Associations of alcohol and cannabis use with change in posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms over time in recently trauma-exposed individuals

Nature Mental Health

Although resilience is a dynamic process of recovery after trauma, in most studies it is conceptualized as the absence of specific psychopathology following trauma. Here, using the emergency department AURORA study (n = 1,865 with 63% women), we took a longitudinal, dynamic and transdiagnostic approach to define a static resilience (r) factor, which could explain greater than 50% of variance in mental well-being 6 months following trauma and a dynamic resilience factor, which represented recovery from initial symptoms. We then assessed its neurobiological profile across threat, inhibition and reward processes using functional magnetic resonance imaging collected 2 weeks post-trauma (n = 260). Our whole-brain and study-wide Bonferroni-corrected results suggest that resilience is promoted by activation of regions involved in higher-level cognitive functioning, reward valuation and salience detection …

Molecular psychiatry

Despite significant advances in the study of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), important questions remain about the disorder's public health significance, appropriate diagnostic classification, and clinical heterogeneity. These issues were explored using data from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication, a nationally representative survey of US adults. A subsample of 2073 respondents was assessed for lifetime Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edn (DSM-IV) OCD. More than one quarter of respondents reported experiencing obsessions or compulsions at some time in their lives. While conditional probability of OCD was strongly associated with the number of obsessions and compulsions reported, only small proportions of respondents met full DSM-IV criteria for lifetime (2.3%) or 12-month (1.2%) OCD. OCD is associated with substantial comorbidity, not only with anxiety and mood …

Biological Psychiatry

BackgroundRacial discrimination (RD) is a chronic stressor that can influence biological adaptations, including functional changes in threat-related neural networks and epigenetic alterations that reflect advanced cellular aging. We examined associations between RD, resting-state functional connectivity, and DNA methylation age (Horvath's clock) in a sample of trauma-exposed Black American women.MethodsNinety adult Black American women (age 18-62 years) recruited as part of a long-standing study of trauma, the Grady Trauma Project, completed assessments of RD, trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and underwent resting-state fMRI. Blood samples were collected for DNA methylation/Horvath's clock calculation in a subset (n= 49). Seed-to-voxel connectivity analyses were performed (using the CONN toolbox) with a brainstem seed region critically involved with threat response, the locus …

Tauopathies, a group of neurodegenerative diseases that includes Alzheimer’s disease, commonly lead to disturbances in sleep-wake patterns and circadian rhythm disorders. The circadian rhythm, a recurring 24-hour cycle governing human biological activity, is regulated by the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and endogenous transcriptional-translational feedback loops. Surprisingly, little attention has been given to investigating tauopathy-driven neuropathology in the SCN and the repercussions of SCN and circadian gene dysfunction in the human brain affected by tauopathies. This review aims to provide an overview of the current literature on the vulnerability of the SCN in tauopathies in humans. Emphasis is placed on elucidating the neuronal and glial changes contributing to the widespread disruption of the molecular circadian clock. Furthermore, this review identifies areas of knowledge …

Frontiers in Psychiatry

Background Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use (tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis) are highly comorbid. Many factors affect this relationship, including sociodemographic and psychosocial characteristics, other prior traumas, and physical health. However, few prior studies have investigated this prospectively, examining new substance use and the extent to which a wide range of factors may modify the relationship to PTSD. Methods The Advancing Understanding of RecOvery afteR traumA (AURORA) study is a prospective cohort of adults presenting at emergency departments (N = 2,943). Participants self-reported PTSD symptoms and the frequency and quantity of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use at six total timepoints. We assessed the associations of PTSD and future substance use, lagged by one timepoint, using the Poisson generalized estimating equations. We also stratified by incident and prevalent substance use and generated causal forests to identify the most important effect modifiers of this relationship out of 128 potential variables. Results At baseline, 37.3% (N = 1,099) of participants reported likely PTSD. PTSD was associated with tobacco frequency (incidence rate ratio (IRR): 1.003, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.01, p = 0.02) and quantity (IRR: 1.01, 95% CI: 1.001, 1.01, p = 0.01), and alcohol frequency (IRR: 1.002, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.004, p = 0.03) and quantity (IRR: 1.003, 95% CI: 1.001, 1.01, p = 0.001), but not with cannabis use. There were slight differences in incident compared to prevalent tobacco frequency and quantity of use; prevalent tobacco frequency and quantity were associated with PTSD symptoms, while …

