Scientific publications

The authors and the publisher have exerted every effort to ensure that drug selection and dosage set forth in this text are in accord with current recommendations and practice at the time of publication.

Anxiety disorders are common and often treatment-resistant, prompting the need for regulatory trials. A Delphi consensus of 36 experts established 14 recommendations defining treatment-resistant anxiety disorders (TR-AD) and criteria for resistance. This guideline aims to enhance future clinical trials and improve treatment strategies for these disorders.  Authors: Burkauskas, I. Branchi, S. Pallanti, K. Domschke 

The review explores anxiety in post-COVID-19 syndrome, noting risk factors like age, gender, infection severity, and isolation, with prevalence rates between 16.6% and 29.6%. Treatment options include medication, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mindfulness.

Authors: Stefano Pallanti, Gioele Gavazzi, Gregory Gasic, Bianca Besteher, Carina Heller, Ron Kikinis, Nikos Makris, Zora Kikinis.

Authors: Bandelow B, Baldwin D, Abelli M, Bolea-Alamanac B, Bourin M, Chamberlain SR, Cinosi E, Davies S, Domschke K, Fineberg N, Grünblatt E, Jarema M, Kim YK, Maron E, Masdrakis V, Mikova O, Nutt D, Pallanti S, Pini S, Ströhle A, Thibaut F, Vaghi MM, Won E, Wedekind D, Wichniak A, Woolley J, Zwanzger P, Riederer P.

In 2019 The European Network Adult ADHD updated its consensus statement.  Results Besides reviewing the latest research on prevalence, persistence, genetics and neurobiology of ADHD, three major questions are addressed: (1) What is the clinical picture of ADHD in adults? (2) How should ADHD be properly diagnosed in adults? (3) How should adult ADHDbe effectively treated?

This 2010 European consensus statement presents instruments for screening and diagnosis of ADHD in adults and appropriate treatments. Dr. Stefano Pallanti is a member of The European Network Adult ADHD since its foundation.

Bernardi S, Faraone SV, Cortese S, Kerridge BT, Pallanti S, Wang S, Blanco C.  ADHD is common and associated with a broad range of psychiatric disorders, impulsive behaviors, greater number of traumas, lower quality of life, perceived social support and social functioning, even after adjusting for additional co-morbidity.

Postinfectious neuroinflammation is linked to acute-onset OCD models like Sydenham chorea, PANS, and PANDAS, associated with autoantibodies from infections such as group A streptococci. This review highlights evidence of neuroinflammation and calls for interdisciplinary collaboration to advance research on these disorders.  Authors: Allison Vreeland, Denise Calaprice, Noga Or-Geva, Richard E. Frye, Dritan Agalliu, Herbert M. Lachman, Christopher Pittenger, Stefano Pallanti, Kyle Williams, Meiqian Ma, Margo Thienemann, Antonella Gagliano, Elizabeth Mellins, Jennifer Frankovich

Gaining deeper insight into the excitation–inhibition imbalance is crucial for advancing more effective pharmacological and behavioural interventions in autism spectrum disorders, encompassing approaches such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), novel drug development, biomarker discovery and patient stratification.

A new non-pharmacological option that offers concrete support for families of children with autism: transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM).

This review examines the immune system's role beyond defense, especially its interaction with the nervous system, impacting cognitive and emotional functions. It discusses brain-immune interactions in COVID-19 and highlights neuroimaging’s potential in developing treatments for conditions like cancer and Long COVID. Authors: Kikinis Z, Castañeyra-Perdomo A , González-Mora J L , Rushmore R J, Toppa P H, Haggerty K , Papadimitriou G, Rathi Y, Kubicki M, Kikinis r , Heller C , Yeterian E , Besteher B , Pallanti S , Makris N.

The review explores anxiety in post-COVID-19 syndrome, noting risk factors like age, gender, infection severity, and isolation, with prevalence rates between 16.6% and 29.6%. Treatment options include medication, cognitive behavioral therapy, and mindfulness.

