IMPORTANCE Evidence-based treatments from randomized clinical trials for pedophilic disorder are lacking.OBJECTIVE To determine whether a gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist reduces dynamic risk factors for committing child sexual abuse.DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This academically initiated, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, phase 2 randomized clinical trial was conducted at the ANOVA center in Stockholm, Sweden, from March 1, 2016, to April 30, 2019. Individuals who contacted PrevenTell, the national telephone helpline for unwanted sexuality, were recruited. Eligible participants were men seeking help aged 18 to 66 years with a pedophilic disorder diagnosis and no contraindications to the intervention. The primary end point was assessed by intent-to-treat analysis.INTERVENTIONS Randomization to receive either 2 subcutaneous injections of 120 mg of degarelix acetate or equal volume of placebo. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURESThe primary end point was the mean change between baseline and 2 weeks in the composite risk score of 5 domains of child sexual abuse ranging from 0 to 15 points; each domain could be rated from 0 to 3 points. Secondary end points included efficacy at 2 and 10 weeks as measured by the composite score, each risk domain, quality of life, self-reported effects, and adverse events. RESULTS A total of 52 male participants (mean [SD] age, 36 [12] years) were randomized to receive either degarelix (n = 25; with 1 withdrawal) or placebo (n = 26). At 2 weeks, the composite risk score decreased from 7.4 to 4.4 for participants in the degarelix group and from 7.8 to 6.6 for the placebo group, a mean between-group difference of -1.8 (95% CI, -3.2 to -0.5; P = .01). A decrease was seen in the composite score at 10 weeks (−2.2 [95% CI, −3.6 to −0.7]) as well as in the domains of pedophilic disorder (2 weeks: −0.7 [95% CI, −1.4 to 0.0]; 10 weeks: −1.1 [95% CI, −1.8 to −0.4]) and sexual preoccupation (2 weeks: −0.7 [95% CI, −1.2 to −0.3]; 10 weeks: −0.8 [95% CI, −1.3 to −0.3]) in the degarelix group compared with the placebo group. No difference was seen for the domains of self-rated risk (2 weeks: −0.4 [95% CI, −0.9 to 0.1]; 10 weeks: −0.5 [95% CI, −1 to 0.0]), low empathy (2 weeks: 0.2 [95% CI, −0.3 to 0.6]; 10 weeks: 0.2 [95% CI, −0.2 to 0.6]), and impaired self-regulation (2 weeks: −0.0 [95% CI, −0.7 to 0.6]; 10 weeks: 0.1 [95% CI, −0.5 to 0.8]), or quality of life (EuroQol 5 Dimensions questionnaire index score, 2 weeks: 0.06 [95% CI, −0.00 to 0.12], and 10 weeks: 0.04; 95% CI, −0.02 to 0.10; EuroQol visual analog scale, 2 weeks: 0.6 [95% CI, −9.7 to 10.9], and 10 weeks: 4.2 [95% CI, −6.0 to 14.4]). Two hospitalizations occurred from increased suicidal ideation, and more injection site reactions (degarelix: 22 of 25 [88%]; placebo: 1 of 26 [4%]) and hepatobiliary enzyme level elevations were reported by participants who received degarelix (degarelix: 11 of 25 [44%]; placebo: 2 of 26 [8%]). Among the 26 participants randomized to receive degarelix, 20 (77%) experienced positive eff...

Characterizing the anatomical substrates of major brain functions such as cognition and emotion is of utmost importance to the ongoing efforts of understanding the nature of psychiatric ailments and their potential treatment. The aim of our study was to investigate how the brain handles affective and cognitive interferences on cognitive processes. Functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation was performed on healthy individuals, comparing the brain oxygenation level dependent activation patterns during affective and cognitive counting Stroop tasks. The affective Stroop task activated rostral parts of medial prefrontal cortex (PFC) and rostral and ventral parts of lateral PFC, while cognitive Stroop activated caudal parts of medial PFC and caudal and dorsal parts of lateral PFC. Our findings suggest that the brain may handle affective and cognitive interference on cognitive processes differentially, with affective interference preferentially activating rostral and ventral PFC networks and cognitive interference activating caudal and dorsal PFC networks.

Psychomotor disturbances (PMD) are a classic feature of depressive disorder that provides rich clinical information. The aim our narrative review was to characterize the functional anatomy of PMD by summarizing findings from neuroimaging studies. We found evidence across several neuroimaging modalities that suggest involvement of fronto-striatal neurocircuitry, and monoaminergic pathways and metabolism. We suggest that PMD in major depressive disorder emerge from an alteration of limbic signals, which influence emotion, volition, higher-order cognitive functions, and movement.

Background Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia are highly heritable, often chronic and debilitating psychotic disorders that can be difficult to differentiate clinically. Their brain phenotypes appear to overlap in both crosssectional and longitudinal structural neuroimaging studies, with some evidence to suggest areas of differentiation with differing trajectories. The aim of this review was to investigate the notion that longitudinal trajectories of alterations in brain structure could differentiate the two disorders.