. The findings highlight the need for more consistent research to clarify how these therapeutic models are best implemented.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
June 30, 2026
C Hohoff, T Lange, L Steinbach et al.
Treatment resistance in major depressive disorder affects a substantial minority of patients and is hard to recognize early, delaying intensified care. The EMBER-MDD study is a non-interventional, in-vitro investigation that will analyze biospecimens from approximately 420 adults with major depressive disorder—about 210 who received esketamine nasal spray and 210 who received treatment as usual. Using genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics/metabolomics, the study aims to discover individual-omic and integrated multi-omic biomarkers and signatures associated with treatment resistance risk and molecular correlates of clinical response. All outputs are research-only and will not support individual clinical decision-making. The study will deliver robust biosignatures and mechanistic hypotheses to guide future validation and inform stratified intervention strategies in subsequent trials.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
June 23, 2026
Ilaria Bufalari, Lilya Abergel, Andrea Zagaria et al.
People with Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD)—compulsive, immersive daydreaming that disrupts daily life—report higher levels of dissociation and altered body awareness compared to those without MD. In a survey of 137 Italian-speaking adults, those with MD scored higher on dissociation, especially absorption and depersonalization, and lower on three aspects of interoception: attention regulation, body listening, and trusting bodily sensations. Network analyses placed maladaptive daydreaming as a central link between dissociation and interoception. The findings suggest that MD may involve using daydreaming to escape uncomfortable bodily states, and that improving interoception through interventions like mindfulness could help address MD and its dissociative features.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
June 5, 2026
Luis Sobrino-Conde, Antonio Arjona, Emma Osorio-Iriarte et al.
People with psychosis can be grouped into biotypes based on underlying pathological features rather than traditional diagnostic categories. One biotype (cluster 1) involves severe cognitive deficits, while another (cluster 2) involves moderate cognitive deficits. In a study of 113 patients, those in cluster 1 reported significantly more anomalous self-experiences—disturbances in the sense of self—than both healthy controls and cluster 2 patients. Cluster 2 patients showed only slight differences from controls. These findings suggest that severe disruptions in self-experience are a key feature of the biotype characterized by marked cognitive impairment, brain structure changes, and higher negative symptoms.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
November 17, 2025
Jianyu Que, Yan’e Lu, Jingrou Liu et al.
Among 3,431 youth in Fujian Province, China, 28.6% reported suicidal ideation in the past year and 25.9% reported frequent nightmares. Childhood trauma was linked to suicidal ideation partly through nightmare frequency, which accounted for about 4% of the total effect. Sex did not significantly moderate this pathway. Treating nightmares may help reduce suicidal ideation in youth with a history of childhood trauma, regardless of sex.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
June 12, 2026
Zulkiflu Musa Argungu, Ali Alhaiti, Ebtesam Abdulrahman Jibreel
An 8-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) program added to standard pharmacological care reduced depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation more than standard care alone among 101 institutionalized patients with major depressive disorder in northern Nigeria. At the end of the 8-week intervention, MBCT patients scored an average of 9.4 points lower on the BDI-II depression scale and 5.7 points lower on the BSI suicidal ideation scale than controls. These improvements were still present at a 3-month follow-up, with large effect sizes. The findings suggest MBCT is a promising adjunct for institutionalized patients with MDD in this setting.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
May 19, 2026
Mi Yang, Yuzheng Ma, Jialong Huang et al.
Meditation therapy can slow the loss of gray matter volume in the brains of people with chronic schizophrenia. In an eight-month trial with 58 male inpatients, those who practiced meditation showed less brain tissue shrinkage than those receiving conventional treatment alone. Greater preservation of gray matter in the right thalamus was linked to larger reductions in positive, negative, and total symptom scores on the PANSS scale. Similar links were found for the right insula and supplementary motor area. The results suggest meditation may help alleviate clinical symptoms in schizophrenia by protecting brain structure.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
September 1, 2025
Golo Kronenberg, Georgios Schoretsanitis, Erich Seifritz et al.
Nitrous oxide (N2O) has been used since the 1700s and today is a significant greenhouse gas and ozone-depleting substance, though medical use contributes little to these effects. Its analgesic and anesthetic properties make it common in dentistry and surgery, and new research suggests antidepressant actions through NMDA antagonism and opioid effects. Larger clinical trials are needed to confirm its use as a rapid-acting antidepressant, and optimal dosing and duration remain unclear. Non-medical use has increased, with risks including asphyxia from acute use and vitamin B12 deficiency from chronic use, leading to conditions like megaloblastic anemia, venous thrombosis, myeloneuropathy, and skin pigmentation. Treatment requires stopping N2O use and administering parenteral vitamin B12; homocysteine and methylmalonic acid are helpful diagnostic tests.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
June 1, 2025
Michael Schredl, Elisabeth Anzenberger, Claudia Schilling
Among psychiatric inpatients, nightmares occurring once per week or more often were reported by 61.54% of those with PTSD (13 patients) and 40.32% of those without PTSD (62 patients). Higher depression scores and a PTSD diagnosis were linked to greater nightmare distress. The findings suggest that frequent nightmares are common in this population and that future work should explore the relationship between psychopathology and nightmares, as well as whether nightmare-focused treatments such as Imagery Rehearsal Therapy could help.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
April 1, 2025
Hua Xue, Chaomin Wang, Yongjian Tian et al.
An 8-week Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) intervention reduced stigma and self-harm, and improved mindfulness and insight in young women with schizophrenia. In a randomized trial of 62 female patients, those receiving MBCT showed significantly lower scores on measures of stigma and self-harm compared to a control group receiving conventional treatment. Mindfulness scores and treatment attitudes improved significantly. Higher mindfulness was linked to lower stigma. The findings suggest MBCT can lessen the cumulative burden of mental disorders and self-harm in this population.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
August 19, 2020
Stéphanie Lefebvre, É. Very, Renaud Jardri et al.
People with schizophrenia have a higher visual detection threshold than healthy controls, meaning they need stronger visual input to become consciously aware of it. Brain imaging showed that during conscious vision, patients failed to activate occipital areas as strongly as controls; during unconscious vision, they failed to activate a widespread network; and during the moment of becoming conscious of a visual stimulus, they failed to activate the anterior cingulate cortex.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
July 14, 2018
K. Hashimoto, Chun Yang
The NMDAR antagonist (R,S)-ketamine is considered a major advance in depression treatment, but safety concerns about repeated infusions persist. (R)-ketamine shows greater potency and longer-lasting antidepressant effects than esketamine in animal models, without psychotomimetic side effects or abuse potential in rodents. Esketamine infusions cause dopamine release in monkeys and psychotomimetic symptoms in humans, suggesting a link. Phase 2 trials of intranasal esketamine found rapid reduction of depression and suicidality, with a dose-response relationship, but effects did not differ from placebo after 4 weeks in one trial. Phase 3 results were mixed: esketamine outperformed placebo in adults but not in patients 65 and older. Abuse potential remains a concern.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
February 1, 2017
Michael Schredl, J Malte Bumb, Barbara Alm et al.
Nightmare frequency is elevated in adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In a sample of 65 ADHD patients, 4.62% reported frequent nightmares (once a week or more), compared to 1.77% of a representative German control sample. This increase was not explained by higher general dream recall or by the presence of a comorbid mental disorder. The authors suggest that clinicians should ask about nightmares when diagnosing ADHD and consider whether established nightmare treatments, such as imagery rehearsal therapy, could help affected patients.