Predictive effect of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated inflammatory cytokines on symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder

BACKGROUND Generalized anxiety disorder(GAD)is a relatively common mental disorder.Recently,inflammation,an important factor for the development of depression,has attracted increasing attention.Several studies have shown that inflammatory cytokines can affect the pathophysiological processes of several nervous system diseases.We hypothesized that there is a correlation between the levels of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-stimulated inflammatory cytokines and the clinical symptoms of GAD.AIM To investigate the predictive effect of LPS-stimulated inflammatory cytokines on symptoms of GAD.METHODS This was a cross-sectional study in which 89 patients with GAD diagnosed at The First Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2022 to December 2022 and 70 individuals without anxiety and depression(controls)during the same period were included.Fasting venous blood was collected from all the subjects in heparin tubes,and another 3 ml of blood was supplemented with LPS(10 ng/ml).The plasma levels of 12 cytokines[Interleukin(IL)-1β,IL-2,IL-4,IL-5,IL-6,IL-8,IL-10,tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α,interferon(IFN)-γ,IL-17A,IL-12p70,and IFN-α]were detected.RESULTS Post-LPS stimulation,the levels of IL-1β,IL-6,IL-8,IL-10,and TNF-αin both the control and GAD groups were significantly elevated above those in the nonstimulated groups,with IL-6 and IL-8 showing marked increases.Increases in IL-8 and TNF-αwere statistically significant in the GAD group(P<0.05).IL-1β,IL-6,IL-8,IL-10,and TNF-αwere found to be significantly correlated with Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale(HAMA)scores(P<0.05).A negative correlation was observed between IL-10 levels and HAMA scores.Further analysis revealed that TNF-αwas associated with mental anxiety,whereas IL-1β,IL-8,and IL-10 were associated with physical anxiety symptoms,with IL-10 showing a negative correlation with physical anxiety.IL-6 was associated with both mental and physical aspects of anxiety.CONCLUSION The physical symptoms of GAD are related to inflammatory factors.IL-1β,IL-8,IL-10,and TNF-a can be used as predictors of physical or mental anxiety in patients with GAD.

Efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy combined with habit reversal training on anxiety disorders in children with Tourette’s syndrome

BACKGROUND Cognitive-behavioral therapy(CBT)and habit reversal training(HRT)have shown application potential in addressing tic symptoms and comorbid psychiatric conditions.Despite their theoretical potential,empirical evidence on their combined efficacy remains limited.AIM To evaluate the efficacy of CBT combined with HRT on anxiety disorders in children with Tourette’s syndrome(TS).METHODS Clinical data of children with TS admitted to our hospital from January 2022 to June 2023 were collected,and the patients were grouped into the conventional therapy(control)group and the CBT combined with HRT group.Baseline charac-teristics,anxiety scores,tic severity scores,treatment adherence,and parental satisfaction were assessed.Statistical analysis was performed using t-tests,chi-square tests,and correlation analysis.RESULTS A total of 136 patients,including 65 patients in the control group and 71 patients in the CBT combined with HRT group,were included.The CBT combined with HRT group showed remarkable improvements compared with the control group.Post-intervention assessment revealed a decrease in anxiety scores from 63.52±1.81 to 40.53±1.64(t=2.022,P=0.045),and the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale total score decreased from 22.14±5.67 to 16.28±4.91(t=2.288,P=0.024).Treatment adherence was significantly higher in the CBT combined with HRT group(85.47±7.62%)compared with the control group(82.32±6.54%;t=2.596,P=0.010).Parental satisfaction scores were also higher in the CBT combined with HRT group(8.69±1.77)compared with the control group(7.87±1.92;t=2.592,P=0.011).CONCLUSION This study demonstrates that CBT combined with HRT significantly reduces anxiety symptoms and tic severity in children with TS,with higher treatment adherence and parental satisfaction.These findings support the potential application of this comprehensive therapeutic approach for TS treatment.

