Unveiling the enigma of anxiety disorders and depression: from pathogenesis to treatment.

Anxiety disorders and depression are among the most prevalent and disabling mental health conditions globally, profoundly impairing both individual well-being and societal functioning. Recent research has elucidated key neurobiological underpinnings of these disorders, including neurotransmitter imbalances, dysregulation of stress response systems, and dysfunctions within neural circuits governing emotion regulation. These insights offer significant potential for refining diagnostic approaches, enhancing prevention strategies, and improving therapeutic interventions.

Advancing paroxetine treatment in depression: predicting remission and plasma concentration, and validating and updating therapeutic reference ranges.

Optimizing paroxetine therapy for major depressive disorder (MDD) requires effective prediction models for treatment efficacy and therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). This study aimed to develop prediction models for treatment remission and steady-state concentration (Css) of paroxetine, elucidate the role of CYP2D6 activity score (AS) in predicting Css, establish associations between adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and Css, and validate and update the therapeutic reference range (TRR) for patients with MDD in the Han Chinese population. We conducted a post-hoc analysis of an 8-week multicenter prospective cohort study involving 530 Han Chinese patients with MDD.

Association between antidiabetic drug targets and psychiatric disorders.

Psychiatric disorders present a significant global health burden with limited effective medications. Observing the widespread comorbidities between diabetes and psychiatric disorders, we explored the potential of repurposing antidiabetic drug targets for psychiatric treatments. We identified 32 target genes of 60 antidiabetics and performed Mendelian randomization analyses using expression and protein quantitative trait loci data from brain tissues alongside summary data for seven psychiatric disorders.

Substantia nigra related gene polymorphisms associated with antipsychotic-induced acute movement disorders: a genome-wide association study and multi-ancestry validation in schizophrenia.

Background: Antipsychotic-induced movement disorders (AIMDs) are prevalent side effects of antipsychotics, particularly during the acute phase of treatment. This study aimed to elucidate the genetic mechanisms underlying AIMDs using a genome-wide association study (GWAS).

Methods: GWASs on AIMDs were conducted in 3 independent cohorts: a discovery cohort of 3067 patients (2016 subjects were reserved after quality control), a validation cohort of 277 patients, and a multi-ancestry validation cohort of 766 patients.

Exploring risk and protective urban environmental factors on mental health through exposure network mapping.

Background: Urbanicity has been revealed to carry a higher risk of experiencing mental health issues. However, the factors in urban environments that pose risks or protective impacts on mental health remain unclear.

Methods: Based on eight literature-based datasets and one validation dataset, this study introduced a new technique termed exposure network mapping (ENM) to explore the impacts of urbanicity on brain networks, identify the potential risk urban environmental factors, and examine whether healthy lifestyle habits may provide protective effects on mental health.

Genetic and neurobiological mechanisms underlying transition in self-injury thoughts and behaviours during adolescence.

Background: Adolescence is a pivotal stage for brain development and a critical window for the emergence and transition of self-injury thoughts and behaviours (SITBs). However, the genetic and neurobiological mechanisms underlying SITBs transition during this developmental period are poorly understood.

Aims: This study investigates associations among genetic predispositions, brain abnormalities and SITBs transition during adolescence, and identifies potential neurobiological and clinical mediators of genetic effects.

Deviations From Normative Functioning Underlying Emotional Episodic Memory Revealed Cross-Scale Neurodiverse Alterations Linked to Affective Symptoms in Distinct Psychiatric Disorders.

Background: Affective symptoms are a prevalent psychopathological feature in various psychiatric disorders. However, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms are complex and not yet fully understood.

Methods: We used normative modeling to establish a reference for functional activation of functional magnetic resonance imaging based on an emotional episodic memory task, which is frequently used to study affective symptoms in psychiatric disorders.

Personalized brain functional sectors guided theta burst transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment-resistant depression: a study protocol for a multi-centre, randomised, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial.

Introduction: Depression is characterised by disruptions in brain circuitry, and interventions like intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS) offer the potential for normalising these circuits and improving clinical symptoms. However, personalised treatment targets for depression remain underexplored. This trial aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy of iTBS as an additional treatment to a stable antidepressant regimen in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) by modulating brain circuits identified through personalized brain functional sectors compared with sham treatment.

Air pollution is the risk factor for psychiatric disorders: a two-step Mendelian randomization study.

Background: Ambient air pollution, a significant environmental health threat, has been shown to risk psychiatric disorders according to epidemiological evidence. However, the causal relationships between air pollutants and psychiatric disorders remain unclear.

Methods: To reveal the impact of air pollution (including nitrogen dioxide [NO, n = 456,380], particulate matter <2.

Hippocampal Zkscan4 confers resilience to chronic stress-induced depression-like behaviors.

Major depression is a prevalent and devastating psychiatric disorder. However, our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms is limited. Here, we found reduced expression of zinc finger protein with Krüppel-associated box and SCAN domains 4 (Zkscan4) in the hippocampi of patients with major depressive disorder and stress-susceptible mice.

The event-related potential components across psychiatric disorders: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Objective: This study aims to compare and rank event-related potentials (ERP) components among healthy individuals and patients with various psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BD), major depressive disorder (MDD), anxiety disorder (AD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and Web of Science up to March 20th, 2024. Original studies reporting ERP component data in patients with psychiatric disorders were included.

Exploration of Epigenetic Mechanisms and Biomarkers Among Patients with Very-Late-Onset Schizophrenia-Like Psychosis.

