Association of clinical parameters and polygenic risk scores for body mass index, schizophrenia, and diabetes with antipsychotic-induced weight gain.

Antipsychotic-induced weight gain (AIWG) is a common adverse event in schizophrenia. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and polygenic risk scores (PRS) for other diseases or traits are recent approaches to disentangling the genetic architecture of AIWG. 200 patients with schizophrenia treated monotherapeutically with antipsychotics were included in this study. A multiple linear regression analysis with ten-fold crossvalidation was performed to predict the percentage weight change after five weeks of treatment. Independent variables were sex, age, body mass index (BMI) at baseline, medication-associated risk, and PRSs (BMI, schizophrenia, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome). An explorative GWAS analysis was performed on the same subjects and traits. PRSs for BMI (ß = 3.78; p = 0.0041), schizophrenia (ß = 5.38; p = 0.021) and diabetes type 2 (ß = 13.4; p = 0.046) were significantly associated with AIWG. Other significant factors were sex, baseline BMI and medication. Compared to the model without genetic factors, the addition of PRSs for BMI, schizophrenia, and diabetes type 2 increased the goodness of fit by 6.5 %. The GWAS identified the association of three variants (rs10668573, rs10249381 and rs1988834) with AIWG at a genome-wide level of p < 1 · 10-6. Using PRS for schizophrenia, BMI, and diabetes type 2 increased the explained variation of predicted weight gain, compared to a model without PRSs. For more precise results, PRSs derived from other traits (ideally AIWG) should be investigated. Potential risk variants identified in our GWAS need to be further investigated and replicated in independent samples.

Acculturative Orientations Among Hispanic/Latinx Caregivers in the ABCD Study: Associations With Caregiver and Youth Mental Health and Youth Brain Function.

Background: Population-based neuroscience offers opportunities to examine important but understudied sociocultural factors such as acculturation. Acculturation refers to the extent to which an individual retains their cultural heritage and/or adopts the receiving society's culture and is particularly salient among Hispanic/Latinx immigrants. Specific acculturative orientations have been linked to vulnerability to substance use, depression, and suicide and are known to influence family dynamics between caregivers and their children. Methods: Using data from first- and second-generation Hispanic/Latinx caregivers in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study (N = 1057), we examined how caregivers' acculturative orientation affects their mental health, as well as the mental health and brain function of their children. Neuroimaging analyses focused on regions associated with self- and affiliation-based social processing (ventromedial prefrontal cortex, insula, and temporoparietal junction). Results: We identified 2 profiles of caregiver acculturation: bicultural (retains heritage culture while adopting U.S. culture) and detached (discards heritage culture and rejects U.S. culture). Bicultural caregivers exhibited fewer internalizing and externalizing problems than detached caregivers; furthermore, youth exhibited similar internalizing effects across caregiver profiles. In addition, youth with bicultural caregivers displayed increased resting-state brain activity (i.e., fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations and regional homogeneity) in the left insula, which has been linked to psychopathology; however, differences in long-range functional connectivity were not significant. Conclusions: Caregiver acculturation is an important familial factor that has been linked to significant differences in youth mental health and insula activity. Future work should examine sociocultural and neurodevelopmental changes across adolescence to assess health outcomes and determine whether localized, corticolimbic brain effects are ultimately translated into long-range connectivity differences.

Graded functional organization in the left inferior frontal gyrus: evidence from task-free and task-based functional connectivity.

The left inferior frontal gyrus has been ascribed key roles in numerous cognitive domains, such as language and executive function. However, its functional organization is unclear. Possibilities include a singular domain-general function, or multiple functions that can be mapped onto distinct subregions. Furthermore, spatial transition in function may be either abrupt or graded. The present study explored the topographical organization of the left inferior frontal gyrus using a bimodal data-driven approach. We extracted functional connectivity gradients from (i) resting-state fMRI time-series and (ii) coactivation patterns derived meta-analytically from heterogenous sets of task data. We then sought to characterize the functional connectivity differences underpinning these gradients with seed-based resting-state functional connectivity, meta-analytic coactivation modeling and functional decoding analyses. Both analytic approaches converged on graded functional connectivity changes along 2 main organizational axes. An anterior-posterior gradient shifted from being preferentially associated with high-level control networks (anterior functional connectivity) to being more tightly coupled with perceptually driven networks (posterior). A second dorsal-ventral axis was characterized by higher connectivity with domain-general control networks on one hand (dorsal functional connectivity), and with the semantic network, on the other (ventral). These results provide novel insights into an overarching graded functional organization of the functional connectivity that explains its role in multiple cognitive domains.

