Pub Date : 2026-03-05Epub Date: 2025-12-01DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115971
Alessandra Schmitt Rieder , Laura Teixeira da Rosa , Gustavo R.K. Prauchner , Nicole Soares Lima , Lucas Scherer Louzada , Victor Camaratta Dossin Bastos , Guilherme Carvalho Serena , Osmar Vieira Ramires Júnior , Adriana Souza Dos Santos , Meirylanne Gomes da Costa , Lenir Orlandi Pereira , Angela TS Wyse
Homocysteine (Hcy) is a non-proteic amino acid that participates in the remethylation cycle of methionine. Hcy levels in plasma around 16–30 µmol/L are characteristics of mild hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), which is a know risk factor for neurodegeneration. Given this, Hcy may serve as an early biomarker of cognitive decline. In the present study, we evaluated behavior in different tasks in adult male and female rats submitted to mild HHcy and analyzed markers of blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity (aquaporin, occludin, and β-catenin), the expression of p- TAU217, inflammatory mediators (IL-6 and IL-10), and key cellular markers (GFAP, AIF1, and RbFOX3) in the hippocampus and cortex of these animals. Results revealed that mild HHcy induced short-term and spatial memory impairment in adult male rats, accompanied by region-specific alterations in the cortex and hippocampus. In males, we also observed that HHcy reduced occludin content, IL-10 and RbFOX3; in the hippocampus, HHcy increased the expression of IL-10 and AIF1. The female rats did not exhibit memory deficits, o the other hand, the expression of p- TAU217, and GFAP were increased in the cortex of these animals. Together our finding drive that mild HHcy may represent a valuable translational model for studying early-stage cognitive decline and tauopathy, particularly in the context of sex-specific vulnerability.
{"title":"Mild hyperhomocysteinemia alters spatial and recognition memories in male, but not female rats. Are inflammation, blood-brain barrier damage and Tau expression sex-specific predictors?","authors":"Alessandra Schmitt Rieder , Laura Teixeira da Rosa , Gustavo R.K. Prauchner , Nicole Soares Lima , Lucas Scherer Louzada , Victor Camaratta Dossin Bastos , Guilherme Carvalho Serena , Osmar Vieira Ramires Júnior , Adriana Souza Dos Santos , Meirylanne Gomes da Costa , Lenir Orlandi Pereira , Angela TS Wyse","doi":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115971","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115971","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Homocysteine (Hcy) is a non-proteic amino acid that participates in the remethylation cycle of methionine. Hcy levels in plasma around 16–30 µmol/L are characteristics of mild hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), which is a know risk factor for neurodegeneration. Given this, Hcy may serve as an early biomarker of cognitive decline. In the present study, we evaluated behavior in different tasks in adult male and female rats submitted to mild HHcy and analyzed markers of blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity (aquaporin, occludin, and β-catenin), the expression of p- TAU217, inflammatory mediators (IL-6 and IL-10), and key cellular markers (GFAP, AIF1, and RbFOX3) in the hippocampus and cortex of these animals. Results revealed that mild HHcy induced short-term and spatial memory impairment in adult male rats, accompanied by region-specific alterations in the cortex and hippocampus. In males, we also observed that HHcy reduced occludin content, IL-10 and RbFOX3; in the hippocampus, HHcy increased the expression of IL-10 and AIF1. The female rats did not exhibit memory deficits, o the other hand, the expression of p- TAU217, and GFAP were increased in the cortex of these animals. Together our finding drive that mild HHcy may represent a valuable translational model for studying early-stage cognitive decline and tauopathy, particularly in the context of sex-specific vulnerability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8823,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Brain Research","volume":"500 ","pages":"Article 115971"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145666886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-03-05Epub Date: 2025-12-13DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115995
Xuting Wang , Xue Wang , Chuncheng Zhao , Haoyu Zhao , Pingping Wang , Tao Song