The Clinical Neuropsychologist

Objective Individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D) have increased risk for cognitive dysfunction and high rates of sleep disturbance. Despite associations between glycemia and cognitive performance using cross-sectional and experimental methods few studies have evaluated this relationship in a naturalistic setting, or the impact of nocturnal versus daytime hypoglycemia. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) may provide insight into the dynamic associations between cognition, affective, and physiological states. The current study couples EMA data with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) to examine the within-person impact of nocturnal glycemia on next day cognitive performance in adults with T1D. Due to high rates of sleep disturbance and emotional distress in people with T1D, the potential impacts of sleep characteristics and negative affect were also evaluated. Methods This pilot study utilized EMA in …

Social acceptance and rejection are salient experiences, especially during adolescence. Acceptance and rejection relate to changes in positive and negative affect, although directionality of the relation remains unclear. The ability to regulate affect following social experiences may be part of the etiology of social anxiety disorder. With the importance of social cues in adolescence, as well as adolescence as a key window for the onset of social anxiety, we used daily diary data collected in a sample ranging from 9-18 years to examine daily changes in acceptance, rejection, positive affect, and negative affect. Taking a person-centered approach, we constructed networks directionally linking social experiences and affect, which served as behaviors of interest (“nodes”) in the network, for each individual. From these networks, we extracted recovery times from different nodes, ie, the number of days it took for a node to return to baseline when 1) the node itself was perturbed and 2) when a connected node was perturbed. We examined associations between network metrics and social anxiety, age, gender, and their interaction. We found that the recovery time of positive affect when social acceptance was perturbed was inversely related with social anxiety and age, suggesting benefits of acceptance may be shorter-lasting for those with more (vs. less) social anxiety symptoms and for older (vs. younger) adolescents. We conclude that positive affect may be a critical yet understudied piece in understanding why adolescence is a developmental period of increased risk for psychopathology and for understanding the etiology of social anxiety disorder.

PsyArXiv

Findings: In a cohort study of 2942 patients presenting to 29 emergency departments across 113 the US, significant sex differences in the effects of PTSD risk factors were identified. Despite 114 women’s higher PTSD severity, analyses showed that men were more vulnerable to the 115 negative impacts of pre-trauma anxiety and acute dissociation. 116 Meaning: These results suggest that known risk factors for PTSD behave differently in men 117 than women. This knowledge can be used to develop customized preventive interventions. 118

Journal of psychiatric research

This study aims to develop and validate a brief bedside tool to screen women survivors presenting for emergency care following sexual assault for risk of persistent elevated posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) six months after assault. Participants were 547 cisgender female sexual assault survivors who presented to one of 13 sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) programs for medical care within 72 h of a sexual assault and completed surveys one week and six months after the assault. Data on 222 potential predictors from the SANE visit and the week one survey spanning seven broadly-defined risk factor domains were candidates for inclusion in the screening tool. Elevated PTSS six months after assault were defined as PCL-5 > 38. LASSO logistic regression was applied to 20 randomly selected bootstrapped samples to evaluate variable importance. Logistic regression models comprised of the top 10, 20 …

This study examines the association between brain dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) and current/future posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptom severity, and the impact of sex on this relationship. By analyzing 275 participants’ dFNC data obtained~ 2 weeks after trauma exposure, we noted that brain dynamics of an inter-network brain state link negatively with current (r=-0.179, p corrected= 0.021) and future (r=-0.166, p corrected= 0.029) PTS symptom severity. Also, dynamics of an intra-network brain state correlated with future symptom intensity (r= 0.192, p corrected= 0.021). We additionally observed that the association between the network dynamics of the inter-network brain state with symptom severity is more pronounced in females (r=-0.244, p corrected= 0.014). Our findings highlight a potential link between brain network dynamics in the aftermath of trauma with current and future PTSD outcomes, with a stronger protective effect of inter-network brain states against symptom severity in females, underscoring the importance of sex differences.