Task-based attentional and default mode connectivity associated with science and math anxiety profiles among university physics students.

PURPOSE: Attentional control theory (ACT) posits that elevated anxiety increases the probability of re-allocating cognitive resources needed to complete a task to processing anxiety-related stimuli. This process impairs processing efficiency and can lead to reduced performance effectiveness. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students frequently experience anxiety about their coursework, which can interfere with learning and performance and negatively impact student retention and graduation rates. The objective of this study was to extend the ACT framework to investigate the neurobiological associations between science and math anxiety and cognitive performance among 123 physics undergraduate students. PROCEDURES: Latent profile analysis (LPA) identified four profiles of science and math anxiety among STEM students, including two profiles that represented the majority of the sample (Low Science and Math Anxiety; 59.3% and High Math Anxiety; 21.9%) and two additional profiles that were not well represented (High Science and Math Anxiety; 6.5% and High Science Anxiety; 4.1%). Students underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) session in which they performed two tasks involving physics cognition: the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) task and the Physics Knowledge (PK) task. FINDINGS: No significant differences were observed in FCI or PK task performance between High Math Anxiety and Low Science and Math Anxiety students. During the three phases of the FCI task, we found no significant brain connectivity differences during scenario and question presentation, yet we observed significant differences during answer selection within and between the dorsal attention network (DAN), ventral attention network (VAN), and default mode network (DMN). Further, we found significant group differences during the PK task were limited to the DAN, including DAN-VAN and within-DAN connectivity. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight the different cognitive processes required for physics conceptual reasoning compared to physics knowledge retrieval, provide new insight into the underlying brain dynamics associated with anxiety and physics cognition, and confirm the relevance of ACT theory for science and math anxiety.

Methods for decoding cortical gradients of functional connectivity.

Macroscale gradients have emerged as a central principle for understanding functional brain organization. Previous studies have demonstrated that a principal gradient of connectivity in the human brain exists, with unimodal primary sensorimotor regions situated at one end and transmodal regions associated with the default mode network and representative of abstract functioning at the other. The functional significance and interpretation of macroscale gradients remains a central topic of discussion in the neuroimaging community, with some studies demonstrating that gradients may be described using meta-analytic functional decoding techniques. However, additional methodological development is necessary to fully leverage available meta-analytic methods and resources and quantitatively evaluate their relative performance. Here, we conducted a comprehensive series of analyses to investigate and improve the framework of data-driven, meta-analytic methods, thereby establishing a principled approach for gradient segmentation and functional decoding. We found that a two-segment solution determined by a k-means segmentation approach and an LDA-based meta-analysis combined with the NeuroQuery database was the optimal combination of methods for decoding functional connectivity gradients. Finally, we proposed a method for decoding additional components of the gradient decomposition. The current work aims to provide recommendations on best practices and flexible methods for gradient-based functional decoding of fMRI data.

A factor analytic comparison of three commonly used depression scales (HAMD, MADRS, BDI) in a large sample of depressed inpatients.

BACKGROUND: Quantifying depression mainly relies on the use of depression scales, and understanding their factor structure is crucial for evaluating their validity. METHODS: This post-hoc analysis utilized prospectively collected data from a naturalistic study of 1014 inpatients with major depression. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were performed to test the psychometric abilities of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale, and the self-rated Beck Depression Inventory. A combined factor analysis was also conducted including all items of all scales. RESULTS: All three scales showed good to very good internal consistency. The HAMD-17 had four factors: an "anxiety" factor, a "depression" factor, an "insomnia" factor, and a "somatic" factor. The MADRS also had four factors: a "sadness" factor, a neurovegetative factor, a "detachment" factor and a "negative thoughts" factor, while the BDI had three factors: a "negative attitude towards self" factor, a "performance impairment" factor, and a "somatic" factor. The combined factor analysis suggested that self-ratings might reflect a distinct illness dimension within major depression. CONCLUSIONS: The factors obtained in this study are comparable to those found in previous research. Self and clinician ratings are complementary and not redundant, highlighting the importance of using multiple measures to quantify depression.

