Prognostic prediction of subjective cognitive decline in major depressive disorder based on immune biomarkers: a prospective observational study.

OBJECTIVE: Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is highlighted in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), which impairs objective cognitive performance and worsens the clinical outcomes. Immune dysregulation is supposed to be the potential mechanism of cognitive impairment. However, the peripheral immune biomarkers in patients troubled with MDD and SCD are not conventionally described. METHODS: A prospective-observational study was conducted for 8 weeks. Subjective cognitive function was measured using the Chinese version of the 20-item perceived deficits questionnaire-depression (PDQ-D) and depression symptoms were evaluated with Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HDRS-17). Luminex assays were used to measure 48 immune cytokines in plasma at baseline. Integrating these results and clinicopathological features, a logistic regression model was used to develop a prognostic prediction. RESULTS: Totally, 114 patients were enrolled in this study. Among the patients who completed follow-up, 56% (N = 50) had residual subjective cognitive decline, and 44% (N = 50) did not. The plasma levels of FGF basic, INF-γ, IL-1ß, MCP-1, M-CSF and SCF were increased and the levels of IL-9, RANTES and PDGF-BB were decreased in the SCD group. Additionally, Basic FGF, IFN-γ, IL-1ß, and SCF were positively correlated and IL-9, RANTES, and PDGF-BB were negatively correlated with the PDQ-D scores after treatment. Notably, combinations of cytokines (SCF and PDGF-BB) and PDQ-D scores at baseline showed good performance (The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.818) in the prediction of subjective cognitive decline. CONCLUSION: A prognostic model based on protein concentrations of SCF, PDGF-BB, and scores of PDQ-D showed considerable accuracy in predicting residual subjective cognitive decline in depression.

Efficacy of adjunctive intensive transcranial direct current stimulation of different cortices in treatment-resistant depression: a study protocol for a randomized double-blinded sham-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) carries a high economic burden worldwide. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is advantageous for improving cognition and can be safely used in the treatment of depression. The effectiveness of tDCS of the left and right orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) as adjuvant treatment in patients with TRD has rarely been explored. Therefore, the objective of this trial is to evaluate the effectiveness there of when administering left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) positive stimulation or OFC negative stimulation in patients with TRD. METHODS: Ninety eligible participants will be recruited to receive intervention at Shanghai Mental Health Center. Treatment will be randomly assigned in a double-blind fashion. Participants will receive either DLPFC (n = 30), OFC (n = 30), or sham (n = 30) tDCS, while continuing their usual pharmacotherapy at a stable dosage for at least 2 weeks before enrollment and throughout the stimulation period. All participants will receive 20 weekday stimulation sessions of 60 minutes duration each. Participants in the active group will be stimulated at 2 mA throughout the session, whereas the sham group will receive only a brief period of stimulation to mimic the sensation. After 20 stimulation sessions, no further treatment will be administered. Measurements will be conducted at regular points throughout and at 8 weeks after trial completion. The primary outcome is the change in the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) score after 20 sessions. Secondary outcomes were defined as changes in other measurement scales, cognitive function, resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), and serum biomarkers. DISCUSSION: We hypothesize that, in contrast to the sham group, both the active DLPFC and OFC tDCS groups will show superiority in HAMD-17 score reduction after 5, 10, and 20 sessions. Moreover, associations of the improvement of depressive symptoms with variations in rs-fMRI and TRD-related biomarkers will be evaluated. Our study may suggest that adjunctive intensive tDCS with left DLPFC positive stimulation or right OFC negative stimulation may be effective as a novel method to relieve depressive symptoms in patients with TRD. The variation of rs-fMRI, biomarkers could be used as a potential prediction model of treatment efficacy in TRD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial protocol is registered with www.chictr.org.cn under protocol registration number ChiCTR2200058030. Date of registration: March 27, 2022. Recruitment started in September 2022 and is ongoing.

Effects of Short-Term Limitation of Movement of the First Metatarsophalangeal Joint on the Biomechanics of the Ipsilateral Hip, Knee, and Ankle Joints During Walking.