Alzheimer's disease (AD) imposes a heavy burden on families and society. Rhythmic magnetic stimulation has emerged as a promising non-invasive therapy to mitigate AD-related cognitive decline. In this study, we applied a rhythmic unipolar compound pulsed magnetic field (cPMF; carrier frequency: 40 Hz, repetition rate: 5 Hz, magnetic flux density: 0–20 mT) incorporating both theta and gamma rhythms to evaluate its effects on behavior and neural oscillations in AD mice and to explore the underlying mechanisms. 5xFAD mice received unipolar cPMF stimulation for 1 h/d over 8 consecutive weeks. Learning and memory were assessed using the novel object recognition (NOR) and the Morris water maze (MWM) tests. In NOR test, unipolar cPMF-treated mice showed a higher cognitive index in test phase 2, and in MWM test, exhibited shorter escape latencies in the training trial and spent less time to first cross the precise former platform location with a higher crossing frequency over this target area in the probe trial. Local field potentials (LFPs) in the hippocampal CA1 area were recorded via in vivo electrophysiology. LFP analysis showed that unipolar cPMF treatment enhanced power of cognitive-related neural oscillations and strengthened theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling. RNA sequencing analysis further indicated that unipolar cPMF-treated mice exhibited differential gene expression in molecular function and multiple neurotransmitter synaptic signaling pathways. In conclusion, unipolar cPMF might improve cognitive function in 5xFAD mice by modulating cognitive-related neural oscillations. These findings could provide experimental support for the low-intensity pulsed magnetic stimulation as a potential therapeutic strategy for AD.
{"title":"Enhancement of cognitive behavior and hippocampal neural oscillations by rhythmic unipolar pulsed magnetic stimulation in 5xFAD Alzheimer's disease mice","authors":"Xuting Wang , Xue Wang , Chuncheng Zhao , Haoyu Zhao , Pingping Wang , Tao Song","doi":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115995","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115995","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Alzheimer's disease (AD) imposes a heavy burden on families and society. Rhythmic magnetic stimulation has emerged as a promising non-invasive therapy to mitigate AD-related cognitive decline. In this study, we applied a rhythmic unipolar compound pulsed magnetic field (cPMF; carrier frequency: 40 Hz, repetition rate: 5 Hz, magnetic flux density: 0–20 mT) incorporating both theta and gamma rhythms to evaluate its effects on behavior and neural oscillations in AD mice and to explore the underlying mechanisms. 5xFAD mice received unipolar cPMF stimulation for 1 h/d over 8 consecutive weeks. Learning and memory were assessed using the novel object recognition (NOR) and the Morris water maze (MWM) tests. In NOR test, unipolar cPMF-treated mice showed a higher cognitive index in test phase 2, and in MWM test, exhibited shorter escape latencies in the training trial and spent less time to first cross the precise former platform location with a higher crossing frequency over this target area in the probe trial. Local field potentials (LFPs) in the hippocampal CA1 area were recorded via <em>in vivo</em> electrophysiology. LFP analysis showed that unipolar cPMF treatment enhanced power of cognitive-related neural oscillations and strengthened theta-gamma phase-amplitude coupling. RNA sequencing analysis further indicated that unipolar cPMF-treated mice exhibited differential gene expression in molecular function and multiple neurotransmitter synaptic signaling pathways. In conclusion, unipolar cPMF might improve cognitive function in 5xFAD mice by modulating cognitive-related neural oscillations. These findings could provide experimental support for the low-intensity pulsed magnetic stimulation as a potential therapeutic strategy for AD.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8823,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Brain Research","volume":"500 ","pages":"Article 115995"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145761986","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-03-05Epub Date: 2025-12-11DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115986
Liu Ning , Ou Yang Yan Ping , Ren Sai Nan
This study explores how cognitive style diversity (differences in information processing among team members) influences group creativity through interpersonal neural mechanisms. 116 college students were assigned to high-diversity (HD) groups (mix of field-independent and field-dependent individuals) or low-diversity (LD) groups (homogeneous cognitive styles). Both groups completed a creative task (umbrella design) and a routine task (desk purchase) while their prefrontal cortex (PFC) and right temporoparietal junction (r-TPJ) activity was monitored via fNIRS. Results revealed that HD groups produced significantly more novel ideas than LD groups. fNIRS data showed enhanced brain synchronization in HD groups within the frontal pole and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Field-independent individuals dominated neural interactions in HD groups, with delayed inter-brain synchronization positively correlating with creative novelty. Findings suggest cognitive diversity fosters group creativity through complementary neural coordination between field-independent and field-dependent individuals.
