Pub Date : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-07-28DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100575
Nina Vindegaard Sørensen , Anders Hougaard , Christina Kruuse , Michael Eriksen Benros
Post-stroke depression is a common consequence of stroke with an estimated prevalence of approximately 30% in stroke patients. It negatively impacts both rehabilitation and quality of life after stroke. Stroke induces an acute activation of the immune system in the central nervous system with concomitant immunologic alterations in the periphery. Immunologic alterations have been associated with non-stroke-related depression, and the evidence points to both central and peripheral immune activation with bidirectional interactions. By identifying and evaluating the current evidence of immunologic alterations associated with depression, stroke, and post-stroke depression, we outline the current knowledge and hypotheses on stroke-related immunologic alterations and associations with the subsequent risk of post-stroke depression. This includes immune system alterations in the cerebrospinal fluid and blood; pre- and post-stroke infections; the blood-brain barrier; autoimmunity of the central nervous system; brain imaging; the spleen-brain, gut-brain, and neuroendocrine-immune axes; and immunogenetic studies. All these topics are discussed within the context of post-stroke depression, pointing to a potential involvement of a multifactorial immunologic pathophysiology. In this narrative review, we identify key directions for future research and conclude by offering perspectives related to the therapeutic potential and associated challenges of this underinvestigated but important topic in neuropsychiatry.
{"title":"The Immunologic Underpinnings of Post-Stroke Depression","authors":"Nina Vindegaard Sørensen , Anders Hougaard , Christina Kruuse , Michael Eriksen Benros","doi":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100575","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100575","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Post-stroke depression is a common consequence of stroke with an estimated prevalence of approximately 30% in stroke patients. It negatively impacts both rehabilitation and quality of life after stroke. Stroke induces an acute activation of the immune system in the central nervous system with concomitant immunologic alterations in the periphery. Immunologic alterations have been associated with non-stroke-related depression, and the evidence points to both central and peripheral immune activation with bidirectional interactions. By identifying and evaluating the current evidence of immunologic alterations associated with depression, stroke, and post-stroke depression, we outline the current knowledge and hypotheses on stroke-related immunologic alterations and associations with the subsequent risk of post-stroke depression. This includes immune system alterations in the cerebrospinal fluid and blood; pre- and post-stroke infections; the blood-brain barrier; autoimmunity of the central nervous system; brain imaging; the spleen-brain, gut-brain, and neuroendocrine-immune axes; and immunogenetic studies. All these topics are discussed within the context of post-stroke depression, pointing to a potential involvement of a multifactorial immunologic pathophysiology. In this narrative review, we identify key directions for future research and conclude by offering perspectives related to the therapeutic potential and associated challenges of this underinvestigated but important topic in neuropsychiatry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72373,"journal":{"name":"Biological psychiatry global open science","volume":"5 6","pages":"Article 100575"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145095553","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 : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-08-11DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100588
Dan Qiu , Eleni Friligkou , Jun He , Brenda Cabrera-Mendoza , Mihaela Aslan , Mihir Gupta , Renato Polimanti
Background
Psychiatric disorders and symptoms are associated with differences in pain perception and sensitivity. These differences can have important implications in treating spinal degenerative disease (SDD) and chronic low back pain (CLBP).
Methods
Leveraging UK Biobank (UKB) (n = 402,072) and All of Us Research Program (AoU) (n = 157,415) data, we investigated the effects linking psychiatric disorders to SDD and CLBP. We applied multinominal regression models, polygenic risk scoring, and one-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) to triangulate the effects underlying the observed associations. We also performed gene ontology and drug-repurposing analyses to dissect the biology shared among mental illnesses, SDD, and CLBP.
