Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2026-02-13DOI: 10.1016/j.nsa.2026.106984
Aicha Bouzouina , Marius Gruber , Tong Zhao , Carmen Schiweck , Mareike Aichholzer , Carmen Uckermark , Luise V. Claaß , Frederike Stein , Nils R. Winter , Susanne Meinert , Kira Flinkenflügel , Dominik Grotegerd , Janik Goltermann , Tiana Borgers , Elisabeth Leehr , Linda Bonnekoh , Florian Thomas-Odenthal , Marc Pawlitzki , Paula Usemann , Lea Teutenberg , Sharmili Edwin Thanarajah
Overweight and obesity are bidirectionally associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we investigated whether the body mass index (BMI) is associated with alterations in the structural brain connectome of healthy participants and MDD patients and if these changes in connectivity are associated with clinical outcomes. We analyzed the association of BMI with structural brain connectivity in 746 MDD patients and 852 healthy controls from the Marburg-Münster Affective Disorders Cohort Study (MACS). The structural connectome was reconstructed using tractography in diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data. Associations between BMI brain connectivity were examined using network-based statistics (NBS). NBS identified a subnetwork of the brain connectome associated with BMI (F-threshold = 4.0, pFWE < 0.05). The number of streamlines within this network were positively correlated with BMI (β = 56.122, SE = 5.50, t = 10.204, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.206), suggesting that an increase in BMI is linked to enhanced connectivity within the network. This association did not differ between healthy controls and MDD patients. BMI was further associated with depression severity (BDI = 0.052, p = 0.002) and anhedonia (SHAPS-D = 0.035, p = 0.034) across all participants, independent of diagnostic status. However, after controlling for BMI, connectivity within the BMI-associated subnetwork was not related to depression severity or anhedonia, suggesting that BMI-related brain connectivity alterations do not independently explain clinical symptom severity. Our findings reveal an association between BMI and structural brain connectivity, both in healthy controls and MDD patients. These findings indicate that increased body weight has a significant association with the brain structural connectome.
超重和肥胖与重度抑郁症(MDD)双向相关。然而,其潜在机制尚不清楚。在这里,我们研究了身体质量指数(BMI)是否与健康参与者和重度抑郁症患者的结构脑连接组的改变有关,以及这些连接的变化是否与临床结果有关。我们分析了来自marburg - m nster情感障碍队列研究(MACS)的746名重度抑郁症患者和852名健康对照者的BMI与脑结构连通性的关系。在磁共振弥散加权成像数据中,利用束状图重建结构连接体。使用基于网络的统计(NBS)检查BMI脑连接之间的关联。NBS发现脑连接组的一个子网络与BMI相关(F-threshold = 4.0, pFWE < 0.05)。该网络内流线的数量与BMI呈正相关(β = 56.122, SE = 5.50, t = 10.204, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.206),表明BMI的增加与网络内连接性的增强有关。这种关联在健康对照组和重度抑郁症患者之间没有差异。BMI进一步与所有参与者的抑郁严重程度(τBDI = 0.052, p = 0.002)和享乐缺乏(τSHAPS-D = 0.035, p = 0.034)相关,与诊断状态无关。然而,在控制BMI后,BMI相关子网络内的连通性与抑郁严重程度或快感缺乏无关,这表明BMI相关的脑连通性改变不能独立解释临床症状的严重程度。我们的研究结果揭示了在健康对照和重度抑郁症患者中BMI和大脑结构连接之间的关联。这些发现表明,体重增加与大脑结构连接体有显著关联。
{"title":"Weight matters: Higher BMI is associated with changes in the brain connectome in health and depression","authors":"Aicha Bouzouina , Marius Gruber , Tong Zhao , Carmen Schiweck , Mareike Aichholzer , Carmen Uckermark , Luise V. Claaß , Frederike Stein , Nils R. Winter , Susanne Meinert , Kira Flinkenflügel , Dominik Grotegerd , Janik Goltermann , Tiana Borgers , Elisabeth Leehr , Linda Bonnekoh , Florian Thomas-Odenthal , Marc Pawlitzki , Paula Usemann , Lea Teutenberg , Sharmili Edwin Thanarajah","doi":"10.1016/j.nsa.2026.106984","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nsa.2026.106984","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Overweight and obesity are bidirectionally associated with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we investigated whether the