{"title":"Cognitive styles diversity and group creativity: Evidence from fNIRS hyperscanning","authors":"Liu Ning , Ou Yang Yan Ping , Ren Sai Nan","doi":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115986","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115986","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores how cognitive style diversity (differences in information processing among team members) influences group creativity through interpersonal neural mechanisms. 116 college students were assigned to high-diversity (HD) groups (mix of field-independent and field-dependent individuals) or low-diversity (LD) groups (homogeneous cognitive styles). Both groups completed a creative task (umbrella design) and a routine task (desk purchase) while their prefrontal cortex (PFC) and right temporoparietal junction (r-TPJ) activity was monitored via fNIRS. Results revealed that HD groups produced significantly more novel ideas than LD groups. fNIRS data showed enhanced brain synchronization in HD groups within the frontal pole and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Field-independent individuals dominated neural interactions in HD groups, with delayed inter-brain synchronization positively correlating with creative novelty. Findings suggest cognitive diversity fosters group creativity through complementary neural coordination between field-independent and field-dependent individuals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8823,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Brain Research","volume":"500 ","pages":"Article 115986"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145740688","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
People with visual impairment (VI) may have improved tactile recognition skills due to enhanced cognitive processing. However, whether this enhancement varies depending on whether VI is acquired early or late is unclear. This study aimed to determine the differences in behavioral performance during tactile stimulus detection and P300 wave latency between three groups: early-onset VI group (EVI), late-onset VI group (LVI), and sighted control group (CG). Brain cortical activity was also analyzed. Participants' hands were passively stimulated with a vibrotactile device, and participants were asked to identify the stimulus while electroencephalography and P300 event-related potentials were recorded. Behavioral performance, P300 latency, and bioelectrical brain activity were assessed. EVI (n = 13) and LVI (n = 12) groups showed better tactile recognition performance with shorter reaction times than CG (n = 14) (p < 0.05). This may be due to the tactile experience that people with VI may have. No differences were found among the three groups for P300 latency (p > 0.05). Both EVI and CG groups exhibited significant activity in the superior and middle frontal regions, which may be related to attention and working memory processes. EVI group also exhibited greater activity in bilateral parietal structures, which may be linked to multimodal information processing and the dorsal pathway, involved in spatial processing (the “where” of things). By contrast, the LVI group showed significantly higher activity in the superior temporal areas, which may be related to the ventral pathway responsible for object identification (the “what” of things).
{"title":"A cross-sectional study of the event-related potential of tactile stimulus recognition and brain activity in individuals with early- and late-onset visual impairment","authors":"Mónica Ahulló , M.Luz Sánchez-Sánchez , Elena Ortiz-Teran , Tomás Ortiz , Enrique Varela-Donoso","doi":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115967","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115967","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>People with visual impairment (VI) may have improved tactile recognition skills due to enhanced cognitive processing. However, whether this enhancement varies depending on whether VI is acquired early or late is unclear. This study aimed to determine the differences in behavioral performance during tactile stimulus detection and P300 wave latency between three groups: early-onset VI group (EVI), late-onset VI group (LVI), and sighted control group (CG). Brain cortical activity was also analyzed. Participants' hands were passively stimulated with a vibrotactile device, and participants were asked to identify the stimulus while electroencephalography and P300 event-related potentials were recorded. Behavioral performance, P300 latency, and bioelectrical brain activity were assessed. EVI (n = 13) and LVI (n = 12) groups showed better tactile recognition performance with shorter reaction times than CG (n = 14) (p < 0.05). This may be due to the tactile experience that people with VI may have. No differences were found among the three groups for P300 latency (p > 0.05). Both EVI and CG groups exhibited significant activity in the superior and middle frontal regions, which may be related to attention and working memory processes. EVI group also exhibited greater activity in bilateral parietal structures, which may be linked to multimodal information processing and the dorsal pathway, involved in spatial processing (the “where” of things). By contrast, the LVI group showed significantly higher activity in the superior temporal areas, which may be related to the ventral pathway responsible for object identification (the “what” of things).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8823,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Brain Research","volume":"500 ","pages":"Article 115967"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145628417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-03-05Epub Date: 2025-12-11DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115994