BACKGROUND We analyzed the effect of limitation of movement of the first metatarsophalangeal joint (FMJ) on the biomechanics of the lower limbs during walking. MATERIAL AND METHODS Eight healthy college students completed walking under barefoot (BF) and FMJ constraint (FMJC) conditions. We synchronously collected kinematics and dynamics data, and calculated the torque, power, and work of hip, knee, and ankle joints. RESULTS Compared with normal conditions, when the FMJ is restricted from walking, the maximum ankle dorsiflexion angle is significantly increased (P<0.001), the maximum plantar flexion angle is significantly reduced (P<0.001), the maximum plantar flexion torque (P<0.001) and the maximum dorsiflexion torque (P<0.05) increased significantly, the maximum power increased significantly (P<0.001), the minimum power decreased significantly (P<0.001), and the negative work increased significantly (P<0.001). The torque of hip and knee joints increased significantly (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS After the movement of the FMJ is restricted, the human body mainly compensates and transfers compensation by increasing the angle of dorsiflexion, increasing work and the activity level of surrounding muscles through the ankle joint, thereby increasing the torque load of the knee and hip joints to maintain the dynamic balance of kinematics. FMJC condition increases the energy consumption of the human ankle, knee, and hip joints during walking. The load is compensated by the gradual attenuation of the ankle, knee, and hip. Long-term limitation may cause damage to the posterior calf muscles and increase the incidence of knee arthritis.

Efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation for treating anhedonia in patients with depression: A randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Anhedonia, the core symptom of major depressive disorder (MDD), is highly prevalent in patients with depression. Anhedonia is associated with low efficacy of drug treatment, high suicide rates, and poor social function. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive neuromodulation technology that uses constant, low-intensity direct current to treat MDD by regulating cortical activity and neuronal excitability. However, little is known about the efficacy of tDCS for treating anhedonia in patients with depression, and even the existing results of clinical trials are conflicting. In addition, there is no consensus on what brain regions should be targeted by tDCS during the treatment of anhedonia in patients with depression. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tDCS over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and right orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in the improvement of anhedonia in patients with depression and finally identified suitable brain regions to be stimulated during treatment. METHODS: This randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled clinical trial recruited 70 patients with anhedonia and depressive episodes. Patients were randomly assigned to three groups according to the stimulation site: right orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and sham stimulation. Each group received twelve 20-min interventions (ten as primary treatment and two for consolidation). The primary outcome was a decrease in Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS) scores after primary treatment. Evaluations were performed at baseline, post-treatment, and 8-week follow-up. RESULTS: The depression mood of the three groups of patients at each time point was better than the baseline, but there was no significant difference in the efficacy between the groups (p>0.05). On the basis of the improvement of depression, this study found that tDCS of the DLPFC significantly improved anhedonia (p = 0.028) after primary treatment (2 weeks), and tDCS of the DLPFC and OFC significantly improved social functioning (p = 0.005) at 8-week follow-up. LIMITATIONS: The sample size of this study was small, with only about 23/24 patients in each group completing the intervention assessments; due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, data analysis was limited by the lack of patients during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: tDCS of the DLPFC significantly improves anhedonia in depressed patients and is thus a potential adjuvant therapy for anhedonia in these patients.

Adjunctive duration-doubled transcranial direct current stimulation for the treatment of depressive patients with suicidal ideation: study protocol for a double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: The problem of suicide has become increasingly common in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD). Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is an effective treatment for MDD with 2 milliamperes (mA) for at least 30 min per day for 2 weeks. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of daily duration-doubled tDCS as an adjunctive intervention for rapidly reducing suicidal ideation and improving depression in MDD patients. METHODS: In this double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled study, 76 MDD patients with suicidal ideation are randomly assigned to either active (n=38) or sham (n=38) tDCS group. The anode and cathode are placed over the scalp areas corresponding to left and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), respectively, and each stimulation lasts for 60 min. The primary outcome is defined as change of Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSI) after 5 and 10 sessions. The change of other clinical assessments, blood biomarkers related to suicidal ideation and depressive sumptoms are defined as secondary outcomes. Blood biomarkers related to suicidal ideation are collected at baseline and after 10 sessions. DISCUSSION: This study suggests the adjunctive duration-doubled tDCS might be a novel method to rapidly reduce suicidal ideation and improve depressive symptom. The variation of biomarkers could be potential predictive models of suicide risk. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial protocol is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov under protocol registration number NCT05555927. Registered on September 25, 2022.

