Association of screen-based sedentary behavior with executive function in school-aged children: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.

Screen-based sedentary behavior (SSB) is a significant risk factor for the health of school-aged children, and guidelines recommend limiting SSB to 2 hr per day. This study aimed to examine association and potential mechanisms between SSB and executive function (EF) by comparing Stroop performance and frontal hemodynamic responses between children with and without excessive SSB. A total of 70 children aged 10 to 15 years were recruited and divided into two groups: excessive screen time (≥2 hr/day; n = 35; ES group) and normal screen time (<2 hr/day; n = 35; NS group). The Chinese version of the Adolescent Sedentary Activities Questionnaire was used to assess SSB, whereas EF was evaluated using the Stroop task. The frontal hemodynamic responses during the Stroop task were measured using functional near-infrared spectroscopy. The results indicated that the ES group had lower accuracy, longer reaction times, and greater activation in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and left pre-supplementary motor area (Pre-SMA) compared with the NS group. Furthermore, significant correlations were observed between Stroop performance and cortical activation in the left DLPFC and Pre-SMA. These findings demonstrate that excessive SSB is associated with poor EF, which may be explained by a decrease in neural efficiency of the left DLPFC and Pre-SMA.

Down-regulation of MKP-1 in hippocampus protects against stress-induced depression-like behaviors and neuroinflammation.

Chronic stress is the primary environmental risk factor for major depressive disorder (MDD), and there is compelling evidence that neuroinflammation is the major pathomechanism linking chronic stress to MDD. Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphatase-1 (MKP-1) is a negative regulator of MAPK signaling pathways involved in cellular stress responses, survival, and neuroinflammation. We examined the possible contributions of MKP-1 to stress-induced MDD by comparing depression-like behaviors (anhedonia, motor retardation, behavioral despair), neuroinflammatory marker expression, and MAPK signaling pathways among rats exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), overexpressing MKP-1 in the hippocampus, and CUMS-exposed rats underexpressing MKP-1 in the hippocampus. Rats exposed to CUMS exhibited MKP-1 overexpression, greater numbers of activated microglia, and enhanced expressions of neuroinflammatory markers (interleukin [IL]-6, [IL]-1ß, tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-ɑ, and decreased phosphorylation levels of ERK and p38 in the hippocampus as well as anhedonia in the sucrose preference test, motor retardation in the open field, and greater immobility (despair) in the forced swimming tests. These signs of neuroinflammation and depression-like behaviors and phosphorylation levels of ERK and p38 were also observed in rats overexpressing MKP-1 without CUMS exposure, while CUMS-induced neuroinflammation, microglial activation, phosphorylation levels of ERK and p38, and depression-like behaviors were significantly reversed by MKP-1 knockdown. Moreover, MKP-1 knockdown promoted the activation of the MAPK isoform ERK, implying that the antidepressant-like effects of MKP-1 knockdown may be mediated by the ERK pathway disinhibition. These findings suggested that hippocampal MKP-1 is an essential regulator of stress-induced neuroinflammation and a promising target for antidepressant development.

The fNIRS evaluation of frontal and temporal lobe cortical activation in Chinese first-episode medication-naïve and recurrent depression during a verbal fluency task.

Background: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) identifies neurophysiological differences between psychiatric disorders by assessing cortical hemodynamic function. Few trials have studied differences in brain functional activity between first-episode medication-naïve depression patients (FMD) and recurrent major depression (RMD). We aimed to determine the differences between FMD and RMD in oxygenated hemoglobin concentration ([oxy-Hb]), and to investigate the correlation between frontotemporal cortex activation and clinical symptoms. Methods: We recruited 40 patients with FMD, 53 with RMD, and 38 healthy controls (HCs) from May 2021 to April 2022. Symptom severity was assessed with the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A). A 52-channel fNIRS measured changes in [oxy-Hb] during VFT performance. Results: Both patient groups performed poorly during the VFT task compared with HC (FDR p < 0.05), but there was no significant difference between the two patient groups. Analysis of variance showed that mean [oxy-Hb] activation was lower in both the frontal and temporal lobes in the MDD group compared with HCs (FDR p < 0.05). Additionally, patients with RMD had a significantly lower hemodynamic response in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and dorsal frontal pole cortex (DFPC) than patients with FMD (FDR p < 0.05). No significant correlation was found between changes in mean [oxy-Hb] and either medical history or clinical symptoms (FDR p < 0.05). Conclusion: The presence of different neurofunctional activity in some of the same brain regions in FMD and RMD patients implied a link between the level of complexity activation in frontal regions and the stage of MDD. Cognitive impairment may already be present at the beginning of an MDD episode. Clinical trial registration: www.chictr.org.cn, identifier ChiCTR2100043432.

