Air pollution has a negative impact on one’s health and on the central nervous system. We decided to assess studies that evaluated the relationship between air pollution and cognitive functions in children and adolescents by reviewing studies that had been published between January 2009 and May 2019. We searched three major databases for original works (26 studies) and for studies using brain imaging methods based on MRI (six studies). Adverse effects of air pollutants on selected cognitive or psychomotor functions were found in all of the studies. Exposure to nitrogen dioxide, for example, was linked to impaired working memory, general cognitive functions, and psychomotor functions; particulate matter 2.5 was linked to difficulties in working memory, short-term memory, attention, processing speed, and fine motor function; black carbon was linked to poor verbal intelligence, nonverbal intelligence, and working memory; airborne copper was linked to impaired attentiveness and fine motor skills; isophorone was linked to lower mathematical skills; and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in fetal life were linked to lower intelligence scores. The studies using MRI showed that high concentrations of air pollutants were linked to changes in the brain’s white matter or lower functional integration and segregation in children’s brain networks. In view of the global increase in air pollution, there is a need for further research to elucidate the relationship between air pollution and cognitive and motor development in children. According to some studies, neuroinflammation, the e4 allele of the apolipoprotein E gene, and gutathione-S-transferase gene polymorphism processes may play a role.
Due to an increasing number of depression diagnoses and limited effective treatments, researchers continue to explore novel therapeutic strategies for this disorder. Recently, interest has revolved around the use of serotonergic psychedelics to reduce the symptoms of depression. In this systematic review, we summarize the currently available knowledge on the safety and efficacy of psychedelic substances for the treatment of depression. A literature search of the PubMed/MEDLINE database identified 14 clinical trials from the last 10 years that examined the use of psilocybin, MDMA, DMT, or LSD for the treatment of depression symptoms. Some psychedelics, especially psilocybin, demonstrated an ability to reduce depressive symptoms as measured by several psychological scales, which was often sustained for months after the last psychedelic session. Moreover, one study revealed that psilocybin has comparable efficacy to escitalopram in the treatment of depression. None of the studies reported any serious adverse events associated with psychedelic administration. The reviewed studies suggest that psychedelics have great potential in depression therapy and, after addressing and overcoming the current study limitations, may be used as a novel method of treating depression in the future.
Introduction: The purpose of this study was to examine whether the combination of atypical and typical antipsychotic medications is related with metabolism and cognitive functions in the same manner and degree as taking medications of one kind only, i.e. atypical or typical.Material and methods: The participants of the study comprised of 91 adults with diagnosed mental illness (F-20-F69). The participants were divided into groups on the basis of the kind of administered medications: T+A (typical and atypical medications), A (atypical medications), T (typical medications), P (antidepressants, sedatives, normothymic/antiepileptic drugs). In the study, Short Test of Mental Status (STMS), Verbal Fluency Test (VFT), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) were used for the purpose of examining cognitive functions.Results: The kind of antipsychotic medications taken by the patients did not differentiate the group in relation to BMI (p<0.13), nor in relation to the level of general cognitive function (p<0.72) or verbal fluency (p<0.34). Both atypical antipsychotic medications and the combination of atypical and typical medications were related to the occurrence of abdominal obesity (p<0.01). An increase in waist circumference decreased an ability of abstract reasoning (p<0.005). When it comes to the body mass index, waist circumference negatively correlated with the delayed memory (p< 0.03, p<0.004).Discussion: Both the combination of atypical and typical antipsychotic medications and atypical medications are associated with the occurrence of abdominal obesity. The deposition of fat tissue in the abdomen negatively correlated with an ability to learn.Conclusions: The future studies might explain the interactions between antipsychotic medications, obesity and cognitive function.
This publication discusses two compounds belonging to the psychoactive substances group which are studied in the context of depression treatment—psilocybin and esketamine. The former is a naturally occurring psychedelic. The latter was invented in the laboratory exactly 60 years ago. Although the substances were controversial in the past, recent studies indicate the potential of those substances as novel antidepressant agents. The PubMed/MEDLINE database was used to identify articles for systematic review, using the following search terms: (depression) AND (psilocybin) OR (ketamine). From 617 items, only 12 articles were obtained in the final analyses. Three articles were devoted to psilocybin in depression treatment and nine to esketamine. In most studies, esketamine showed a significant reduction in both depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation shortly after intake and after a month of treatment compared to baseline and to standard-of-care antidepressant agents. Psilocybin’s antidepressive effects occurred one day after intake and after 6–7 weeks of treatment and were maintained for up to 6 or 8 months of follow-up. One study indicated that psilocybin’s effects are comparable with and may be superior to escitalopram treatment. Both esketamine and psilocybin demonstrated rapid and long-term effects in reducing depression symptoms and, after overcoming some limitations, may be considered as novel antidepressant agents in future.
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