Tectonic evolution of the Nootka fault zone and deformation of the shallow subducted Explorer plate in northern Cascadia as revealed by earthquake distributions and seismic tomography.

At the northern Cascadia subduction zone, the subducting Explorer and Juan de Fuca plates interact across a transform deformation zone, known as the Nootka fault zone (NFZ). This study continues the Seafloor Earthquake Array Japan Canada Cascadia Experiment to a second phase (SeaJade II) consisting of nine months of recording of earthquakes using ocean-bottom and land-based seismometers. In addition to mapping the distribution of seismicity, including an MW 6.4 earthquake and aftershocks along the previously unknown Nootka Sequence Fault, we also conducted seismic tomography, which delineates the geometry of the shallow subducting Explorer plate (ExP). We derived hundreds of high-quality focal mechanism solutions from the SeaJade II data. The mechanisms manifest a complex regional tectonic state, with normal faulting of the ExP west of the NFZ, left-lateral strike-slip behaviour of the NFZ, and reverse faulting within the overriding plate above the subducting Juan de Fuca plate. Using data from the combined SeaJade I and II catalogs, we have performed double-difference hypocentre relocations and found seismicity lineations to the southeast of, and oriented 18° clockwise from, the subducted NFZ, which we interpret to represent less active small faults off the primary faults of the NFZ. These lineations are not optimally oriented for shear failure in the regional stress field, which we inferred from averaged focal mechanism solutions, and may represent paleo-configurations of the NFZ. Further, active faults interpreted from seismicity lineations within the subducted plate, including the Nootka Sequence Fault, may have originated as conjugate faults within the paleo-NFZ.

Graded functional organisation in the left inferior frontal gyrus: evidence from task-free and task-based functional connectivity.

The left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) has been ascribed key roles in numerous cognitive domains, including language, executive function and social cognition. However, its functional organisation, and how the specific areas implicated in these cognitive domains relate to each other, is unclear. Possibilities include that the LIFG underpins a domain-general function or, alternatively, that it is characterized by functional differentiation, which might occur in either a discrete or a graded pattern. The aim of the present study was to explore the topographical organisation of the LIFG using a bimodal data-driven approach. To this end, we extracted functional connectivity (FC) gradients from 1) the resting-state fMRI time-series of 150 participants (77 female), and 2) patterns of co-activation derived meta-analytically from task data across a diverse set of cognitive domains. We then sought to characterize the FC differences driving these gradients with seed-based resting-state FC and meta-analytic co-activation modelling analyses. Both analytic approaches converged on an FC profile that shifted in a graded fashion along two main organisational axes. An anterior-posterior gradient shifted from being preferentially associated with high-level control networks (anterior LIFG) to being more tightly coupled with perceptually-driven networks (posterior). A second dorsal-ventral axis was characterized by higher connectivity with domain-general control networks on one hand (dorsal LIFG), and with the semantic network, on the other (ventral). These results provide novel insights into a graded functional organisation of the LIFG underpinning both task-free and task-constrained mental states, and suggest that the LIFG is an interface between distinct large-scale functional networks.

The Link Between Neuroticism and Everyday Cognitive Failures is Mediated by Self-Reported Mindfulness Among College Students.

Neuroticism has been linked to an increased likelihood of cognitive failures, including episodes of inattentiveness, forgetfulness, or accidents causing difficulties in successfully executing everyday tasks and impacting health and quality of life. Cognitive failures associated with trait neuroticism can prompt some negative psychological outcomes and risky behaviors. Accumulating evidence shows that augmenting mindfulness can benefit cognitive health and general well-being. However, little is known regarding potential cognitive-behavioral pathways through which individual differences in trait neuroticism could influence the propensity to cognitive failures. Using a sample of 1003 undergraduate college students (females: n = 779) consisting of self-reported questionnaire data, we conducted correlational and mediational analyses to investigate the interrelationship between neuroticism, mindfulness, and cognitive failures. Higher neuroticism scores (females: r = -0.388, males: r = -0.390) and higher cognitive failures scores (females: r = -0.339, males: r = -0.407, p < .001) were significantly correlated with lower self-reported mindfulness scores. Mindfulness significantly mediated the relationship between neuroticism and cognitive failures (ß = 0.50, 95%, CI: 0.37, 0.65). These findings indicate that higher mindfulness may help ameliorate negative effects of neuroticism on everyday cognitive failures. Future research will determine how college students may benefit from positive impact of mindfulness to improve their psychological and physical health.