Causal link between prefrontal cortex and EEG microstates: evidence from patients with prefrontal lesion.

Introduction: At present, elucidating the cortical origin of EEG microstates is a research hotspot in the field of EEG. Previous studies have suggested that the prefrontal cortex is closely related to EEG microstate C and D, but whether there is a causal link between the prefrontal cortex and microstate C or D remains unclear. Methods: In this study, pretrial EEG data were collected from ten patients with prefrontal lesions (mainly located in inferior and middle frontal gyrus) and fourteen matched healthy controls, and EEG microstate analysis was applied. Results: Our results showed that four classical EEG microstate topographies were obtained in both groups, but microstate C topography in patient group was obviously abnormal. Compared to healthy controls, the average coverage and occurrence of microstate C significantly reduced. In addition, the transition probability from microstate A to C and from microstate B to C in patient group was significantly lower than those of healthy controls. Discussion: The above results demonstrated that the damage of prefrontal cortex especially inferior and middle frontal gyrus could lead to abnormalities in the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of microstate C not D, showing that there is a causal link between the inferior and middle frontal gyrus and the microstate C. The significance of our findings lies in providing new evidence for elucidating the cortical origin of microstate C.

A combination of P300 and eye movement data improves the accuracy of auxiliary diagnoses of depression.

BACKGROUND: Exploratory eye movements (EEMs) and P300 are often used to facilitate the clinical diagnosis of depression. However, There were few studies using the combination of EEMs and P300 to build a model for detecting depression and predicting a curative effect. METHODS: Sixty patients were recruited for 2 groups: high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(rTMS) combined with paroxetine group and simple paroxetine group. Clinical efficacy was evaluated by the Hamilton Depression scale-24(HAMD-24), EEMs and P300. The classification model of the auxiliary diagnosis of depression and the prediction model of the two treatments were developed based on a machine learning algorithm. RESULTS: The classification model with the greatest accuracy for patients with depression and healthy controls was 95.24% (AUC = 0.75, recall = 1.00, precision = 0.95, F1-score = 0.97). The root mean square error (RMSE) of the model for predicting the efficacy of high frequency rTMS combined with paroxetine was 3.54 (MAE [mean absolute error] = 2.56, R2 = -0.53). The RMSE of the model for predicting the efficacy of paroxetine was 4.97 (MAE = 4.00, R2 = -0.91). CONCLUSION: Based on the machine learning algorithm, P300 and EEMs data was suitable for modeling to distinguish depression patients and healthy individuals. However, it was not suitable for predicting the efficacy of high frequency rTMS combined with paroxetine or to predict the efficacy of paroxetine.

Abnormal Cortical Activation Patterns Among Chinese-Speaking Schizophrenia Patients During Category and Letter Verbal Fluency Tasks Revealed by Multi-Channel Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy.

Background: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has many advantages over other neuroimaging modalities for routine measurement of task-dependent cortical activation, but most fNIRS studies of schizophrenia have used letter fluency tasks (LFTs). Further, performances on category fluency tasks (CFTs) and LFTs may be distinct in Chinese patients due to the unique semantic features of Chinese written characters. To identify unique disease biomarkers measurable by fNIRS in Chinese schizophrenia patients, this study compared cortical oxygenated hemoglobin changes ([oxy-Hb]) during a Chinese LFT and CFT between patients and healthy controls. Methods: Inpatients of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University were recruited from Match 2020 to July 2021. The Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) was used to evaluate psychiatric symptoms. Dynamic changes in [oxy-Hb], an indicator of neural activity, were measured during CFT and LFT performance by 52-channel fNIRS. Results: Forty-seven schizophrenia inpatients and 29 healthy controls completed all tests. Schizophrenia patients showed significant cortical activation at 15 channels covering the left hemisphere and 17 channels over the right hemisphere during the CFT. During the LFT, activity was significantly increased at only six channels, all over the left hemisphere (FDR P < 0.05). In healthy controls, significant [oxy-Hb] increases were found at 24 channels over the left hemisphere and 19 channels over the right hemisphere during CFT. While during the LFT, the significant increases were found at 7 channels all over the left hemisphere (FDR P < 0.05). When years of education was included as a covariate, the schizophrenia group demonstrated no significant hypoactivation relative to healthy controls at any channel after FDR correction (FDR P < 0.05) during CFT while demonstrated significant hypoactivation at channel 11 during LFT (FDR P < 0.05). There were no significant associations between PANSS scores and [oxy-Hb] changes after FDR correction (FDR P < 0.05). Conclusions: Left lateralization during CFT was reduced among schizophrenia patients and may be related to the semantic deficit. The Chinese-CFT could be a more sensitive indicator of frontal-temporal dysfunction in schizophrenia.

Upregulation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator 2 in the hippocampi of post-stroke depression rats.

Aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator protein 2 (ARNT2), a member of the basic helix-loop-helix superfamily of transcription factors, may serve a vital role in neuronal survival and cell proliferation via formation of heterodimers with hypoxia-inducible factor-1α. Previous studies indicated that ARNT2 levels were elevated in the brains of ischemic rats; however, the involvement of ARNT2 in post-stroke depression (PSD) rats is not well understood. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the levels of ARNT2 in the hippocampi of PSD rats, and to clarify the potential association between ARNT2 and behavioral performance. A PSD rat model was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by a 4-week chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) regimen. A sucrose preference test and open field test (OFT) were conducted, and body weight was measured. In addition, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were performed to measure ARNT expression. Results indicated that MCAO+CUMS rats had lower weight gain, consumed less sucrose and moved less compared with controls. Furthermore, the mRNA and protein levels of ARNT in MCAO+CUMS rats were increased compared with in controls. The sucrose preference index and horizontal movement distance in the OFT were positively correlated with ARNT mRNA level. Thus, from these findings it was suggested that ARNT2 may be positively associated with improvement of cognitive impairment, and therefore may be a potential target in PSD treatment.

Evaluation of attitudes and knowledge toward mental disorders in a sample of the Chinese population using a web-based approach.

BACKGROUND: People with mental disorders often encounter stigmatizing attitudes related to their conditions. Stigma often represents one of the critical obstacles that stand in the way of delivering mental health care. The main aim of the study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes toward mental disorders in a sample of the Chinese population; furthermore, we also aimed to identify and explore the socio-demographic characteristics associated with specific knowledge and attitudes towards psychiatric disorders. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was created and delivered through an Internet chat application over the period June-December 2017. The Mental Health Knowledge Questionnaire and the Perceived Devaluation and Discrimination Scale were used to evaluate the participants' mental health knowledge and attitudes toward mental disorders. RESULTS: A total of 1087 participants were recruited in for our survey. The mean score of the MHKQ and PDD were (15.89 ± 2.69) and (33.77 ± 6.66), respectively. Univariate analyses showed that young people and rural residents tended to show more positive attitudes toward mental disorders with respect to older people and urban residents (P < 0.05). People with higher education levels, those who had contact with people with mental disorders, and those who learned about mental disorders by personal encounter resulted to have had higher MHKQ scores (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In our sample of the Chinese population, negative attitudes toward mental disorders were often reported. General education programs may not be an effective way to decrease stigma, while anti-stigma campaigns targeted for specific groups, such as urban residents and the older people, should be carried out in the future in China.

rTMS ameliorated depressive-like behaviors by restoring HPA axis balance and prohibiting hippocampal neuron apoptosis in a rat model of depression.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been widely used to treat depression. The mechanistic basis for the effects of rTMS is not well understood, although previous studies have suggested that it involves the regulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis and protection of hippocampal neurons. We investigated this in the present study using a chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) paradigm in Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were subjected to rTMS for 15 consecutive days, and body weight, sucrose consumption, and locomotor activity were evaluated. B cell lymphoma-2-associated X protein (Bax) expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry; cell morphology was examined by Nissl staining; and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol (CORT) levels in the hippocampus were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. CUMS decreased body weight and sucrose consumption in rats along with horizontal/vertical distance traveled in the open field test. Rats subjected to CUMS also showed increased levels of Bax as well as ACTH and CORT; the hippocampal neurons in these animals had abnormal morphology and were reduced in number. rTMS reversed these changes and improved depression-like behaviors. Thus, rTMS abrogates the loss of hippocampal neurons and restores the balance of the HPA axis in the treatment of depression.

Decreased expression of neuronal Per-Arnt-Sim domain protein 4 gene in the hippocampus of a post-stroke depression rat model.

Neuronal Per-Arnt-Sim domain protein 4 (NPAS4) is important in regulating transcription and function in the limbic system and in brain development. Post-stroke depression (PSD) is a common complication following a stroke. Furthermore, organic damage as a result of a stroke affects the restoration of nerve function and indicates that hippocampal neural activity may be associated with PSD. A PSD rat model was established via a middle cerebral artery occlusion procedure, which was combined with isolation and chronic unexpected mild stress, and was used to investigate the expression of the NPAS4 gene in the hippocampus. The neurological deficit and behavior were evaluated and NPAS4 mRNA expression was measured by semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction; furthermore, the association with cognitive impairment was analyzed. The PSD rats displayed neuropsychopathic disorders and the NPAS4 mRNA expression levels in the hippocampus were significantly lower in the depression and PSD groups compared with the control group. Therefore, the present study identified that NPAS4 expression was decreased in the hippocampus of PSD rats.

