Publications by authors named "Jun-Juan Zhu"
Background: Prior studies have noted great variability in the plasma levels of risperidone (RIS). Plasma concentrations of RIS and its active moiety are highly variable and depend on absorption, metabolism, and other predictors of metabolic dysregulation; however, these factors are poorly understood and the association between metabolic change and change in psychopathology is uncertain.
Aim: To ascertain the characteristics of chronic schizophrenic patients treated with RIS, and to assess their relationship with plasma RIS levels.
We aimed to determine the relationship between electrophysiological signatures of error monitoring and clinical insight among outpatients with attenuated psychosis syndrome (APS) and first-episode psychosis (FEP). Error-related negativity (ERN), error positivity (Pe), and correct response negativity (CRN) were recorded during a modified flanker task for patients with FEP (n = 32), APS individuals (n = 58), and healthy controls (HC, n = 49). Clinical insight was measured using the Schedule of Assessment of Insight (SAI) and included awareness of illness (SAI-illness), relabeling of specific symptoms (SAI-symptoms), and treatment compliance (SAI-treatment).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDirect and indirect effects of error monitoring on social functioning in a cohort with high-risk and first-episode psychosis.
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry
February 2024
Error monitoring plays a key role in people's adjustment to social life. This study aimed to examine the direct (DE) and indirect effects (IDE) of error monitoring, as indicated by error-related negativity (ERN), on social functioning in a clinical cohort from high-risk (APS) to first-episode psychosis (FEP). This study recruited 100 outpatients and 49 healthy controls (HC).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle 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.
Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is now an established, safe, and effective treatment for adults with depression. However, specific research in rTMS for use in elderly patients with acute depression is scarce.
Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of add-on rTMS in a clinical sample of older adults experiencing an acute phase of depression.
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.
Background: Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is considered as an effective treatment for adults with major depressive disorder. However, it remains unknown whether rTMS has comparable or better efficacy in adolescents.
Objective: The current naturalistic study aimed to investigate the efficacy and clinical outcome of add-on rTMS in a large sample of adolescent patients compared to adult patients.