Study on the mechanism of SND in the treatment of anxiety disorders based on network pharmacology, molecular docking and experiment validation

Background:Sini decoction(SND)is a classic traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)formulation that can be used to treat anxiety-related disorders,but the active substance and underlying molecular mechanism of its anxiolytic effects are unknown.In this study,network pharmacology,molecular docking research and experimental verification methods were used to preliminarily explore the bioactive compounds and potential target mechanisms of SND anxiolytic.Methods:The active components and corresponding targets of SND were collected by TCMSP.GeneCards,OMIM,PharmGkb,TTD and Drugbank were used to search for the targets of anxiety disorders.The core target of SND in the treatment of anxiety was screened by PPI.R language was used to analyze the intersection targets of SND in the treatment of anxiety disorders by GO and KEGG enrichment analysis.AutoDock Vina was used for molecular docking,and Discovery Studio was used for visual conformation analysis after docking.The anti-anxiety effect and molecular mechanism of SND were studied by in vivo experiment.Results:Based on network pharmacological analysis,we obtained 112 active ingredients and 350 effective targets related to anxiety from SND.In PPI analysis,26 targets such as STAT3,MAPK3,MAPK1,MAPK14,SRC,HSP90AA1,TP53 and PIK3CA were identified as core targets.GO and KEGG analysis showed that the anxiolytic mechanism of SND may be related to the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway and inflammatory pathway.Molecular docking showed that quercetin,naringenin,licochalcone A had high affinity with JAK2,MAPK14 and MAPK3.Animal experiments have shown that SND reverses the upregulation of GluN2B(NMDAR)and GluA1(AMPAR)proteins,and SND improves anxiety disorders by regulating glutamate transmitter levels,which may be related to neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathways,particularly glutamate receptors.Conclusion:This study shows that SND can improve FS-induced behavioral changes in mice and can modulate hippocampal synapse-associated protein defects,partially reversing glutamate receptor expression through the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway,and further improved anxiety disorders.At the same time,combined with network pharmacology and molecular docking,the key components,core targets and related pathways of SND are discussed,which shows that the active components of SND play an effective role in anxiety through multi-targets and multi-pathways,which provides a reference for the material basis and mechanism of SND.

Risk factors and digital interventions for anxiety disorders in college students:Stakeholder perspectives

The worldwide prevalence of anxiety disorders among college students is high,which negatively affects countries,schools,families,and individual students to varying degrees.This paper reviews the relevant literature regarding risk factors and digital interventions for anxiety disorders among college students from the perspectives of different stakeholders.Risk factors at the national and societal levels include class differences and the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.College-level risk factors include the indoor environment design of the college environment,peer relationships,student satisfaction with college culture,and school functional levels.Family-level risk factors include parenting style,family relationship,and parental level of education.Individual-level risk factors include biological factors,lifestyle,and personality.Among the intervention options for college students'anxiety disorders,in addition to traditional cognitive behavioral therapy,mindfulness-based interventions,psychological counseling,and group counseling,digital mental health interventions are increasingly popular due to their low cost,positive effect,and convenient diagnostics and treatment.To better apply digital intervention to the prevention and treatment of college students'anxiety,this paper suggests that the different stakeholders form a synergy among themselves.The nation and society should provide necessary policy guarantees,financial support,and moral and ethical supervision for the prevention and treatment of college students'anxiety disorders.Colleges should actively participate in the screening and intervention of college students'anxiety disorders.Families should increase their awareness of college students'anxiety disorders and take the initiative to study and understand various digital intervention methods.College students with anxiety disorders should actively seek psychological assistance and actively accept and participate in digital intervention projects and services.We believe that in the future,the application of methods such as big data and artificial intelligence to improve digital interventions and provide individualized treatment plans will become the primary means of preventing and treating anxiety disorders among college students.

Recent advances in anxiety disorders:Focus on animal models and pathological mechanisms

Anxiety disorders have become one of the most severe psychiatric disorders,and the incidence is increasing every year.They impose an extraordinary personal and socioeconomic burden.Anxiety disorders are influenced by multiple complex and interacting genetic,psychological,social,and environmental factors,which contribute to disruption or imbalance in homeostasis and eventually cause pathologic anxiety.The selection of a suitable animal model is important for the exploration of disease etiology and pathophysiology,and the development of new drugs.Therefore,a more comprehensive understanding of the advantages and limitations of existing animal models of anxiety disorders is helpful to further study the underlying pathological mechanisms of the disease.This review summarizes animal models and the pathogenesis of anxiety disorders,and discusses the current research status to provide insights for further study of anxiety disorders.

