Attribution retraining group therapy for outpatients with major depression disorder,generalized anxiety disorder,and obsessive-compulsive disorder:a pilot study

The aim of this present study is to examine the efficacy of attribution retraining group therapy （ARGT） and to compare the responses of outpatients with major depression disorder （MDD）, generalized anxiety disorder （GAD） and obsessive-compulsive disorder （OCD）. We carried out a prospective uncontrolled intervention study with a 8-weeks of ARGT on sixty three outpatients with MDD, GAD or OCD. Hamilton rating scale for depression, Hamilton rating scale for anxiety, Yale-Brown obsessive-compulsive scale, attribution style questionnaire, self-esteem scale, index of well-being, and social disability screening schedule were administered before and after treatment. Significant improvement in symptoms and psychological and social functions from pre- to posttreatment occurred for all participants. The changes favored MDD patients. Our study suggested that ARGT may improve the symptoms and psychological-social functions of MDD, GAD, and OCD patients. MDD patients showed the best response.

Neuropathological characteristics of abnormal white matter functional signaling in adolescents with major depression

BACKGROUND Major depression disorder(MDD)constitutes a significant mental health concern.Epidemiological surveys indicate that the lifetime prevalence of depression in adolescents is much higher than that in adults,with a corresponding increased risk of suicide.In studying brain dysfunction associated with MDD in adolescents,research on brain white matter(WM)is sparse.Some researchers even mistakenly regard the signals generated by the WM as noise points.In fact,studies have shown that WM exhibits similar blood oxygen level-dependent signal fluctuations.The alterations in WM signals and their relationship with disease severity in adolescents with MDD remain unclear.AIM To explore potential abnormalities in WM functional signals in adolescents with MDD.METHODS This study involved 48 adolescent patients with MDD and 31 healthy controls(HC).All participants were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 Scale and the mini international neuropsychiatric interview(MINI)suicide inventory.In addition,a Siemens Skyra 3.0T magnetic resonance scanner was used to obtain the subjects'image data.The DPABI software was utilized to calculate the WM signal of the fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuations(fALFF)and regional homogeneity,followed by a two-sample t-test between the MDD and HC groups.Independent component analysis(ICA)was also used to evaluate the WM functional signal.Pearson’s correlation was performed to assess the relationship between statistical test results and clinical scales.RESULTS Compared to HC,individuals with MDD demonstrated a decrease in the fALFF of WM in the corpus callosum body,left posterior limb of the internal capsule,right superior corona radiata,and bilateral posterior corona radiata[P<0.001,family-wise error(FWE)voxel correction].The regional homogeneity of WM increased in the right posterior limb of internal capsule and left superior corona radiata,and decreased in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus(P<0.001,FWE voxel correction).The ICA results of WM overlapped with those of regional homogeneity.The fALFF of WM signal in the left posterior limb of the internal capsule was negatively correlated with the MINI suicide scale(P=0.026,r=-0.32),and the right posterior corona radiata was also negatively correlated with the MINI suicide scale(P=0.047,r=-0.288).CONCLUSION Adolescents with MDD involves changes in WM functional signals,and these differences in brain regions may increase the risk of suicide.

3DMKDR:3D Multiscale Kernels CNN Model for Depression Recognition Based on EEG

Depression has become a major health threat around the world,especially for older people,so the effective detection method for depression is a great public health challenge.Electroencephalogram(EEG)can be used as a biomarker to effectively explore depression recognition.Motivated by the studies that multiple smaller scale kernels could increase nonlinear expression compared to a larger kernel,this article proposes a model named the three-dimensional multiscale kernels convolutional neural network model for the depression disorder recognition(3DMKDR),which is a three-dimensional convolutional neural network model with multiscale convolutional kernels for depression recognition based on EEG signals.A three-dimensional structure of the EEG is built by extending one-dimensional feature sequences into a two-dimensional electrode matrix to excavate the related spatiotemporal information among electrodes and the collected electrode matrix.By the major depressive disorder(MDD)and the multi-modal open dataset for mental-disorder analysis(MODMA)datasets,the experiment shows that the accuracies of depression recognition are up to99.86%and 98.01%in the subject-dependent experiment,and 95.80%and 82.27%in the subjectindependent experiment,which are higher than alternative competitive methods.The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed 3DMKDR is potentially useful for depression recognition in older persons in the future.