Nature Genetics

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) genetics are characterized by lower discoverability than most other psychiatric disorders. The contribution to biological understanding from previous genetic studies has thus been limited. We performed a multi-ancestry meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies across 1,222,882 individuals of European ancestry (137,136 cases) and 58,051 admixed individuals with African and Native American ancestry (13,624 cases). We identified 95 genome-wide significant loci (80 new). Convergent multi-omic approaches identified 43 potential causal genes, broadly classified as neurotransmitter and ion channel synaptic modulators (for example, GRIA1, GRM8 and CACNA1E), developmental, axon guidance and transcription factors (for example, FOXP2, EFNA5 and DCC), synaptic structure and function genes (for example, PCLO, NCAM1 and PDE4B) and endocrine or immune …

Nature Mental Health

Although resilience is a dynamic process of recovery after trauma, in most studies it is conceptualized as the absence of specific psychopathology following trauma. Here, using the emergency department AURORA study (n = 1,865 with 63% women), we took a longitudinal, dynamic and transdiagnostic approach to define a static resilience (r) factor, which could explain greater than 50% of variance in mental well-being 6 months following trauma and a dynamic resilience factor, which represented recovery from initial symptoms. We then assessed its neurobiological profile across threat, inhibition and reward processes using functional magnetic resonance imaging collected 2 weeks post-trauma (n = 260). Our whole-brain and study-wide Bonferroni-corrected results suggest that resilience is promoted by activation of regions involved in higher-level cognitive functioning, reward valuation and salience detection …

Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population Health

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of all CT imaging completed at an urban, tertiary care ED from May 1–July 31, 2021. During that period, 5,685 CTs were performed on 4,344 patients, with a median time from CT order to completion of 108 minutes (Quartile 1 [Q1]: 57 minutes, Quartile 3 [Q3]: 182 minutes, interquartile range [IQR]: 125 minutes). Outliers were defined as studies that took longer than 369 minutes to complete (Q3+ 1.5× IQR). We systematically reviewed outlier charts to determine factors associated with delay and identified five factors: behaviorally non-compliant or medically unstable patients; intravenous (IV) line issues; contrast allergies; glomerular filtration rate (GFR) concerns; and delays related to imaging protocol (eg, need for IV contrast, request for oral and/or rectal contrast). We calculated confidence intervals (CI) using the modified Wald method. Inter-rater reliability was assessed with a kappa analysis.Results: We identified a total of 182 outliers (4.2% of total patients). Fifteen (8.2%) cases were excluded for CT time-stamp inconsistencies. Of the 167 outliers analyzed, 38 delays (22.8%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 17.0–29.7) were due to behaviorally non-compliant or medically unstable patients; 30 (18.0%, 95% CI 12.8–24.5) were due to IV issues; 24 (14.4%, 95% CI 9.8–20.6) were due to contrast allergies; 21 (12.6%, 95% CI 8.3–18.5) were due to GFR concerns; and 20 (12.0%, 95% CI 7.8–17.9) were related to imaging study protocols. The cause of the delay was unknown in 55 cases (32.9%, 95% CI 26.3–40.4).Conclusion: Our review identified both modifiable and non-modifiable factors associated with …

Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging

BackgroundDeeper phenotyping may improve our understanding of depression. Because depression is heterogeneous, extracting cognitive signatures associated with severity of depressive symptoms, anhedonia, and affective states is a promising approach.MethodsSequential sampling models (SSMs) decomposed behavior from an adaptive approach-avoidance conflict (AAC) task into computational parameters quantifying latent cognitive signatures. Fifty unselected participants completed clinical scales and the AAC task by either approaching or avoiding trials offering monetary rewards and electric shocks.ResultsDecision dynamics were best captured by an SSM with linear collapsing boundaries varying by net offer values, and with drift rates varying by trial-specific reward and aversion, reflecting net evidence accumulation towards approach or avoidance. Unlike conventional behavioral measures, these …

This study examines the association between brain dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) and current/future posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptom severity, and the impact of sex on this relationship. By analyzing 275 participants’ dFNC data obtained~ 2 weeks after trauma exposure, we noted that brain dynamics of an inter-network brain state link negatively with current (r=-0.179, p corrected= 0.021) and future (r=-0.166, p corrected= 0.029) PTS symptom severity. Also, dynamics of an intra-network brain state correlated with future symptom intensity (r= 0.192, p corrected= 0.021). We additionally observed that the association between the network dynamics of the inter-network brain state with symptom severity is more pronounced in females (r=-0.244, p corrected= 0.014). Our findings highlight a potential link between brain network dynamics in the aftermath of trauma with current and future PTSD outcomes, with a stronger protective effect of inter-network brain states against symptom severity in females, underscoring the importance of sex differences.

