Integrating clinical anxiety scales with pre-trained language models for anxiety recognition on social media.

Leveraging natural language processing to identify anxiety states from social media has been widely studied. However, existing research lacks deep user-level semantic modeling and effective anxiety feature extraction. Additionally, the absence of clinical domain knowledge in current models limits their interpretability and medical relevance.

Low-intensity transcranial ultrasound neuromodulation promotes neuronal regeneration: A new hope for noninvasive treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

Neurodegenerative diseases, which are characterized by progressive neuronal loss and the lack of disease-modifying therapies, are becoming a major global health challenge. The existing neuromodulation techniques, such as deep brain stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation, show limitations such as invasiveness, restricted cortical targeting, and irreversible tissue effects. In this context, low-intensity transcranial ultrasound has emerged as a promising noninvasive alternative that can penetrate deep into the brain and modulate neuroplasticity.

Gender differences in the interactions and inferred causal relationships between risk factors and gaming disorder: a network and structural equation modeling approach.

Objective: Gaming Disorder (GD) is linked to severe psychological distress and functional impairment, substantially affecting individuals' daily lives. Current researches have not fully clarified the complex, gender-specific risk factors that contribute to GD development. This study aims to uncover key risk factors, such as negative emotions, childhood trauma, social anxiety, personality traits, and GD symptoms, by utilizing network analysis and structural equation modeling to explore differences between genders.

Predictive Role of Fixation Stability for Clinical Stages and Conversion in Schizophrenia and Its Correlation with Cognitive Function.

Background And Hypothesis: Given that fixation stability is closely linked to cognition, we investigated fixation stability in patients at different stages of schizophrenia, its relationship with cognitive impairments, and its predictive role for conversion to psychosis.

Study Design: Fixation stability was measured by bivariate contour ellipse area (BCEA), and cognition was assessed by the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia Consensus Cognitive Battery for 75 patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES), 75 patients with clinical high-risk (CHR) syndrome, and 75 healthy controls (HCs). After a 1-year longitudinal study, CHR follow-up outcomes were classified as CHR-converters and CHR-nonconverters.

Detection of EEG dynamic complex patterns in disorders of consciousness.

Diagnosing Disorders of Consciousness (DoC) remains a critical challenge in cognitive neuroscience. In this study we introduce Electroencephalography (EEG)-based brain states as a real-time, bedside tool for assessing dynamic brain connectivity in DoC patients. We analyze EEG data from 237 acute and chronic DoC patients across three centers, identifying five recurrent functional connectivity patterns.

Human stem cell-derived A10 dopaminergic neurons specifically integrate into mouse circuits and improve depression-like behaviors.

A10 dopaminergic neurons located in the ventral tegmental area play central roles in reward-related and goal-directed behaviors and are proposed to be target cells for treatment of various psychiatric disorders, including depression. Here, we report an efficient differentiation method to generate A10-like midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and found that post-mitotic patterning by Notch inhibitor, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), and ascorbic acid (AA) induced A10 subtype specification. These hPSC-derived mDA neurons exhibited characteristics of the A10 subtype, including gene expression profiles and electrophysiological properties.

Cross-species analysis of adult hippocampal neurogenesis reveals human-specific gene expression but convergent biological processes.

Immature dentate granule cells (imGCs) arising from adult hippocampal neurogenesis contribute to plasticity, learning and memory, but their evolutionary changes across species and specialized features in humans remain poorly understood. Here we performed machine-learning-augmented analysis of published single-nucleus RNA-sequencing datasets and identified macaque imGCs with transcriptome-wide immature neuronal characteristics. Our cross-species comparisons among humans, monkeys, pigs and mice showed few shared (such as DPYSL5), but mostly species-specific gene expression in imGCs that converged onto common biological processes regulating neuronal development.

Vagal TRPV1 sensory neurons protect against influenza virus infection by regulating lung myeloid cell dynamics.

Influenza viruses are a major global cause of morbidity and mortality. Although vagal TRPV1 nociceptive sensory neurons are known to mediate defenses against harmful agents, including pathogens, their function in lung antiviral defenses remains unclear. Our study demonstrates that both systemic and vagal-specific ablation of TRPV1 nociceptors reduce survival in mice infected with influenza A virus (IAV).