body mass index (BMI) is associated with alterations in the structural brain connectome of healthy participants and MDD patients and if these changes in connectivity are associated with clinical outcomes. We analyzed the association of BMI with structural brain connectivity in 746 MDD patients and 852 healthy controls from the Marburg-Münster Affective Disorders Cohort Study (MACS). The structural connectome was reconstructed using tractography in diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data. Associations between BMI brain connectivity were examined using network-based statistics (NBS). NBS identified a subnetwork of the brain connectome associated with BMI (<em>F</em>-threshold = 4.0, <em>p</em><sub>FWE</sub> < 0.05). The number of streamlines within this network were positively correlated with BMI (<em>β</em> = 56.122, SE = 5.50, <em>t</em> = 10.204, <em>p</em> < 0.001, R<sup>2</sup> = 0.206), suggesting that an increase in BMI is linked to enhanced connectivity within the network. This association did not differ between healthy controls and MDD patients. BMI was further associated with depression severity (<span><math><mrow><mi>τ</mi></mrow></math></span><sub>BDI</sub> = 0.052, <em>p</em> = 0.002) and anhedonia (<span><math><mrow><mi>τ</mi></mrow></math></span><sub>SHAPS-D</sub> = 0.035, <em>p</em> = 0.034) across all participants, independent of diagnostic status. However, after controlling for BMI, connectivity within the BMI-associated subnetwork was not related to depression severity or anhedonia, suggesting that BMI-related brain connectivity alterations do not independently explain clinical symptom severity. Our findings reveal an association between BMI and structural brain connectivity, both in healthy controls and MDD patients. These findings indicate that increased body weight has a significant association with the brain structural connectome.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100952,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Applied","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 106984"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147395675","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2026-02-12DOI: 10.1016/j.nsa.2026.106989
Ivan Marniquet, Juliette Dupont-Viratelle, Flavie Crespo, Alexandra Séré, Sophie Layé, Jean-Christophe Delpech
The rapid increase of the population aged 65 and over is associated with a higher prevalence of people suffering from cognitive functions alterations. Those impairments are partly due to environmental risk factors such as nutrition. In this context, nutrition, and more specifically the ratio of n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6/n-3 PUFAs), has been extensively studied in relation to cognitive impairment and showed a potential beneficial effect on cognitive decline during aging. Clinical epidemiological studies showed a positive association between the n-3 PUFA consumption and cognitive abilities during aging. Preclinical studies have also demonstrated that dietary n-3 PUFA deficiency disrupts spatial memory, and induces alterations in neuronal functions and increased neuroinflammation, whereas dietary n-3 PUFA supplementation had beneficial effects on cognitive abilities and neuroinflammation in aged mice.
Here we showed that a balanced n-6/n-3 PUFAs precursors diet is sufficient to prevent the induction of accelerated aging characteristics such as contextual memory deficits, the altered emotionality status as well as the increased hippocampal neuroinflammation induced by D-galactose injections in mice, involving the activation of the AGE-RAGE pathway.
These results highlight the protective effects of a balanced n-6/n-3 PUFAs precursors on accelerated aging induced inflammatory, cognitive and emotional-like alterations.