Authors: Stefano Pallanti, Gioele Gavazzi, Gregory Gasic, Bianca Besteher, Carina Heller, Ron Kikinis, Nikos Makris, Zora Kikinis.

"Brain fog," a symptom of neuro-PACS, impairs attention and memory in 9–55% of cases post-COVID-19. This study links executive dysfunction in neuro-PACS to elevated inflammatory markers like IL-6 and fibrinogen, suggesting an immuno-inflammatory basis. The authors advocate for defining brain fog as a specific PACS subtype tied to executive function issues.

Authors: Stefano Pallanti, Gioele Gavazzi, Gregory Gasic, Bianca Besteher, Carina Heller, Ron Kikinis, Nikos Makris, Zora Kikinis.

Stefano Pallanti is a member of the Long COVID consensus expert panel which was convened by the World Health Network Long COVID Expert Advisory Group, Cambridge, USA, as indicated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) | (.gov). 
This panel is a group of experts, including physicians, researchers, and people with lived experience, who came together to develop recommendations and consensus statements on Long COVID.

This study explored the impact of continuous Theta-Burst Stimulation (cTBS) on the pre-Supplementary Motor Area (pre-SMA) in Gambling Disorder (GD) patients using fMRI. Real cTBS increased functional connectivity between pre-SMA and right prefrontal areas, enhancing inhibitory control and reducing GD symptoms, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic intervention.  Authors: Nikos Makris, Gioele Gavazzi, Juan G. Prieto, George Papadimitriou, Carlo Cavaliere, Liberatore Tramontano, Pantelis Lioumis, Dubravko Kicic, Jonna Levola, Tina Paunio, Risto J. Ilmoniemi, Joan Camprodon, Mario Mascalchi, Viola Capecchi, Stefano Pallanti.

Published in 2008, this article preceed the inclusion of Internet addiction (IAD) in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which was done in 2013.  Authors: Bernardi Silvia, Pallanti Stefano.

This study used theta-burst stimulation (TBS) on the pre-SMA in patients with behavioral addictions (BA) and substance use disorders (SUDs), reducing craving and addiction severity in both groups. Impulsivity improved in SUD but not BA, suggesting TBS’s potential and the need for tailored treatments.  Authors: Pallanti, S., Levola, J. et al.

This new evaluation scale shows that gaming issues don’t appear overnight—they develop step by step, from excitement to compulsion. The tool is more reliable than current methods and could help spot risks early and guide better support for gamers. Stefano Pallanti, also an author of the PG-YBOCS (Pathological Gambling evaluation tool), is among the study’s authors.

A groundbreaking advance in Gambling Disorder treatment: collaboration between the Istituto di Neuroscienze in Florence, Italy and Harvard University, funded by U.S. National Institutes of Health.

Authors: Stefano Pallanti, Eric Hollander, Carol Bienstock, Lorrin Koran, James Leckman, Donatella Marazziti, Michele Pato, Dan Stein, Joseph Zohar, International Treatment Refractory OCD Consortium.  “Treatment non-response in OCD: methodological issues and operational definitions”.

Authors: Bandelow B, Baldwin D, Abelli M, Bolea-Alamanac B, Bourin M, Chamberlain SR, Cinosi E, Davies S, Domschke K, Fineberg N, Grünblatt E, Jarema M, Kim YK, Maron E, Masdrakis V, Mikova O, Nutt D, Pallanti S, Pini S, Ströhle A, Thibaut F, Vaghi MM, Won E, Wedekind D, Wichniak A, Woolley J, Zwanzger P, Riederer P.

Eric Hollander, Nicolò Baldini Rossi, Erica Sood, Stefano Pallanti.  This study was performed to determine the efficacy and tolerability of risperidone augmentation of serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) treatment in adults with treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
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This study explored the impact of continuous Theta-Burst Stimulation (cTBS) on the pre-Supplementary Motor Area (pre-SMA) in Gambling Disorder (GD) patients using fMRI. Real cTBS increased functional connectivity between pre-SMA and right prefrontal areas, enhancing inhibitory control and reducing GD symptoms, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic intervention.  Authors: Nikos Makris, Gioele Gavazzi, Juan G. Prieto, George Papadimitriou, Carlo Cavaliere, Liberatore Tramontano, Pantelis Lioumis, Dubravko Kicic, Jonna Levola, Tina Paunio, Risto J. Ilmoniemi, Joan Camprodon, Mario Mascalchi, Viola Capecchi, Stefano Pallanti.

