Modern Concept of Depression Pathogenesis: The Contribution of I.P. Lapin’s Research Team Nikolay G. Neznanov, Marianna A. Tumova, Victoria V. Freize, Ekaterina S. Gerasimchuk, Dmitriy S. Radionov, Maria A. Khobeysh, Larisa V. Malyshko, Maria V. Anokhina, Ekaterina I. Palchikova, Mikhail Y. Sorokin Consortium Psychiatricum, 2025 BACKGROUND: The advent of neuroleptics and antidepressant therapy marked a significant step forward in clinical psychiatry. Numerous experiments worldwide had been dedicated to a search for the potential neurobiological mechanisms underlying the potency of new psychopharmacological drugs. The first laboratory of psychopharmacology in the USSR was established in 1960 at the Leningrad Psychoneurological Institute. It was headed by Professor Izyaslav Petrovich Lapin. The foundational article by Lapin I.P. and Oksenkrug G.F. (The Lancet, 1969) continues to be cited 55 years after its publication, which determines the interest in the role of this research team in shaping temporal concepts of the pathogenesis of depression and the development of psychopharmacology.AIM: To analyze the contribution of Lapin I.P. and his research team to the development of experimental approaches for studying the mechanisms of depression.METHODS: We analyzed the articles and monographs authored by Professor Lapin I.P., both individually and in co-authorship, available in PubMed, Google Scholar, eLIBRARY.RU, and in the bibliographic collection of the V.M. Bekhterev National Medical Research Centre for Psychiatry and Neurology.RESULTS: This analysis highlights the significance of Lapin I.P. and his scientific team’s work in advancing our understanding of serotonin role in the mechanisms of depression and in the development of animal depression models. The scientific contribution of this team is an important milestone towards future research into the neurobiological mechanisms underlying depression, as well as the development of therapeutic approaches.CONCLUSION: Lapin’s scientific publications and the work of his team in the field of psychopharmacology have had a significant impact on the development of neuroscience and continue to be of unquestionable importance in advancing scientific practice more than 50 years later.
Cognitive Functioning and Visual System Characteristics in Schizophrenia: A Cross-Sectional Study M. A. Tumova, I. I. Shoshina, V. V. Stanovaya, Z. T. Huseinova, T. P. Fernandes, M. V. Ivanov Psychiatry Moscow, 2023 Background: increasing interest in visual disturbances in schizophrenia is connected with the fact that they are a potential biomarker for objectification of a mental condition. The nature of the relationship between visual disturbances and higher-level cognitive functions in schizophrenia remains understudied.The aim of the study was to investigate differences in visual information processing between individuals with paranoid schizophrenia and healthy individuals, and to analyze the relationship between visual system characteristics with clinical and cognitive factors.Patients and methods: thirty-three patients with the paranoid form of schizophrenia and 19 healthy subjects were included in the cross-sectional study. Cognitive impairment was assessed using a battery of BACS tests, and the severity of the mental state was assessed using the PANSS scale. Contrast sensitivity characteristics were measured by computer visocontrastometry.Results: the study found that the visual system of persons with schizophrenia is characterized by hypersensitivity in the high and midrange, but decreased sensitivity in the low-frequency range. Decreased sensitivity in the low-frequency range was associated with better cognitive functioning and less pronounced productive symptoms. Medium frequencies at the trend level correlated with the digit sequencing tests, assessing working memory, and verbal fluency, reflecting speed of information processing.Conclusions: our findings expand information on the character of the relationship between contrast sensitivity and cognitive function. The results of study will provide the basis for further research on the development of more effective non-medicinal methods to improve cognitive functioning.
