Objective: Anxiety symptoms are common in older adults with or without anxiety disorders. Pharmacological options may be limited for these patients. Alternative treatments, such as physical activity (PA), are often indicated, although few trials have evaluated their efficacy. The aim of this review was to evaluate the efficacy of regular PA on improving anxiety symptoms in older adults without anxiety disorders. Potential neuroendocrine, inflammatory, and oxidative mechanisms, as well as cognitive factors to explain these effects are also discussed. Methods: A systematic literature review was performed to identify randomized controlled trials, cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control studies, as well as case series including healthy previously sedentary older adults. We searched the PubMed and Web of Science databases for articles published in English, with no set time limits. Results: Eight studies evaluating the effect of PA on anxiety symptoms in healthy older adults were included in this review. In all studies, regular and supervised PA was directly related to decreased anxiety symptoms in older individuals. Conclusion: Regular PA may be effective for improving anxiety symptoms in older adults. More studies are needed to identify the ideal PA modality, frequency, duration, and intensity for optimizing the positive effects of exercise on anxiety in this population.

Com o intuito de elucidar a relação entre transtornos do controle de impulsos (TCI) e transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo (TOC), faz-se mister estudar subgrupos mais clinicamente homogêneos de transtornos impulsivos. Por meio do relato de quatro casos de pacientes com TOC e diferentes tipos de transtornos parafílicos (fetichismo transvético, sadismo, ginandromorfofilia e exibicionismo), são discutidos os conceitos de compulsividade, impulsividade e a relação temporal entre ambos. O estudo dos casos aqui descritos mostra que (1) pacientes com TOC e transtornos parafílicos tendem a desenvolver o TOC primeiro, (2) diante de desejos, fantasias ou atos sexuais parafílicos, pacientes com TOC podem lançar mão de comportamentos tipicamente compulsivos, (3) pacientes com TOC e obsessões sexuais egodistônicas podem desenvolver desejos, fantasias ou atos sexuais parafílicos de conteúdo semelhante ao das obsessões, (4) em um mesmo paciente, TOC e parafilias podem apresentar cursos independentes, e (5) pacientes com TOC e parafilias podem não apresentar obsessões sexuais. O sofrimento de pacientes com TOC e parafilias justifica a investigação continuada de tais condições no intuito de elucidar os mecanismos que subjazem esta associação e de criar estratégias que aumentem a adesão ao tratamento.

In order to elucidate the relationship between impulse control disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), it is essential to study more clinically homogenous subgroups of patients with impulsive disorders. Using four cases of patients with OCD and comorbid paraphilias (transvestic fetishism, sadism, gynandromorphophilia, and exhibitionism) as reference-points, we discuss the concepts of compulsivity, impulsivity, and the temporal relationship between them. The case studies here described suggest that (1) patients with OCD and comorbid paraphilias tend to develop OCD first, (2) once developing paraphilic fantasies, desires, or behaviors, patients with OCD can exhibit typical compulsive behaviors in an attempt to keep these phenomena under control, (3) patients with OCD and ego-dystonic sexual obsessions can develop paraphilic fantasies, desires, or behaviors with similar content to the first phenomenon, (4) OCD and paraphilias can follow independent courses in the same patient, and (5) patients with OCD and paraphilias may not present obsessions with sexual content. The distress presented by patients with OCD and paraphilias give good reason for the continuous investigation of this association, aiming at clarifying the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this association.