Biological Psychiatry

BackgroundChronic pain is common after traumatic stress exposure, and novel preventative therapeutics against chronic posttraumatic pain (CPTP) are urgently needed. We recently showed that CPTP-like behavior was reduced in rats via the FKBP51 antagonist, SAFit2, and that SAFit2 administration early following stress led to the greatest CPTP-like reduction. Here, we aimed to gain insight into the molecular basis of this timing effect.MethodsBlood and eight tissues (hypothalamus, left and right hippocampus, amygdala, dorsal root ganglia, spine, heart, and muscle) were collected from rats unexposed to the single prolonged stress (SPS) model and 3-min, 2-hours, 24-hours, and 72-hours following SPS (n> 6 per group). Molecular changes were assessed using corticosterone ELISAs, multiplex immunoassays, and RNA sequencing.ResultsCompared to SPS-unexposed rats, plasma corticosterone levels …

PsyArXiv

Findings: In a cohort study of 2942 patients presenting to 29 emergency departments across 113 the US, significant sex differences in the effects of PTSD risk factors were identified. Despite 114 women’s higher PTSD severity, analyses showed that men were more vulnerable to the 115 negative impacts of pre-trauma anxiety and acute dissociation. 116 Meaning: These results suggest that known risk factors for PTSD behave differently in men 117 than women. This knowledge can be used to develop customized preventive interventions. 118

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This study examines the association between brain dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) and current/future posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptom severity, and the impact of sex on this relationship. By analyzing 275 participants’ dFNC data obtained~ 2 weeks after trauma exposure, we noted that brain dynamics of an inter-network brain state link negatively with current (r=-0.179, p corrected= 0.021) and future (r=-0.166, p corrected= 0.029) PTS symptom severity. Also, dynamics of an intra-network brain state correlated with future symptom intensity (r= 0.192, p corrected= 0.021). We additionally observed that the association between the network dynamics of the inter-network brain state with symptom severity is more pronounced in females (r=-0.244, p corrected= 0.014). Our findings highlight a potential link between brain network dynamics in the aftermath of trauma with current and future PTSD outcomes, with a stronger protective effect of inter-network brain states against symptom severity in females, underscoring the importance of sex differences.

Addiction

Aims To measure the independent consequences of community‐level armed conflict beatings on alcohol use disorders (AUD) among males in Nepal during and after the 2000–2006 conflict. Design A population‐representative panel study from Nepal, with precise measures of community‐level violent events and subsequent individual‐level AUD in males. Females were not included because of low AUD prevalence. Setting Chitwan, Nepal. Participants Four thousand eight hundred seventy‐six males from 151 neighborhoods, systematically selected and representative of Western Chitwan. All residents aged 15–59 were eligible (response rate 93%). Measurements Measures of beatings in the community during the conflict (2000–2006), including the date and distance away, were gathered through neighborhood reports, geo‐location and official resources, then linked to respondents' life histories of AUD …

Psychological Medicine

Background Preterm birth is a global health problem and associated with increased risk of long-term developmental impairments, but findings on the adverse outcomes of prematurity have been inconsistent. Methods Data were obtained from the baseline session of the ongoing longitudinal Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. We identified 1706 preterm children and 1865 matched individuals as Control group and compared brain structure (MRI data), cognitive function and mental health symptoms. Results Results showed that preterm children had higher psychopathological risk and lower cognitive function scores compared to controls. Structural MRI analysis indicated that preterm children had higher cortical thickness in the medial orbitofrontal cortex, parahippocampal gyrus, temporal and occipital gyrus; smaller volumes in the temporal and parietal gyrus, cerebellum, insula and …

Psychological Medicine

BackgroundCardiovascular disease (CVD) is excessively prevalent and premature in bipolar disorder (BD), even after controlling for traditional cardiovascular risk factors. The increased risk of CVD in BD may be subserved by microvascular dysfunction. We examined coronary microvascular function in relation to youth BD.MethodsParticipants were 86 youth, ages 13–20 years (n = 39 BD, n = 47 controls). Coronary microvascular reactivity (CMVR) was assessed using quantitative T2 magnetic resonance imaging during a validated breathing-paradigm. Quantitative T2 maps were acquired at baseline, following 60-s of hyperventilation, and every 10-s thereafter during a 40-s breath-hold. Left ventricular structure and function were evaluated based on 12–15 short- and long-axis cardiac-gated cine images. A linear mixed-effects model that controlled for age, sex, and body mass index assessed for between-group …

