Publications by authors named "Hua-Qing Meng"
Background: Blonanserin (BNS) is a well-tolerated and effective drug for treating schizophrenia.
Aim: To investigate which types of patients would obtain the most benefit from BNS treatment.
Methods: A total of 3306 participants were evaluated in a 12-week, prospective, multicenter, open-label post-marketing surveillance study of BNS.
Article Synopsis
- Despite advancements in neuroimaging research on major depressive disorder (MDD), findings remain inconsistent due to small sample sizes and varying analysis methods, prompting the launch of the Depression Imaging REsearch ConsorTium (DIRECT) and the REST-meta-MDD project, which pooled data from 2,428 functional brain images.
- The initial analyses revealed significant changes in brain connectivity and dynamics, laying the groundwork for future research and highlighting the need for more comprehensive studies across diverse populations.
- DIRECT's second phase aims to broaden the investigation of brain alterations in MDD by including various ethnic groups and other mental health disorders, while also focusing on long-term studies of treatment effects and improving neuroimaging methodologies for clinical applications.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the nucleus accumbens (NAc), which is key in reward processing and its role in major depressive disorder (MDD).
- Through meta- and mega-analysis of resting-state fMRI data, it was found that patients with recurrent MDD exhibited decreased functional connectivity within the NAc-based reward circuits.
- The research highlights that disrupted connectivity between the reward network and the default mode network (DMN) may aid in differentiating MDD patients from healthy individuals, suggesting potential biomarkers for diagnosis.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates the alterations in functional homotopy architecture in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), highlighting a significant reduction in functional connectivity between homotopic brain regions.
- Using resting-state fMRI data from over 1,000 MDD patients and nearly 900 healthy controls, researchers found specific areas in the brain, like the posterior cingulate gyrus and precuneus, showed notably decreased connectivity in MDDs, with variations related to age and gender.
- The findings suggest that structural connectivity deficits in MDD may impact how information is exchanged between the brain's hemispheres, correlating with the severity of depressive symptoms and indicating potential areas for further study in treatment.
Article Synopsis
- * Researchers employed graph theory methods to analyze functional brain networks, finding that MDD patients exhibited significantly decreased global and local efficiency compared to normal controls.
- * The results highlighted specific disruptions in critical brain networks, particularly affecting recurrent MDD patients, indicating a consistent pattern of impaired efficiency in both local and global brain network communication.
Brain structural alterations in MDD patients with gastrointestinal symptoms: Evidence from the REST-meta-MDD project.
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry
December 2021
Article Synopsis
- This study aims to investigate the neural underpinnings of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) by examining changes in brain structure, specifically focusing on gray matter volume (GMV) and density (GMD).* -
- Researchers divided participants into three groups: MDD patients with GI symptoms, MDD patients without GI symptoms, and healthy controls, analyzing MRI scans from a total of 930 individuals and using tools like the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale to assess symptoms.* -
- Results showed that patients with GI symptoms had higher depression scores and significant differences in brain structure compared to the other groups, particularly in regions like the superior temporal gyrus and caudate nucleus, suggesting a link between
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates brain functional connectivity asymmetry in patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) using resting-state fMRI data from 753 patients compared to 451 healthy controls.
- Results show that MDD patients exhibited increased asymmetry scores, indicating decreased specialization in various brain networks, particularly in the default mode, control, and attention networks, influenced by demographic and clinical variables.
- The findings suggest that MDD disrupts efficient brain information processing, providing new insights into the pathophysiology of depression that could inform future research.
Article Synopsis
- Major depressive disorder (MDD) is complex and can be divided into subtypes based on differences in brain connectivity within the default mode network (DMN), as revealed by a study involving 1,397 participants (690 MDD patients and 707 healthy controls).
- Researchers used advanced data analysis methods, such as K-means and principal component analysis, to identify two distinct MDD subgroups—hyperDMN MDD (increased connectivity) and hypoDMN MDD (decreased connectivity)—which were consistently observed across multiple trials.
- The discovery highlights the importance of understanding these neural subtypes, potentially guiding more personalized treatments for individuals with depression based on their specific connectivity patterns.
