The involvement of the cerebellar vermis across the psychotic-affective spectrum in enriched samples of recent-onset schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder.

Background: The cerebellar vermis is implicated in cognition and emotion, two key components of the psychotic-affective spectrum that includes schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BD), and major depressive disorder (MDD).

Methods: Volumes [N = 391; 97 SCZ, 78 BD, 103 MDD, and 113 healthy controls (HC)] and seed-to-whole brain functional connectivity (FC) [N = 136; 33 SCZ, 23 BD, 51 MDD, and 29 HC] of total vermis and its subregions, V1 (anterior), V2 (posterior superior), and V3 (posterior inferior), were examined across SCZ, BD, MDD, and HC in samples enriched for first episode individuals. The relationship between vermis volumes and FC and cognitive measures were explored.

Characterizing the distinct imaging phenotypes, clinical behavior, and genetic vulnerability of brain maturational subtypes in mood disorders.

Background: Mood disorders are characterized by great heterogeneity in clinical manifestation. Uncovering such heterogeneity using neuroimaging-based individual biomarkers, clinical behaviors, and genetic risks, might contribute to elucidating the etiology of these diseases and support precision medicine.

Methods: We recruited 174 drug-naïve and drug-free patients with major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, as well as 404 healthy controls.

Digital Dietary Behaviors in Individuals With Depression: Real-World Behavioral Observation.

Background: Depression is often accompanied by changes in behavior, including dietary behaviors. The relationship between dietary behaviors and depression has been widely studied, yet previous research has relied on self-reported data which is subject to recall bias. Electronic device-based behavioral monitoring offers the potential for objective, real-time data collection of a large amount of continuous, long-term behavior data in naturalistic settings.

Unmasking the mental health scars of COVID-19: A longitudinal investigation of children and adolescents in post-lockdown China.

The long-term mental health consequences of COVID-19 in children and adolescents remain unclear. We investigated the impact of COVID-19 infection on mental health after China's zero-COVID policy relaxation, focusing on symptom-specific and social-family risk factors for mental health issues in children and adolescents. In a longitudinal study, 8348 youths (aged 10-18) were assessed twice (T1: September to October 2022 and T2: April to May 2023).

Integrative omics analysis reveals epigenomic and transcriptomic signatures underlying brain structural deficits in major depressive disorder.

Several lines of evidence support the involvement of transcriptomic and epigenetic mechanisms in the brain structural deficits of major depressive disorder (MDD) separately. However, research in these two areas has remained isolated. In this study, we proposed an integrative strategy that combined neuroimaging, brain-wide gene expression, and peripheral DNA methylation data to investigate the genetic basis of gray matter abnormalities in MDD.

A neuroimaging-based precision medicine framework for depression.

Background: Symptom-based diagnostic criteria of depression leads to notorious heterogeneity and subjectivity.

Methods: The study was conducted in two stages at two sites: development of a neuroimaging-based subtyping and precise repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) strategy for depression at Center 1 and its clinical application at Center 2. Center 1 identified depression subtypes and subtype-specific rTMS targets based on amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) in a cohort of 238 major depressive disorder patients and 66 healthy controls (HC).

School-based Evaluation Advancing Response for Child Health (SEARCH): a mixed longitudinal cohort study from multifaceted perspectives in Jiangsu, China.

Background: Schools play a crucial role in providing mental health services to children and adolescents. However, the vastness of the student population and mental health workforce shortage in China severely limit the capacity for adequate care access and delivery.

Objective: We propose a large, mixed longitudinal cohort study, 'School-based Evaluation Advancing Response for Child Health (SEARCH)', aimed at addressing the increasing demand from individuals seeking access to mental healthcare services.

Visual cortex repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) reversing neurodevelopmental impairments in adolescents with major psychiatric disorders (MPDs): A cross-species translational study.

Aims: Neurodevelopmental impairments are closely linked to the basis of adolescent major psychiatric disorders (MPDs). The visual cortex can regulate neuroplasticity throughout the brain during critical periods of neurodevelopment, which may provide a promising target for neuromodulation therapy. This cross-species translational study examined the effects of visual cortex repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on neurodevelopmental impairments in MPDs.

Neurodevelopmental trajectories, polygenic risk, and lipometabolism in vulnerability and resilience to schizophrenia.

Background: Schizophrenia (SZ) arises from a complex interplay involving genetic and molecular factors. Early intervention of SZ hinges upon understanding its vulnerability and resiliency factors in study of SZ and genetic high risk for SZ (GHR).

Methods: Herein, using integrative and multimodal strategies, we first performed a longitudinal study of neural function as measured by amplitude of low frequency function (ALFF) in 21 SZ, 26 GHR, and 39 healthy controls to characterize neurodevelopmental trajectories of SZ and GHR.

