Evaluating Apelin as a Potential Biomarker in Major Depressive Disorder: Its Correlation with Clinical Symptomatology.

To date, only a limited number of studies have investigated the potential effects of apelin on mood regulation and emotional behavior. Therefore, this study investigated apelin's role in major depressive disorder (MDD) by comparing the serum and plasma apelin concentrations between 30 patients with MDD and 30 healthy controls (HCs), and the correlated serum and plasma apelin levels and the severity of depressive symptoms using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). Blood samples were collected following 12 h of fasting, and the apelin levels were measured using an ELISA kit.

Volume enlargement of the choroid plexus and brain ventricles in drug-naïve, first-episode major depressive disorder.

Background: We investigated volumetric alterations in the bilateral choroid plexus (ChP) and brain ventricles of patients during their first episode of major depressive disorder (MDD) prior to antidepressant treatment.

Methods: Seventy-one first-episode drug-naïve patients with MDD and seventy-four healthy control (HC) subjects were recruited. MRI data were obtained, and bilateral ChP and brain ventricle volumes were evaluated using segmentation, based on the adaptive multiscale and expectation maximization method.

Refractory Depression With Persistent Sore Throat and Hypochondriacal Delusion of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Case Study.

Herein, we present a case of a female patient with a persistent sore throat, which preceded a hypochondriacal delusion of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Both the sore throat and hypochondriacal delusion persisted together, despite the repeatedly negative results of reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for SARS-CoV-2 and a moderate improvement in her depression. Four possibilities for the patient's sore throat were discussed: pain symptoms of somatic symptom disorder, pain symptoms of depression, delusion of pain in her throat, and somatic hallucination as a sore throat.

Triple network connectivity changes in patients with major depressive disorder versus healthy controls via structural network imaging after electroconvulsive therapy treatment.

Objective: To investigate the effect of electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) on dynamic structural network connectivity in major depressive disorder (MDD), based on the triple-network model.

Methods: Twenty-one first-episode, drug-naïve patients with MDD and 21 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects were recruited. Bilateral electrical stimulation was performed thrice a week for a total of 4-5 weeks in the MDD group.

Gyrification patterns in first-episode, drug-naïve major depression: Associations with plasma levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and psychiatric symptoms.

Background And Objectives: Cortical structural changes in major depressive disorder (MDD) are usually studied using a voxel-based morphometry approach to delineate the cortical gray matter volume. Among cortical structures, gyrification patterns are considered a relatively stable indicator. In this study, we investigated differences in gyrification patterns between MDD patients and healthy controls (HCs) and explored the association of gyrification patterns with plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and depressive symptoms in MDD patients.