DNA-damage orchestrates self-renewal and differentiation via reciprocal p53 family and Hippo/Wnt/TGF-β pathway activation in embryonic stem cells.

The mechanism by which DNA-damage affects self-renewal and pluripotency remains unclear. DNA damage and repair mechanisms have been largely elucidated in mutated cancer cells or simple eukaryotes, making valid interpretations on early development difficult. Here we show the impact of ionizing irradiation on the maintenance and early differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs).

Aberrant Cortical Morphological Networks in First-Episode Schizophrenia.

Background And Hypothesis: Population-based morphological covariance networks are widely reported to be altered in schizophrenia. Individualized morphological brain network approaches have emerged recently. We hypothesize that individualized morphological brain networks are disrupted in schizophrenia.

Interplay of Chromatin Remodeling BAF Complexes in Mouse Embryonic and Epiblast Stem Cell Conversion and Maintenance.

Mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from pre-implantation and post-implantation embryos, respectively. These cells are capable of interconversion through manipulation of key transcription factors and signaling pathways. While BAF chromatin remodeling complexes are known to play crucial roles in ESC self-renewal and pluripotency, their roles in EpiSCs and their interconversion with ESCs remain unclear.

Subcortical and insula functional connectivity aberrations and clinical implications in first-episode schizophrenia.

Introduction: Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder whose pathophysiology remains elusive, particularly in the roles of subcortex. This study aims to explore the role of subcortex and insula and their relationship with symptom changes in first-episode schizophrenia (FES) patients by utilizing machine learning algorithms and functional connectivity (FC).

Methods: The study encompasses 261 participants, sourced from two independent samples of FES patients and their matched healthy controls (HC).

Microstate D as a Biomarker in Schizophrenia: Insights from Brain State Transitions.

There is a significant correlation between EEG microstate and the neurophysiological basis of mental illness, brain state, and cognitive function. Given that the unclear relationship between network dynamics and different microstates, this paper utilized microstate, brain network, and control theories to understand the microstate characteristics of short-term memory task, aiming to mechanistically explain the most influential microstates and brain regions driving the abnormal changes in brain state transitions in patients with schizophrenia. We identified each microstate and analyzed the microstate abnormalities in schizophrenia patients during short-term memory tasks.

Segregation of the regional radiomics similarity network exhibited an increase from late childhood to early adolescence: A developmental investigation.

Brain development is characterized by an increase in structural and functional segregation, which supports the specialization of cognitive processes within the context of network neuroscience. In this study, we investigated age-related changes in morphological segregation using individual Regional Radiomics Similarity Networks (R2SNs) constructed with a longitudinal dataset of 494 T1-weighted MR scans from 309 typically developing children aged 6.2 to 13 years at baseline.

N-Methyl-d-Aspartate Receptor Antibody and Sensory Gating Deficits in Non-smoking, Minimal Antipsychotic Medication Exposure, and First-Episode Patients With Schizophrenia.

Background And Hypothesis: Sensory gating deficit is considered a pathophysiological feature of schizophrenia, which has been linked to N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) hypofunction as one of the potential underlying mechanisms. Here, we hypothesize that higher levels of NMDAR antibody (Ab) may contribute to the sensory gating deficits in schizophrenia.

Study Design: We enrolled 72 non-smoking inpatients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES), most of them with only a relatively short duration of exposure to antipsychotic medications, and 51 non-smoking healthy controls (HC).

Pathological Intraplaque Hemorrhage as the Gold Standard to Assess the Efficacy of Ultrasound in Predicting Vulnerable Carotid Plaque Rupture.

Objective: To assess the clinical utility of ultrasound in predicting the risk of carotid vulnerable plaque rupture using pathological intraplaque hemorrhage as the gold standard.

Methods: A total of 118 patients who underwent endarterectomy due to symptomatic carotid artery stenosis were enrolled. Conventional ultrasound assessed the plaque thickness, area stenosis rate, echo, and surface morphology.

Abnormal circadian rhythm of heart rate variability and their association with symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder.

Background: Heart rate variability (HRV) is often reduced in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and is linked to symptoms. However, prior studies have mainly focused on short-term HRV, with limited exploration of the 24-h HRV circadian rhythm, despite its ability to comprehensively capture overall HRV distribution and dynamic fluctuations. In this study, we investigated the circadian rhythms of 24-h HRV indices in patients with MDD and their associations with symptom severity.

The neural and genetic underpinnings of different developmental trajectories of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Symptoms in children and adolescents.

Background: The trajectory of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in children and adolescents, encompassing descending, stable, and ascending patterns, delineates their ADHD status as remission, persistence or late onset. However, the neural and genetic underpinnings governing the trajectory of ADHD remain inadequately elucidated.

Methods: In this study, we employed neuroimaging techniques, behavioral assessments, and genetic analyses on a cohort of 487 children aged 6-15 from the Children School Functions and Brain Development project at baseline and two follow-up tests for 1 year each (interval 1: 1.

Behavioral evidence of impaired self-referential processing in patients with affective disorders and first-episode schizophrenia.

Despite the critical role of self-disturbance in psychiatric diagnosis and treatment, its diverse behavioral manifestations remain poorly understood. This investigation aimed to elucidate unique patterns of self-referential processing in affective disorders and first-episode schizophrenia. A total of 156 participants (41 first-episode schizophrenia [SZ], 33 bipolar disorder [BD], 44 major depressive disorder [MDD], and 38 healthy controls [HC]) engaged in a self-referential effect (SRE) task, assessing trait adjectives for self-descriptiveness, applicability to mother, or others, followed by an unexpected recognition test.

Immunosenescence-related T cell phenotypes and white matter in schizophrenia patients with tardive dyskinesia.

Schizophrenia patients with tardive dyskinesia (TD) are associated with accelerated biological aging, immunological dysfunction, and premature morbidity and mortality. Older individuals are particularly vulnerable to TD development. As a characteristic of immunosenescence, alterations in the relative proportions of naïve or memory T cell subpopulations may be negatively or positively associated with brain structure abnormalities; however, whether these changes are correlated with TD remains unclear.