The network theory of psychological disorders posits that systems of symptoms cause, or are associated with, the expression of other symptoms. Substantial literature on symptom networks has been published to date, although no systematic review has been conducted exclusively on symptom networks of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophreniform (people diagnosed with schizophrenia; PDS). This study aims to compare statistics of the symptom network publications on PDS in the last 21 years and identify congruences and discrepancies in the literature. More specifically, we will focus on centrality statistics. Thirty-two studies met the inclusion criteria. The results suggest that cognition, and social, and occupational functioning are central to the network of symptoms. Positive symptoms, particularly delusions were central among participants in many studies that did not include cognitive assessment. Nodes representing cognition were most central in those studies that did. Nodes representing negative symptoms were not as central as items measuring positive symptoms. Some studies that included measures of mood and affect found items or subscales measuring depression were central nodes in the networks. Cognition, and social, and occupational functioning appear to be core symptoms of schizophrenia as they are more central in the networks, compared to variables assessing positive symptoms. This seems consistent despite heterogeneity in the design of the studies.

Elevated levels of parenting stress have been reported in parents raising an Autistic child. Previous studies have identified a multitude of predictors of parenting stress, including both child-related and parent-related factors, though findings across studies are not always in agreement. In the present study we investigate the determinants of parenting stress using a Network Analysis approach, which is then used to inform a subsequent structural equation model. New Zealand parents (n = 490) of a child diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) provided data on their Autistic child (e.g., ASD core symptoms, problem behaviours) and themselves (i.e., parenting stress). The analysis revealed that both child and parent demographic factors were poor predictors of parenting stress, while the child’s current language and communication ability were correlated with diagnostic age and parenting stress. An earlier diagnostic age, in turn, suggested better behavioural and emotional outcomes for children. Overall, the Network Analysis showed itself to be an informative approach to understanding parenting stress in the ASD context. Findings further advocate for the implementation of ASD-related and language-related interventions as early as possible, and that language delays during early infancy justify prompt clinical assessment.

Pain reduction is a common goal of the treatment of upper limb spasticity with botulinum toxin (BoNT-A). ULIS-III was a large international, observational, longitudinal study (N = 953) conducted in real-life clinical practice over two years. In this secondary post hoc analysis, we examine whether goals for pain reduction were met over repeated injection cycles. We report serial changes in pain severity and explore predictors of pain reduction and injection frequency. Patients were selected if pain reduction was a primary/secondary goal for at least one cycle (n = 438/953). They were assessed at the start and end of each cycle using the goal attainment T-score alongside a self-report of pain severity (range 0–10). Across all cycles, pain-related goals were set for 1189/1838 injections (64.7%) and were achieved in 839 (70.6%). Patients continued to show a significant reduction in pain (p < 0.001) for each injection up to seven cycles, with some cumulative benefit (p < 0.001). Those requiring more frequent injections tended to have higher starting pain scores and a smaller reduction in pain score, but these differences were not significant when other covariates (age, previous injection history, time since onset, severity and distribution of spasticity) were taken into account (p > 0.713). Conclusion: Repeated BoNT-A administration continued to result in a significant reduction in upper limb spasticity-related pain, regardless of patient-related factors.

Chronic cough is a common clinical problem which is burdensome for patients and can be difficult to treat. Individual centres of cough expertise have been set up in countries across Europe but to date there has been no means to collate and analyse clinical data from such sites to gain a more comprehensive understanding of cough phenotypes, disease burden and the natural history of this condition. The NEw Understanding in the tReatment Of COUGH (NEuroCOUGH) registry is the first pan European prospective observational study of adult patients referred for evaluation of chronic cough. Patients (≥18 years old) with a cough lasting more than 8 weeks with no chest radiology findings to explain the cough will be recruited. Key exclusion criteria include current or recent (<12 months) smoking, significant smoking history (≥20 pack years) and obstructive spirometry (FEV₁/FVC ratio <0.6). The study aims to recruit 2500 patients across 13 European sites by 2026, and participants will be followed up at 12-monthly intervals for 36 months. The Registry comprises comprehensive clinical, physiological and biological data on chronic cough, along with data on the impact and longitudinal outcome of chronic cough. The NEuroCOUGH Registry has been established at a time of considerable advance in the field of cough. It will serve as a valuable clinical and research resource which will extend our current understanding of this difficult to treat condition. The initiative is also intended to encourage the establishment of new specialist cough clinics, thus creating much needed clinical trial infrastructure throughout Europe to ultimately improve patient care.

Improvement in passive function (i.e., ease of caring for a limb) is a common goal for treatment of spasticity in the arm with botulinum toxin. A large international, observational, 2-year longitudinal study (ULIS-III, N = 953) was conducted in real-life practice. This original secondary analysis examines whether improvement in passive function goals were met over repeated injection cycles. We report changes by cycle measured by the Passive Function sub-scale of the Arm Activity measure (ArmA-PF) and examine predictors of improvement and injection occurrence. Inclusion in this analysis was based on passive function being selected as a primary or secondary goal for one or more cycle of treatment (n = 542/953). Goals were assessed at the start and end of each cycle using the Goal Attainment Test score and the ArmA-PF. Over all cycles of treatment, goals were set for 1641/2187 injections (75.0%) and achieved in 1250 (76.2%). Significant improvements in ArmA-PF score were identified for at least six cycles (p < 0.001) with evidence of cumulative benefit over successive cycles. This occurred regardless of patient-related baseline characteristics, with the possible exception of some relationship with injection localization techniques. In conclusion, repeated botulinum toxin injections provide significant improvement in passive function, which was sustained over repeated cycles of treatment.

Identifying biomarkers that predict social and cognitive outcomes in individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis remains a key challenge in preventive psychiatry. While genetic factors contribute to psychosis vulnerability, specific markers that predict individual trajectories of functional decline or resilience are still unclear. In a 24-month longitudinal study involving UHR (n = 45) and healthy control participants (n = 54), we investigated for the first time the predictive causal relationship between key immunological genes (FABP5 family and immunoglobulins) and social-cognitive outcomes. Participants completed comprehensive assessments at baseline and four 6-month intervals. We used regression modelling and dynamic Bayesian network analysis to identify predictive relationships between gene expression and behavioral outcomes over time. FABP5 family genes (FABP5P1, FABP5P11, FABP5P9) significantly predicted verbal memory (β = 0.233, p = 0.002); working memory (β = 0.225, p = 0.004), and social skills (β =-0·190, p < 0.029), respectively, at 24 months in the UHR group. Immunoglobulin-related genes showed distinct effects: FCGR2B predicted object recognition ability (β = 0.233, p = 0.014), while GOT2 inversely predicted planning ability (β = -0.147, p = 0.067). Network analysis revealed UHR-specific temporal dependencies absent in controls, with FCGRT emerging as a central node linking genetic markers to changes in processing speed and perceptual closure. This study provides the first evidence that FABP5 and immunoglobulin-related genetic markers can predict social-cognitive trajectories in individuals at risk for psychosis. These findings support the use of genetic profiling for early identification and highlight new opportunities for personalized preventive strategies in psychiatry.