Psychological medicine

BackgroundSuicidal behaviors are prevalent among college students; however, students remain reluctant to seek support. We developed a predictive algorithm to identify students at risk of suicidal behavior and used telehealth to reduce subsequent risk.MethodsData come from several waves of a prospective cohort study (2016–2022) of college students (n = 5454). All first-year students were invited to participate as volunteers. (Response rates range: 16.00–19.93%). A stepped-care approach was implemented: (i) all students received a comprehensive list of services; (ii) those reporting past 12-month suicidal ideation were directed to a safety planning application; (iii) those identified as high risk of suicidal behavior by the algorithm or reporting 12-month suicide attempt were contacted via telephone within 24-h of survey completion. Intervention focused on support/safety-planning, and referral to services for this …

Psychological Medicine

BackgroundMild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is common in children. Long-term cognitive and behavioral outcomes as well as underlying structural brain alterations following pediatric mTBI have yet to be determined. In addition, the effect of age-at-injury on long-term outcomes is largely unknown.MethodsChildren with a history of mTBI (n = 406; Mage = 10 years, SDage = 0.63 years) who participated in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study were matched (1:2 ratio) with typically developing children (TDC; n = 812) and orthopedic injury (OI) controls (n = 812). Task-based executive functioning, parent-rated executive functioning and emotion-regulation, and self-reported impulsivity were assessed cross-sectionally. Regression models were used to examine the effect of mTBI on these domains. The effect of age-at-injury was assessed by comparing children with their first mTBI at either 0-3, 4-7, or …

Psychological Medicine

When this article was published in Psychological Medicine, it omitted to capitalise ‘Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview’in its title. This has now been updated online. The author apologises for this error.

Psychological Medicine

BackgroundIncidence of first-episode psychosis (FEP) varies substantially across geographic regions. Phenotypes of subclinical psychosis (SP), such as psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) and schizotypy, present several similarities with psychosis. We aimed to examine whether SP measures varied across different sites and whether this variation was comparable with FEP incidence within the same areas. We further examined contribution of environmental and genetic factors to SP.MethodsWe used data from 1497 controls recruited in 16 different sites across 6 countries. Factor scores for several psychopathological dimensions of schizotypy and PLEs were obtained using multidimensional item response theory models. Variation of these scores was assessed using multi-level regression analysis to estimate individual and between-sites variance adjusting for age, sex, education, migrant, employment and relational …

Psychological Medicine

BackgroundThe relationship between childhood trauma (CT) and psychotic symptoms in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ), and subthreshold psychotic experiences in non-clinical populations is well-established. However, little is known about the relationship between subtypes of trauma and specific symptoms in patients, their siblings, and controls. It is also not clear which variables mediate the relationship between trauma and psychotic symptoms.MethodsSeven hundred and forty-two patients with SCZ, 718 of their unaffected siblings and 1039 controls from three EU-GEI sites were assessed for CT, symptom severity, and cognitive schemas about self/others. CT was assessed with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and cognitive schemas were assessed by The Brief Core Schema Scale.ResultsPatients with psychosis were affected by CT more than their siblings and controls in all domains. Childhood …

Psychological Medicine

BackgroundCerebral microvascular dysfunction may contribute to depression via disruption of brain structures involved in mood regulation, but evidence is limited. We investigated the association of retinal microvascular function, a proxy for microvascular function in the brain, with incidence and trajectories of clinically relevant depressive symptoms.MethodsLongitudinal data are from The Maastricht Study of 5952 participants (59.9 ± 8.5 years/49.7% women) without clinically relevant depressive symptoms at baseline (2010–2017). Central retinal arteriolar equivalent and central retinal venular equivalent (CRAE and CRVE) and a composite score of flicker light-induced retinal arteriolar and venular dilation were assessed at baseline. We assessed incidence and trajectories of clinically relevant depressive symptoms (9-item Patient Health Questionnaire score ⩾10). Trajectories included continuously low prevalence …

