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Peter Falkai

3 papers in the library · 17 citations · publishing 2025-2026

Papers

Effectiveness of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for treatment-resistant depression in older patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BMJ mental health March 3, 2025 Alice Jane Larsen, Giulia Teobaldi, Rosario Isabel Espinoza Jeraldo et al. 10 citations

Depression in older adults is often undertreated. An updated systematic review and meta-analysis of 14 randomized controlled trials involving 1196 participants aged 55 and older with treatment-resistant depression found that, compared with placebo, those receiving active interventions were more likely to achieve remission (odds ratio 2.42). Ketamine therapy showed a significant benefit (odds ratio 2.91), while transcranial magnetic stimulation, selegiline, aripiprazole augmentation, pharmacogenetic-guided prescribing, and cognitive remediation showed trends or weak evidence favoring intervention. The authors note a lack of evidence for routinely prescribed antidepressants and psychosocial treatments in this population, forcing clinicians to rely on data from younger adults.

Efficacy of esketamine nasal spray over quetiapine extended release over the short and long term: sensitivity analyses of ESCAPE-TRD, a randomised phase IIIb clinical trial.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science February 1, 2025 Allan H Young, Pierre-Michel Llorca, Andrea Fagiolini et al. 7 citations

In people with treatment-resistant depression, esketamine nasal spray outperformed quetiapine extended release across multiple measures. Sensitivity analyses using different definitions of remission and relapse consistently favored esketamine, with relative risks for the primary endpoint ranging from 1.462 to 1.737 and for the key secondary endpoint from 1.417 to 1.838. Esketamine also shortened time to first remission by 71% and confirmed remission by 66%. The robustness of the original ESCAPE-TRD trial findings was confirmed.

From Body to Brain and Back: Multimodal Evidence for Interoceptive Alterations in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders

medRxiv Preprint Server January 13, 2026 Deniz Yilmaz, Lena Deller, Johanna Spaeth et al. preprint

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) involve pervasive disturbances in how the brain processes internal bodily signals—a function called interoception. In a cross-sectional observational study, 53 people with SSD and 60 matched healthy controls completed a heartbeat counting task and EEG recordings. People with SSD showed altered subjective interoceptive awareness, including impaired regulation and negative bodily appraisal, along with elevated depersonalization. Their interoceptive accuracy was marginally lower, and their heartbeat evoked potentials were attenuated, especially during the heartbeat counting task, over centro-parietal regions. Depersonalization was the most consistent correlate of clinical severity. These findings suggest interoceptive dysfunction is a central, trait-like feature of SSD.