Postinfectious neuroinflammation is linked to acute-onset OCD models like Sydenham chorea, PANS, and PANDAS, associated with autoantibodies from infections such as group A streptococci. This review highlights evidence of neuroinflammation and calls for interdisciplinary collaboration to advance research on these disorders.  Authors: Allison Vreeland, Denise Calaprice, Noga Or-Geva, Richard E. Frye, Dritan Agalliu, Herbert M. Lachman, Christopher Pittenger, Stefano Pallanti, Kyle Williams, Meiqian Ma, Margo Thienemann, Antonella Gagliano, Elizabeth Mellins, Jennifer Frankovich

This article is very much sited by scientists as one of the first scientific paper to speak about the relationship between Epstein-Barr Virus and PANDAS/PANS.

While PANDAS has found no confirmation as a distinct syndrome, patients with acute onset OCD spectrum, neurocognitive and motor symptoms should be evaluated for inflammatory, infective, immunological and metabolic abnormalities with a comprehensive diagnostic algorithm.

Group A streptococcal infections are associated with a variety of infections and a subset of obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or tic disorders. Screening of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and tics in patient with streptococcal infection of skin must be effective in identifying subjects who met published criteria for pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcal infections (PANDAS).

This study explored the impact of continuous Theta-Burst Stimulation (cTBS) on the pre-Supplementary Motor Area (pre-SMA) in Gambling Disorder (GD) patients using fMRI. Real cTBS increased functional connectivity between pre-SMA and right prefrontal areas, enhancing inhibitory control and reducing GD symptoms, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic intervention.  Authors: Nikos Makris, Gioele Gavazzi, Juan G. Prieto, George Papadimitriou, Carlo Cavaliere, Liberatore Tramontano, Pantelis Lioumis, Dubravko Kicic, Jonna Levola, Tina Paunio, Risto J. Ilmoniemi, Joan Camprodon, Mario Mascalchi, Viola Capecchi, Stefano Pallanti.

This mini-review discusses the use of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to enhance motor and cognitive performance in soccer players, highlighting its effects on muscle strength and fatigue. It calls for more targeted research and personalized protocols to optimize its application.  Authors: Stefano Pallanti^, Carlotta Colzi

A new non-pharmacological option that offers concrete support for families of children with autism: transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM).

A groundbreaking advance in Gambling Disorder treatment: collaboration between the Istituto di Neuroscienze in Florence, Italy and Harvard University, funded by U.S. National Institutes of Health.

This study used theta-burst stimulation (TBS) on the pre-SMA in patients with behavioral addictions (BA) and substance use disorders (SUDs), reducing craving and addiction severity in both groups. Impulsivity improved in SUD but not BA, suggesting TBS’s potential and the need for tailored treatments.  Authors: Pallanti, S., Levola, J. et al.

This review evaluates lormetazepam's role in treating insomnia, particularly during pregnancy and in patients with psychodermatoses. It highlights its effectiveness in increasing sleep duration and quality, its better tolerability compared to long-acting benzodiazepines, and its suitability for short-term use during pregnancy due to minimal transplacental effects.  Author: Stefano Pallanti

Since the 1980s, benzodiazepine use has declined due to concerns about side effects. This review re-evaluates their clinical benefits, proposing a precise, person-centered approach to prescribing them based on specific GABA receptor mechanisms.   Authors: Stefano Pallanti, Joseph Zohar, Siegfried Kasper, Hans-Jürgen Möller, Eric Hollander

Eric Hollander, Nicolò Baldini Rossi, Erica Sood, Stefano Pallanti.  This study was performed to determine the efficacy and tolerability of risperidone augmentation of serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) treatment in adults with treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
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