{"title":"Balanced polyunsaturated fatty acids diet prevents the D-galactose-induced neuroinflammation and cognitive impairments","authors":"Ivan Marniquet, Juliette Dupont-Viratelle, Flavie Crespo, Alexandra Séré, Sophie Layé, Jean-Christophe Delpech","doi":"10.1016/j.nsa.2026.106989","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nsa.2026.106989","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid increase of the population aged 65 and over is associated with a higher prevalence of people suffering from cognitive functions alterations. Those impairments are partly due to environmental risk factors such as nutrition. In this context, nutrition, and more specifically the ratio of n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6/n-3 PUFAs), has been extensively studied in relation to cognitive impairment and showed a potential beneficial effect on cognitive decline during aging. Clinical epidemiological studies showed a positive association between the n-3 PUFA consumption and cognitive abilities during aging. Preclinical studies have also demonstrated that dietary n-3 PUFA deficiency disrupts spatial memory, and induces alterations in neuronal functions and increased neuroinflammation, whereas dietary n-3 PUFA supplementation had beneficial effects on cognitive abilities and neuroinflammation in aged mice.</div><div>Here we showed that a balanced n-6/n-3 PUFAs precursors diet is sufficient to prevent the induction of accelerated aging characteristics such as contextual memory deficits, the altered emotionality status as well as the increased hippocampal neuroinflammation induced by D-galactose injections in mice, involving the activation of the AGE-RAGE pathway.</div><div>These results highlight the protective effects of a balanced n-6/n-3 PUFAs precursors on accelerated aging induced inflammatory, cognitive and emotional-like alterations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100952,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Applied","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 106989"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147313891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.nsa.2025.106877
Stefano Pini , Daniela Tramontano , Benedetta Nardi , Laura Palagini , Barbara Milrod , David S. Baldwin , Katharina Domschke , Miriam Schiele , Chiara Bonelli , Federico Giovannoni , Gabriele Massimetti , Liliana Dell’Osso , Barbara Carpita
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental disorder (DSM-5) identifies severe sleep disruption as one of the clinical features and diagnostic criteria for Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD), with one diagnostic criterion being a persistent reluctance or refusal to sleep away from home or to go to sleep without being near a central attachment figure. While SAD is commonly associated with childhood, it can also present in adulthood (A-SAD), especially in individuals with mood and anxiety disorders. During this phase of an individual's life, A-SAD may prominently interfere with daily activities, as well as with sleep. This study aims to evaluate the impact of symptoms of SAD on sleep in a large cohort of patients with mood and anxiety disorders. A total of 404 consecutively recruited outpatients with mood or anxiety disorders were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for Separation Anxiety Disorder (SCI-SAS), the Adult Separation Anxiety (ASA-27), and the Hamilton Rating Scales for Depression (HAM–D) and Anxiety (HAM-A). Insomnia symptom scores were calculated using nine items that encompass the definition of sleep disturbances from the Mood Spectrum–Self Report (MOODS-SR). Overall, 91 patients were diagnosed with A-SAD only, 33 with childhood-onset SAD (C-SAD), 79 with both A-SAD and C-SAD, and 201 had no history of SAD. No significant differences were found in HAM-A and HAM-D scores between the four groups, nor in the frequency of their primary diagnosis (anxiety disorders, major depression, or bipolar disorder). However, sleep disturbance scores were significantly higher in participants with A-SAD, with or without C-SAD, compared to only C-SAD or no SAD. Regression analyses revealed that ASA-27 total score was a significant predictor of sleep disturbances (p < .002), while HAM-A and HAM-D scores were not. While sleep disturbances are often linked to anxiety and depressive symptoms, these findings suggest that adult separation anxiety contributes independently to sleep impairment in individuals with mood and anxiety disorders. This highlights the importance of assessing and addressing separation anxiety in clinical practice when treating sleep-related complaints in this population.
{"title":"Adult separation anxiety and insomnia symptoms in individuals with mood and anxiety disorders","authors":"Stefano Pini , Daniela Tramontano , Benedetta Nardi , Laura Palagini , Barbara Milrod , David S. Baldwin , Katharina Domschke , Miriam Schiele , Chiara Bonelli , Federico Giovannoni , Gabriele Massimetti , Liliana Dell’Osso , Barbara Carpita","doi":"10.1016/j.nsa.2025.106877","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nsa.2025.106877","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental disorder (DSM-5) identifies severe sleep disruption as one of the clinical features and diagnostic criteria for Separation Anxiety Disorder (SAD), with one diagnostic criterion being a persistent reluctance or refusal to sleep away from home or to go to sleep without being near a central attachment figure. While SAD is commonly associated with childhood, it can also present in adulthood (A-SAD), especially in individuals with mood and anxiety disorders. During this phase of an