Identifying genetic differences between bipolar disorder and major depression through multiple genome-wide association analyses.

Background: Accurate diagnosis of bipolar disorder (BPD) is difficult in clinical practice, with an average delay between symptom onset and diagnosis of about 7 years. A depressive episode often precedes the first manic episode, making it difficult to distinguish BPD from unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD).

Aims: We use genome-wide association analyses (GWAS) to identify differential genetic factors and to develop predictors based on polygenic risk scores (PRS) that may aid early differential diagnosis.

Fractal cycles of sleep, a new aperiodic activity-based definition of sleep cycles.

Sleep cycles are defined as episodes of non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep followed by an episode of REM sleep. Fractal or aperiodic neural activity is a well-established marker of arousal and sleep stages measured using electroencephalography. We introduce a new concept of 'fractal cycles' of sleep, defined as a time interval during which time series of fractal activity descend to their local minimum and ascend to the next local maximum.

Genetic Analysis of Retinal Cell Types in Neuropsychiatric Disorders.

Importance: As an accessible part of the central nervous system, the retina provides a unique window to study pathophysiological mechanisms of brain disorders in humans. Imaging and electrophysiological studies have revealed retinal alterations across several neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders, but it remains largely unclear which specific cell types and biological mechanisms are involved.

Objective: To determine whether specific retinal cell types are affected by genomic risk for neuropsychiatric and neurological disorders and to explore the mechanisms through which genomic risk converges in these cell types.

A stratified treatment algorithm in psychiatry: a program on stratified pharmacogenomics in severe mental illness (Psych-STRATA): concept, objectives and methodologies of a multidisciplinary project funded by Horizon Europe.

Schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar (BD) and major depression disorder (MDD) are severe psychiatric disorders that are challenging to treat, often leading to treatment resistance (TR). It is crucial to develop effective methods to identify and treat patients at risk of TR at an early stage in a personalized manner, considering their biological basis, their clinical and psychosocial characteristics. Effective translation of theoretical knowledge into clinical practice is essential for achieving this goal.

Reasons to move-a cross-sectional study to identify factors promoting regular exercise.

Regular physical activity can prevent various physical and mental illnesses or improve their prognosis. However, only about half of the German population meets the WHO recommendations for physical activity. The aim of this study was to identify factors that influence engagement in regular exercise and could help increase physical activity levels in the general population.

Lost and found: dynamics of relationship and employment status over time in people with affective and psychotic spectrum disorders.

Background: Employment and relationship are crucial for social integration. However, individuals with major psychiatric disorders often face challenges in these domains.

Aims: We investigated employment and relationship status changes among patients across the affective and psychotic spectrum - in comparison with healthy controls, examining whether diagnostic groups or functional levels influence these transitions.

Contrasting genetic burden for bipolar disorder: Early onset versus late onset in an older adult bipolar disorder sample.

Older Adults with Bipolar Disorder (OABD) represent a heterogeneous group, including those with early and late onset of the disorder. Recent evidence shows both groups have distinct clinical, cognitive, and medical features, tied to different neurobiological profiles. This study explored the link between polygenic risk scores (PRS) for bipolar disorder (PRS-BD), schizophrenia (PRS-SCZ), and major depressive disorder (PRS-MDD) with age of onset in OABD.

BMIgap: a new tool to quantify transdiagnostic brain signatures of current and future weight.

Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of weight gain could reduce excess mortality and improve long-term trajectories of psychiatric disorders. We used support-vector machines and whole-brain voxel-wise grey matter volume to generate and validate a BMI predictor in healthy individuals (N = 1504) and applied it to individuals with schizophrenia (SCZ,N = 146), clinical high-risk states for psychosis (CHR,N = 213) and recent-onset depression (ROD,N = 200). We computed BMIgap (BMI-BMI), interrogated its brain-level overlaps with SCZ and explored whether BMIgap predicted weight gain at 1- and 2-year follow-up.

Investigation of choroid plexus variability in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders-insights from a multimodal study.

Previous studies have suggested that choroid plexus (ChP) enlargement occurs in individuals with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSD) and is associated with peripheral inflammation. However, it is unclear whether such an enlargement delineates a biologically defined subgroup of SSD. Moreover, it remains elusive how ChP is linked to brain regions associated with peripheral inflammation in SSD.

SKA2 enhances stress-related glucocorticoid receptor signaling through FKBP4-FKBP5 interactions in neurons.