A Study of Susceptibility to Illusions in Schizophrenia: a Comparison of Resistant and Nonresistant Patients В.Ю. Карпинская, М.А. Тумова, В.А. Ляховецкий, М.Г. Янушко, А.А. Максимова, М.В. Иванов Psychiatry Psychotherapy and Clinical Psychology, 2023 Введение. Зрительные иллюзии все чаще используются в качестве практического и действенного средства для изучения глубинных механизмов восприятия как в норме, так и при патологии. Понимание организации восприятия может помочь в изучении причин возникновения симптомов шизофрении. Цель исследования. Определить восприимчивость к зрительным иллюзиям (Мюллера-Лайера и Понцо) пациентов с шизофренией (резистентных и нерезистентных к лечению) по сравнению со здоровыми испытуемыми при зрительной и моторной оценке. Материалы и методы. В кросс-секционномисследовании участвовали три группы испытуемых: 9 резистентных к терапии пациентов с шизофренией, 14 нерезистентных пациентов с шизофренией и 20 здоровых испытуемых (контрольная группа). Участники выполняли три типа заданий: запоминание собственных движений по центральным отрезкам иллюзорных или нейтральных стимулов, предъявляемых на сенсорном экране, и немедленное их воспроизведение на пустом экране, а также вербальное подравнивание длин центральных отрезков стимулов. Значимость различий в силе заданной иллюзии между группами проверялась с помощью линейной иерархической модели. Результаты. В задаче подравнивания обе иллюзии были более выражены в группе резистентных пациентов, чем в контрольной группе. При выполнении моторных задач иллюзия Мюллера-Лайера значительно отличалась от нуля в каждой группе и на этапе запоминания, и на этапе воспроизведения. Иллюзия Понцо присутствовала во время фазы воспроизведения во всех трех группах, но была значительно сильнее в группе пациентов по сравнению со здоровой группой, которая демонстрировала значительно более слабую реакцию на иллюзию. Заключение. Повышенная чувствительность к иллюзиям у пациентов по сравнению с контрольной группой указывает на нарушения в вентральных и дорсальных зрительных путях у пациентов с шизофренией. Introduction. Visual illusions are used increasingly as a practical and effective tool for studying the underlying mechanisms of perception in the normal and morbid conditions. Understanding the organization of perception can help in the study of the causes of schizophrenia symptoms. Purpose. To identify the susceptibility to visual illusions (Muller-Lyer and Ponzo) of schizophrenic patients (resistant and non-resistant to treatment) compared to healthy controls in visual and motor estimation. Materials and methods. Three groups of subjects participated in the cross-sectional study: 9 resistant patients with schizophrenia, 14 non-resistant patients with schizophrenia, and 20 healthy subjects. The participants performed three types of tasks: memorization of tracing movements across the central shafts of illusory or neutral stimuli on the sensory screen, reproduction of memorized movements and verbal adjustment of the central shafts of two stimuli by the keyboard. Results. In the adjustment task, both illusions are significantly stronger in the resistant group than in the healthy control one. The sensorimotor estimations of neutral stimuli as well as the Ponzo illusion do not differ from zero at the memorization phase in all three groups. The Muller-Lyer illusion differs significantly from zero in each group during the memorization phase and during the reproduction phase. The Ponzo illusion exists in all three groups, and is significantly weaker for the healthy control group than for the non- resistant and for the resistant groups. Conclusion. The increased sensitivity to illusions compared to healthy controls detected in both tasks (adjustment and tracing) indicates impairments in the ventral and dorsal visual pathways in schizophrenic patients.
An effect of antipsychotic and anticholinergic treatment on cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia M.A. Tumova, A.A. Stepanova, Y.S. Zazulina, Z.T. Guseinova, M.M. Zaitseva, I.V. Dyment, A.P. Kotsyubinsky, M.V. Ivanov Zhurnal Nevrologii I Psihiatrii Imeni S S Korsakova, 2023 OBJECTIVE To reveal the relationships between antipsychotic and anticholinergic drugs and cognitive functions in patients with schizophrenia. MATERIAL AND METHODS The observational prospective study was conducted at the Bekhterev National Medical Center of Psychiatry and Neurology. The study involved 41 patients (22 men and 19 women) with paranoid schizophrenia, according to ICD 10 criteria, aged 30.12±8.24 years on stable antipsychotic monotherapy or in combination with anticholinergic drug (trihexiphenidyl). Cognitive functions were assessed using the «Brief Assessment of Cognitive Function in Patients with Schizophrenia» (BACS) scale, severity of mental state and extrapyramidal disturbances were measured using the «Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Simpson-Angus Scale for Assessment of Extrapyramidal Side Effects (SAS). All examination procedures were performed twice at weeks 2 and 8 of therapy. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the type of antipsychotic therapy. Twelve patients received first generation antipsychotics (FGAs) (group 1), 29 patients received second generation antipsychotics (SGAs) (group 2). RESULTS Patients receiving SGAs had a significant decrease in the overall SAS score at week 8 of therapy compared with data at week 2, and there was an improvement in cognitive function, unlike patients receiving FGAs. There were also changes on BACS tests the digit sequencing (V=51.5, p=0.007), token motor task (V=75.5, p=0.007) and Tower of London (V=52, p=0.027) only in patients of group 2. CONCLUSION The improved tolerance to the drug, as well as cognitive measures, was shown in patients taking SGAs by week 8. Our study confirms the importance of adhering to the minimum effective dose of antipsychotic drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia to prevent cognitive impairment, and to give preference to SGAs in the choice of treatment.