Hongchi Zhang , Amir Jahanian-Najafabadi , Khaled Bagh , Lorenza Colzato , Bernhard Hommel
Previous research has linked psychiatric disorders to alterations in the aperiodic exponent—a measure of excitatory–inhibitory (E/I) balance derived from resting-state EEG that reflects broadband, non-oscillatory brain activity. This measure also appears sensitive to age-related neurodevelopmental changes. In this study, we investigated whether the aperiodic exponent varies with age in children and adolescents diagnosed with adjustment disorder (AD) or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), compared to age-matched healthy controls. While healthy participants showed no significant association between age and the aperiodic exponent, both clinical groups exhibited a pronounced nonlinear relationship. Specifically, the exponent was lower in early childhood and early adulthood, but peaked around 9–10 years of age. This U-shaped developmental trajectory suggests a deviation from normative brain maturation in AD and ODD and points to temporally specific alterations in cortical E/I balance. These findings underscore the potential of the aperiodic exponent as a developmentally sensitive neural marker of externalising psychopathology and may inform age-tailored diagnostic and intervention strategies in child and adolescent psychiatry.
{"title":"Tracking the developing brain: Resting-state aperiodic activity reveals nonlinear cortical maturation in externalizing disorders","authors":"Hongchi Zhang , Amir Jahanian-Najafabadi , Khaled Bagh , Lorenza Colzato , Bernhard Hommel","doi":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115994","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115994","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Previous research has linked psychiatric disorders to alterations in the aperiodic exponent—a measure of excitatory–inhibitory (E/I) balance derived from resting-state EEG that reflects broadband, non-oscillatory brain activity. This measure also appears sensitive to age-related neurodevelopmental changes. In this study, we investigated whether the aperiodic exponent varies with age in children and adolescents diagnosed with adjustment disorder (AD) or oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), compared to age-matched healthy controls. While healthy participants showed no significant association between age and the aperiodic exponent, both clinical groups exhibited a pronounced nonlinear relationship. Specifically, the exponent was lower in early childhood and early adulthood, but peaked around 9–10 years of age. This U-shaped developmental trajectory suggests a deviation from normative brain maturation in AD and ODD and points to temporally specific alterations in cortical E/I balance. These findings underscore the potential of the aperiodic exponent as a developmentally sensitive neural marker of externalising psychopathology and may inform age-tailored diagnostic and intervention strategies in child and adolescent psychiatry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8823,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Brain Research","volume":"500 ","pages":"Article 115994"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145740728","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-03-05Epub Date: 2025-12-12DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115992
Shuai Jin , Xue Wei , Peihua Xian , Junshu Ma , Shenghao Shi , Zhiyuan Liu
Given the complexity of the environment and the constraints on cognitive resources, missed opportunities frequently arise in risky decision-making. However, the relationship between regret feelings for missed opportunities and subsequent risky decision-making among maximizers, as well as the influence of time pressure on this dynamic, remains unclear. Based on 580 participants, we conducted a cross-sectional survey and two EEG experiments to investigate these issues. The results revealed a positive correlation between maximization and risk-taking tendency (Study 1). Compared to satisficers, maximizers showed stronger regret feelings and increased the late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes in response to missed opportunities, and were more inclined to engage in risky decisions. Moreover, maximizers’ regret feelings about missed opportunities facilitated their risky decision-making by amplifying LPP amplitudes (Study 2). Compared to the low-time-pressure condition, maximizers exhibited diminished regret feelings and reduced LPP amplitudes in response to missed opportunities, and less risky decision-making behavior under the high-time-pressure condition. Additionally, time pressure attenuated the association between regret feelings for missed opportunities and risky decision-making (Study 3). Overall, this study highlights that maximizers’ regret feelings about missed opportunities drive them to take risky decision-making, and time pressure can reduce the degree to which this occurs.
