BMC Psychiatry最新文献

Background: Physical activity (PA) benefits mental health, yet uptake and adherence are challenging, particularly for those affected by depression. Active virtual reality gaming (AVRG) may provide an engaging route to increase PA.

Objective: To investigate the feasibility and acceptability of AVRG for increasing PA engagement and adherence in young men, and to explore effects on mental-health-related outcomes.

Methods: In a randomised controlled feasibility trial (n = 30), physically inactive males aged 18-29, reporting mild to moderate depressive symptoms were allocated to Active AVRG (n = 14) or Waitlist (WL) control (n = 16). The intervention ran for 8 weeks with a 4-week post-trial follow-up. Exploratory analysis of secondary outcomes compared pre- and post-AVRG scores using paired t-test (normal), or Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test (non-normal); correlations used Pearson's or Spearman's coefficients.

Results: Both the feasibility and acceptability criteria were met with 67% of potentially eligible participants, and 100% of those who booked phone screening randomised and enrolled. Retention was high, with 93.3% completing the study, and 87.5% completing all data collection measures. Exploratory analysis of secondary outcomes, showed a significant reduction in both Patient Health Questionnaire- 9 (PHQ-9) scores mean difference (MD) -2.82, (p = 0.006) and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale- 21 (DASS-21) stress scores MD -3.56 (p = 0.049) over the intervention period, as well as a very strong (p = 0.001) negative correlation (r =-0.57) between PHQ-9 score and number of sessions, a strong (p = 0.01) negative correlation between PHQ-9 and number of sessions > 30 mins. In addition, a moderate (p = 0.03) negative correlation (r =-0.43) was found between post-intervention DASS-21 Depression score and number of sessions > 30 mins. PA increased over the course of the intervention with none of the participants meeting the Australian National PA Guidelines at baseline, increasing to 50% at end of trial.

Conclusions: This study found that a home-based AVRG intervention was feasible, acceptable, and safe for young men with mild-moderate depressive symptoms, with high recruitment, retention, and adherence. Exploratory findings indicate improvements in PA and favourable changes in mental-health measures. These results support progression to a fully powered trial.

Trial registration: This trial was registered with the Australia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register (approved 22/12/2020, Registration number: ACTRN12620001372976).

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is linked to extensive gray matter volume (GMV) reductions and frequently co-occurs with metabolic dysfunction. However, the shared genetic basis linking neurostructural abnormalities and metabolic traits remains poorly understood.

Methods: Using a coordinate-based meta-analytic framework, we synthesized findings from 57 voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies to characterize GMV alterations in MDD. Spatial transcriptomic correlation analysis was performed using the Allen Human Brain Atlas to identify genes associated with these alterations. In parallel, conjunctional false discovery rate (conjFDR) analysis was applied to genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics from MDD and five metabolic traits-glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG)-to identify pleiotropic loci. Functional characterization of the intersecting genes was conducted by applying gene ontology enrichment and protein-protein interaction (PPI) analyses.

Results: We identified consistent GMV reductions in the left superior temporal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, and insula. A total of 2,585 genes were spatially correlated with GMV alterations. ConjFDR analysis revealed 20-195 pleiotropic loci across metabolic traits and MDD. Gene-level overlap analysis identified 13-73 shared genes per trait, with FADS2 emerging as a common gene across all five traits. Functional annotation highlighted pathways related to lipid metabolism and synaptic signaling.

Conclusion: This integrative multi-omics study reveals shared genetic mechanisms linking brain structure in MDD with systemic metabolic traits. FADS2 may serve as a molecular hub underlying this convergence, suggesting that targeting FADS2-mediated lipid metabolism could represent a novel therapeutic strategy for mitigating both neurostructural deficits and metabolic dysregulation in MDD.

Clinical trial registration: Clinical trial number: Not applicable.