Results
When we compared individuals affected only by SDD, those affected only by CLBP, and those affected by both conditions with control participants, observational and genetically informed analyses highlighted that the strongest effects across the 3 case groups were observed for alcohol use disorder, anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Additionally, schizophrenia and its polygenic risk score appeared to have an inverse relationship with CLBP, SDD, and their comorbidity. One-sample MR highlighted a potential direct effect of internalizing disorders on the outcomes investigated that was particularly strong on SDD. Our drug repurposing analyses identified histone deacetylase inhibitors as targeting molecular pathways shared by psychiatric disorders, SDD, and CLBP.
Conclusions
These findings support that the comorbidity among psychiatric disorders, SDD, and CLBP is due to the contribution of direct effects and shared biology linking these health outcomes. These pleiotropic mechanisms, together with sociocultural factors, play a key role in shaping the SDD-CLBP comorbidity patterns that have been observed across the psychopathology spectrum.
精神疾病和症状与疼痛感知和敏感性的差异有关。这些差异对治疗脊柱退行性疾病(SDD)和慢性腰痛(CLBP)具有重要意义。方法利用UK Biobank (n = 402,072)和All of Us Research Program (n = 157,415)的数据,研究精神障碍与SDD和CLBP之间的关系。我们应用多项回归模型、多基因风险评分和单样本孟德尔随机化(MR)来三角测量观察到的关联的影响。我们还进行了基因本体论和药物再利用分析,以剖析精神疾病、SDD和CLBP之间共有的生物学特征。结果:当我们将仅受SDD影响的个体、仅受CLBP影响的个体以及同时受两种情况影响的个体与对照组进行比较时,观察性和遗传学分析强调,在3个病例组中,酒精使用障碍、焦虑、抑郁和创伤后应激障碍的影响最大。此外,精神分裂症及其多基因风险评分似乎与CLBP、SDD及其合并症呈反比关系。单样本MR强调了内化障碍对所调查结果的潜在直接影响,尤其是对SDD的影响。我们的药物再利用分析确定了组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂靶向精神疾病、SDD和CLBP共有的分子途径。结论:这些发现支持精神疾病、SDD和CLBP之间的共病是由于直接影响和共同的生物学关系导致的。这些多效性机制,连同社会文化因素,在形成在精神病理谱中观察到的SDD-CLBP共病模式中起着关键作用。
{"title":"Understanding the Comorbidities Among Psychiatric Disorders, Chronic Low Back Pain, and Spinal Degenerative Disease Using Observational and Genetically Informed Analyses","authors":"Dan Qiu , Eleni Friligkou , Jun He , Brenda Cabrera-Mendoza , Mihaela Aslan , Mihir Gupta , Renato Polimanti","doi":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100588","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100588","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Psychiatric disorders and symptoms are associated with differences in pain perception and sensitivity. These differences can have important implications in treating spinal degenerative disease (SDD) and chronic low back pain (CLBP).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Leveraging UK Biobank (UKB) (<em>n</em> = 402,072) and All of Us Research Program (AoU) (<em>n</em> = 157,415) data, we investigated the effects linking psychiatric disorders to SDD and CLBP. We applied multinominal regression models, polygenic risk scoring, and one-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) to triangulate the effects underlying the observed associations. We also performed gene ontology and drug-repurposing analyses to dissect the biology shared among mental illnesses, SDD, and CLBP.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>When we compared individuals affected only by SDD, those affected only by CLBP, and those affected by both conditions with control participants, observational and genetically informed analyses highlighted that the strongest effects across the 3 case groups were observed for alcohol use disorder, anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Additionally, schizophrenia and its polygenic risk score appeared to have an inverse relationship with CLBP, SDD, and their comorbidity. One-sample MR highlighted a potential direct effect of internalizing disorders on the outcomes investigated that was particularly strong on SDD. Our drug repurposing analyses identified histone deacetylase inhibitors as targeting molecular pathways shared by psychiatric disorders, SDD, and CLBP.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>These findings support that the comorbidity among psychiatric disorders, SDD, and CLBP is due to the contribution of direct effects and shared biology linking these health outcomes. These pleiotropic mechanisms, together with sociocultural factors, play a key role in shaping the SDD-CLBP comorbidity patterns that have been observed across the psychopathology spectrum.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72373,"journal":{"name":"Biological psychiatry global open science","volume":"5 6","pages":"Article 100588"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145095555","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 : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-09-23DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100569