Significance of music therapy in treating depression and anxiety disorders among people with cancer

Globally,cancer cases and mortality have recently escalated and have attracted global concern.The clinical diagnosis and manifestation of cancer can result in significant mental health issues like depression and anxiety disorders.The tendency of people with cancer to suffer from psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression is usually high.A significant number of deaths related to cancer may likely not be from the killer disease but from psychological disorders associated with the illness.The utilization of music as a remedial approach to healing mental disorders cannot be overstated.Thus,identifying the impacts of music therapy in dealing with depression and anxiety disorders among people with cancer is relevant,as the majority of methods used in treating cancer have some side effects which may trigger psychological disorders in cancer patients.Ultimately,this study explored the significance of music therapy in treating depression and anxiety disorders among people with cancer.To achieve the aim of this study,the authors employed a narrative literature review to investigate the significance of music therapy in addressing depression and anxiety disorders among people with cancer.The type of literature review employed in this study is to provide an understanding of the selected research papers.The review found that music therapy significantly reduces depression and anxiety disorders among breast cancer,lung cancer,prostate cancer,and colorectal cancer patients.It is needful for healthcare providers to incorporate music therapy interventions while treating people with cancer.This will help reduce cancer deaths resulting from psychological disorders rather than the killer disease,cancer.However,the standardized procedures and evaluation criteria for applying music-based intervention strategies in oncology medicine still need to be further established and improved.

The Evolutionary Psychological Perspective on Social Anxiety Disorder and Its Underlying Mechanism

An evolutionary view of social anxiety disorder in its original occurrence of function and adaptive design helps us understand why SAD(social anxiety disorder)exists in the first place.In this paper,we found social anxiety can be a useful strategy to acquire better resources and maintain harmony in interpersonal relationships in ancestral environments.This finding helps us reveal how the mismatch between the ancestral and modern world may cause the overreaction we see in SAD in contemporary contexts.In addition,alcohol seems to be a short-term solution to ease the negative impact of SAD,but its long-term effectiveness requires further research.The paper also introduces compassion therapy to encourage patients to rekindle their passion for themselves by connecting with a friendly social environment.To better understand SAD,we encouraged future research to focus on rebuilding inner values and group relationships.

Meta analysis on the effectiveness of auricular therapy combined with modern medicine in the treatment of depression/anxiety disorders in maintenance hemodialysis patients

Objective:We used meta-analysis to explore the clinical efficacy of auricular point therapy combined with modern medicine in improving depression/anxiety in maintenance hemodialysis patients.Methods:We searched CNKI,Wanfang,Weipu,CBM,The Cochrane Library,PubMed,Web of Science,Embase through computer to build a randomized controlled trials of auricular therapy combined with modern medicine in the treatment of depression/anxiety disorders in China and abroad since 2022.Two evaluators independently screened the studies,extracted and cross-checked the key data in the studies independently after determining the included studies,and then evaluated the quality of the studies respectively.Finally,we used RevMan 5.3 platform for statistical processing of data.Results:This meta-analysis included a total of 12 clinical randomized controlled trials,including a total of 899 patients.The results showed that the observation group was more effective in reducing the scores of Hamilton Anxiety Scale,self rating Anxiety Scale,self rating Depression Scale,Pittsburgh sleep quality index score of maintenance hemodialysis patients.In addition,there was no statistical difference between the observation group and the control group in improving the total clinical effective rate.Conclusion:The observation group has a more obvious effect on the improvement of anxiety or depression in maintenance hemodialysis patients.However,due to the limitation of the quantity and quality of the included studies,the real efficacy of auricular therapy combined with modern medicine in improving anxiety or depression disorder after maintenance hemodialysis still needs to be supported by more carefully designed and standardized multi-center,large-sample clinical studies.

Mechanism of Zuojin Pill in the treatment of anxiety disorder and Major depressive disorder based on network pharmacology and molecular docking validation

Background:Zuojin Pill(ZJP)is a classic Chinese herbal prescription with good efficacy in the treatment of Anxiety disorder(AD)and Major depressive disorder(MDD).Nevertheless,the potential mechanisms of ZJP remain unclear.Based on network pharmacology and molecular docking methods,this study aims to elucidate the possible mechanism of ZJP in the treatment of AD and MDD.Methods:The components and targets of Rhizoma Coptidis and Fructus Evodiae were collected from TCMSP,ETCM,HERB,SWISSADME and STITCH databases.The disease targets related to MDD and AD were collected from DISGENET,GENECARDS and OMIM databases.Protein-protein interaction network was constructed by STRING database,GO and KEGG enrichment analysis was performed by METASCAPE database,and“drugs-components-targets network”was constructed by Cytoscape software.Molecular docking verification was performed by Sailvina2.0 software.Results:ZJP may act on AKT1,IL6,TNF and other targets through caffeine,isorhamnetin,berberine and other components,regulating the Inflammatory mediator regulation of TRP channels,Serotonergic synapse,Dopaminergic synapse,PI3K/AKT signaling pathway,and other pathways.The results of molecular docking showed that berberine had the best binding activity with the core target.Conclusion:ZJP can exert anti-anxiety and anti-depression effects through multiple components,multiple targets and multiple pathways.