Psychological medicine

BackgroundYouth adversity is associated with persistence of depression and anxiety symptoms. This association may be greater for disadvantaged societal groups (such as females) compared with advantaged groups (e.g. males). Given that persistent symptoms are observed across a range of disadvantaged, minoritized, and neurodivergent groups (e.g. low compared with high socio-economic status [SES]), the intersection of individual characteristics may be an important moderator of inequality.MethodsData from HeadStart Cornwall (N = 4441) was used to assess the effect of youth adversity on combined symptoms of depression and anxiety (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire emotional problems subscale) measured at three time-points in 11–14-year-olds. Latent trajectories and regressions were estimated for eight intersectionality profiles (based on gender, SES, and hyperactivity/inattention), and …

Psychological medicine

BackgroundSchizophrenia is associated with hypoactivation of reward sensitive brain areas during reward anticipation. However, it is unclear whether these neural functions are similarly impaired in other disorders with psychotic symptomatology or individuals with genetic liability for psychosis. If abnormalities in reward sensitive brain areas are shared across individuals with psychotic psychopathology and people with heightened genetic liability for psychosis, there may be a common neural basis for symptoms of diminished pleasure and motivation.MethodsWe compared performance and neural activity in 123 people with a history of psychosis (PwP), 81 of their first-degree biological relatives, and 49 controls during a modified Monetary Incentive Delay task during fMRI.ResultsPwP exhibited hypoactivation of the striatum and anterior insula (AI) during cueing of potential future rewards with each diagnostic group …

Psychological Medicine

BackgroundAccumulating data show that probiotics may be beneficial for reducing depressive, anxiety, and stress symptoms. However, the best combinations and species of probiotics have not been identified. The objective of our study was to assess the most effective combinations and components of different probiotics through network meta-analysis.MethodA systematic search of four databases, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane, and Embase, was conducted from inception to 11 January 2024. The GRADE framework was used to assess the quality of evidence contributing to each network estimate.ResultsWe deemed 45 trials eligible, these included 4053 participants and 10 types of interventions. The quality of evidence was rated as high or moderate. The NMA revealed that Bifidobacterium exhibited a greater probability of being the optimal probiotic species for improving anxiety symptoms (SMD = −0.80; 95 …

Psychological Medicine

BackgroundThe age-related heterogeneity in major depressive disorder (MDD) has received significant attention. However, the neural mechanisms underlying such heterogeneity still need further investigation. This study aimed to explore the common and distinct functional brain abnormalities across different age groups of MDD patients from a large-sample, multicenter analysis.MethodsThe analyzed sample consisted of a total of 1238 individuals including 617 MDD patients (108 adolescents, 12–17 years old; 411 early-middle adults, 18–54 years old; and 98 late adults, > = 55 years old) and 621 demographically matched healthy controls (60 adolescents, 449 early-middle adults, and 112 late adults). MDD-related abnormalities in brain functional connectivity (FC) patterns were investigated in each age group separately and using the whole pooled sample, respectively.ResultsWe found shared FC reductions …

Psychological Medicine

BackgroundScreen time in infancy is linked to changes in social-emotional development but the pathway underlying this association remains unknown. We aim to provide mechanistic insights into this association using brain network topology and to examine the potential role of parent–child reading in mitigating the effects of screen time.MethodsWe examined the association of screen time on brain network topology using linear regression analysis and tested if the network topology mediated the association between screen time and later socio-emotional competence. Lastly, we tested if parent–child reading time was a moderator of the link between screen time and brain network topology.ResultsInfant screen time was significantly associated with the emotion processing-cognitive control network integration (p = 0.005). This network integration also significantly mediated the association between screen time and …

Psychological Medicine

BackgroundTo address if the long-standing association between maternal infection, depression/anxiety in pregnancy, and offspring neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) is causal, we conducted two negative-control studies.MethodsFour primary care cohorts of UK children (pregnancy, 1 and 2 years prior to pregnancy, and siblings) born between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 2017 were constructed. NDD included autism/autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy. Maternal exposures included depression/anxiety and/or infection. Maternal (age, smoking status, comorbidities, body mass index, NDD); child (gender, ethnicity, birth year); and area-level (region and level of deprivation) confounders were captured. The NDD incidence rate among (1) children exposed during or outside of pregnancy and (2) siblings discordant for exposure in …