{"title":"Beyond the road not taken: Experienced regret-induced risk seeking in maximizers","authors":"Shuai Jin , Xue Wei , Peihua Xian , Junshu Ma , Shenghao Shi , Zhiyuan Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115992","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115992","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Given the complexity of the environment and the constraints on cognitive resources, missed opportunities frequently arise in risky decision-making. However, the relationship between regret feelings for missed opportunities and subsequent risky decision-making among maximizers, as well as the influence of time pressure on this dynamic, remains unclear. Based on 580 participants, we conducted a cross-sectional survey and two EEG experiments to investigate these issues. The results revealed a positive correlation between maximization and risk-taking tendency (Study 1). Compared to satisficers, maximizers showed stronger regret feelings and increased the late positive potential (LPP) amplitudes in response to missed opportunities, and were more inclined to engage in risky decisions. Moreover, maximizers’ regret feelings about missed opportunities facilitated their risky decision-making by amplifying LPP amplitudes (Study 2). Compared to the low-time-pressure condition, maximizers exhibited diminished regret feelings and reduced LPP amplitudes in response to missed opportunities, and less risky decision-making behavior under the high-time-pressure condition. Additionally, time pressure attenuated the association between regret feelings for missed opportunities and risky decision-making (Study 3). Overall, this study highlights that maximizers’ regret feelings about missed opportunities drive them to take risky decision-making, and time pressure can reduce the degree to which this occurs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8823,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Brain Research","volume":"500 ","pages":"Article 115992"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145755083","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Chronic social stress is a major risk for psychopathologies such as depression, often leading to altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function and glucocorticoid resistance. This study examines how chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) affects sensitivity to dexamethasone by analyzing HPA axis genes expression in C57Bl/6 mice. Adult male mice were subjected to 30 days of stress, followed by dexamethasone or saline administration. Genes expression was analyzed in the hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex (PFC; Nr3c1 only), and adrenal glands at multiple time points post-treatment. CSDS induced marked dysregulation of HPA axis-related genes, including a decrease in hypothalamic Crh and Crhbp, and adrenal Mc2r, Nr3c1, alongside an upregulation of steroidogenic enzymes Cyp11a1 and Cyp11b1, which may account for the elevated corticosterone levels observed under chronic stress conditions. CSDS alters the genes expression response to dexamethasone, indicating a delayed recovery of glucocorticoid receptor signaling in the brain and adrenal glands. Our findings reveal significant stress-induced alterations in the expression of key HPA axis genes, suggesting impaired glucocorticoid receptor signaling and potential glucocorticoid resistance in stressed mice.
{"title":"The effect of chronic stress on sensitivity to dexamethasone treatment of HPA axis gene expression in C57Bl/6 mice","authors":"Rasha Salman , Polina Ritter , Yuliya Ryabushkina , Julia Khantakova , Natalya Bondar","doi":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.116000","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.116000","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chronic social stress is a major risk for psychopathologies such as depression, often leading to altered hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function and glucocorticoid resistance. This study examines how chronic social defeat stress (CSDS) affects sensitivity to dexamethasone by analyzing HPA axis genes expression in C57Bl/6 mice. Adult male mice were subjected to 30 days of stress, followed by dexamethasone or saline administration. Genes expression was analyzed in the hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex (PFC; <em>Nr3c1</em> only), and adrenal glands at multiple time points post-treatment. CSDS induced marked dysregulation of HPA axis-related genes, including a decrease in hypothalamic <em>Crh</em> and <em>Crhbp</em>, and adrenal <em>Mc2r, Nr3c1</em>, alongside an upregulation of steroidogenic enzymes <em>Cyp11a1</em> and <em>Cyp11b1</em>, which may account for the elevated corticosterone levels observed under chronic stress conditions. CSDS alters the genes expression response to dexamethasone, indicating a delayed recovery of glucocorticoid receptor signaling in the brain and adrenal glands. Our findings reveal significant stress-induced alterations in the expression of key HPA axis genes, suggesting impaired glucocorticoid receptor signaling and potential glucocorticoid resistance in stressed mice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8823,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Brain Research","volume":"500 ","pages":"Article 116000"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145780107","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-03-05Epub Date: 2025-12-19DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2025.116001
