Psychiatric and neurocognitive symptoms due to hypercortisolism were already described by Harvey Cushing in his original paper on patients with Cushing's syndrome (CS). Nowadays, it is well known that psychiatric and cognitive complaints are two of the most common, and most distressing, symptoms in patients with CS. Psychiatric symptoms are indeed a major clinical manifestation of CS. The most commonly observed psychiatric conditions are depression and anxiety, whilst mania and psychosis are less common. Several domains of cognitive function are impaired at diagnosis, including episodic and working memory, executive function and attention. Following treatment, onefourth of the patients still experience depressed mood, and the cognitive impairments are only partially restored. Consequently, quality of life in patients with CS is severely and persistently affected. Neuroimaging studies have also illustrated the deleterious effects of hypercortisolism on the brain by demonstrating reduced grey matter volumes and cortical thickness, altered restingstate functional responses and during cognitive tasks, as well as widespread reduced white matter integrity, especially in structures important for cognitive function and emotional processing, both before and after successful abrogation of hypercortisolism. In this paper, we summarize the current knowledge on the psychiatric and neurocognitive consequences of hypercortisolism in patients with CS, both before, and after successful treatment. In addition, we review the structural and functional brain abnormalities associated with hypercortisolism and discuss the influence of these factors on quality of life.

IntroductionEctopic Cushing’s syndrome (ECS) is an uncommon disorder. Recently, however, a larger proportion of patients with endogenous Cushing’s syndrome (CS) had ECS than has previously been reported.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine whether ECS is an underdiagnosed disorder in patients with small-cell lung cancer (SCLC).Materials and methodsMedical records from consecutive patients diagnosed with SCLC at our hospital between 2013 and 2019 were reviewed (N = 213; mean age 69.5 ± 9 years; range, 36–89 years). The probability of having ECS was evaluated by review of biochemical and clinical features, including presence of recent onset diabetes mellitus, therapy resistant hypertension and/or spontaneous hypokalaemia.ResultsOf 213 identified patients with SCLC, one (0.5%) patient had confirmed ECS, two (1%) patients had probable ECS, and twenty-three (11%) patients had possibly ECS. Patients with SCLC and possibly or probable ECS exhibited a significantly shorter survival than patients only with SCLC (8 vs. 14 months, respectively).ConclusionsOur findings indicate that ECS is underdiagnosed in patients with SCLC. Given the serious consequences of untreated ECS, the low detection rate highlights the need to improve endocrine work-up of patients with SCLC who present with biochemical and clinical features associated with ECS. Prospective studies are needed to establish a reliable assessment of the incidence of ECS and to optimise early detection strategies.

Our current understanding of the function of coordinated acoustic displays usually comes from studies conducted over a short period of the breeding season. However, the function of particular types of vocalizations may vary according to sex and context, and such displays can extend beyond the time of reproduction. To fully understand this phenomenon, analyses of year-round singing behavior are required. In the current study, we focused on a small, year-round territorial Afrotropical songbird, Chubb’s Cisticola (Cisticola chubbi). We analyzed the structure of songs during the breeding season as well as year-round changes in the proportion of solos, duets, and choruses to investigate the potential function(s) of each type of vocalization. We found that: (1) females produced whistling notes, while males generated trilling ones; (2) up to five individuals formed coordinated choruses, and (3) individuals were always near to each other during cooperative singing. Over the course of a year, the majority of syllables recorded were duets (82%), with rarer choruses (16%) and extremely rare solos (2%). Outside of the breeding season, males produced the most solos, while females produced more at the beginning of the breeding season. The proportion of choruses was highest at the end of breeding season. Frequent year-round production of duets and choruses strongly supports territory defense as the main function of joint singing, while the highest proportion of choruses at the end of the breeding season suggests that offspring take part in the chorus. To better understand cooperative singing, it is essential to extend our looking beyond the breeding season.