Carlo Lai

Purpose: The present study aimed to evaluate changes in QoL and psychological symptoms (anxiety and depression) in women with BC between the first days (T0) and 1 month after surgery (T1). In addition, the study examined longitudinal associations of perceived pain, upper limb disability, and disease acceptance with QoL and psychological symptoms across T0 and T1. Methods: A prospective, observational cohort study was conducted on 101 women with BC. At T0 and T1, the EuroQol Five-Dimension Five-Level, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Numeric Rating Scale, the Quick Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand, and an adapted version of the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire were administered. Data were analyzed using paired-samples t -tests and linear mixed models (LMMs). Results: The results showed increased QoL and decreased psychological symptoms between T0 and T1. The LMMs revealed that assessment time was not significantly associated with QoL and psychological symptoms once perceived pain, upper limb disability, and disease acceptance were considered. Notably, perceived pain and upper limb disability were negatively associated with QoL. In addition, upper limb disability was positively associated with depressive symptoms. Lastly, disease acceptance was negatively associated with both anxiety and depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Improvements in QoL and psychological symptoms may occur within the first month after BC surgery. At equivalent levels of perceived pain, upper limb disability, and disease acceptance, the timing of assessment seems to provide no additional information about QoL and psychological symptoms. The findings suggest the importance of timely, multidisciplinary rehabilitation care for women with BC during the early post-operative period.

Attachment theory postulated that early interpersonal interactions shape individuals’ understanding of themselves and others, explaining how people typically engage in meaningful relationships (Bow...

Complex psychosis (CP) remains one of the most challenging conditions in mental health, characterized by persistent symptoms, cognitive impairment, functional disability, and reduced autonomy. Traditional rehabilitation approaches, although essential, are often insufficient to address the multidimensional needs of these individuals. Over the past decade, rapid advances in digital health have opened new opportunities to enhance psychosocial rehabilitation, improve engagement, and personalize treatment pathways. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on the use of digital and immersive technologies in the rehabilitation of people with CP, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), telerehabilitation platforms, mobile health (m-Health) applications, digital phenotyping, and AI-assisted cognitive remediation. We examine clinical trials, feasibility studies, and real-world implementations published between 2015 and 2025, highlighting the efficacy of VR-based social cognition training, remote cognitive remediation, ecological momentary interventions, and hybrid digital–in-person rehabilitation models. Mechanisms of action, transfer to real-world functioning, and predictors of engagement are described. Barriers such as digital literacy, access disparities, privacy concerns, and clinical integration are critically discussed. We also outline future directions, including adaptive algorithms, biosensor integration, and the development of multimodal digital ecosystems tailored to individual recovery trajectories. By integrating technological innovation with recovery-oriented care, digital rehabilitation tools have the potential to transform the treatment landscape for people with CP. This review offers a roadmap for clinicians, researchers, and policymakers seeking to incorporate evidence-based digital solutions into modern psychiatric rehabilitation.

A growing number of studies examined the neural correlates of insecure attachment dimensions. Attachment strategies can shift across the lifespan as individuals encounter new interpersonal and emotional experiences. Additionally, neural changes during development may influence these strategies. A systematic review and an activation likelihood estimation meta‐analysis were conducted to examine the associations between insecure attachment dimensions and brain activations during socio‐affective stimuli tasks according to age. The review adhered to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and was registered on PROSPERO. The research identified 1743 articles, of which 15 were included. The results showed that, in younger individuals, the avoidant attachment dimension was associated both negatively and positively with activations in limbic regions, located at the level of Brodmann Area (BA) 13 (insula) and the medial globus pallidus and amygdala, while in older individuals, it was associated only negatively with sub‐lobar activations in the caudate tail. Moreover, in younger individuals, the anxious attachment dimension was associated both negatively and positively with activations in several heterogeneous neural areas. Differently, in older individuals, the anxious attachment dimension showed only positive associations with neural activations, particularly in limbic regions, located at the level of BA 35 (parahippocampus) and 38 (temporal pole). These preliminary findings suggest potential differences in the neural correlates of insecure attachment according to age. It could be supposed that younger individuals have more flexible and less structured attachment‐related regulatory strategies than older individuals, suggesting relevant clinical implications for attachment‐based psychological interventions.

Research on deception has focused on the neurophysiological assessment of the deceiver, showing activation of specific brain areas and increased autonomic activity. However, deception is an interpersonal process where both the deceiver and the deceived interact in a constant process of evaluation that requires demanding cognitive resources. The present study aimed to investigate interbrain synchronization (IBS) and heart rate synchrony between an interviewer intent on detecting deception and an interviewee during a deception (deception group, or DG) or truth‐telling (non‐deception group, or NDG) task using an ecological mock crime experiment. The results showed that DG exhibited higher IBS before the interview in the theta band and during the interview in the alpha band, while displaying decreased heart rate synchrony in the high frequency band compared to NDG. The greater IBS in DG involved, particularly, the left temporal area of the interviewee. These findings highlight the relevance of studying deception according to a two‐person neuroscience perspective, suggesting that while neural processes are synchronized before and during a deceptive interaction, autonomic processes follow different activation patterns. Integrating the hyperscanning techniques with existing lie‐detection methods could enhance the identification of neurophysiological markers of deception.