Akihiro Masuyama
Cognitive control dysfunction, including impairments in inhibition, shifting, updating, and the balance between proactive and reactive control, is a robust feature of depression. Although these patterns are well documented, their origins and possible functions remain debated. This narrative review asks whether recurrent depressive cognitive-control profiles can be interpreted, in part, through evolutionary frameworks. Integrating Social Rank Theory, the Analytical Rumination Hypothesis, and Social Bargaining Theory, this review maps depressive control patterns onto putative functions related to hierarchy management, complex problem solving, and social support recruitment. Rather than treating cognitive control dysfunction as a unitary deficit, this review synthesizes component-level evidence and network perspectives to argue that specific configurations of control processes and attentional biases may reflect context-sensitive trade-offs. These hypotheses are situated within broader explanations, including evolutionary mismatch, byproduct accounts, stress–inflammation pathways, and developmental and cultural contingencies. This broader framing emphasizes that conditionally functional states can still be costly and clinically impairing in contemporary environments. Overall, this review proposes an integrative framework linking computational aims, cognitive algorithms, and neural implementations to evolutionary hypotheses, clarifying why particular cognitive-control profiles may recur in depression and resist change. Clinically, this framework motivates using cognitive control training and cognitive-behavioral interventions as mechanistic probes to identify and modify the control parameters and network couplings most relevant to a given depressive profile.
{"title":"Evolutionary explanations of depression and cognitive control dysfunction: A literature review","authors":"Akihiro Masuyama","doi":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.116001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.116001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cognitive control dysfunction, including impairments in inhibition, shifting, updating, and the balance between proactive and reactive control, is a robust feature of depression. Although these patterns are well documented, their origins and possible functions remain debated. This narrative review asks whether recurrent depressive cognitive-control profiles can be interpreted, in part, through evolutionary frameworks. Integrating Social Rank Theory, the Analytical Rumination Hypothesis, and Social Bargaining Theory, this review maps depressive control patterns onto putative functions related to hierarchy management, complex problem solving, and social support recruitment. Rather than treating cognitive control dysfunction as a unitary deficit, this review synthesizes component-level evidence and network perspectives to argue that specific configurations of control processes and attentional biases may reflect context-sensitive trade-offs. These hypotheses are situated within broader explanations, including evolutionary mismatch, byproduct accounts, stress–inflammation pathways, and developmental and cultural contingencies. This broader framing emphasizes that conditionally functional states can still be costly and clinically impairing in contemporary environments. Overall, this review proposes an integrative framework linking computational aims, cognitive algorithms, and neural implementations to evolutionary hypotheses, clarifying why particular cognitive-control profiles may recur in depression and resist change. Clinically, this framework motivates using cognitive control training and cognitive-behavioral interventions as mechanistic probes to identify and modify the control parameters and network couplings most relevant to a given depressive profile.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8823,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Brain Research","volume":"500 ","pages":"Article 116001"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145803126","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by early sensorimotor delays, which often precede core social deficits as well as restricted and repetitive behaviors. Environmental enrichment (EE) is a promising behavioral intervention for ASD; however, its potential to prevent these earliest neurodevelopmental disruptions remains unexplored. This study investigated whether sustained EE could prevent early milestone delays in a prenatal valproic acid (VPA) rat model of ASD. Female Wistar rats were housed in standard (SH) or EE conditions for eight weeks, beginning two weeks before conception and continuing through lactation. Dams received a single injection of VPA (500 mg/kg) or saline on gestational day 12.5. Offspring were assessed daily from postnatal day (PND) 1–21 for the acquisition of physical and sensorimotor milestones. EE significantly mitigated VPA-induced delays in a subset of key neurodevelopmental milestones. While EE did not fully normalize development to control levels, a composite neurodevelopmental score revealed that EE significantly attenuated the global impairment induced by VPA. These findings demonstrate that preconception-perinatal EE confers partial protection against functional neurodevelopmental deficits in a predictive ASD model, highlighting its potential as a preventive strategy targeting the earliest manifestations of neurodevelopmental disruption.