Article Synopsis
- Major depressive disorder (MDD) is prevalent and disabling, with unclear underlying brain mechanisms; the REST-meta-MDD Project aims to address these knowledge gaps using a large data set.
- The project involved 25 research groups in China analyzing resting-state fMRI data from 1,300 MDD patients and 1,128 normal controls, finding decreased connectivity in the default mode network (DMN) among recurrent MDD patients.
- The study highlights the importance of DMN connectivity in MDD, revealing a relationship between decreased connectivity, medication usage, and symptom severity, while encouraging further research on the impact of these findings on treatment response.
Objective: To assess the efficacy and tolerability of trazodone compared with placebo in patients with insomnia.
Methods: Electronic databases were searched and relevant reports were hand-screened to identify eligible trials. Only randomized placebo-controlled trials were included.
The gray matter volumes of 58 pairs of twins ranging in age from 12 to 18 were measured by MRI to explore the genetic and environmental impacts on gray matter volume in twin children and adolescents. By means of A/C/E structural equation modeling, it was found that the gray matter volume in children and adolescents was jointly affected by genetic (A: 0.89) and environmental factors while genetic factors play a greater role.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSchizophrenia is a debilitating mental disorder. Currently, the lack of disease biomarkers to support objective laboratory tests constitutes a bottleneck in the clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia. Here, a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) based metabolomic approach was applied to characterize the metabolic profile of schizophrenia subjects (n = 69) and healthy controls (n = 85) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to identify and validate biomarkers for schizophrenia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBipolar disorder (BD) is a common and debilitating mental disorder. However, there are no biomarkers available to aid in the diagnosis of this disorder. Here, we used a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) based metabonomic method to characterize the urinary metabolic profiling of BD subjects and healthy controls to identify and validate urinary metabolite biomarkers for BD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAssociation of the manganese superoxide dismutase gene Ala-9Val polymorphism with clinical phenotypes and tardive dyskinesia in schizophrenic patients.
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry
May 2010
Objective: Several recent studies that have investigated the genetic association between the manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) gene Ala-9Val single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and tardive dyskinesia (TD) have produced conflicting results. This study was to investigate whether this SNP was associated with clinical phenotypes and antipsychotic-induced tardive dyskinesia (TD) in schizophrenia in a genetically homogeneous Han Chinese inpatient population.
Methods: Genotyping was performed for the MnSOD gene Ala-9Val SNP in Chinese schizophrenia patients with (n=176) and without TD (n=346).
[Analysis of 324 cases of forensic psychiatry expert testimony in Chongqing].
Fa Yi Xue Za Zhi
October 2009
Objective: To study the current situation and features of forensic psychiatric identification in Chongqing.
Methods: The demographic data and criminological characteristics of 324 cases were analyzed using self-made questionnaire.
Results: There were 322 cases in which opinions to diagnosis and law-related items were both given.
Monoamine oxidase (MAO) A is a critical enzyme in the catabolism of dopamine. Dysfunction of dopaminergic systems has been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, suggesting that MAOA gene variation might be associated with the disorder. MAOA gene variation was compared between 234 Chinese schizophrenic patients and 121 healthy controls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF[A twin study on intelligence and processing speed heritability of children and adolescent].
Zhonghua Yi Xue Yi Chuan Xue Za Zhi
June 2009
Objective: To explore the effects of the genetic and environmental factors on intelligence of children and adolescent from the Southwest China Prospective Twin Registry (SCPT).
Methods: The intelligence was investigated by using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (C-WISC) in 333 twin pairs aged 6-16 years. The effects of genetic and environmental factors on IQ were analyzed by using structural equation modeling (SEM) and correlation analysis method.
[Examining the comorbidity of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorder in a population-based twin sample].
Zhonghua Yi Xue Yi Chuan Xue Za Zhi
February 2008
Objective: To examine three possible causes of the relationship between attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder and conduct disorder: additive genetic factors(A), common environmental factors(C) and individual-specific environmental factors(E).
Methods: One hundred and forty pairs of twins from the Southwestern China Twin Registry were examined with the parent-rated Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The cross-twin within-variable, within-twin cross-variable and cross-twin cross-variable correlations were calculated.