individual's life, A-SAD may prominently interfere with daily activities, as well as with sleep. This study aims to evaluate the impact of symptoms of SAD on sleep in a large cohort of patients with mood and anxiety disorders. A total of 404 consecutively recruited outpatients with mood or anxiety disorders were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for Separation Anxiety Disorder (SCI-SAS), the Adult Separation Anxiety (ASA-27), and the Hamilton Rating Scales for Depression (HAM–D) and Anxiety (HAM-A). Insomnia symptom scores were calculated using nine items that encompass the definition of sleep disturbances from the Mood Spectrum–Self Report (MOODS-SR). Overall, 91 patients were diagnosed with A-SAD only, 33 with childhood-onset SAD (C-SAD), 79 with both A-SAD and C-SAD, and 201 had no history of SAD. No significant differences were found in HAM-A and HAM-D scores between the four groups, nor in the frequency of their primary diagnosis (anxiety disorders, major depression, or bipolar disorder). However, sleep disturbance scores were significantly higher in participants with A-SAD, with or without C-SAD, compared to only C-SAD or no SAD. Regression analyses revealed that ASA-27 total score was a significant predictor of sleep disturbances (p < .002), while HAM-A and HAM-D scores were not. While sleep disturbances are often linked to anxiety and depressive symptoms, these findings suggest that adult separation anxiety contributes independently to sleep impairment in individuals with mood and anxiety disorders. This highlights the importance of assessing and addressing separation anxiety in clinical practice when treating sleep-related complaints in this population.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100952,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Applied","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 106877"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145652073","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2026-01-02DOI: 10.1016/j.nsa.2025.105581
C. Hohoff , S.M. Wissing , L. Steinbach , H. Althaus , T. Lange , S. Schuchardt , E. Van Assche , B.T. Baune
{"title":"Plasma-based metabolomic and lipidomic analyses reveal the potential biomarker LPE 16:0 as predictor for treatment outcome in a depression study","authors":"C. Hohoff , S.M. Wissing , L. Steinbach , H. Althaus , T. Lange , S. Schuchardt , E. Van Assche , B.T. Baune","doi":"10.1016/j.nsa.2025.105581","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nsa.2025.105581","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":100952,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Applied","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 105581"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145872707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2026-01-02DOI: 10.1016/j.nsa.2025.105585
G.C. Iseli , J.F.V. Castellanos , D. Coynel , J. Stone , M. Zurita Soler , P. Allen , F. Zelaya , M. Derrien , U.E. Lang , M. Debbané , U. Ettinger , J. Raes , A. Schmidt
{"title":"A multimodal observational case-control study exploring gut microbiota – hippocampus alterations in high positive schizotypy individuals from the general population","authors":"G.C. Iseli , J.F.V. Castellanos , D. Coynel , J. Stone , M. Zurita Soler , P. Allen , F. Zelaya , M. Derrien , U.E. Lang , M. Debbané , U. Ettinger , J. Raes , A. Schmidt","doi":"10.1016/j.nsa.2025.105585","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nsa.2025.105585","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":100952,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Applied","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 105585"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145872672","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2026-01-02DOI: 10.1016/j.nsa.2025.105546
O. Bagi , F.F. Farkas , J. Gajdics , B.K. Kádár , B. Andó , B.A. Lázár , I.K. Pribék
{"title":"Factor analysis of the Hungarian version of the alcohol relapse risk scale: a recommendation of a shortened version","authors":"O. Bagi , F.F. Farkas , J. Gajdics , B.K. Kádár , B. Andó , B.A. Lázár , I.K. Pribék","doi":"10.1016/j.nsa.2025.105546","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nsa.2025.105546","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":100952,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Applied","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 105546"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145872680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2026-01-02DOI: 10.1016/j.nsa.2025.105591
S.M. Wissing , C. Hohoff , E. Van Assche , T. Lange , L. Steinbach , D. Barton , M. Berk , G.L. Carter , V. Dong , P.B. Fitzgerald , V. Galvez , N. Glozier , P. Glue , M.L. Hackett , D. Hadzi-Pavlovic , A.J. Harvey , S. Hood , D.M. Martin , P.B. Mitchell , N. Mills , B.T. Baune
{"title":"Early transcriptomic changes predict long-term treatment outcome of ketamine versus midazolam in patients with treatment-resistant depression in the KADS study","authors":"S.M. Wissing , C. Hohoff , E. Van Assche , T. Lange , L. Steinbach , D. Barton , M. Berk , G.L. Carter , V. Dong , P.B. Fitzgerald , V. Galvez , N. Glozier , P. Glue , M.L. Hackett , D. Hadzi-Pavlovic , A.J. Harvey , S. Hood , D.M. Martin , P.B. Mitchell , N. Mills , B.T. Baune","doi":"10.1016/j.nsa.2025.105591","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.nsa.2025.105591","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":100952,"journal":{"name":"Neuroscience Applied","volume":"5 ","pages":"Article 105591"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145872796","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}