Psychological Nursing Combined with Biofeedback to Promote the Rehabilitation of Patients with Anxiety Disorders

Objective:To explore the effect of psychological nursing combined with biofeedback on the rehabilitation of patients with anxiety disorders.Methods:100 patients with anxiety disorders in our hospital from January to December 2021 were randomly divided into two groups:control group(n=50)and study group(n=50).The control group was given routine nursing,while the study group was given psychological nursing combined with biofeedback.The changes of self-rating anxiety scale(SAS)score,self-rating depression scale(SDS)score,symptom score,and quality of life of the two groups were compared before and after nursing.Results:Before nursing,there was no significant difference in the scores of SAS and SDS between the two groups,but after nursing,the scores of SAS and SDS in the study group were lower than those in the control group,and the degree of improvement in the study group was higher than that of the control group.Before nursing,there was no significant difference in the scores of symptoms between the two groups(P>0.05),but after nursing,the scores of stress,crying spells,tremor,and general discomfort in the study group were lower than those of the control group(P<0.05).Besides,before nursing,there was no significant difference in the quality of life between the two groups(P>0.05),but after nursing,the scores of physical function,psychological activity,social ability,and material life in the study group were higher than those in the control group(P<0.05).Moreover,the degree of improvement after nursing in the study group was better than that of the control group.Conclusion:Psychological nursing combined with biofeedback to promote the rehabilitation of patients with anxiety disorders effectively improves the negative emotion of patients,reduces stress,depression,tremor,and general discomfort,and improve the overall quality of life.Therefore,it is worth further popularization.

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.

Characterization of event-related potentials in obsessive compulsive disorder patients: Comparison with depression and generalized anxiety disorder patients

BACKGROUND： Study results of event-refated potential in obsessive compulsive disorder （OCD） remain controversial, potentially as a result of different instruments utilized and their differing technical characteristics. OBJECTIVE： To investigate the differences in several common event-related potentials, Le. contingent negative variations, P300, and mismatch negativity （MMN）, in OCD patients, depression patients, generalized anxiety disorder （GAD） patients, and healthy controls. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： A case-control study was performed in the Department of Electrophysiology, Shanghai Mental Health Center from May 2002 to December 2005. PARTICIPANTS： A total of 38 OCD patients, 20 depression patients, and 18 GAD patients, who were diagnosed according to the criteria of Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders （Version 3）, formulated by the Chinese Psychiatry Association, were selected from the Outpatient Department of Shanghai Mental Health Center. Patients with two or more the above diseases were excluded. In addition, 28 healthy people, gender and age matched, were selected as controls. METHODS： Contingent negative variations, P300, and MMN were recorded by a Nicolet Spirit Instrument. All electrodes were attached at Cz according to the Intemationa11020 system, with the mastoid leads as reference and Fpz as ground. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Amplitude and latency of contingent negative variations, P300, and MMN. RESULTS： The contingent negative variations, P300, and MMN were different （P 〈 0.01）. OCD patients showed an increased MI amplitude compared with controls, depression, and GAD patients （P 〈 0.01）. Target P300 amplitudes were significantly lower in OCD, depression, and GAD patients compared with controls （P 〈 0.01）. Moreover, N2 latency and latency of MMN were prolonged in OCD and depression groups compared with controls （P 〈 0.05）. CONCLUSION： Event-related potentials were different in depression, GAD, and OCD patients and healthy controls. In particular, OCD patients exhibited unique characteristics.

