Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a promising treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD). This study evaluated its antidepressant and cognitive effects as a safe, effective, home-based therapy for MDD.

This double-blind, sham-controlled, randomized trial divided participants into low-intensity (1 mA, n = 47), high-intensity (2 mA, n = 49), and sham (n = 45) groups, receiving 42 daily tDCS sessions, including weekends and holidays, targeting the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for 30 minutes. Assessments were conducted at baseline and weeks 2, 4, and 6. The primary outcome was cognitive improvement assessed by changes in total accuracy on the 2-back test from baseline to week 6. Secondary outcomes included changes in depressive symptoms (HAM-D), anxiety (HAM-A), and quality of life (QLES). Adverse events were monitored. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04709952).

In the tDCS study, of 141 participants (102 [72.3%] women; mean age 35.7 years, standard deviation 12.7), 95 completed the trial. Mean changes in the total accuracy scores from baseline to week 6 were compared across the three groups using an F-test. Linear mixed-effects models examined the interaction of group and time. Results showed no significant differences among groups in cognitive or depressive outcomes at week 6. Active groups experienced more mild adverse events compared to sham but had similar rates of severe adverse events and dropout.

Home-based tDCS for MDD demonstrated no evidence of effectiveness but was safe and well-tolerated. Further research is needed to address the technical limitations, evaluate broader cognitive functions, and extend durations to evaluate its therapeutic potential.

The Korean Basketball League(KBL) holds an annual draft to allow teams to select new players, mostly graduates from the elite college basketball teams even though some are from high school teams. In sports games, many factors might influence the success of an athlete. In addition to possessing excellent physical and technical factors, success in a sports game is also influenced by remarkable psychological factors. Several studies reported that elite sports players can control their anxiety during competition, which may lead to better performance. In particular, the temperament and characteristics of players have been regarded as crucial determinants of the player’s performance and goal. In this regard, numerous studies suggest that personality is considered to be an important predictor of long-term success in professional sports

Based on previous reports and studies, we hypothesized that physical status, temperament and characteristics, and neurocognitive functions of basketball players could predict the result of KBL draft selection. Especially, temperament and characteristics were associated with the result of KBL selection. The basketball performances including average scores and average rebound were associated with emotional perception and mental rotation.

We recruited the number of 44 college elite basketball players(KBL selection, n=17; Non-KBL selection, n=27), and the number of 35 age-matched healthy comparison subjects who major in sports education in college. All participants were assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory(TCI), Sports Anxiety Scales(SAS), Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Trail Making Test(TMT), and Computerized Neuro-cognitive Test(CNT) for Emotional Perception and Mental Rotation.

Current results showed that physical status, temperament and characteristics, and Neurocognitive functions of college basketball players could predict the KBL draft selection. Among temperament and characteristics, novelty seeking and reward dependence were associated with KBL draft selection. The basketball performances including average scores and average rebound were associated with emotional perception and mental rotation.

In order to be a good basketball player for a long time, it was confirmed that temperamental factors and Neurocognitive factors were very closely related. Furthermore, it is also judged that these results can be used as basic data to predict potential professional basketball players.

None Declared

Mental healthcare services that address a variety of primary complaints which are highly related to maladaptive personality traits among the general population are important to prevent developing psychiatric disorders.

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a digital mental health service (named “Mindling”) that focuses on maladaptive personality traits in the general population.

Participants were recruited through a South Korean community website and screened for adults between the ages of 18 and 60 in terms of personality traits such as perfectionism, low self-esteem, social isolation, or anxiety. Participants were allocated to four intervention programs (Riggy, Pleaser, Shelly, and Jumpy) based on their screening results and were randomly assigned to digital treatment and waitlist groups. Each intervention program was conducted online for 10 weeks. The primary outcomes were all measured by self-report questionnaires; in addition to stress levels, each program included measures of perfectionism (Riggy), low self-esteem (Pleaser), loneliness (Shelly), and anxiety (Jumpy). The secondary outcomes included self-efficacy, depression, and other psychological states. All participants completed pre-treatment (baseline), intervention (week 5), and post-treatment (week 10) assessments, and the treatment group completed a separate follow-up assessment (week 14).