Objective: This study aimed to identify DNA methylation patterns associated with Very Late-Onset Schizophrenia-like Psychosis (VLOSLP) and to develop methylation-based biomarkers that differentiate VLOSLP from Schizophrenia (SCZ) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD).

Methods: We analyzed methylation microarray datasets (n = 1218) from SCZ and AD patients obtained from the GEO database. We then collected blood samples from VLOSLP patients and age-matched healthy controls (n = 80) at the Wuxi Mental Health Center for methylation microarray profiling and bisulfite sequencing validation.

Clarifying Fundamental Role of Symbol Coding in Cognitive Networks in Schizophrenia and Healthy Controls Leveraging Gaussian Graphical Models and Bayesian Networks.

Background And Hypothesis: Cognitive impairments in patients with schizophrenia initiate a cascade of effects on daily functioning. A single impairment can affect the functioning of the entire cognitive system. However, the relative interdependence among individual neuropsychological measures-whether the performance of a specific test depends on other tests-remains poorly understood.

Causal effects of education, intelligence, and income on COVID-19: evidence from a Mendelian randomization study.

Background: The protective effects of higher educational attainment (EA) and intelligence on COVID-19 outcomes are not yet understood with regard to their dependency on income. The objective of our study was to examine the overall as well as independent effects of the three psychosocial factors on the susceptibility to and severity of COVID-19. To accomplish this, we utilized genetic correlation, Mendelian randomization (MR), and multivariable MR (MVMR) analyses to evaluate genetic associations between EA, intelligence, household income, and three specific COVID-19 outcomes: SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalized COVID-19, and critical COVID-19.

Causal associations between posttraumatic stress disorder and type 2 diabetes.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients have a high comorbidity with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Whether PTSD influences the risk of diabetes is still not known. We used GWAS data from European ancestry of PTSD (23,121 cases and 151,447 controls) and T2D (80,154 cases and 853,816 controls) to investigate the bidirectional associations between PTSD and T2D by the Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis.

Genome-wide interaction association analysis identifies interactive effects of childhood maltreatment and kynurenine pathway on depression.

Childhood maltreatment stands out as a pivotal risk factor for depression, with gene-by-environment interaction serving as a crucial mechanism. Here we perform genome-wide interaction analyzes of childhood maltreatment in the UK Biobank, integrating methylation evidence through colocalization analysis and identifying associated brain structure abnormalities from childhood to adulthood. A genome-wide significant genomic region interacting with childhood maltreatment is identified at 8p11.

SPA: effectively controlling for sample relatedness in large-scale genome-wide association studies of longitudinal traits.

Sample relatedness is a major confounder in genome-wide association studies (GWAS), potentially leading to inflated type I error rates if not appropriately controlled. A common strategy is to incorporate a random effect related to genetic relatedness matrix (GRM) into regression models. However, this approach is challenging for large-scale GWAS of complex traits, such as longitudinal traits.

Optimization of antidepressant treatment by pharmacogenomics: a case report.

Background: Few new psychiatric drugs have entered the market in recent decades; in contrast, the number of drugs carrying pharmacogenomic labels continues to increase. For the foreseeable future, the advancement of psychiatry and drug therapy may hinge on personalized treatment. Currently, antipsychotic or antidepressant choices rely heavily on the clinical experience of psychiatrists and potentially lengthy iterative trials.

Research Trends and Hotspots on Family Caregivers of Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder From 2002 to 2022: A Bibliometric Analysis.

Problems: Family caregivers of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (FC-ASD) have been reported to experience high levels of physical and psychological distress. This bibliometric study aimed to analyze the research trends, collaboration and knowledge dissemination pertaining to FC-ASD over the past 20 years.

Methods: This study provided an analysis of documents indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), published from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2022.

Mechanisms of glutamate receptors hypofunction dependent synaptic transmission impairment in the hippocampus of schizophrenia susceptibility gene Opcml-deficient mouse model.

Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder with high heritability, characterized by positive and negative symptoms as well as cognitive abnormalities. Dysfunction in glutamate synapse is strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. However, the precise role of the perturbed glutamatergic system in contributing to the cognitive abnormalities of schizophrenia at the synaptic level remains largely unknown.

Association between dietary fat intake and the risk of Alzheimer's disease: Mendelian randomisation study.

Background: Observational studies have shown a controversial relationship between dietary fat intake and Alzheimer's disease, and the causal effects are unclear.

Aims: To assess the causal effects of total fat, saturated fat and polyunsaturated fat (PUF) intakes on the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Method: A two-sample Mendelian randomisation analysis was performed using genome-wide association study summary statistics on different types of fat intake from UK Biobank ( = 51 413) and on late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD; 4282 cases, = 307 112) and all forms of Alzheimer's disease (6281 cases, = 309 154) from the FinnGen consortium.

Early Diagnosis of CNS Virus Infections from Neurological Autoimmune Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Study from China in ER Setting.

It is challenging to differentiate between central nervous system (CNS) virus infections and neurological autoimmune diseases in the emergency department. Considering their different pathogenesis, we assume they differ in neuropsychiatric symptoms and laboratory results. A total of 80 patients were included in this study, 50 with CNS virus infections and 30 with CNS autoimmune diseases, confirmed by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

The efficacy of exercise interventions on depressive symptoms and cognitive function in adults with depression: An umbrella review.

Objective: This umbrella review aims to consolidate the evidence concerning the influence of exercise on depressive symptoms and cognitive performance in adults diagnosed with depression.

Methods: An umbrella review of systematic reviews with meta-analyses investigating the effect of exercise on depression and cognition was performed. Databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase) were searched from inception until February 2024 for reviews of randomized controlled trials.