Psychological Medicine

BackgroundChildbirth may be a traumatic experience and vulnerability to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may increase the risk of postpartum depression (PPD). We investigated whether genetic vulnerability to PTSD as measured by polygenic score (PGS) increases the risk of PPD and whether a predisposition to PTSD in PPD cases exceeds that of major depressive disorder (MDD) outside the postpartum period.MethodsThis case-control study included participants from the iPSYCH2015, a case-cohort of all singletons born in Denmark between 1981 and 2008. Restricting to women born between 1981 and 1997 and excluding women with a first diagnosis other than depression (N = 22 613), 333 were identified with PPD. For each PPD case, 999 representing the background population and 993 with MDD outside the postpartum were matched by calendar year at birth, cohort selection, and age. PTSD PGS …

Psychological Medicine

BackgroundPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with cognitive impairments. It is unclear whether problems persist after PTSD symptoms remit.MethodsData came from 12 270 trauma-exposed women in the Nurses' Health Study II. Trauma and PTSD symptoms were assessed using validated scales to determine PTSD status as of 2008 (trauma/no PTSD, remitted PTSD, unresolved PTSD) and symptom severity (lifetime and past-month). Starting in 2014, cognitive function was assessed using the Cogstate Brief Battery every 6 or 12 months for up to 24 months. PTSD associations with baseline cognition and longitudinal cognitive changes were estimated by covariate-adjusted linear regression and linear mixed-effects models, respectively.ResultsCompared to women with trauma/no PTSD, women with remitted PTSD symptoms had a similar cognitive function at baseline, while women with unresolved …

Psychological Medicine

BackgroundVery-late-onset schizophrenia-like psychosis (VLOSLP) is associated with significant burden. Its clinical importance is increasing as the global population of older adults rises, yet owing to limited research in this population, the neurobiological underpinnings of VLOSP remain insufficiently clarified. Here we address this knowledge gap using novel morphometry techniques to investigate grey matter volume (GMV) differences between VLOSLP and healthy older adults, and their correlations with neuropsychological scores.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, we investigated whole-brain GMV differences between 35 individuals with VLOSLP (mean age 76.7, 26 female) and 36 healthy controls (mean age 75.7, 27 female) using whole-brain voxel-based morphometry (VBM) and supplementary source-based morphometry (SBM) on high resolution 3D T1-weighted MRI images. Additionally, we investigated …

Psychological Medicine

BackgroundFatigue is a central feature of myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), but many ME/CFS patients also report comorbid pain symptoms. It remains unclear whether these symptoms are related to similar or dissociable brain networks. This study used resting-state fMRI to disentangle networks associated with fatigue and pain symptoms in ME/CFS patients, and to link changes in those networks to clinical improvements following cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).MethodsRelationships between pain and fatigue symptoms and cortico-cortical connectivity were assessed within ME/CFS patients at baseline (N = 72) and after CBT (N = 33) and waiting list (WL, N = 18) and compared to healthy controls (HC, N = 29). The analyses focused on four networks previously associated with pain and/or fatigue, i.e. the fronto-parietal network (FPN), premotor network (PMN), somatomotor …

Psychological Medicine

BackgroundThere is growing evidence for the use of acceptance-commitment therapy (ACT) for the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, few fully implemented ACT have been conducted on the neural mechanisms underlying its effect on OCD. Thus, this study aimed to elucidate the neural correlates of ACT in patients with OCD using task-based and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).MethodsPatients with OCD were randomly assigned to the ACT (n = 21) or the wait-list control group (n = 21). An 8-week group-format ACT program was provided to the ACT group. All participants underwent an fMRI scan and psychological measurements before and after 8 weeks.ResultsPatients with OCD showed significantly increased activation in the bilateral insula and superior temporal gyri (STG), induced by the thought-action fusion task after ACT intervention. Further psycho …

Psychological medicine

BackgroundSchizotypy represents an index of psychosis-proneness in the general population, often associated with childhood trauma exposure. Both schizotypy and childhood trauma are linked to structural brain alterations, and it is possible that trauma exposure moderates the extent of brain morphological differences associated with schizotypy.MethodsWe addressed this question using data from a total of 1182 healthy adults (age range: 18–65 years old, 647 females/535 males), pooled from nine sites worldwide, contributing to the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) Schizotypy working group. All participants completed both the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire Brief version (SPQ-B), and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and underwent a 3D T1-weighted brain MRI scan from which regional indices of subcortical gray matter volume and cortical thickness were …