In the treatment group, 70.05% of the participants completed the full course of the digital intervention. The mean scores for each primary outcome measure and some secondary outcome measures were significantly different between baseline and post-treatment in the treatment group for the Total, Riggy, Pleaser, Shelly, and Jumpy programs, but these differences were not observed in the waitlist group. In addition, mean differences between the treatment and waitlist groups at post-treatment assessment were significant for all primary outcome measures and some secondary outcome measures. Specifically, the levels of stress (Total program), perfectionism (Riggy), loneliness (Shelly), and anxiety (Jumpy) were significantly lower in the treatment group, while self-esteem (Pleaser) was higher. In addition, the mean differences between post-treatment and follow-up assessment data were not statistically significant for all primary outcome measures and nearly all secondary outcome measures.

This study validated the effectiveness of the digital intervention program targeting maladaptive personality traits and suggested its sustainable effects.

None Declared

During the COVID-19 pandemic, care for the elderly in the community was greatly limited. Accordingly, the demand for alternative community care have increased to cope with changing situations.

In this study, we tried to find out whether the companion robot improved mood state and related problem in depressive or isolated community dwelling elderly

For 186 community dwelling elderly who have received social welfare service due to depression or social isolation, we provided companion robot that could support their daily living. The robot was equipped with special program that could recognize and respond to the participant’s own emotion. It was part of behavioral activation techniques which is one of powerful treatment for depression. The self-report questionnaires were used to measure changes in cognitive function, depression, suicidality, loneliness, resilience and satisfaction of life. Outcomes were measured before using companion robot and after 3 months, and we compared them.

The elderly using companion robot for 3 months showed improved cognitive function (45.7% to 30.1%), depression (p<0.001), suicidality(p<0.001), and loneliness (p=0.033) in the self-report questionnaire. Resilience(p=0.749) and satisfaction of life (p=0.246) were also improved but not reached significance.

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These findings showed that the use of companion robot with emotional recognition coaching program could help improve depression, cognitive function, loneliness and suicidal ideation. In particular, this effect was also useful for those who were diagnosed with depression. Also if we can put more techniques of behavioral activation programs into robot, it could be useful in community care for depressive and isolated elderly.

None Declared

The suicide rate in the elderly population is the highest of all ages in Korea. Suicide prevention programs specialized in the elderly are scarce.

We evaluated the effect of the suicidal prevention program named “Nae-an-ae” (means to love oneself), which was specifically designed for the conditions of the community dwelling elderly.

The subjects were those who agreed to participate in the Nae-an-ae program among those evaluated as suicide high-risk groups according to the 2021 Jeollanam-do Mental Health Survey. The program consisted of five sessions of simple activities that could be practiced in daily life along with knowledge transfer through education on emotion recognition, stress management, sleep and relaxation, pain and exercise, and depression. This program was conducted by social workers or nurses working at each local community mental health and welfare center. We evaluated the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form Korean Version (GDS-SF), suicidal ideation, satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) and brief resilience scale (BRS) which were measured before and after the program and compared them with the control group.

A total of 276 participated in the program, 226 were in the control group. In the program participating group, the frequency of suicidal ideation was significantly decreased from 36.2% to 11.6% after the program. GDS-SF, SWLS and BRS were significantly decreased in active group than control group.

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These findings showed that “Nae-an-ae” program was found to affect not only the control of suicide risk factors such as depression but also positive factors such as life satisfaction and resilience.

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Self-compassion (SC) describes an emotionally positive attitude extended toward ourselves when we suffer, consisting of three main components; self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness (Germer & Neff, 2013). SC entails being warm and understanding towards ourselves when encountering pain or personal shortcomings, rather than ignoring them or flagellating ourselves with self-criticism. SC also involves recognizing that suffering and failure are part of the shared human experience rather than isolating. In addition, SC requires taking a mindful approach to one’s feelings and thoughts, without judgment of them.

Self-compassion (SC) involves taking an emotionally positive attitude towards oneself when suffering. Although SC has positive effects on mental well-being as well as a protective role in preventing depression and anxiety in healthy individuals, few studies on white matter (WM) microstructures in neuroimaging studies of SC has been studied.

Magnetic resonance imaging data were acquired from 71 healthy participants with measured levels of SC and its six subscales. Mirroring network as WM regions of interest were analyzed using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). After the WM regions associated with SC were extracted, exploratory correlation analysis with the self-forgiveness scale, the coping scale, and the world health organization quality of life scale abbreviated version was performed.

