ICNS_July_August_2015_CoverDear Colleagues:

Welcome to the July–August 2015 issue of Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience. We begin this issue with a review article by Cole et al titled, “Efficacy of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) in the Treatment of Schizophrenia: A Review of the Literature to Date.” Here the authors examined the literature regarding TMS efficacy in relieving positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The authors concluded that TMS seems to be useful, overall, in the treatment of positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia, with the strongest evidence supporting its efficacy in the treatment of auditory hallucinations.

Following this, de Oliviera et al present an original research article titled, “Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Cognitive Distortions Questionnaire (CD-Quest) in a Sample of Undergraduate Students.” In this study, the authors assessed the initial psychometric properties of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the CD-Quest, an instrument designed to enable cognitive behavioral therapy patients and their therapists to assess and monitor, over time, any errors in cognitive information processing (and the consequent emotional states and dysfunctional behaviors) the patients may exhibit. Based on their analysis of the data, the authors concluded that the psychometric indicators of the CD-Quest are adequate and promising measures of common cognitive distortions; however, the authors recognized that their sample, which comprised Brazilian undergraduate medical and psychology students, prevents the generalizability of the findings to other contexts, such as general and clinical populations. Future studies evaluating the psychometric aspects of this questionnaire in diversified samples, especially in the general population, will be needed before a final conclusion of validity and reliability of CD-Quest can be established.

Steen et al follow with their review article “Electroconvulsive Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis.” The authors examined the literature (primarily case reports) regarding the safety and efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for use in the treatment of psychiatric issues (e.g., depression) in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The authors found that, while no clinical recommendations can be drawn without further investigation, overall, patients with MS who were treated with ECT experienced significant relief in their psychiatric symptoms, with only a handful reporting neurologic deterioration. The authors urge the scientific community to formally investigate the safety and efficacy of ECT in patients with MS and comorbid psychiatric symptoms.

Next, Behere et al present a case report titled, “Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder Masquerading as Social Anxiety.” The authors report a case of a 47-year-old man who presented with treatment-resistant anxiety disorder. After performing audiological investigations, the authors diagnosed the patient with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD), which was initially masked by the severe anxiety symptoms the patient was exhibiting consequent to difficulties he experienced communicating with others. Challenges in diagnosis and treatment of ANSD are discussed.

Vanderpool follows with this month’s installment of “Risk Management” titled, “EHR Documentation: How to Keep Your Patients Safe, Keep Your Hard-Earned Money, and Stay Out of Court.” The author discusses key points that clinicians should consider when implementing an EHR system—namely the greater importance of accurate documentation of treatment over automatic documentation often featured in EHR systems.

And we close the issue with this month’s “The Interface” by Sansone and Sansone titled, “Borderline Personality Disorder in the Medical Setting: Suggestive Behaviors, Syndromes, and Diagnoses.” Regretfully, we must announce that it is the final installment of this column series as we offer a bittersweet farewell to Dr. Randy Sansone, who is retiring from clinical practice this month and resettling with his wife, Dr. Lori Sansone, in the Raleigh area of beautiful North Carolina. Unfortunately for us, his embarkment on “living the dream” means that he is also retiring from his duties as an editorial advisory board member and column contributer for ICNS. Dr. Sansone has been a stalwart supporter of the journal since its inaugural issue in the summer of 2004. His assistance with our peer-review process (he’s one tough reviewer!) and his own article contributions to the journal have been invaluable to us; however, it is undoubtedly the long-standing and popular column, “The Interface,” that the ICNS readers will miss most. Succinct, on point, and grammatically impeccable, these mini-reviews, which have always been a joint effort between Dr. Sansone and his wife, have provided you—our colleagues and readers—with practical, relevant information on issues commonly (and not so commonly) encountered in the often overlapping realms of primary care and psychiatry. We all will certainly miss Dr. Sansone’s guidance and expertise (and ICNS staff his lively, humorous emails and grammar skills!), but we share in his excitement for what lies ahead, and we wish Randy and Lori many long years of health and happiness to come (and who knows…with all that free time he’s sure to have, maybe the pages of ICNS haven’t seen the last of him—we can only hope!).

Sincerely,
Amir Kalali, MD
Editor, Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience