Pleiotropic effects of oxytocin receptor polymorphisms: influencing striatocortical connectivity in bipolar disorder.

Background: Oxytocin (OXT), a neuropeptide involved in social behaviors and emotions, exhibits bidirectional effects depending upon positive or negative environments. Our previous report highlighted dysregulation of OXT on striatocortical functional connectivity (FC) in bipolar disorder (BD) patients. We hypothesized that: (1) in healthy controls (HC), carriers of a "sensitive" OXTR allele would show altered FC, particularly in association with childhood trauma; and (2) this gene-brain relationship would be fundamentally altered or reversed in BD patients, reflecting a gene-disease interaction.

Machine Learning-Based Classification of Depression Using Inflammatory Biomarkers in Pancreatic Cancer Patients.

Inflammation is a common mediator of pancreatic cancer and depression. This study investigated the predictive value and clinical associations of inflammatory markers and depression in cancer patients using machine learning (ML) and statistical modeling. Pancreatic cancer patients (n = 328; mean age, 65 years; majority with stage IV disease) were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9; depression defined as PHQ-9 ≥ 10).

Predicting rTMS treatment response in depression: use of machine learning models to identify the roles of metabolic and clinical factors.

Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an effective treatment for depression in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD), but accurate prediction of treatment response remains a challenge. This study aims to identify key metabolic and clinical factors that serve as predictors of rTMS efficacy in patients with MDD and BD.

Methods: Sixty-eight patients (28 with BD) underwent 12 sessions of rTMS targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

The Association between Childhood Trauma on Executive Functioning and Treatment Outcomes among Individuals with Methamphetamine Use Disorder.

Objective: Childhood trauma is associated with executive function impairment and an increased risk of methamphetamine (MA) use. MA use itself also compromises executive function. Limited evidence is known about the association between childhood trauma, executive functioning and treatment outcomes among individuals with MA use disorder (MAUD).

Developing a risk assessment model for treatment-resistant schizophrenia: The role of niacin receptor GPR109A and prostaglandin receptors DP, EP, and EP in the niacin-induced flushing pathway.

Schizophrenia patients show attenuated niacin flush responses compared to healthy controls (HC) attributed to abnormalities in the niacin-induced flushing pathway. Underlying immunological abnormalities may reduce the niacin receptor GPR109A's response and implicated in treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). This pathway involves GPR109A and the downstream vasodilatory prostaglandins (PGs), PGD and PGE, along with their receptors DP, EP, and EP, contributing to vasodilation and neuroprotection.

Exploring Primary and Interaction Effects of Minor Physical Anomalies: Development and Validation of Prediction Models Using Explainable Machine Learning Algorithms for Early-Onset Schizophrenia.

Background And Hypothesis: Minor physical abnormalities (MPAs) are neurodevelopmental markers that can be traced to prenatal events and may be significant features of early-onset schizophrenia (EOS). Therefore, our study aimed to (1) find the primary and interaction effects of MPAs for EOS and (2) develop and validate the model for EOS based on explainable machine learning algorithms.

Study Design: The study included 549 patients with schizophrenia (193 EOS and 356 AOS) and 420 healthy controls (HC) in southern Taiwan.

Exploring the interplay between mitochondrial dysfunction, early life adversity and bipolar disorder.

Objective: Mitochondria are essential for energy production and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, with changes in ROS levels or energy demands affecting mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy numbers, indicating mitochondrial function. Early life adversity (ELA) affects mitochondrial dynamics, influencing long-term health. Both ELA and mitochondrial abnormalities have been independently associated with bipolar disorder (BD).

Dopamine D1 receptor agonist alleviates post-weaning isolation-induced neuroinflammation and depression-like behaviors in female mice.

Background: Major depressive disorder is a significant global cause of disability, particularly among adolescents. The dopamine system and nearby neuroinflammation, crucial for regulating mood and processing rewards, are central to the frontostriatal circuit, which is linked to depression. This study aimed to investigate the effect of post-weaning isolation (PWI) on depression in adolescent mice, with a focus on exploring the involvement of microglia and dopamine D1 receptor (D1R) in the frontostriatal circuit due to their known links with mood disorders.

Evaluation of alpha neurofeedback training to enhance sleep in remitted depression and anxiety sufferers with persistent insomnia.

This study evaluates whether neurofeedback training (NFT) to boost alpha wave activity in the central brain may effectively mitigate persistent insomnia in patients with remitted depression and anxiety. Thirty-two participants in clinical remission from depression or anxiety were enrolled and evaluated for insomnia severity. Individuals were randomly assigned in a single-blinded manner to either NFT or the sham treatment.

Prognostic Impacts of Depression and Inflammatory Factors in Pancreatic Cancer Patients.

Objective: This study explores the potential connections between clinical depression, inflammation, and cancer progression in pancreatic cancer patients.

Methods: Conducted from May 2021 to May 2023 at the National Cheng Kung University Hospital Clinical Data Warehouse, this prospective study involved 279 pancreatic cancer patients. The nine-item self-reported Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to assess depressive symptoms.

Long-Term Moderating Effect of Resilience Capacity on the Impact of Stressful Life Events on Depressive Symptoms After 6 Years in Outpatients With Depression and/or Anxiety.

Previous cross-sectional studies have utilized scales to explore potential indications of the moderating effect of resilience on the relationship between stressful life events (SLEs) and mental health. However, there remains a notable dearth of psychometrically driven models in longitudinal resilience research, especially concerning the prognosis of individuals with affective disorders and/or anxiety. This study aimed to investigate whether baseline resilience capacity, measured by the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, could mitigate the impact of SLEs on depressive symptoms assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory-II among 66 outpatients with depression and/or anxiety disorders during a follow-up period ranging from 4-8 years.

Transdiagnostic features of inflammatory markers and executive function across psychiatric disorders.

Executive dysfunction and dysregulated inflammation are found in patients with different psychiatric disorders. However, whether there are different associations between inflammatory markers and executive performance in patients with different psychiatric diagnoses is unknown. Our study aims were (1) to compare peripheral cytokine expression and executive function in patients with bipolar disorder (BD), substance use disorder (SUD), and schizophrenia (SCZ), and in healthy controls (HC) and (2) to explore the potential association between inflammatory cytokines and executive function in different patient groups and HC.

Role of the insula in rTMS response for depression.

Background: The insula has a significant impact on interoception and depression. This study aims to explore the role of the insula in mediating treatment responses to high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC).

Methods: Twenty-five patients with either bipolar disorder (BD, n = 15) or major depressive disorder (MDD, n = 10) were recruited.

Soluble epoxide hydrolase deletion rescues behavioral and synaptic deficits by AMPK-mTOR pathway in autism animals.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social defects often accompanied with emotional comorbidities. Aberrations in synaptic function and plasticity are the core feature in the pathophysiology of ASD. Targeting soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) has been found to exert protection in a wide-range of pathological conditions.

Shortening of telomere length may be associated with inflammatory cytokine levels in patients with bipolar disorder.

Background: Bipolar disorder (BD) is hypothesized to be associated with accelerated biological aging. Telomere length (TL) is a biomarker of aging, and although TL decreases with each cell division, the rate of telomere shortening may be affected by inflammation. We aimed to investigate whether TL is decreased in BD patients and to determine the association between TL and inflammatory markers in such patients.

Posterior cingulate and medial prefrontal excitation-inhibition balance in euthymic bipolar disorder.

Background: Persistent cognitive deficits and functional impairments are associated with bipolar disorder (BD), even during the euthymic phase. The dysfunction of default mode network (DMN) is critical for self-referential and emotional mental processes and is implicated in BD. The current study aims to explore the balance of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters, i.

Fat loss and muscle gain: The possible role of cortical glutamate in determining the efficacy of physical exercise.

Background: Physical exercise is widely acknowledged for its health benefits, but its effectiveness in treating obesity remains contentious due to variability in response. Owing to the roles of glutamate in appetite regulation, food addiction, and impulsivity, this observational cohort-study evaluated medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) glutamate as a predictor of variability in exercise response, specifically in terms of fat loss and muscle gain.

Methods: Healthy non-exercising adult men (n = 21) underwent an 8-week supervised exercise program.

MoodSensing: A smartphone app for digital phenotyping and assessment of bipolar disorder.

Background: Daily life tracking has proven to be of great help in the assessment of patients with bipolar disorder. Although there are many smartphone apps for tracking bipolar disorder, most of them lack academic verification, privacy policy and long-term maintenance.

Methods: Our developed app, MoodSensing, aims to collect users' digital phenotyping for assessment of bipolar disorder.