Hippocampal expression of aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator 2 and neuronal PAS domain protein 4 in a rat model of depression.

The transcription factors aryl hydrocarbon receptor nuclear translocator 2 (ARNT2) and neuronal PAS domain protein 4 (NPAS4) may influence emotion and cognitive function by regulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in the hippocampus. We estimated hippocampal ARNT2 and NPAS4 expression in chronic unexpected mild stress (CUMS) rat model. The possible association was investigated between expression of these transcription factors and depressive behaviors. Behavioral tests were conducted before, during, and after 28 days of group housing or isolation plus CUMS. The sucrose solution consumption test was used to assess changes in interest and pleasure-seeking, and the open field test (OFT) was conducted to measure spontaneous activity and exploratory behavior. Expression levels of ARNT2 and NPAS4 were estimated by semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Compared to controls, rats subjected to isolation plus CUMS exhibited significantly reduced weight gain (t = 9.317, P = 0.000), sucrose consumption (t = 3.756, P = 0.003), horizontal ambulation (t = 2.362, P = 0.041), and number of rearings (vertical motion) (t = 2.268, P = 0.040). Relative hippocampal NPAS4 expression was significantly lower in depression model rats compared to controls (t = 2.995, P = 0.010) but there was no significant difference in hippocampal ARNT2 expression between groups (t = 0.091, P = 0.929). The relationship between the CUMS model of depression and NPAS4 expression requires further exploration.

A randomized controlled trial of olanzapine improving memory deficits in Han Chinese patients with first-episode schizophrenia.

Olanzapine is an atypical antipsychotic for the treatment of schizophrenia, in which memory impairment is a core deficit. The methods of positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS), Wechsler memory scale-4th edition (WMS-IV) and event-related potential (ERP) were used to study the effects of olanzapine on the cognitive function in the first-episode schizophrenic patients. We performed multicentre, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial to study the cognitive functioning in Han Chinese first-episode schizophrenic patients in a 12-week treatment regime with olanzapine (129 cases) or placebo (132 cases). The results showed that (1) the patients with first-episode schizophrenia showed significant deficits in the long-term memory, short-term memory, immediate memory and memory quotient by WMS-IV assessment, and decreases the total scores, positive symptoms, negative symptoms and general psychopathology by PANSS assessment; (2) olanzapine could significantly improve the PANSS scores including total scores, positive symptoms, negative symptoms and general psychopathology in the first-episode schizophrenic patients; (3) olanzapine could significantly improve the short-term memory, immediate memory and memory quotient in the first-episode schizophrenic patients; and (3) although the latencies of P(2), N(2) and P(3) were significantly prolonged, P(2) and P(3) amplitudes were decreased and the latencies of N(1) did not change, olanzapine did not influence any P(300) items in the first-episode schizophrenic patients. The data suggested that that olanzapine could improve cognitive process, such as memorizing and extraction of the information although there were many changes of cognitive functions in Han Chinese first-episode schizophrenic patients.

Aberrant apolipoprotein E expression and cognitive dysfunction in patients with poststroke depression.

BACKGROUND: Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is associated with some diseases with cognitive function defect. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of ApoE on poststroke depression (PSD) risk and to define objective markers for diagnosis. METHODS: The cognitive function, serum ApoE, and peripheral mononuclear blood cell ApoE mRNA expression of patients with PSD were compared to age-matched control patients with stroke and healthy volunteers. Sixty-seven patients with stroke were selected according to the cerebral infarction diagnosis standard of the Fourth National Cerebrovascular Disease Conference and divided into a PSD group (28 patients, 43-76 years old) or a control stroke group (39 patients, 43-78 years old) using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, and compared to 40 healthy volunteers (42-78 years old). Cognitive function was evaluated by analysis of event-related potentials (ERPs), while expression of ApoE mRNA was determined by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and serum ApoE by ELISA. RESULTS: The latencies of ERP components N2 and P3 were prolonged, and the P3 amplitude was lower in the PSD group compared to the control stroke group and healthy controls (p<0.01). There were no significant group differences in N1 and P2 latencies (all p>0.05). The latency of N2 was positively correlated to the P3 latency in the PSD group (p<0.05). No associations were detected between P3 amplitude, expression of ApoE mRNA, and serum ApoE in the PSD group (all p>0.05). The ERP results indicated that patients with PSD were significantly slower at identifying a target stimulus, suggesting deficits in perception and/or cognitive processing. Peripheral expression of ApoE mRNA was lower in the PSD group than the control stroke group (p<0.701) while serum ApoE was higher than in the control stroke group (p<0.05), possibly reflecting a feedback reduction in expression. CONCLUSION: We suggest that aberrant serum ApoE together with abnormalities in some ERP components may be useful markers for assessment of PSD risk and clinical diagnosis.