Jonathan Power, Conor Liston
{"title":"Associations Between Head Motion, Age, and Psychiatric Diagnoses in a Large-Scale Developmental Sample","authors":"Jonathan Power, Conor Liston","doi":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100569","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100569","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72373,"journal":{"name":"Biological psychiatry global open science","volume":"5 6","pages":"Article 100569"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145121206","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 : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-07-17DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100567
Galya C. Iseli , Jorge F. Vázquez-Castellanos , David Coynel , James M. Stone , Mariana Zurita Soler , Paul Allen , Fernando Zelaya , Muriel Derrien , Undine E. Lang , Martin Debbané , Ulrich Ettinger , Jeroen Raes , André Schmidt
Background
The hippocampus plays a critical role in psychosis, with reduced volume observed across the psychosis continuum. These structural changes are associated with cognitive deficits, symptom severity, and increased risk of psychosis progression. Elevated hippocampal perfusion and glutamate/GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) imbalance further suggest metabolic dysregulation as a key mechanism. Gut microbiota composition can influence hippocampal metabolism, but their interplay remains to be explored.
Methods
In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 142 healthy participants from the general population, yielding 69 individuals with high schizotypy (HS) and 72 individuals with low schizotypy. All underwent clinical and cognitive testing, multimodal neuroimaging, and gut microbiota analysis via 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Hippocampal subfield volumes (structural magnetic resonance imaging), perfusion (arterial spin labeling) and glutamate/GABA levels (proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy), and microbial taxa (abundance, diversity, enterotypes) were assessed.
Results
Group comparisons of cognition, multimodal neuroimaging, and gut microbiome composition did not reveal significant differences after correction for multiple comparisons. Within the HS group, glutamate (r = 0.38, p = .003) and GABA (r = −0.36, p = .003) ratios were linked to social withdrawal. Across the entire sample, left hippocampal subfield volumes and glutamate/GABA levels differed significantly between predominant gut microbial enterotypes.
Conclusions
Our results suggest a potential relationship between aberrant gut microbial composition and hippocampal alterations in people with positive schizotypy from the general population. Our findings inform future large-scale research that further explores specific mechanisms of gut microbiome-hippocampus interactions in psychosis and the potential of tailored microbial interventions targeting hippocampal-mediated symptoms.
背景:海马体在精神病中起着关键作用,在精神病连续体中观察到体积减小。这些结构变化与认知缺陷、症状严重程度和精神病进展风险增加有关。海马灌注升高和谷氨酸/GABA (γ -氨基丁酸)失衡进一步表明代谢失调是其关键机制。肠道菌群组成可以影响海马代谢,但它们之间的相互作用仍有待探索。方法在横断面研究中,我们从普通人群中招募了142名健康受试者,其中69名为高分裂型,72名为低分裂型。所有人都进行了临床和认知测试,多模式神经成像,并通过16S核糖体RNA基因测序进行了肠道微生物群分析。评估海马亚场体积(结构磁共振成像)、灌注(动脉自旋标记)和谷氨酸/GABA水平(质子磁共振光谱),以及微生物类群(丰度、多样性、肠型)。结果组间认知、多模态神经影像学和肠道微生物组组成的比较在校正多重比较后无显著差异。在HS组中,谷氨酸(r = 0.38, p = 0.003)和GABA (r = - 0.36, p = 0.003)比值与社交退缩有关。在整个样本中,主要肠道微生物肠型之间的左海马亚区体积和谷氨酸/GABA水平存在显著差异。结论研究结果提示,与一般人群相比,分裂型阳性患者肠道微生物组成异常与海马结构改变之间存在潜在关系。我们的发现为未来的大规模研究提供了信息,这些研究将进一步探索精神病中肠道微生物群-海马体相互作用的特定机制,以及针对海马体介导症状的定制微生物干预的潜力。
{"title":"A Multimodal Observational Case-Control Study Exploring Gut Microbiota–Hippocampus Alterations in Individuals With High Positive Schizotypy From the General Population","authors":"Galya C. Iseli , Jorge F. Vázquez-Castellanos , David Coynel , James M. Stone , Mariana Zurita Soler , Paul Allen , Fernando Zelaya , Muriel Derrien , Undine E. Lang , Martin Debbané , Ulrich Ettinger , Jeroen Raes , André Schmidt","doi":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100567","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100567","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>The hippocampus plays a critical role in psychosis, with reduced volume observed across the psychosis continuum. These structural changes are associated with cognitive deficits, symptom severity, and increased risk of psychosis progression. Elevated hippocampal perfusion and glutamate/GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) imbalance further suggest metabolic dysregulation as a key mechanism. Gut microbiota composition can influence hippocampal metabolism, but their interplay remains to be explored.