Neural systems underlying RDoC social constructs: An activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis.

Neuroscientists have sought to identify the underlying neural systems supporting social processing that allow interaction and communication, forming social relationships, and navigating the social world. Through the use of NIMH's Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) framework, we evaluated consensus among studies that examined brain activity during social tasks to elucidate regions comprising the "social brain". We examined convergence across tasks corresponding to the four RDoC social constructs, including Affiliation and Attachment, Social Communication, Perception and Understanding of Self, and Perception and Understanding of Others. We performed a series of coordinate-based meta-analyses using the activation likelihood estimate (ALE) method. Meta-analysis was performed on whole-brain coordinates reported from 864 fMRI contrasts using the NiMARE Python package, revealing convergence in medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, temporoparietal junction, bilateral insula, amygdala, fusiform gyrus, precuneus, and thalamus. Additionally, four separate RDoC-based meta-analyses revealed differential convergence associated with the four social constructs. These outcomes highlight the neural support underlying these social constructs and inform future research on alterations among neurotypical and atypical populations.

Convergent gray matter alterations across drugs of abuse and network-level implications: A meta-analysis of structural MRI studies.

BACKGROUND: Neuroimaging studies often consider brain alterations linked with substance abuse within the context of individual drugs (e.g., nicotine), while neurobiological theories of addiction emphasize common brain network-level alterations across drug classes. Using emergent meta-analytic techniques, we identified common structural brain alterations across drugs and characterized the functionally-connected networks with which such structurally altered regions interact. METHODS: We identified 82 articles characterizing gray matter (GM) volume differences for substance users vs. controls. Using the anatomical likelihood estimation algorithm, we identified convergent GM reductions across drug classes. Next, we performed resting-state and meta-analytic functional connectivity analyses using each structurally altered region as a seed and computed whole-brain functional connectivity profiles as the union of both maps. We characterized an "extended network" by identifying brain areas demonstrating the highest degree of functional coupling with structurally impacted regions. Finally, hierarchical clustering was performed leveraging extended network nodes' functional connectivity profiles to delineate subnetworks. RESULTS: Across drug classes, we identified medial frontal/ventromedial prefrontal, and multiple regions in anterior cingulate (ACC) and insula as regions displaying convergent GM reductions among users. Overlap of these regions' functional connectivity profiles identified ACC, inferior frontal, PCC, insula, superior temporal, and putamen as regions of an impacted extended network. Hierarchical clustering revealed 3 subnetworks closely corresponding to default mode (PCC, angular), salience (dACC, caudate), and executive control networks (dlPFC and parietal). CONCLUSIONS: These outcomes suggest that substance-related structural brain alterations likely have implications for the functioning of canonical large-scale networks and the perpetuation of substance use and neurocognitive alterations.

Extended functional connectivity of convergent structural alterations among individuals with PTSD: a neuroimaging meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating disorder defined by the onset of intrusive, avoidant, negative cognitive or affective, and/or hyperarousal symptoms after witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. Previous voxel-based morphometry studies have provided insight into structural brain alterations associated with PTSD with notable heterogeneity across these studies. Furthermore, how structural alterations may be associated with brain function, as measured by task-free and task-based functional connectivity, remains to be elucidated. METHODS: Using emergent meta-analytic techniques, we sought to first identify a consensus of structural alterations in PTSD using the anatomical likelihood estimation (ALE) approach. Next, we generated functional profiles of identified convergent structural regions utilizing resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and meta-analytic co-activation modeling (MACM) methods. Finally, we performed functional decoding to examine mental functions associated with our ALE, rsFC, and MACM brain characterizations. RESULTS: We observed convergent structural alterations in a single region located in the medial prefrontal cortex. The resultant rsFC and MACM maps identified functional connectivity across a widespread, whole-brain network that included frontoparietal and limbic regions. Functional decoding revealed overlapping associations with attention, memory, and emotion processes. CONCLUSIONS: Consensus-based functional connectivity was observed in regions of the default mode, salience, and central executive networks, which play a role in the tripartite model of psychopathology. Taken together, these findings have important implications for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms associated with PTSD.