The effects of coloring therapy on patients with generalized anxiety disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder(GAD)has harmful effects on physical and mental health and quality of life.Coloring therapy has been reported to have a positive effect on improving patient anxiety and depression.But there are no reported clinical trials examining their effectiveness as a treatment for GAD.This study was planned to evaluate the effectiveness of coloring therapy combined with conventional therapy in improving anxiety,depression,and positive and negative emotions with GAD.This randomized controlled study comprising 88 GAD patients was selected for intervention in different wards.The control group(n=45)was given conventional antianxiety medication and physical therapy,and the experimental group(n=43)received coloring therapy combined with conventional therapy.The Self-Rating Depression Scale,Self-Rating Anxiety Scale(SAS),Hamilton Depression Scale,Hamilton Anxiety Scale(HAMA),and Positive and Negative Affect Scale were assessed in both groups before and 3 weeks after the intervention.After the intervention,there were statistical differences in intra-and inter-group comparisons of anxiety,depression,and positive and negative mood scales in the experimental and control groups(p<.05).The minus in anxiety/positive emotions pre-and postintervention in the experimental group was statistically significant compared to that in anxiety/positive emotions pre-and postintervention in the control group(HAMA:d=1.45,95%confidence interval[CI](0.34,2.57),p=.011;SAS:d=3.87,95%CI(1.73,6.00),p=.001;positive:d=1.76,95%CI(0.17,3.34),p=.030).The minus in depressive/negative emotions pre-and postintervention in the experimental group was not statistically significant compared with that in depressive/negative emotions pre-and postintervention in the control group(p>.05).For GAD patients,adding coloring therapy based on conventional drug therapy and physical therapy can not only reduce depression and negative emotions but also have better effects on reducing anxiety and improving positive emotions than conventional therapy.

Evaluation of Clinical Efficacy of Combined Use of Acupuncture and Medicine in Treating Sleep Disorder in Patients with Anxiety Disorder

[Objectives]To evaluate the clinical efficacy of combined acupuncture and medicine in the treatment of sleep disorders in patients with anxiety disorders.[Methods]A total of 300 anxiety patients with sleep disorders were randomly selected and divided into a research group and a control group,with 150 cases in each group.The control group was administered with western medicine,and the research group was treated with acupuncture and medicine to compare their clinical treatment effects.[Results]The total effective rate of treatment in the research group was significantly higher than that in the control group;after treatment,both the PSQI and SAS scores of the two groups were significantly reduced,and the reduction degree of the research group was higher than that of the control group,the difference was statistically significant(P<0.05).[Conclusions]Combined use of acupuncture and medicine to treat sleep disorders in patients with anxiety disorders has better curative effect and fewer adverse reactions,so it has high clinical application value.

Central choroidal thickness in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders:enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography findings

AIM:To measure the central choroidal thickness(ChT)in children and adolescents with anxiety disorders.METHODS:Totally 41 anxiety patients(8-16 y)and 35 healthy controls(age-matched)were evaluated.Complete ophthalmic examination was performed.Inclusion criteria were best corrected visual acuity≥20/20,normal intraocular pressure(IOP;10-21 mm Hg),and no systemic or ocular diseases according to history.The diagnosis of psychiatric disorders was determined using Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children Present-Lifetime Version(K-SADS-PL).Enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography(EDI-OCT)was used to measure the central ChT.RESULTS:The mean age was 12.18±3.24 y in the patient group and 12.86±3.15 y in the control group.Age and gender distribution of the two groups was similar.Central ChT mean value was 353.26±31.9μm in anxiety patients while 318.75±60.9μm in the control group.Mean central ChT was statistically significantly higher in the children and adolescents with anxiety disorders than healthy controls(P=0.002).CONCLUSION:The children and adolescents with anxiety disorders have significantly thicker central ChT than controls.In the larger sample,longitudinal studies will contribute to the use of choroidal differences as a clinical marker for monitoring anxiety disorders.

Using eye movements in the dot-probe paradigm to investigate attention bias in illness anxiety disorder

BACKGROUND Illness anxiety disorder(IAD)is a common,distressing,and debilitating condition with the key feature being a persistent conviction of the possibility of having one or more serious or progressive physical disorders.Because eye movements are guided by visual-spatial attention,eye-tracking technology is a comparatively direct,continuous measure of attention direction and speed when stimuli are oriented.Researchers have tried to identify selective visual attention biases by tracking eye movements within dot-probe paradigms because dot-probe paradigm can distinguish these attentional biases more clearly.AIM To examine the association between IAD and biased processing of illness-related information.METHODS A case-control study design was used to record eye movements of individuals with IAD and healthy controls while participants viewed a set of pictures from four categories(illness-related,socially threatening,positive,and neutral images).Biases in initial orienting were assessed from the location of the initial shift in gaze,and biases in the maintenance of attention were assessed from the duration of gaze that was initially fixated on the picture per image category.RESULTS The eye movement of the participants in the IAD group was characterized by an avoidance bias in initial orienting to illness-related pictures.There was no evidence of individuals with IAD spending significantly more time viewing illness-related images compared with other images.Patients with IAD had an attention bias at the early stage and overall attentional avoidance.In addition,this study found that patients with significant anxiety symptoms showed attention bias in the late stages of attention processing.CONCLUSION Illness-related information processing biases appear to be a robust feature of IAD and may have an important role in explaining the etiology and maintenance of the disorder.