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>In this cross-sectional study, we recruited 142 healthy participants from the general population, yielding 69 individuals with high schizotypy (HS) and 72 individuals with low schizotypy. All underwent clinical and cognitive testing, multimodal neuroimaging, and gut microbiota analysis via 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Hippocampal subfield volumes (structural magnetic resonance imaging), perfusion (arterial spin labeling) and glutamate/GABA levels (proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy), and microbial taxa (abundance, diversity, enterotypes) were assessed.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Group comparisons of cognition, multimodal neuroimaging, and gut microbiome composition did not reveal significant differences after correction for multiple comparisons. Within the HS group, glutamate (<em>r</em> = 0.38, <em>p</em> = .003) and GABA (<em>r</em> = −0.36, <em>p</em> = .003) ratios were linked to social withdrawal. Across the entire sample, left hippocampal subfield volumes and glutamate/GABA levels differed significantly between predominant gut microbial enterotypes.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Our results suggest a potential relationship between aberrant gut microbial composition and hippocampal alterations in people with positive schizotypy from the general population. Our findings inform future large-scale research that further explores specific mechanisms of gut microbiome-hippocampus interactions in psychosis and the potential of tailored microbial interventions targeting hippocampal-mediated symptoms.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72373,"journal":{"name":"Biological psychiatry global open science","volume":"5 6","pages":"Article 100567"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144896219","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 : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-07-28DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100574
Magdalini R. Vareltzoglou , Roman N. Rodionov , Anthony C. Vernon , Nadine Bernhardt
The heterogeneous nature of psychiatric disorders complicates their clinical management and the development of novel treatments, imposing a significant burden on both patients and health care systems. To address these challenges, it is essential to continuously identify new targets involved in their pathogenesis. In this narrative review, we propose the dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) proteins, already known for their significant role in cardiovascular disease, as promising novel treatment targets for psychiatric conditions. The DDAH proteins exist in 2 isoforms, DDAH1 and DDAH2, which both regulate nitric oxide homeostasis. DDAH1 metabolizes the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), while DDAH2 acts through ADMA-independent mechanisms. We synthesize current evidence from systemic studies, genetic analyses, postmortem brain samples, and animal models to evaluate the potential roles of DDAH proteins across psychiatric conditions. Most systemic studies have revealed increased peripheral ADMA levels across several psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, substance use disorders, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Alterations in ADMA levels are also observed in transdiagnostic clinical domains such as cognitive deficits, sleep disturbances, white matter hyperintensities, and oxidative stress. These ADMA changes are evident from early stages of illness and respond to current treatments, suggesting diagnostic potential. Genetic and postmortem brain data further link DDAH1 and DDAH2 to psychiatric symptomatology in patient populations. Finally, fundamental studies in model systems provide insights into their role in neural proliferation, differentiation, cell death, and oxidative stress regulation—key processes in the developing and the adult brain. These data support the view that DDAH proteins may play a role in the molecular mechanisms that underlie psychiatric disorders and merit more investigation as potential therapeutic candidates.
