Patient focused goals are key

‘Industry Science Exchanges’ focused on depression and schizophrenia:

• The latest understanding of major depressive disorder (MDD) neurobiology and how episode duration and disease trajectory can impact a patient with MDD
• How to best manage a MDD-related psychiatric emergency, focussing on initial assessment and treatment options
• Drugs targeting the range of schizophrenia symptoms including not only positive ones but also negative, cognitive, mood and hostility aspects
• Why patient ‘life engagement’ practices are becoming a focus for pharmacological treatment goals
• Patient reported and patient-centric outcomes as key parts of clinical trials and everyday practice
• Approaches to precision psychiatry whereby symptoms are matched to biology to provide more tailored therapy

Patient ‘life engagement’ is a key treatment goal

Social media and novel therapies

The ‘Campfire Sessions’ continued, with discussion of:

• How attachment involves bonding processes that can be shown neurobiologically and are involved in human resilience
• Science communication and public engagement is booming with formats including traditional books and columns and newer ones, such as podcasts and public-facing lectures
• Does reporting of ‘celebrity’ suicide still increase the societal rate of such and is it increased or helped by social media

Other interesting presentations included how animal-assisted therapy is becoming a popular and effective treatment for psychiatric and neurological disorders and potential mechanisms behind this; discussion on changing careers from academia to industry; and exploration of gene therapy for rare neurodevelopment disorders and how, once developed, it can best be delivered.

From gene therapy to animal-assisted therapy, new developments are becoming popular and effective for potential treatments

‘Educational Update’ Sessions highlighted price to address withdrawal of antidepressants with regard to controlling symptoms¹ and the latest evidence regarding neurobiology of cognitive impairments and how understanding this may aid treatment, with ‘Innovative Format’ sessions including a panel discussion on how publication and outcome reporting bias in psychiatry might hinder drug development, if overestimation of treatment effects occur and, with mindfullness-based interventions for psychiatric disorders on the rise, questions remain regarding efficacy and mechanisms.

Neurobiology may inform therapy choice

Symposia including presentations regarding:

• How rapid-acting antidepressants may help people with rapid mood switches, with details on neurobiology and pharmacology
• Using rodent models of social interaction to help explain human social behavior and addiction neurocircuitry
• The fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic on people living with schizophrenia with regard to health, treatment and care access

The COVID-19 pandemic has restricted access to healthcare

The Brainstorming sessions included:

• Advances in treatment and psychotherapy combinations for people with MDD and PTSD revealed in clinical trials and neurocircuitry studies²
• How discrepancy between regulatory indications for psychotropic medications and off-label prescribing may be addressed by identifying trans-diagnostic DSM syndromes and biological circuits³
• ImmunoPsychiatry, such as using anti-inflammatory agents in psychosis,⁴ is a growing field but how can it be advanced with regard to research foci?

Brain inflammation is fast becoming a focus of research and treatment

Dr Valery Grinevic’s Plenary Lecture discussed new studies regarding the peptide oxytocin.