ICNS_Jan_Feb_2015_CoverDear Colleagues:

Welcome to the January-February 2015 issue of Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience and to the beginning of our 12th year of publication. Over the years, we have sought to not only provide you with information on the latest, evidence-based treatment techniques for your patients, but also with information on how these new treatments are developed from the ground up. We believe it is as important for practicing clinicians as it is for those involved in drug development to be aware of the existing treatment practices and emerging innovations and technology in CNS drug development, because educated dialogue and collaboration between scientists, researchers, clinicians, and government agencies are what will ultimately allow us to develop and then employ effective therapies for our patients.

We invite you to visit the journal’s website, www.innovationscns.com, and select “trial methodology” and “drug development” options under the Topics menu to see the many articles we have published under these topics (in addition, of course, to the large library of articles we have published on patient treatment).

We start this issue with a review article by Ali et al titled, “Multimodal Approach to Identifying Malingered Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.” Here the authors provide guidance on differentiating true posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) from malingered PTSD. The authors briefly compare and contrast characteristics of true and malingered PTSD and review potential motives individuals may have for malingering PTSD. The authors describe interview techniques, collection of collateral data, and psychometric and physiologic testing when evaluating patients claiming PTSD that should allow clinicians to distinguish between those who are truly suffering from PTSD and those who are malingering the illness.

Next, Bawa and Scarff provide a brief review article titled “Lurasidone: A New Treatment Option for Bipolar Depression.” Here the authors review the available literature on use of lurasidone in patients with bipolar depression. They describe the drug’s mechanisms of action, efficacy, dosing, and contraindications and conclude that lurasidone is a metabolically favorable, well-tolerated treatment option for patients with bipolar depression.

Following this, we present a case study by Calabró et al titled “Functional Cortical and Cerebellar Reorganization in a Case of Moyamoya Disease.” The authors assess the cortical and cerebellar reorganization in a moyamoya patient via neuropsychological assessment, a neurocognitive rehabilitative treatment, an electroencephalogram evaluation, and an functional magnetic resonance imaging examination. The authors found cortical reorganization in their patient, which they believe could play an important role in clinical evaluation and motor recovery, and the cerebellar activation shown after cognitive and motor rehabilitation, they believe, could support the idea that the cerebellum contains several cognitive-related subregions involved in different functional networks in moyamoya disease.

Next, we present the first installment of our new column “Hot Topics in Neuroscience,” an ongoing series of articles that will explore off-label or emerging treatment options and trends in the field of neuroscience. This month, Lee et al provide a brief review titled “Use of Ketamine in Acute Cases of Suicidality.” Here the authors review the literature on the use of ketamine for depression and in acute cases of suicidality. The authors conclude that, while further investigation is needed, ketamine may be a useful treatment option for acute suicidality in emergency room settings.

And finally, in this month’s installment of “The Interface,” Sansone and Sansone explore the literature regarding the associations between bullying in the workplace and potential negative consequences, an important topic to both psychiatrists and primary care doctors, as patients who present with psychiatric issues may be reluctant to reveal workplace maltreatment due to embarrassment or fears of retribution.

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