Mental disorders affect nearly one billion persons worldwide, having a substantial burden on individuals, families, and healthcare systems. Current diagnostic and therapeutic approaches could fail to reach optimal outcomes, highlighting the need for more effective and personalized interventions. Precision psychiatry aims to address this challenge by integrating multidimensional data, ranging from genomics and epigenomics to neuroimaging and psychometric assessments, through advanced computational tools such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. This transdisciplinary approach could allow the study of biologically informed endophenotypes, improve diagnostic accuracy, and support individualized treatment strategies. Emerging technologies, including pharmaco-neuroimaging, virtual histology, and large-scale consortia, are advancing the field by elucidating the molecular and circuit-level correlates of mental disorders. Although significant progress has been made, the translational gap between research and clinical practice remains a critical issue. Effective implementation will require the systematic integration of bioinformatic tools, big data analytics, and clinician-guided interpretation, in a context in which the evolving landscape of precision psychiatry continues to prioritize therapeutic alliance and individualized patient care.

Background/Objectives: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been extensively studied through neuroimaging, primarily focusing on grey matter and more in children than in adults. Studies in children and adolescents fail to capture changes that may dampen with age, thus leaving only changes specific to ASD. While grey matter has been the primary focus, white matter (WM) may be more specific in identifying the particular biological signature of the neurodiversity of ASD. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is the more appropriate tool to investigate WM in ASD. Despite being introduced in 1994, its application to ASD research began in 2001. Studies employing DTI identify altered fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity, and radial diffusivity (RD) in individuals with ASD compared to typically developing (TD) individuals. Methods: We systematically reviewed literature on 21 May 2025 on PubMed using the following strategy: (“autism spectrum”[ti] OR autistic[ti] OR ASD[ti] OR “high-functioning autism” OR Asperger*[ti] OR Rett*[ti]) AND (DTI[ti] OR “diffusion tensor”[ti] OR multimodal[ti] OR “white matter”[ti] OR tractograph*[ti]). Our search yielded 239 results, of which 26 were adult human studies and eligible. Results: Analysing the evidence, we obtained regionally diverse WM alterations in adult ASD, specifically in FA, MD, RD, axial diffusivity and kurtosis, neurite density, and orientation dispersion index, compared to TD individuals, mostly in frontal and interhemispheric tracts, association fibres, and subcortical projection pathways. These alterations were less prominent than those of children and adolescents, indicating that individuals with ASD may improve during brain maturation. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that white matter alterations in adults with ASD are regionally diverse but generally less pronounced than in younger populations. This may indicate a potential improvement or adaptation of brain structure during maturation. Further research is needed to clarify the neurobiological mechanisms underlying these changes and their implications for clinical outcomes.

The present study aimed to investigate the electrophysiological correlates of face-identity recognition in newborn infants immediately after birth. Electroencephalographic acquisition was continuously recorded in 23 newborn infants (3 < age < 24 h of life) during the following visual task: presentation of a woman’s face for 60 s (“known face”); random presentation of 50 known faces, 50 novel women’s faces, and 50 chessboards (for 2 s each). The final sample included in ERP analyses was composed of 11 newborn infants (male/female: 6/5; age: 5 h 16′ ± 3 h 51′). A greater negative amplitude of the N290 and smaller P400 and LC2 were found in response to the known face compared with the novel one in the left hemisphere. A shorter N290 latency was detected during the known face presentation compared with the novel one, and a longer latency of the same component was observed during novel face presentation compared with the chessboard. These findings suggest that newborns process a face differently from an object at birth and that they can discriminate a new face from a familiar one previously viewed for one minute.

Introduction: A large body of literature has shown that media representations of obesity influence people’s attitudes and contribute to weight stigma and discriminatory behaviors. The present study aimed to identify the representations of obesity in nine main Italian national newspapers and analyze how these representations varied before and after the COVID-19 lockdown (2016–2023), also in relation to the political orientation of the newspapers. Methods: The Automated Co-occurrence Analysis for Semantic Mapping procedure (ACASM) was used to identify the themes. A t test and time series analysis were conducted to test the hypotheses. Results: Findings showed that the selected Italian newspapers represented obesity according to five different themes labeled Wellness, Problem, Health, Nutrition, and Disease. It was found that the articles related to obesity increased after the lockdown. The Wellness and Health themes were found to be the more prevalent after the end of the emergency period. This result differed according to the newspapers’ political orientation. Conclusion: The findings suggest considering the representations that specific newspapers convey according to their political orientation in order to promote different narratives that could have a relevant impact on obesity.