Lentivirus-mediated knockdown of phosphodiesterase 4D improved depression-like behaviors in mice

OBJECTIVE To examine whether long-form phosphodiesterase-4(PDE4)knockdown by lentiviral RNA construct containing a speci fi c micro RNA/mi RNAmir hairpin structure reversed depression-like symptoms caused by chronic unpredictable mild stress(CUMS)in mice.METHODS In this research,the study was performed on adult male C57 mice,weighing(25±5)g,kept in a controlled environment.CUMS animal model was used recapitulate a multiple of behavioral characteristics and biochemical states of depression in human.The forced swimming test(FST)and the tail suspension test(TST)were used to detectthe state of depression.Western blotting analysis was used to assess protein levels of c AMP response element binding protein(CREB,unphosphorylated and phosphorylated[p CREB])to explore the neurochemical mechanisms.RESULTS CUMS decreased c AMP levels(P<0.01)and produced depression-like symptoms in FST(P<0.01)and TST(P<0.01).Microinfusions of lentiviruses reversed CUMS-induced c AMP decline(P<0.05)and depression-like symptoms.Moreover,CUMS caused a significant reduction in protein kinase A and CREB phosphorylation,and brain-derived neurotrophic factor transcription,both of which were partially attenuated by lentivirus-mediated knockdown of PDE4D.Also,the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 was reduced in CUMS-exposed mice,which was reversed by 4Dmi RNA treatment.Taken together,this study demonstrated that PDE4Dmi RNA improved the CUMS-induced depressionlike symptoms that might be related to the increase in hippocampal c AMP and p CREB expression.CONCLUSION Hence,PDE4D inhibitors can serve as potential antidepressants,and their antidepressant activity is partially mediated by the activation of c AMP signaling pathway in the hippocampus.In other words,long-form PDE4D knockdown may offer a promising treatment for major depression disorder.

Effect of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Versus Interpersonal Psychotherapy in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder： A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background： Practice guidelines have recommended cognitive behavioral therapy （CBT） and interpersonal psychotherapy （IPT） as the treatment of choice for major depression disorder （MDD）. However, whether one therapy is better than the other remains inconclusive. The aim of this study was to compare the treatment efficacy of the two treatment approaches for MDD. Methods： Using the terms ＂cognitive behavior therapy or cognitive therapy or CBTor CTor cognitive behavioral therapy＂ and ＂interpersonal psychotherapy or IPT,＂ we systematically searched PubMed, Psyclnfo and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases up to February 2017. The language was restricted to be English and Chinese. Therapeutic outcomes, characteristics, and research quality were then extracted and analyzed independently. In accessing the included studies, we followed the criteria suggested by the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Results： Data for 946 patients from 10 randomized controlled trials were included in the study. Methodological quality was not optimal in most trials. Meta-analysis showed a mean difference （MD） of -1.31, 95% confidence interval （CI） （-2.49, -0.12） （P 〈 0.05） in favor of CBT according to the Beck Depression Inventory （BDI）, and however, we did not found any statistically significant difference between CBT and IPT on the Hamilton Rating Scale for depression （HRSD） （MD -0.90, 95% CI [-2.18, 0.38]）. Subgroup analyses for the studies in which patients were treated only by psychotherapy （MD -1.26, 95% CI [-2.78, 0.35]） and for those which offered more sessions of therapies （MD -0.82, 95% CI [-2.23, 0.59]） showed there was no significant difference between CBT and IPT according to BDI. Conclusions： Differences in treatment efficacy seem to vary according to different outcome measures. CBT shows an advantage over IPT for MDD according to BDI, and there is no significant difference between the two according to HRSD. These results should be interpreted with caution.

Updated Understanding of the Glial-Vascular Unit in Central Nervous System Disorders

The concept of the glial-vascular unit(GVU)was raised recently to emphasize the close associations between brain cells and cerebral vessels,and their coordinated reactions to diverse neurological insults from a“glio-centric”view.GVU is a multicellular structure composed of glial cells,perivascular cells,and perivascular space.Each component is closely linked,collectively forming the GVU.The central roles of glial and perivascular cells and their multi-level interconnections in the GVU under normal conditions and in central nervous system(CNS)disorders have not been elucidated in detail.Here,we comprehensively review the intensive interactions between glial cells and perivascular cells in the niche of perivascular space,which take part in the modulation of cerebral blood flow and angiogenesis,formation of the blood-brain barrier,and clearance of neurotoxic wastes.Next,we discuss dysfunctions of the GVU in various neurological diseases,including ischemic stroke,spinal cord injury,Alzheimer’s disease,and major depression disorder.In addition,we highlight the possible therapies targeting the GVU,which may have potential clinical applications.

Nonspecific Effect of Stress on Brain Gray Matter Volume in Drug-naive Female Patients with First Depressive Episode

Background： This study aimed to observe the differences in brain gray matter volume in drug-naive female patients after the first episode of major depression with and without stressful life events （SLEs） before the onset of depression.Methods： Forty-three drug-naive female patients voluntarily participated in the present study after the first major depressive episode.The life event scale was used to evaluate the severity of the impact of SLEs during 6 months before the onset of the major depressive episode.High-field magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） scans were obtained, and the VBM and SPM8 software process were used to process and analyze the MRI.Results： Compared to that in patients without SLEs, the volume of brain gray matter was lower in the bilateral temporal lobe, right occipital lobe, and right limbic lobe in the SLE group.However, the gray matter volume did not differ significantly between the two groups after the application of false discovery rate （FDR） correction.Conclusions： Although the results of the present study suggest the absence of significant differences in brain gray matter volume between female drug-naive patients after the first episode of major depression with and without SLEs after FDR correction, the study provides useful information for exploring the definitive role of stress in the onset of depression.