50 years after the introduction of neuroleptic treatment we are still struggling efficient remission in about 50% of the patients suffering from schizophrenia. The residual symptoms constitute of negative symptomatology including cognitive dysfunction leading to disturbed social and occupational performance. During the initial months and years of the illness it is clinically impossible to predict the long-term outcome of schizophrenia. Therefore, biomarkers are needed to dissect subgroups in order to find targeted treatment options for these subgroups. Recent studies show that it seems to be likely possible, based on clinical, neuropsychological and imaging data, to predict which patient will transit into psychosis with a high degree of accuracy. Very recent results based on structural imaging data demonstrate that patients with a favourable compared to an unfavourable long-term outcome can be predicted in the early phase of the illness.

This lecture will focus on possible biomarker approaches in schizophrenia and outline necessary steps to have useful biomarker in future as has been shown in other medical disciplines like gynaecology or oncology.

Interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) is one of the few psychological methods whose efficacy has been demonstrated for affective disorders. The approach was originally designed specifically for the outpatient treatment of acute unipolar depressive episodes. Since the method has proven to be successful, it has been modified in many ways e.g. for the inpatient setting and treatments for numerous mental disorders.

IPT conceptualizes depression as a multifactorial psychiatric disorder that develops in an interpersonal context. The therapeutic work therefore focusses on the current circumstances of the person's life, which are related to depressive episode (e.g. partnership conflict, change of roles in the context of maternity or caring for a relative). The therapeutic work takes place in the here and now. The patient is helped to deal with interpersonal problems, to develop appropriate social skills to cope with its difficulties and to reduce depressive symptoms. The theoretical basis of the IPT is the interpersonal theory of Sullivan and Bowlby's attachment theory. Specific interpersonal techniques (e.g. communication analysis) as well as techniques of other therapy schools (e.g. actualization of emotions, clarification and roleplaying) are applied.

The aim of the workshop is to give an introduction to the IPT, in particular working with the four different foci conflicts, change of roles, pathologic grief and interpersonal deficits as well as the work with IPT in the individual and inpatient setting.

Since its invention 20 years ago, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has become one of the most widely used and probably the publicly most visible non-invasive technique to measure brain activation. FMRI-based neurofeedback (fMRI-NF) has the potential to open up new paths to translation. During fMRI-NF training, participants receive feedback on their brain activity in real-time and are instructed to change this activation, for example by engaging in specific mental imagery. One attractive feature of neurofeedback is that it enables the patients themselves to control their brain activity and thus contributes to their experience of self-efficacy, which is an important therapeutic factor in many neuropsychiatric disorders.

In the first interventional application of fMRI-NF to a mental disorder, we demonstrated feasibility of upregulation of areas responsive to positive affective cues in patients with depression (Linden et al., 2012). Eight patients undergoing four weekly sessions of fMRI-NF improved significantly (by four points) on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17), whereas a control group undergoing a similar imagery protocol outside the scanner did not improve clinically. We are presently following up these first results in a larger clinical trial (clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01544205).

Central challenges for future clinical studies are identifying the symptoms and disorders that will respond to fMRI-NF; adapting the fMRI-NF treatment protocols to the neural networks involved in each of the disorders; evaluating the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms and lastly devising training strategies that enable sustainable long-term effects of fMRI-NF.

Both scientific literature and practical guidelines of eating disorders emphasize the importance of nutrition education intervention in the comprehensive treatment of eating disorders and obesity. Nutritionists and dietitians play a significant role in the comprehensive therapeutic team along with psychologists, psychiatrists, and other medical practitioners. The goal of nutritional intervention in the treatment of eating disorders is laid in the therapeutic alliance with a client to reach weight and nutrient restoration, as well as to adopt healthy and weight sustainable eating habits (Winston et al., 2005). Taking into consideration physiological, psychological, and socio-cultural perspectives the definition of’healthy eating habits’ varies considerably. Perhaps for this reason, the general population seems to seek the help of nutritional experts to a much larger extent nowadays than previously seen. The goal of my presentation is to discuss the key aspects of nutrition intervention for eating disorders and relapse prevention, to discuss the prevalence of eating disorders among nutritionists (Rance, 2010), and last, but not least, to discuss the functional role of nutritionists within ED specialists teams (Hart, 2011).