Genes involved in regulating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, including the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), are linked to various stress-related psychopathologies including bipolar disorder as well as other mood and trauma-related disorders. The protein product of the cell cycle gene, is a GR interaction partner in peripheral cells. However, the precise roles of SKA2 in stress and GR signaling in the brain, specifically in nonreplicating postmitotic neurons, and its involvement in HPA axis regulation remain unclear.

Sex-specific fear acquisition following early life stress is linked to amygdala and hippocampal purine and glutamate metabolism.

Early life stress (ELS) can negatively impact health, increasing the risk of stress-related disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Importantly, PTSD disproportionately affects women, emphasizing the critical need to explore how sex differences influence the genetic and metabolic neurobiological pathways underlying trauma-related behaviors. This study uses the limited bedding and nesting (LBN) paradigm to model ELS and investigate its sex-specific effects on fear memory formation.

Exploring the Effects of Prefrontal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Brain Metabolites: A Concurrent tDCS-MRS Study.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique used to modulates cortical brain activity. However, its effects on brain metabolites within the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a crucial area targeted for brain stimulation in mental disorders, remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate whether prefrontal tDCS over the left and right DLPFC modulates levels of key metabolites, including gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate (Glu), glutamine/glutamate (Glx), N-acetylaspartate (NAA), near to the target region and to explore potential sex-specific effects on these metabolite concentrations.

Melatonin Attenuates PFOS-Induced Reproductive Toxicity of Pregnant Mice due to Placental Damage Via Antioxidant, Anti-Aging and Anti-Inflammatory Pathways.

Background: Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), an industrially synthesized persistent organic pollutant (POP), is intricately intertwined with human production and daily life. It has been discovered that PFOS is related to an elevated incidence of birth defects in fetuses. In contrast, melatonin (MLT), a hormone secreted by the pineal gland, has been demonstrated to exert a protective effect on reproductive development.

EPA guidance on lifestyle interventions for adults with severe mental illness: A meta-review of the evidence.

There is growing interest in lifestyle interventions as stand-alone and add-on therapies in mental health care due to their potential benefits for both physical and mental health outcomes. We evaluated lifestyle interventions focusing on physical activity, diet, and sleep in adults with severe mental illness (SMI) and the evidence for their effectiveness. To this end, we conducted a meta-review and searched major electronic databases for articles published prior to 09/2022 and updated our search in 03/2024.

A framework for neural organoids, assembloids and transplantation studies.

As the field of neural organoids and assembloids rapidly expands, there is an emergent need for guidance and advice on designing, conducting and reporting experiments to increase the reproducibility and utility of these models. Here, our consortium- representing specialized laboratories from around the world- presents a framework for the experimental process that ranges from ensuring the quality and integrity of human pluripotent stem cells to characterizing and manipulating neural cells in vitro, and from transplantation techniques to considerations for modeling human development, evolution, and disease. As with all scientific endeavors, we advocate for rigorous experimental designs tailored to explicit scientific questions, and transparent methodologies and data sharing, to provide useful knowledge for both current research practices and for developing regulatory standards.

Prenatal exposures and cell type proportions are main drivers of DNA methylation in maltreated and non-maltreated children.

DNA methylation in peripheral tissues may be a relevant biomarker of risk for developing mental disorders after exposure to early life adversity. Genes involved in HPA axis regulation, such as , might play a key role. In this study, we aimed to identify the main drivers of salivary methylation in a cohort of 162 maltreated and non-maltreated children aged 3-5 years at two measurement timepoints.

Skin Markers of Premature Ageing in Patients with COPD: Results Form COSYCONET.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is commonly associated with ageing, with the prevalence and severity increasing by age. Smoking-induced premature ageing is thought to contribute to COPD, particularly lung emphysema. This study aimed to explore the relationship between lung function impairment and skin texture, as a marker of biological or premature ageing, in COPD patients.

Differential Dynamics and Roles of FKBP51 Isoforms and Their Implications for Targeted Therapies.

The expression of , and its resulting protein FKBP51, is strongly induced by glucocorticoids. Numerous studies have explored their involvement in a plethora of cellular processes and diseases. There is, however, a lack of knowledge on the role of the different RNA splicing variants and the two protein isoforms, one missing functional C-terminal motifs.

Opportunities for System Neuroscience.

Systems neuroscience explores the intricate organization and dynamic function of neural circuits and networks within the brain. By elucidating how these complex networks integrate to execute mental operations, this field aims to deepen our understanding of the biological basis of cognition, behavior, and consciousness. In this chapter, we outline the promising future of systems neuroscience, highlighting the emerging opportunities afforded by powerful technological innovations and their applications.