Disbalance in Sensory Processing in Patients with Schizophrenia Psychiatry Moscow, 2022
Features of the Visual System in Patients with Paranoid Schizophrenia Psychiatry Moscow, 2022
Detection of Cognitive Subtypes of Schizophrenia (with Assessment of Perceptual Disorders). A Pilot Study V. Yu. Karpinskaia, M. A. Tumova, V. A. Lyakhovetsky, V. V. Stanovaya, M. V. Ivanov Psychiatry Moscow, 2022 Background: the heterogeneity of schizophrenia impedes our efforts to provide adequate treatment. One step toward optimizing treatment is to deepen our understanding of cognitive variety in this disorder. Perhaps due to this heterogeneity, although visual impairment is a frequent symptom of schizophrenia, many studies show inconsistent data. The aim of our study was to identify homogeneous groups of patients with schizophrenia based on susceptibility to the Ponzo illusion, cognitive impairment degree (BACS T-score) and severity of mental state during therapy (Total PANSS score) and to examine the relationship between clinical parameters and the value of the illusion. Patients and methods: a prospective six-week observational study included 30 patients with the paranoid form of schizophrenia in the second week of stable antipsychotic monotherapy, 11 of whom dropped out due to exclusion criteria. At the second and eighth weeks of treatment, patients were assessed for susceptibility to the Ponzo illusion, cognitive impairment using a battery of BACS tests, and severity of mental status during a semi-structured interview using the PANSS scale. Results: the cluster analysis identified 2 clusters of patients who differed in their susceptibility to the Ponzo illusion. Patients in the first cluster (n = 9) with a significantly higher score on negative PANSS symptoms and marked cognitive impairment in the second and eighth weeks of therapy were prone to overestimate the Ponzo illusion, while patients in the second cluster (n = 10) were less susceptible to the Ponzo illusion. Conclusions: this study allowed us to identify two clusters of patients differing in the severity of cognitive and visual impairments, the relationship of susceptibility to Ponzo illusion with such clinical indicators as negative and cognitive symptoms was demonstrated, which confirms the informative value of using the visual illusion methodology as a marker of mental state.
Association of Anxiety and Depression with Objective and Subjective Cognitive Decline in Outpatient Healthcare Consumers with COVID-19: А Cross-Sectional Study Natalia A. Gomzyakova, Ekaterina I. Palchikova, Marianna A. Tumova, Evgeny D. Kasyanov, Mikhail Yu. Sorokin Consortium Psychiatricum, 2022 BACKGROUND: In addition to the neurological complications affecting people infected with COVID-19, cognitive impairment symptoms and symptoms of anxiety and depression remain a frequent cause of complaints. The specificity of cognitive impairment in patients with COVID-19 is still poorly understood.
 AIM: An exploratory study of factors that may be associated with cognitive decline during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 METHODS: The cross-sectional multicentre observational study was conducted in a polyclinic unit in Saint Petersburg and in the regions of the North-Western Federal Region. During the study, socio-demographic parameters and information about the somatic condition of patients who applied for primary health care was collected. Emotional and cognitive state were investigated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Mathematical and statistical data processing was carried out using SPSS and RStudio statistical programs.
 RESULTS: The study included 515 participants, 60% (n=310) of which were women. The sample was divided into those who did (28.5%, n=147) and did not (71.4%, n=368) complain of cognitive decline. Patients with complaints of cognitive decline were significantly older, had lower levels of education and higher levels of depression and anxiety according to HADS (p 0.05). Patients with complaints of cognitive decline underwent the MoCA test (24.3%, n=125). The median MoCA test scores were within the normal range (Median=27, Q1=25, Q3=28), and cognitive decline (MoCA less than 26 points) was detected in 40% (n=50) of patients with complaints of cognitive decline. No significant correlations were found between the MoCA scores and the levels of anxiety and depression according to the HADS (p 0.05). Patients with mild severity of the COVID-19 course were more successful with MoCA subtests than patients with moderate and severe courses.
 CONCLUSION: We found no linear association between objective cognitive deficit and the affective state of respondents. Patients subjective complaints about cognitive dysfunction were mostly caused by their emotional state than an objective decrease of their cognitive functions. Therefore, in case of subjective complaints on cognitive decline, it is necessary to assess not only the cognitive but also the affective state of the patient. The severity of the COVID-19 course affects the functions of the cognitive sphere, including attention, regulatory functions and speech fluency. Mild and moderate severity of the COVID-19 correlates with clinically determined depression. The absence of this relationship with the severe course of the disease is probably explained by the significant somatic decompensation of patients.
Contemporary methods of non-drug therapy for depression M.A. Tumova, L.M. Muslimova, V.V. Stanovaya, A.K. Abdyrakhmanova, M.V. Ivanov Zhurnal Nevrologii I Psikhiatrii Imeni S S Korsakova, 2021 The review presents information on the most effective current non-drug methods of treatment of depression used in practice. A review of publications in PubMed and PsycINFO and Cochrane Library over the past 10 years was conducted. Non-drug biological therapies demonstrate high efficacy in the reduction of depressive symptoms in patients with recurrent depressive disorder. The use of non-drug therapy does not preclude the continuation of pharmacological therapy. In order to choose an optimal method of treatment, the psychophysical state of a patient, severity of depressive symptoms, response to drug therapy, and possibility of prescribing pharmacological therapy should be taken into account, and the principles of evidence-based medicine should be taken into consideration when making a decision.