{"title":"Environmental enrichment partially rescues neurodevelopmental milestone delays in the prenatal VPA rat model of autism spectrum disorders","authors":"Oussama Duieb, Ayoub Rezqaoui, Soufiane Boumlah, Laila Ibouzine-Dine, Hasnaa Mallouk, Soumia Ed-Day, Aboubaker Elhessni, Abdelhalem Mesfioui","doi":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.116003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.116003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by early sensorimotor delays, which often precede core social deficits as well as restricted and repetitive behaviors. Environmental enrichment (EE) is a promising behavioral intervention for ASD; however, its potential to prevent these earliest neurodevelopmental disruptions remains unexplored. This study investigated whether sustained EE could prevent early milestone delays in a prenatal valproic acid (VPA) rat model of ASD. Female Wistar rats were housed in standard (SH) or EE conditions for eight weeks, beginning two weeks before conception and continuing through lactation. Dams received a single injection of VPA (500 mg/kg) or saline on gestational day 12.5. Offspring were assessed daily from postnatal day (PND) 1–21 for the acquisition of physical and sensorimotor milestones. EE significantly mitigated VPA-induced delays in a subset of key neurodevelopmental milestones. While EE did not fully normalize development to control levels, a composite neurodevelopmental score revealed that EE significantly attenuated the global impairment induced by VPA. These findings demonstrate that preconception-perinatal EE confers partial protection against functional neurodevelopmental deficits in a predictive ASD model, highlighting its potential as a preventive strategy targeting the earliest manifestations of neurodevelopmental disruption.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8823,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Brain Research","volume":"500 ","pages":"Article 116003"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145797739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-03-05Epub Date: 2025-12-11DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115993
Zhi Yang , Xinlan Xu , Renhao Liu , Nan Zhang , Weiqi He
Social factors are regarded as key contributors to the development of problematic social networking site use (PSNSU). The processing of crowd facial expressions, an important social cue, remains unclear among individuals with PSNSU. This study investigated differences in the processing of crowd negative facial expressions between individuals with high (HPSNSU) and low (LPSNSU) tendencies for PSNSU. Participants judged intensity differences between crowds and a probe face, while electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded during the crowd presentation. The results showed that the HPSNSU group exhibited higher sensitivity to the intensity differences. Importantly, the amplitude of vertex positive potential (VPP) was significantly higher in the HPSNSU group compared to that of the LPSNSU group. Furthermore, brain networks in the HPSNSU group exhibited lower modularity around the N170/VPP time window. These results suggest that individuals with HPSNSU may be particularly attentive to social cues, providing partial support for the notion that fear of missing out (FoMO) contributes to the development of PSNSU. Our study advances the understanding of the role of social factors in PSNSU development and provides implications for prevention and intervention strategies.
{"title":"Heightened sensitivity to negative crowd facial expressions in individuals with a high tendency for problematic social networking site use","authors":"Zhi Yang , Xinlan Xu , Renhao Liu , Nan Zhang , Weiqi He","doi":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115993","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.bbr.2025.115993","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Social factors are regarded as key contributors to the development of problematic social networking site use (PSNSU). The processing of crowd facial expressions, an important social cue, remains unclear among individuals with PSNSU. This study investigated differences in the processing of crowd negative facial expressions between individuals with high (HPSNSU) and low (LPSNSU) tendencies for PSNSU. Participants judged intensity differences between crowds and a probe face, while electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded during the crowd presentation. The results showed that the HPSNSU group exhibited higher sensitivity to the intensity differences. Importantly, the amplitude of vertex positive potential (VPP) was significantly higher in the HPSNSU group compared to that of the LPSNSU group. Furthermore, brain networks in the HPSNSU group exhibited lower modularity around the N170/VPP time window. These results suggest that individuals with HPSNSU may be particularly attentive to social cues, providing partial support for the notion that fear of missing out (FoMO) contributes to the development of PSNSU. Our study advances the understanding of the role of social factors in PSNSU development and provides implications for prevention and intervention strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":8823,"journal":{"name":"Behavioural Brain Research","volume":"500 ","pages":"Article 115993"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145751444","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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