Peripheral Blood Exosomal miR-184-3p in Methamphetamine Use Disorder: Biomarker Potential and CRTC1-Mediated Neuroadaptation.

The neurobiological mechanisms underlying methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) remain elusive, and specific treatment modalities as well as diagnostic markers are scarce. The emergence of exosomes has opened up possibilities for developing diagnostic and assessment biomarkers for neuropsychiatric disorders. Hence, the present study aimed to preliminarily explore the alterations in exosomal miRNA expression in MUD patients and the potential mechanisms involved in MUD.

Adult-Onset Deletion of CDKL5 in Forebrain Glutamatergic Neurons Impairs Synaptic Integrity and Behavior in Mice.

Cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5) deficiency disorder (CDD) is a severe X-linked neurodevelopmental condition characterized by early-onset, intractable epilepsy, motor and cognitive impairment, and autistic-like features. Although constitutive knockout (KO) models have established the importance of CDKL5 during early brain development, CDKL5's role in the mature brain remains poorly defined. Here, we employed an inducible, conditional KO model in which is selectively deleted from forebrain glutamatergic neurons in adult mice to investigate the postdevelopmental functions of CDKL5.

Global, regional, and national burden of idiopathic epilepsy in older adults, 1990-2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.

Background: Epilepsy among older populations has emerged as a growing global health concern in recent decades. However, comprehensive analyses of epilepsy burden among older adults are limited. This study aimed to assess the global burden of idiopathic epilepsy in the population aged 60 and above from 1990 to 2021 and project trends through 2035.

Distinct role of claustrum and anterior cingulate cortex bidirectional circuits in methamphetamine taking and seeking.

Methamphetamine (METH) addiction involves escalating intake with strong cue reactivity, and high relapse risk, yet its neural mechanism remains unclear. Using c-Fos mapping and machine learning, we identified the claustrum (CLA), a subcortical region reciprocally connected with the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), as key mediators of both METH taking and seeking in self-administering male rats. Chemogenetic inhibition of CLA suppressed both drug consumption and cue-induced reinstatement, while ACC inhibition selectively reduced drug-seeking.

Efficient derivation of stable sheep embryonic stem cells opens a new avenue for agricultural and biomedical application.

Introduction: Embryonic stem cells (ESCs), capable of generating all adult cell types, hold transformative potential for agriculture and biomedicine. However, stable sheep ESCs derivation remains challenging, limiting their application in further research.

Objectives: We aimed to establish stable sheep ESCs using a simplified protocol, validate their pluripotency, and demonstrate genome editing utility.

Triple-Tailored Analgesic Hydrogel System Targeting ADAM17 in Orofacial Inflammatory Pain.

Orofacial inflammatory pain (OFP) is challenging to manage due to its high incidence, complex anatomy, and multifactorial etiology. To address this, a three-step customized therapeutic system is proposed for prolonged pain relief and efficient local drug delivery. First, ADAM17 is identified as a novel therapeutic target for OFP, and find a small-molecule inhibitor, TAPI-1, which can effectively suppress ADAM17 activity.

A cholecystokinin 2 receptor antagonist alleviates seizure severity in a mouse and miniature pig model of temporal lobe epilepsy.

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common type of acquired epilepsy characterized by recurrent spontaneous seizures. The entorhinal cortex (EC) lies in the medial temporal lobe and serves as a relay center between the hippocampus and neocortex, and contains cholecystokinin-positive (CCK+) neurons. Increased CCK expression has been reported in patients with TLE suggesting its role in epilepsy development.

Evolutionary Convergence of the Arcuate Fasciculus in Marmosets and Humans.

The marmoset is a highly vocal platyrrhine monkey that shares key anatomical and functional features with humans, offering insights into the evolution of brain connectivity. Although similarities in vocalization features with humans have been reported, it remains unclear whether marmosets possess an arcuate fasciculus (af) homolog. This study delineated white matter tracts in marmosets, establishing homologies with those observed in other primates, including macaques, chimpanzees, and humans.

Competing Programs Shape Cortical Sensorimotor-Association Axis Development.