{"title":"The Emerging Role of the DDAH Proteins in Psychiatric Disorders","authors":"Magdalini R. Vareltzoglou , Roman N. Rodionov , Anthony C. Vernon , Nadine Bernhardt","doi":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100574","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100574","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The heterogeneous nature of psychiatric disorders complicates their clinical management and the development of novel treatments, imposing a significant burden on both patients and health care systems. To address these challenges, it is essential to continuously identify new targets involved in their pathogenesis. In this narrative review, we propose the dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) proteins, already known for their significant role in cardiovascular disease, as promising novel treatment targets for psychiatric conditions. The DDAH proteins exist in 2 isoforms, DDAH1 and DDAH2, which both regulate nitric oxide homeostasis. DDAH1 metabolizes the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), while DDAH2 acts through ADMA-independent mechanisms. We synthesize current evidence from systemic studies, genetic analyses, postmortem brain samples, and animal models to evaluate the potential roles of DDAH proteins across psychiatric conditions. Most systemic studies have revealed increased peripheral ADMA levels across several psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, substance use disorders, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Alterations in ADMA levels are also observed in transdiagnostic clinical domains such as cognitive deficits, sleep disturbances, white matter hyperintensities, and oxidative stress. These ADMA changes are evident from early stages of illness and respond to current treatments, suggesting diagnostic potential. Genetic and postmortem brain data further link DDAH1 and DDAH2 to psychiatric symptomatology in patient populations. Finally, fundamental studies in model systems provide insights into their role in neural proliferation, differentiation, cell death, and oxidative stress regulation—key processes in the developing and the adult brain. These data support the view that DDAH proteins may play a role in the molecular mechanisms that underlie psychiatric disorders and merit more investigation as potential therapeutic candidates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72373,"journal":{"name":"Biological psychiatry global open science","volume":"5 6","pages":"Article 100574"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145060446","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 : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-08-22DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100571
Brunno Rocha Levone, Gerhard Schratt
{"title":"Peripheral MicroRNA Expression Patterns as Biomarkers for Adolescent Depression","authors":"Brunno Rocha Levone, Gerhard Schratt","doi":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100571","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100571","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72373,"journal":{"name":"Biological psychiatry global open science","volume":"5 6","pages":"Article 100571"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144886395","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 : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-09-12DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100590
Lucina Q. Uddin
{"title":"Social Determinants of Health Influence Brain and Cognitive Function in Youth","authors":"Lucina Q. Uddin","doi":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100590","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100590","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72373,"journal":{"name":"Biological psychiatry global open science","volume":"5 6","pages":"Article 100590"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145049660","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 : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-07-07DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100561
Elysia Poggi Davis , Bianca T. Leonard , Robert J. Jirsaraie , David B. Keator , Steven L. Small , Curt A. Sandman , Victoria B. Risbrough , Hal S. Stern , Laura M. Glynn , Michael A. Yassa , Tallie Z. Baram , Jerod M. Rasmussen
Background
Unpredictable childhood experiences are an understudied form of early-life adversity that impact neurodevelopment. The neurobiological processes by which exposure to early-life unpredictability impact development and vulnerability to psychopathology remain poorly understood. In the current study, we investigated the sex-specific consequences of early-life unpredictability on the limbic network, focusing on the hippocampus and the amygdala.
Methods
Participants included 150 youths (54% female). Early-life unpredictability was assessed using the Questionnaire of Unpredictability in Childhood (QUIC). Participants engaged in 1 or more task–functional magnetic resonance imaging scans between the ages of 8 and 17 (223 total observations) measuring blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) responses to novel and familiar scenes.
