Neuropsychobiology最新文献

Introduction: Recent research suggests various app-based-programs to promote mental health, resilience and stress management. Insights gained from studies with healthy participants could potentially offer training strategies that could also prove beneficial for people with mental disorders. The effectiveness of an app-based resilience-training was evaluated.

Methods: In the present study, 68 mentally healthy participants were included. They all received both the intervention as two-month resilience training via an app and the control condition (waiting group) as part of a cross-over design. In addition, the participants were interviewed before, and after each condition with the Stress and Coping Inventory (SCI), the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and the Resilience Scale (RS13), measuring psychological stress and symptoms.

Results: The results of the ANCOVA indicate that the app-training does not significantly improve resilience in healthy people (p = .278). However, it significantly enhances stress regulation in the intervention group and the control group (p = .030), independent of the initial stress level. Furthermore, a significant positive correlation was found between effective stress regulation and improved mental health (measured by the BSI).

Conclusion: Emphasizing mindfulness and reflection through resilience training and the enhanced perception of mental health, can improve stress regulation, thereby underscoring its crucial role. To maximize the benefits of resilience training, it is imperative to further develop training apps, enhancing their attractiveness and suitability for long-term use, and extend its use. Future work should focus on refining these interventions to ensure sustained engagement and effectiveness.

Introduction: Activation of the inflammatory response system is involved in the pathogenesis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The purpose of this study was to identify and characterize inflammatory biomarkers in the diagnosis of GAD based on machine learning algorithms.

Methods: The evaluation of peripheral immune parameters and lymphocyte subsets was performed on patients with GAD. Multivariable linear regression was used to explore the association between lymphocyte subsets and the severity of GAD. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine the predictive value of these immunological parameters for GAD. Machine learning technology was applied to classify the collected data from patients in the GAD and healthy control groups.

Results: Of the 340 patients enrolled, 171 were GAD patients, and 169 were non-GAD patients as healthy control. The levels of neutrophil, monocytes, and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) were significantly elevated in GAD patients (p < 0.01), and the count and proportion of immune cells, including CD3+CD4+ T cells, CD3+CD8+ T cells, CD19+ B cells, and CD3-CD16+CD56+ NK cells (p < 0.001), have undergone large changes. The classification analysis conducted by machine learning using a weighted ensemble-L2 algorithm demonstrated an accuracy of 95.00 ± 2.04% in assessing the predictive value of these lymphocyte subsets in GAD. In addition, the feature importance analysis score is 0.255, which was much more predictive of GAD severity than for other lymphocyte subsets.

Conclusion: In the presented work, we show the level of lymphocyte subsets altered in GAD. Lymphocyte subsets, specifically CD3+CD4+ T %, can serve as neuroinflammatory biomarkers for GAD diagnostics. Furthermore, the application of machine learning offers a highly efficient approach for investigating neuroinflammatory biomarkers and predicting GAD. Our research has provided novel insights into the involvement of cellular immunity in GAD and highlighted the potential predictive value and therapeutic targets of lymphocyte subsets in this disorder.

Introduction: Bipolar 2 disorder (BD2) is an independent disease with specific familial aggregation, significant functional impairment, specific treatment challenges, and several distinctive clinical features. However, unlike bipolar 1 disorder, studies investigating causal and functional genes are lacking. This study aimed to identify and prioritize causal genetic variants and genes for BD2 by analysing brain-specific gene expression markers, improve the understanding of its genetic underpinnings, and support advancements in diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.

Method: We used FUMA, a genome-wide association study (GWAS) annotation tool, to pinpoint potential causal variants and genes from the largest BD2 GWAS data. Candidate causal variants most likely affecting brain gene expression were prioritized using the following criteria: (1) variants identified as eSNPs in any brain region within any brain expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) dataset; (2) variants annotated in the Regulome database with a score <5, indicating likely functional localization; (3) the most common 15-core chromatin state across all cell types in the Roadmap Epigenomics data being ≤7, reflecting an open chromatin state; (4) localization in genomic regions with evidence of 3D chromatin interactions, as such interactions mediate genetic effects on gene expression.

Results: We identified AGRN, ORMDL3, SLC25A39, RUNDC3A, NOS2, C1orf159, RP11-5407.18, RP11-465B22.3, RP11-5407.17 as candidate causal genes. These genes are associated with important pathways such as synapse formation, mitochondrial and oxidative metabolism, intracellular transport, neurotransmission, and lipid metabolism-related pathways.

Conclusion: This study provides a guide for further experimental validation of functional variants, BD2-associated genes, and novel drug targets.

