South African Psychiatry - November 2018

REPORT
LUNDBECK
BREAKFAST
SYMPOSIUM
@ SASOP 2018 – STEPHEN STAHL
Lisa Selwood
The first breakfast symposium of the 2018
congress was sponsored by Lundbeck,
with Professor Stephen Stahl as the keynote
speaker. Having such a big name was a
huge drawcard - the number of attendees was
so overwhelming, that the venue had to change
before the start to accommodate everyone who
wanted to attend! Prof Stahl is an Adjunct Professor
of Psychiatry at the University of California, San
Diego, an Honorary Visiting Senior Fellow at the
University of Cambridge and the Director of
Psychopharmacology in the California Department
of State Hospitals. He is arguably the father of
psychopharmacology, having published over
500 scientific papers, edited 12 textbooks and
personally authored 35 textbooks relating to various
topics within the discipline.
INTRODUCTION
The topic of the symposium was ‘Combining
pharmacologic mechanisms of action to target
residual symptoms in major depressive disorder’.
Prof Stahl opened the session by stating that
depression is not just a mood disorder, but it is also
a cognitive disorder. This is of particular importance,
as cognitive symptoms do not necessarily remit with
treatment as most antidepressants are not robust in
treating residual cognitive symptoms.
‘THE FAB FOUR’
Just like the original ‘fab four’, the Beatles, there are
four domains in cognition, outlined in Table 1 below:
Table 1
Domain Beatle Role Description
Consequences resulting
from a deficit in each
domain
Attention
John Lennon
Always received the attention,
and is noted as ‘The Most
Famous Beatle’
Trouble concentrating,
multitasking and maintaining
a response over time
Executive function
Paul McCartney
As the lead singer, he was
known to be the ring-leader of
the group
Indecisiveness and difficulty
with planning
Speed of processing
Ringo Starr
As the lead drummer, he had
to ensure the right tempo
was maintained. If this was
not done, there would be
a problem with the songs
produced
Slowed thinking
Learning and memory
George Harrison
As the lead guitarist, he had
to possess the memory to play
the songs correctly
Difficulty acquiring,
retaining and manipulating
information
44 * SOUTH AFRICAN PSYCHIATRY ISSUE 17 2018