Background: Survivors of complex childhood trauma (CT) such as sexual abuse show poorer outcomes compared to single event trauma survivors. A growing number of studies investigate Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but no systematic reviews have focused on EMDR treatment for CT as an intervention for both adults and children. This study therefore systematically reviewed all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effect of EMDR on PTSD symptoms in adults and children exposed to CT. Methods: Databases including PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycINFO were searched in October 2017. Randomized controlled trials which recruited adult and children with experience of CT, which compared EMDR to alternative treatments or control conditions, and which measured PTSD symptoms were included. Study methodology quality was evaluated with Platinum Standard scale. Results: Six eligible RCTs of 251 participants were included in this systematic review. The results indicated that EMDR was associated with reductions in PTSD symptoms, depression and/or anxiety both post-treatment and at follow-up compared with all other alternative therapies (cognitive behavior therapy, individual/group therapy and fluoxetine) and control treatment (pill placebo, active listening, EMDR delayed treatment, and treatment as usual). However, studies suffered from significant heterogeneity in study populations, length of EMDR treatment, length of follow-up, comparison groups, and outcome measures. One study had a high risk of bias. Discussion: This systematic review suggests that there is growing evidence to support the clinical efficacy of EMDR in treating CT in both children and adults. However, conclusions are limited by the small number of heterogenous trials. Further RCTs with standardized methodologies, as well as studies addressing real world challenges in treating CT are required.

Electroconvulsive therapy is an important somatic treatment for severe mental disorders with established efficacy and safety. However, data on the relationship between ECT and the readmission rate of patients with schizophrenia are scarce. This study will explore the association between the administration of ECT and readmission rates using a machine learning method. Inpatient medical records from the year of 2016 in one large psychiatric hospital in Beijing, China, were analyzed using a machine learning algorithm to determine the most important variables affecting readmission of patients with schizophrenia. The medical records of 2131 inpatients with schizophrenia were reviewed. 1099 patients were followed up within 3 months of their index admission (642 ECT cases and 457 non-ECT cases) and 1032 patients were followed up within 6 months (596 ECT cases and 436 non-ECT cases) after discharge. The 3- and 6-month readmission rates in the ECT group (11.37% and 17.94%, respectively) were significantly lower than that of the patients who did not receive ECT (18.79% and 29.36%, respectively, both p < 0.001). The risk of readmission was significantly associated with male sex, older age, being married, having a lower income, a shorter inpatient length of stay, and receiving specific antipsychotic medications including olanzapine, paliperidone, clozapine, and haloperidol during the index admission. In the ECT group, patients who received 9 or more treatments were significantly less likely to be readmitted. Receiving ECT may be associated with a lower risk of readmission in patients with schizophrenia.

Introduction: Magnetic seizure therapy (MST) is a new convulsive therapy that is as effective as traditional electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in treating depression but with fewer cognitive side effects. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and cognitive effects between MST (100 Hz applied over the vertex) and bifrontal ECT for treating patients with depressive episodes.Methods: Forty‐five patients with depressive episodes were enrolled, with 18 receiving MST and 27 receiving ECT. MST was administered over the vertex with 100 Hz frequency. Treatment consisted of six sessions. The 17‐item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD‐17) was used to assess the severity of depression. The Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) was used to assess cognition. Assessments were performed at baseline and after the third and sixth treatment sessions.Results: Both MST and ECT improved the patients’ depressive symptoms significantly, yet no significant difference was found between the two groups (p > .05). The response rates and remission rates of MST and ECT were 72.2% versus 81.5% and 61.1% versus 63.0%, respectively. The MST group showed significant improvements in immediate memory (p < .001), delayed memory (p = .002), and attention (p < .001) than ECT. The recovery times for consciousness (p < .001), spontaneous breathing (p < .001), and orientation (p < .001) were shorter in MST group than ECT group. RBANS improvements were negatively correlated with the recovery time for orientation (r = .561, p < .001).Conclusion: Magnetic seizure therapy showed similar efficacy to bifrontal ECT for treating depressive episodes. While MST may be an effective alternative to ECT, larger randomized trials are needed.

Previous studies have documented thalamic functional connectivity (FC) abnormalities in schizophrenia, typically examining the thalamus as a whole. The specific link between subregional thalamic FC and cognitive deficits in first-episode schizophrenia (FES) remains unexplored. Using data from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, we compared whole-brain FC with thalamic subregions between patients and HCs, and analyzed FC changes in drug-naïve patients separately. We then examined correlations between FC abnormalities with both cognitive impairment and clinical symptoms. A total of 33 FES patients (20 drug-naïve) and 32 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) were included. Compared to HCs, FES patients exhibited increased FC between specific thalamic subregions and cortical regions, particularly bilateral middle temporal lobe and cuneus gyrus, left medial superior frontal gyrus, and right inferior/superior occipital gyrus. Decreased FC was observed between certain thalamic subregions and the left inferior frontal triangle. These findings were largely consistent in drug-naïve patients. Notably, deficits in social cognition and visual learning in FES patients correlated with increased FC between certain thalamic subregions and cortical regions involving the right superior occipital gyrus and cuneus gyrus. The severity of negative symptoms was associated with increased FC between a thalamic subregion and the left middle temporal gyrus. Our findings suggest FC abnormalities between thalamic subregions and cortical areas in FES patients. Increased FC correlated with cognitive deficits and negative symptoms, highlighting the importance of thalamo-cortical connectivity in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

Background: Many factors contribute to quality of life (QoL) in patients with schizophrenia, yet limited research examined these factors in patients in China. This cross-sectional study explores subjective QoL and its associated factors in patients. Methods: The QoL was assessed using the Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale (SQLS). Clinical symptoms were evaluated using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and seven factors were extracted. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) were used to assess depression and anxiety. Cognitive impairment was assessed using the Ascertain Dementia 8 (AD8). The Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) and Rating Scale for Extrapyramidal Side Effects (RSESE) were used to evaluate the side effects of medications. Results: We recruited 270 patients (male:142,52.6%, mean age:41.9 ± 9.4 years). Positive correlations were observed between SQLS and its subdomains with the total score of BPRS, PHQ-9, GAD-7, AD8, TESS, and RSESE (all P < 0.005). Patients who were taking activating second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) had lower scores on total SQLS, Motivation/ Energy domain of SQLS (SQLS-ME) as well as Symptoms/ Side effects domain of SQLS (SQLS-SS) compared to those taking non-activating SGAs (all P < 0.005). Multiple regression analysis showed that depressive/ anxiety symptoms and cognitive impairment had significant negative effects on QoL (P ≤ 0.001), while activating SGAs had a positive effect (P < 0.005). Blunted affect and unemployment were inversely associated with the motivation/energy domain (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Our findings emphasize the important role of depression/anxiety symptoms and cognitive impairment in the QoL of patients with chronic schizophrenia. Activating SGAs and employment may improve the QoL of these individuals. Trial registration: This protocol was registered at chictr.org.cn (Identifier: ChiCTR2100043537).