Combinatorial panel with endophenotypes from multilevel information of diffusion tensor imaging and lipid profile as predictors for depression.

Objective: Clinical heterogeneity in major depressive disorder likely reflects the range of etiology and contributing factors in the disorder, such as genetic risk. Identification of more refined subgroups based on biomarkers such as white matter integrity and lipid-related metabolites could facilitate precision medicine in major depressive disorder.

Methods: A total of 148 participants (15 genetic high-risk participants, 57 patients with first-episode major depressive disorder and 76 healthy controls) underwent diffusion tensor imaging and plasma lipid profiling.

Applying dimensional psychopathology: transdiagnostic prediction of executive cognition using brain connectivity and inflammatory biomarkers.

Background: The association between executive dysfunction, brain dysconnectivity, and inflammation is a prominent feature across major psychiatric disorders (MPDs), schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. A dimensional approach is warranted to delineate their mechanistic interplay across MPDs.

Methods: This single site study included a total of 1543 participants (1058 patients and 485 controls).

A Real-World Observation of Antipsychotic Effects on Brain Volumes and Intrinsic Brain Activity in Schizophrenia.

Background: The confounding effects of antipsychotics that led to the inconsistencies of neuroimaging findings have long been the barriers to understanding the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SZ). Although it is widely accepted that antipsychotics can alleviate psychotic symptoms during the early most acute phase, the longer-term effects of antipsychotics on the brain have been unclear. This study aims to look at the susceptibility of different imaging measures to longer-term medicated status through real-world observation.

Frontal-posterior functional imbalance and aberrant function developmental patterns in schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a neurodevelopmental disorder. There remain significant gaps in understanding the neural trajectory across development in SZ. A major research focus is to clarify the developmental functional changes of SZ and to identify the specific timing, the specific brain regions, and the underlying mechanisms of brain alterations during SZ development.

Neurobiological substrates of major psychiatry disorders: transdiagnostic associations between white matter abnormalities, neuregulin 1 and clinical manifestation.

Background: Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder are increasingly being conceptualized as a transdiagnostic continuum. Disruption of white matter is a common alteration in these psychiatric disorders, but the molecular mechanisms underlying the disruption remain unclear. Neuregulin 1 (NRG1) is genetically linked with susceptibility to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder, and it is also related to white matter.

Three major psychiatric disorders share specific dynamic alterations of intrinsic brain activity.

Background: Increasing evidence suggests that major psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ) share biological, neuropsychological and clinical features, despite the criteria for their respective diagnoses being different. Neuroimaging studies have shown disrupted 'static' neural connectivity in these disorders. However, the changes in brain dynamics across the three psychiatric disorders remain unknown.

Antipsychotic ffects on ortical Morphology in chizophrenia and ipolar isorders.

Previous studies of atypical antipsychotic effects on cortical structures in schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) have findings that vary between the short and long term. In particular, there has not been a study exploring the effects of atypical antipsychotics on age-related cortical structural changes in SZ and BD. This study aimed to determine whether mid- to long-term atypical antipsychotic treatment (mean duration = 20 months) is associated with cortical structural changes and whether age-related cortical structural changes are affected by atypical antipsychotics.

Transdiagnostic time-varying dysconnectivity across major psychiatric disorders.

Dynamic functional connectivity (DFC) analysis can capture time-varying properties of connectivity. However, studies on large samples using DFC to investigate transdiagnostic dysconnectivity across schizophrenia (SZ), bipolar disorder (BD), and major depressive disorder (MDD) are rare. In this study, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and a sliding-window method to study DFC in a total of 610 individuals (150 with SZ, 100 with BD, 150 with MDD, and 210 healthy controls [HC]) at a single site.

Applying dimensional psychopathology: transdiagnostic associations among regional homogeneity, leptin and depressive symptoms.

Dimensional psychopathology and its neurobiological underpinnings could provide important insights into major psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. In a dimensional transdiagnostic approach, we examined depressive symptoms and their relationships with regional homogeneity and leptin across major psychiatric disorders. A total of 728 participants (including 403 patients with major psychiatric disorders and 325 age-gender-matched healthy controls) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging at a single site.

Altered structural connectivity and cytokine levels in Schizophrenia and Genetic high-risk individuals: Associations with disease states and vulnerability.

Background: Alterations of white matter (WM) integrity have been observed in both schizophrenia (SZ) and individuals at genetic high risk for SZ (GHR-SZ); however, the molecular mechanisms underlying WM disruption remain unclear. Cytokines are chemical messengers of the immune system that are closely related to inflammation and neurogenesis in the brain. This study aimed to identify abnormalities in WM integrity, cytokine levels, and their association in SZ and GHR-SZ.