Publications by authors named "Jia-shu Yao"
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.
Reduced Plasma Estradiol Levels are Associated with Sleep Apnea in Depressed Peri- and Post-Menopausal Women.
Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat
December 2021
Objective: This study aimed at investigating the correlation between estradiol and sleep apnea among women with major depressive disorders during the perimenopausal and postmenopausal periods.
Methods: A total of 84 perimenopausal and postmenopausal women diagnosed with depression, and who had been subjected to whole-night polysomnography (PSG) were retrospectively studied. They were assigned into two groups based on the presence of OSA (apnea-hypopnea index (AHI)≥5) (OSA vs non-OSA).
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
Anxious major depressive disorder is a common subtype of major depressive disorder; however, its unique neural mechanism is not well-understood currently. Using multimodal MRI data, this study examined common and specific alterations of amygdala subregions between patients with and without anxiety. No alterations were observed in the gray matter volume or intra-region functional integration in either patient group.
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- 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.
The pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is very complex and there are currently no significant treatments for the disease. Caspase-8 is known to be involved in neuronal apoptosis. To explore a possible molecular mechanisms involved in AD pathology, this study investigated the effect of caspase-8 knockdown on amyloid-β 1-40 (Aβ1-40)-induced apoptosis in PC12 cells.
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