A Review of Stressors as Inducer for Personality Disorders and Anxiety Disorders

Personality Disorders(PDs)and Anxiety Disorders(ADs)are common mental disorders.PDs are often more or less related to anxiety and ADs are affected by Personality Functioning(PF).To clarify the pathology of both ADs and PDs,along with their similarities and differences,the literature review by paired keywords search on NCBI PubMed and subsequent analysis are used.The findings support that abnormal stressors can damage the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal(HPA)axis time by time throughout life through the epigenetic pathway,lowering down the ability of the stress system to deal with stressors.Biological basis,like the genetic issue,for PDs,is important but after-born experience also matters a lot.Adjoint stressful long-term memory may largely affect normal personality formation,contributing to some kinds of PDs.It seems that early exposure to these stressors influences PDs more,compared to ADs.More researches are needed to explore the effect on ADs from later life stress.This study partially explained the process of ADs and PDs,linked them by abnormal stressors,and emphasized the importance of focusing on the effect of stressful long-term memory formation,which is psychological,and the HPA axis disability,which is biological,on patients having these diseases,reminds psychiatrist to treat disease at the source,to lower down the potential risk of getting PDs in patients who are diagnosed with ADs,to prevent arouse of ADs in patients who are diagnosed with PDs and to combine biological treatment with psychological therapies.

The effect of iron metabolism on anxiety disorder

Anxiety disorder is one of the most common emotional disorders,but its pathogenesis re-mains unclear.Research has shown that iron deficiency is more common in people with emotional disorders and that these disorders can improve after taking iron supple-ments.Many factors can cause anxiety disorders,includ-ing external stress,genetic factors,impaired neurodevel-opment,and abnormal monoamine metabolism.Studies have shown that abnormal monoamine metabolism and impaired neurodevelopment can contribute to the severity of emotional disorders.The synthesis of serotonin(5-HT)and dopamine(DA)require iron as a cofactor in the syn-thesis of monoamine metabolism,and the release of epi-nephrine(E)was potentially associated with labile iron in plasma.At the same time,iron is also directly involved in myelin synthesis as a cofactor in neural development.Therefore,iron maybe involved some of the main causes of the onset of anxiety disorders.

The mechanism of the hypothalamus-pituitary-endocrine axis in anxiety disorder

Anxiety disorder is a common and serious mental disorder.At present,the pathogenesis of anxiety disorder includes hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal(HPA)axis,neuroimmune,and brain-gut axis disorders,among others.This paper discusses the correlation between anx-iety disorder and the hypothalamus-pituitary-endocrine axis and finds that immune inflammation can be used as a“bridge”between the hypothalamus-pituitary-endocrine axis and anxiety disorder.

Predictors of Comorbid Psychological Symptoms among Patients with Social Anxiety Disorder after Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Aim: The present study aimed to examine the predictors of comorbid psychological symptoms in social anxiety disorder (SAD) after cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). Methods: One hundred fourteen SAD patients completed manualized group CBT. We examined associations between the personality dimensions of NEO Five Factor Index (NEO-FFI) and the subscales of Symptom Checklist-90 Revised (SCL-90-R) in SAD patients after CBT using multiple regression analysis. Results: High levels of conscientiousness at baseline predicted symptom reduction on 4 SCL-90-R scales, including somatization, obsessive-compulsive, anxiety and global severity index in patients with SAD after CBT. And high levels of agreeableness predicted symptom reduction on 2 SCL-90-R scales, including Hostility and Paranoid Ideation. High levels of openness predicted psychoticism. Conclusion: The present study suggested that high levels of three NEO-FFI dimensions (openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness) might predict comorbid psychological symptoms reduction in SAD patients after CBT. For the purpose of improving comorbid psychological symptoms with SAD patients, it might be useful to pay more attention to these dimensions of NEO-FFI at baseline.