Background: Somatic symptoms, such as chronic pain, fatigue, and gastrointestinal disturbances, are commonly reported in individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment (CM), which includes various forms of abuse and neglect experienced before age 18. Although CM is strongly associated with somatic symptoms, the specific relationships between CM subtypes and these symptoms, as well as the mechanisms connecting them, remain insufficiently understood. This review examines the complex interaction between CM and somatic symptoms, which often coexist with mental disorders and significantly impact quality of life and healthcare systems.

Summary: Somatic symptoms, frequently a mix of "explained" and "unexplained" conditions, are associated with personal distress and pose diagnostic challenges. CM has been linked to these symptoms through neurobiological mechanisms, such as HPA axis dysregulation and allostatic load, while theoretical models emphasize the roles of hyperawareness, cultural factors, and vulnerability in symptom development. However, existing research often fails to account for specific CM subtypes, the full range of somatic symptoms, and cultural and situational factors, leading to inconsistencies in findings.

Key messages: Bridging gaps in literature requires adopting the World Health Organization's CM subtype definitions and ICD-11 codes (MA00-MH2Y) to encompass a broader spectrum of somatic symptoms. Employing rigorous methodologies, such as systematic reviews and meta-analyses, is essential for advancing understanding. These approaches can enhance diagnostic accuracy, support tailored interventions, and promote a biopsychosocial framework for CM research, ultimately improving patient outcomes and alleviating societal burdens.

Introduction: The St. Göran Bipolar Project (SBP) is a longitudinal outpatient study investigation aimed at identifying predictive factors associated with long-term outcomes in individuals with bipolar disorder. These outcomes include cognitive function, relapse rate, treatment responses, and functional outcomes. The study employs a multifaceted approach, integrating brain imaging, biochemical analyses of cerebrospinal fluid and blood, and genetics. This paper provides an overview of the research methods used in the SBP, along with a summary of the main findings to date.

Methods: SBP is a collaborative effort between academia and healthcare, enrolling study participants from bipolar outpatient clinics in Stockholm (SBP-S) and Gothenburg (SBP-G), Sweden. Healthy controls were recruited through Statistics Sweden. Data and samples were collected using structured interviews, self-rated questionnaires, blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples, magnetic resonance imaging, and neuropsychological tests. Follow-up visits are conducted 7 and 14 years after baseline.

Conclusion: The SBP has generated numerous original findings and has contributed to advancing knowledge on cognitive function, personality, cerebrospinal and blood biomarkers, neuroimaging, and genetics. Further, as data collection nears completion, new research questions can be addressed. The study's strengths include detailed, multimodal information from each study visit and a long follow-up period. The naturalistic setting ensures that findings are relevant to real-world scenarios. However, variability in data completeness can introduce selection bias. Additionally, the control population, while randomly selected, may not be fully representative due to the voluntary nature of participation. Future projects will focus on longitudinal analyses and novel methods to exploit the study's multifaceted approach.

Introduction: There is some evidence for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hypofunction in chronic tinnitus, but findings are contradicting possibly due to clinical heterogeneity. This study aimed to assess differential effects of childhood trauma and anxiety on HPA-axis functioning in adults suffering from chronic subjective tinnitus with distress.

Methods: Salivary cortisol data were collected in 22 chronic subjective tinnitus sufferers (without major depression) and 29 healthy controls after awakening, at baseline, and after a low-dose (0.5 mg) dexamethasone challenge. A factorial ANCOVA was conducted to compare the main effects of group (tinnitus versus. controls), trauma, and their interaction effect on the cortisol awakening response (CAR). Linear mixed models were fitted for baseline and post-dexamethasone cortisol levels with group, sampling time, trauma, and their interactions as fixed factors and subject as the random effect. The Beck Anxiety Index, Anxiety Sensitivity Index, and Panic Disorder Severity Scale were included to investigate effects of anxiety.

Results: A significant interaction between group and trauma (F [1, 47] = 6.9755, p = 0.0112) was found, with the tinnitus group showing lower CARs (M = 5.1808, SD = 0.5821) than the comparison group (M = 5.9974, SD = 0.5251) in traumatized individuals only. No effects were found for baseline or post-dexamethasone cortisol. Anxiety scores had no effects on any of the outcome variables.

Conclusion: A differential effect of childhood trauma, but not anxiety, on the HPA-axis function in chronic subjective tinnitus was partly confirmed by the finding of a blunted CAR in tinnitus sufferers reporting early-life adversity.