Results
Exposure to early-life unpredictability was associated with BOLD contrast (novel vs. familiar) in a sex-specific manner. For boys, but not girls, higher QUIC scores were associated with lower BOLD activation in response to novel versus familiar stimuli in the hippocampal head and amygdala. Secondary psychophysiological interaction analyses revealed complementary sex-specific associations between QUIC scores and condition-specific functional connectivity between the right and left amygdala, as well as between the right amygdala and hippocampus bilaterally.
Conclusions
Exposure to unpredictability in early life has persistent implications for the functional operations of limbic circuits. Importantly, consistent with emerging experimental animal and human studies, the consequences of early-life unpredictability differ for boys and girls. Furthermore, impacts of early-life unpredictability were independent of other risk factors including lower household income and negative life events, indicating distinct consequences of early-life unpredictability beyond more commonly studied types of early-life adversity.
{"title":"Sex-Specific Effects of Early-Life Unpredictability on Hippocampal and Amygdala Responses to Novelty in Adolescents","authors":"Elysia Poggi Davis , Bianca T. Leonard , Robert J. Jirsaraie , David B. Keator , Steven L. Small , Curt A. Sandman , Victoria B. Risbrough , Hal S. Stern , Laura M. Glynn , Michael A. Yassa , Tallie Z. Baram , Jerod M. Rasmussen","doi":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100561","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100561","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Unpredictable childhood experiences are an understudied form of early-life adversity that impact neurodevelopment. The neurobiological processes by which exposure to early-life unpredictability impact development and vulnerability to psychopathology remain poorly understood. In the current study, we investigated the sex-specific consequences of early-life unpredictability on the limbic network, focusing on the hippocampus and the amygdala.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Participants included 150 youths (54% female). Early-life unpredictability was assessed using the Questionnaire of Unpredictability in Childhood (QUIC). Participants engaged in 1 or more task–functional magnetic resonance imaging scans between the ages of 8 and 17 (223 total observations) measuring blood oxygen level–dependent (BOLD) responses to novel and familiar scenes.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Exposure to early-life unpredictability was associated with BOLD contrast (novel vs. familiar) in a sex-specific manner. For boys, but not girls, higher QUIC scores were associated with lower BOLD activation in response to novel versus familiar stimuli in the hippocampal head and amygdala. Secondary psychophysiological interaction analyses revealed complementary sex-specific associations between QUIC scores and condition-specific functional connectivity between the right and left amygdala, as well as between the right amygdala and hippocampus bilaterally.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>Exposure to unpredictability in early life has persistent implications for the functional operations of limbic circuits. Importantly, consistent with emerging experimental animal and human studies, the consequences of early-life unpredictability differ for boys and girls. Furthermore, impacts of early-life unpredictability were independent of other risk factors including lower household income and negative life events, indicating distinct consequences of early-life unpredictability beyond more commonly studied types of early-life adversity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":72373,"journal":{"name":"Biological psychiatry global open science","volume":"5 6","pages":"Article 100561"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144864764","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 : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-09-25DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100600
Luca Sforzini , Carmine M. Pariante
{"title":"The Clinical Relevance of Immunopsychiatric Treatment: Lessons From a Transdiagnostic Case Series on Young People","authors":"Luca Sforzini , Carmine M. Pariante","doi":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100600","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bpsgos.2025.100600","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72373,"journal":{"name":"Biological psychiatry global open science","volume":"5 6","pages":"Article 100600"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145158124","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 : 2025-11-01Epub Date: 2025-11-14DOI: 10.1016/S2667-1743(25)00187-9
{"title":"Editorial Board Page","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S2667-1743(25)00187-9","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S2667-1743(25)00187-9","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":72373,"journal":{"name":"Biological psychiatry global open science","volume":"5 6","pages":"Article 100633"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2025-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145519747","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}