The neocortex is organized along a dominant sensorimotor-to-association (S-A) axis, anchored by modality-specific primary sensorimotor areas at one end and transmodal association areas that form distributed networks supporting abstract cognition at the other. The developmental mechanisms shaping this axis remain elusive. Here, we present converging multispecies evidence supporting the Multinodal Induction-Exclusion in Network Development (MIND) model, in which S-A patterning is governed by competing processes of induction and exclusion, driven by opposing transcriptomically-defined identity programs emerging from different nodes.

Identification and application of cell-type-specific enhancers for the macaque brain.

Genetic targeting methods for monitoring and manipulating neuronal activity are not widely used for studying the primate brain, largely owing to the lack of a cell-type-specific targeting method. Using single-cell RNA and ATAC sequencing of macaque brains combined with in vivo screening, we identified a large set of enhancers capable of driving targeted gene expression in specific cell types. AAV vectors driven by these enhancers successfully targeted layer-specific glutamatergic neurons, GABAergic interneuron subtypes, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes with high specificity.

Single-neuron projectomes of macaque prefrontal cortex reveal refined axon targeting and arborization.

Cortical expansion endows advanced cognitive functions in primates, and whole-brain single-neuron projection analysis helps to elucidate underlying neural circuit mechanisms. Here, we reconstructed 2,231 single-neuron projectomes for the macaque prefrontal cortex (PFC) and identified 32 projectome-based subtypes of intra-telencephalic, pyramidal-tract, and cortico-thalamic neurons. Each subtype exhibited distinct topography in their soma distribution within the PFC, a characteristic pattern of axon targeting, and subregion-specific patchy terminal arborization in the targeted area, with putative functions annotated.

Mesoscopic mapping of the brain: From rodents to primates.

Advances in brain mapping technologies have made substantial progress in identifying diverse cell types and their connectivity. Focusing on papers recently contributed by the Mesoscopic Brain Mapping Consortium to Cell, Neuron, and Developmental Cell, this commentary discusses insights into brain organization, development, evolution, and diseases, as well as future research directions.

Early developmental origins of cortical disorders modeled in human neural stem cells.

The implications of the early phases of human telencephalic development, involving neural stem cells (NSCs), in the etiology of cortical disorders remain elusive. Here, we explore the expression dynamics of cortical and neuropsychiatric disorder-associated genes in datasets generated from human NSCs across telencephalic fate transitions in vitro and in vivo. We identify risk genes expressed in brain organizers and sequential gene regulatory networks throughout corticogenesis, revealing disease-specific critical phases when NSCs may be more vulnerable to gene dysfunction and converging signaling across multiple diseases.

Brain-wide input-output analysis of tuberal nucleus somatostatin neurons reveals hierarchical circuits for orchestrating feeding behavior.

Feeding is an innate behavior critical for survival but is also influenced by many non-nutritional factors such as emotion, social context and environmental conditions. Recently, tuberal nucleus somatostatin (SST) neurons have been identified as a key feeding regulation node. To gain a deeper understanding of the SST neural networks, we quantitatively characterised the brain-wide input-output configuration of mice SST neurons using the VITALISTIC method (Viral Tracing Assisted by Light-Sheet microscope and Tissue Clearing) and single-cell projectomes by fluorescence micro-optical sectioning tomography (fMOST).

Reweighting of visuomotor areas during motor processing subsequent to somatosensory cortical damage.

Somatosensory inputs are critical to motor control. Animal studies have shown that primary somatosensory lesions cause sensorimotor deficits along with disrupted organization in primary motor cortex (M1). How does damage in primary somatosensory cortex (S1) influence motor networks in humans? Using fMRI, we examined two individuals, LS and RF, who had extensive damage to left somatosensory cortex, but primarily intact motor cortex and preserved motor abilities.

Auditory and visual oddball stimulus processing deficits in clinical high risk for psychosis: Forecasting psychosis risk with N200 and P300.

Background: Individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis exhibit reduced P300 responses, particularly in auditory tasks. While N200 abnormalities have been reported in CHR individuals, findings are inconsistent, and research on visual oddball tasks is limited. This study compares event-related potentials (ERPs) in auditory and visual oddball paradigms between CHR individuals and healthy controls (HC), aiming to explore these components as potential biomarkers for CHR and its clinical outcomes.