Publications by authors named "L J Picker"

Major depressive disorder is a common, disabling mental disorder characterized by extensive etiological and phenotypic heterogeneity. This heterogeneity makes treatment approaches imprecise and often ineffective. Insight into the underlying biological mechanisms underpinning depression and its subtypes may enable more personalized treatments.

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Background: Recent years show an exponential increased interest ("renaissance") in the use of psychedelics for the treatment of mental disorders and broader. Some of these treatments, such as psilocybin for depression, are in the process of formal regulation by regulatory bodies in the US (FDA) and Europe (EMA), and as such on the brink of real-world implementation. In the slipstream of these developments increasing commercial initiatives are taking shape.

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Background: Fragmented rapid eye movement (REM) sleep disrupts the overnight resolution of emotional distress, a process crucial for emotion regulation. Emotion dysregulation, which is common across psychiatric disorders, is often associated with sleep disturbances. This systematic review explores how REM sleep and nightmares affect emotion processing and regulation in individuals with psychiatric disorders where emotion dysregulation is a key concern, suggesting novel sleep-related treatment pathways.

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In a letter critiquing our manuscript, Takefuji highlights general pitfalls in machine learning, without directly engaging with our study. The comments provide generic advice rather than a specific critique of our methods or findings. Despite raising important topics, the concerns reflect standard risks in machine learning, which we were aware of and explicitly addressed in our analyses.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant global health threat, and researchers are exploring innovative vaccine strategies using modified cytomegalovirus (CMV) vectors to enhance immune memory against TB.
  • - The study examined two variations of the RhCMV/TB vaccine in rhesus macaques, revealing that they stimulate robust immune responses, characterized by specific genetic signatures linked to protection against related viral infections.
  • - Findings highlighted that while both vaccine types initiated an immune response, the modified version lacking the pp71 protein did not sustain protective gene expression as effectively, suggesting that pp71 is crucial for long-term vaccine efficacy against TB.
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