We found that self-compassion scale (SCS) total scores were negatively correlated with the fractional anisotropy (FA) values of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) in healthy individuals. The self-kindness and mindfulness subscale scores of SCS were also negatively correlated with FA values of the same regions. The FA values of SLF related to SC were found to be negatively correlated with the total scores of self-forgiveness scale, and self-control coping strategy and confrontation coping strategy.

Our findings suggest that levels of SC and its self-kindness and mindfulness components may be negatively associated with DMN-related WM microstructures in healthy individuals. These less WM microstructures may be associated with positive personal attitudes, such as self-forgiveness, self-control and active confrontational strategies.

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Subclinical or subthreshold social anxiety (SSA) is associated with significant burden. Up to 20% of general population report subclinical social anxiety symptoms, which can change individual social, work functioning.

However, neural mechanisms of SSA have not been fully investigated in healthy individual yet. This study aimed to examine the relationship between gray matter volumes (GMVs) and SSA.

We enrolled a total of 57 healthy individuals with SSA. The General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Albany Panic and Phobia Scale (APPQ) were evaluated. Freesurfer was applied to investigated the relationship between SSA and GMVs. Multiple regression models with age, sex, and total intracranial volume as covariates were performed. Pearson correlation analyses also investigated the exploratory correlations between the GMVs of the SSA-related regions and other psychological characteristics among healthy individuals.

Freesurfer voxel-wise correlational analyses showed a significant negative correlation between the SA scores of APPQ and gray matter volumes (GMVs) in the fusiform gyrus (FG). In addition, the GMVs in the FG were significantly negatively associated with the total GAD-7, BDI-II, BAI, and APPQ scores. Performance anxiety was significantly correlated with posterior cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus and fusiform gyrus.

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Our findings suggest that healthy individuals with SSA showed decreased GMVs in the FG and the GMVs of FG were associated with general anxiety and depression symptomatology.

None Declared

The impacts of the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on mental health have been relatively severe.

This study examined the influence of the COVID-19 especially on depression and suicidal ideation in community-dwelling elderly in Korea.

Data were employed from a survey on elderly mental health in Jeollanam-do (southwest province in Korea). A total of 2,423 elderlies were recruited from 22 counties in Jeollanam-do between April and October 2021. We used self-reported questionnaires, including sociodemographic factors, COVID-19 related stress, suicidal ideation, Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form Korean Version (GDS-SF). Logistic regression was performed to examine the factors on depression and suicidal ideation

Of the 2423 subjects, 622 (25.7%) reported depressive symptoms and 518 (21.4%) reported suicidal ideation. The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that living alone, poor perceived health status, the worry of COVID-19 infection and restriction of daily activity due to COVID-19 pandemic were significantly associated with depression. Male sex, poor perceived health status, disability in house chores and depressive symptom are risk factors for suicidal ideation.

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These findings showed that increased risk factor for depression and suicidal ideation in community dwelling elderly during COVID-19 pandemic. We confirmed that feelings of isolation and negative perception of health were risk factors on depression in community dwelling elderly in the context of the COVID –19 pandemic. Also male, poor self-perceived health status, difficulty of independent living and worry and depression are increased the risk of suicidal ideation among the elderly.

None Declared

This study examined the effectiveness of an integrated care pathway (ICP), including a medication algorithm, to treat agitation associated with dementia.

Analyses of data (both prospective and retrospective) collected during routine clinical care.

Geriatric Psychiatry Inpatient Unit.

Patients with agitation associated with dementia (n = 28) who were treated as part of the implementation of the ICP and those who received treatment-as-usual (TAU) (n = 28) on the same inpatient unit before the implementation of the ICP. Two control groups of patients without dementia treated on the same unit contemporaneously to the TAU (n = 17) and ICP groups (n = 36) were included to account for any secular trends.

ICP.

Cohen Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI), Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPIQ), and assessment of motor symptoms were completed during the ICP implementation. Chart review was used to obtain length of inpatient stay and rates of psychotropic polypharmacy.

Patients in the ICP group experienced a reduction in their scores on the CMAI and NPIQ and no changes in motor symptoms. Compared to the TAU group, the ICP group had a higher chance of an earlier discharge from hospital, a lower rate of psychotropic polypharmacy, and a lower chance of having a fall during hospital stay. In contrast, these outcomes did not differ between the two control groups.

These preliminary results suggest that an ICP can be used effectively to treat agitation associated with dementia in inpatients. A larger randomized study is needed to confirm these results.