Association between overt aggression and anhedonia in patients with major depressive disorder during the acute phase.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the factors influencing anhedonia at baseline and use them as confounding factors. To further investigate the correlation between overt aggression and anhedonia during the acute phase of major depressive disorder. METHODS: In this eight-week prospective study, 384 major depressive disorder patients were recruited from the outpatient section of Shanghai Mental Health Center from May 1, 2017, to October 30, 2018. Standard treatments were performed with escitalopram or venlafaxine for participants. Depressive symptoms, overt aggression, and anhedonia were assessed using the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Modified Overt Aggression Scale, and Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale at baseline, and in the 4th and 8th weeks. RESULTS: Obsessive-compulsive symptoms and the duration of untreated psychosis were positively associated with aggression (P < 0.05). Patients with aggressive behaviour had worse cognitive impairment and severe anhedonia of pleasurable sensory experiences (P < 0.05). For anhedonia, being female (tau_b = -0.23, P = 0.012) was a protective factor, while number of recurrent, melancholic features, current obsessions, previous combination drug therapies, depressive symptoms, and aggressive behaviour were risk factors (P < 0.05). Social anhedonia related to interests/pastimes, and pleasurable sensory experiences were more severe in major depressive disorder patients with aggressive behaviour in the acute phase (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Anhedonia persisted in major depressive disorder patients with aggressive behaviour after standardized treatment during the acute phase. Being female protected the pleasures from social interaction and sensory experience. However, the number of depressive episodes, melancholic features, current obsessive symptoms, previous combination drug therapies, depressive symptoms, and aggressive behaviour was positively associated with anhedonia.

Comparison of 60-minute vs 30-minute transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in major depressive disorder: Effects on depression suicidal ideation and anxiety.

We investigated whether changes through doubling the duration of each tDCS session would increase efficacy of tDCS for depression. tDCS was applied for 10 sessions, followed by two additional weekly sessions. 63 patients with MDD underwent randomization, with 22 being assigned to 60-min/d group, 25 to 30 min/d group, and 16 to sham group. HAMD-17 reductive ratios at week 2 and 4 were of no significant differences among treatment groups. 60 min group had a greater decrease in anxiety compared to 30 min group and sham group based on HAMA at 4 weeks but only in the completer analysis, not in ITT analysis.

Ketamine May Exert Rapid Antidepressant Effects Through Modulation of Neuroplasticity, Autophagy, and Ferroptosis in the Habenular Nucleus.

Major depressive disorder is a burdensome condition with few treatment options, and traditional antidepressants are characterized by slow onset. Sub-anesthetic ketamine has rapid-onset effects for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), the mechanisms of which remain elusive. In this study, we explored whether neuroplasticity, autophagy, and ferroptosis in the habenular nucleus are involved in the rapid antidepressant process of ketamine. The results showed that Chronic Restraint Stress (CRS) treated rats exhibited decreased neuroplasticity, inhibition of autophagy, and enhanced ferroptosis. Depression-like symptoms were significantly improved after ketamine treatment in CRS rats, with changes in physiological parameters. Ketamine-treated CRS rats showed a significant improvement in habenular nuclear neuroplasticity. Electron microscopy observed that ketamine triggered autophagy, with increased levels of autophagy-related proteins. Ferroptosis was inhibited by ketamine by electron microscopy, with increased FTH1 and GPX4 levels and decreased Tfr1 levels. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that ketamine may exert rapid antidepressant effects by improving neuroplasticity, activating autophagy, and inhibiting ferroptosis in the nuclear complex.

Difference in the regulation of biological rhythm symptoms of Major depressive disorder between escitalopram and mirtazapine.

BACKGROUND: Biological rhythm plays an important role in major depressive disorder (MDD). The efficacy of antidepressant in biological rhythm remains unclear. This study is designed to explore the efficiency of escitalopram and mirtazapine in improving circadian rhythm, diurnal mood variation(DMV) and daily activity in MDD patients. METHODS: Four-hundred and fifty participants diagnosed with MDD were randomized to receive treatment with escitalopram (TWE), treatment with mirtazapine (TWM) or treatment as usual (TAU). Biological rhythm symptoms were assessed by relevant biological subscale in the Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) and the quick inventory of depressive symptomatology self-report (QIDS). The participants were assessed by trained evaluators at baseline and week 2, 4, 6 and 8. RESULTS: The differences of HAMD score among TWE(58%, 69%, 72%), TWM(56%, 64%, 76%) and TAU(49%, 57%, 68%) were significant(P<0.05). But the differences were significant only in patients without DMV; (2) Sleep rhythm items (difficulty falling asleep and early-wake) were significantly improved in TWM (P <0 .05) for both HAMD and QIDS. Decreased appetite and weight were significantly improved in TWM (P<0 .05) for both scales. (3) For daily activity-related items, feeling slowed down and concentration were significantly improved in TWE. And the retardation was significantly improved in TWE and in TWM. CONCLUSIONS: Both escitalopram and mirtazapine have superior anti-depressive effect, especially for MDD patients without DMV. Escitalopram was significantly more effective in daily activity, feeling slowed down and concentration difficulty, while mirtazapine was significantly more effective in improving sleep, appetite and weight of MDD.