The association of amygdala-insula functional connectivity and adolescent e-cigarette use via sleep problems and depressive symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use remains high. Elucidating contributing factors may enhance prevention strategies. Neurobiologically, amygdala-insula resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) has been linked with aspects of sleep, affect, and substance use (SU). As such, we hypothesized that amygdala's rsFC with the insula would be associated with e-cigarette use via sleep problems and/or depression levels. METHODS: An adolescent sample (N = 146) completed a rs-fMRI scan at time 1 and self-reports at time 2 (∼15 months later). Given consistent associations between mental health outcomes and the rsFC of the laterobasal amygdala (lbAMY) with the anterior insula, we utilized a seed region (lbAMY) to region of interest (ROI) analysis approach to characterize brain-behavior relationships. Two serial mediation models tested the interrelations between amygdala's rsFC with distinct anterior insula subregions (i.e., ventral insula [vI], dorsal insula [dI]), sleep problems, depression levels, and days of e-cigarette use. RESULTS: An indirect effect was observed when considering the lbAMY's rsFC with the vI. Greater rsFC predicted more sleep problems, more sleep problems were linked with greater depressive symptoms, and greater depressive symptoms were associated with more e-cigarette use (indirect effect = 0.08, CI [0.01,0.21]). Indicative of a neurobiological dissociation, a similar indirect effect linking these variables was not observed when considering the lbAMY's rsFC with the dI (indirect effect = 0.03, CI [-0.001,0.10]). CONCLUSIONS: These outcomes highlight functional interactions between the amygdala and insula as a neurobiological contributor to sleep problems, depressive symptoms, and ultimately SU thereby suggesting potential intervention points to reduce teen e-cigarette use.

Changing the Antipsychotic in Early Nonimprovers to Amisulpride or Olanzapine: Randomized, Double-Blind Trial in Patients With Schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESIS: Meta-analyses have shown that the majority of patients with schizophrenia who have not improved after 2 weeks of treatment with an antipsychotic drug are unlikely to fully respond later. We hypothesized that switching to another antipsychotic with a different receptor binding profile is an effective strategy in such a situation. STUDY DESIGN: In total, 327 inpatients with an acute exacerbation of schizophrenia were randomized to double-blind treatment with either olanzapine (5-20 mg/day) or amisulpride (200-800 mg/day). Those patients who had not reached at least 25% Positive-and-Negative-Syndrome-Scale (PANSS) total score reduction from baseline after 2 weeks (the "non-improvers") were rerandomized double-blind to either staying on the same compound ("stayers") or to switching to the other antipsychotic ("switchers") for another 6 weeks. The primary outcome was the difference in the number of patients in symptomatic remission between the combined "switchers" and the "stayers" after 8 weeks of treatment, analyzed by logistic regression. STUDY RESULTS: A total of 142 nonimprovers were rerandomized at week two. 25 (45.5 %) of the 'stayers' compared to 41 (68.3 %) of the "switchers" reached remission at endpoint (p = .006). Differences in secondary efficacy outcomes were not significant, except for the PANSS negative subscore and the Clinical-Global-Impression-Scale. "Switchers" and "stayers" did not differ in safety outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Switching "non-improvers" from amisulpride to olanzapine or vice-versa increased remission rates and was safe. The superiority in the primary outcome was, however, not paralleled by significant differences in most secondary efficacy outcomes and the effect was only apparent at the last visit making replications of longer duration necessary.

Megathrust reflectivity reveals the updip limit of the 2014 Iquique earthquake rupture.

The updip limit of seismic rupture during a megathrust earthquake exerts a major control on the size of the resulting tsunami. Offshore Northern Chile, the 2014 Mw 8.1 Iquique earthquake ruptured the plate boundary between 19.5° and 21°S. Rupture terminated under the mid-continental slope and did not propagate updip to the trench. Here, we use state-of-the-art seismic reflection data to investigate the tectonic setting associated with the apparent updip arrest of rupture propagation at 15 km depth during the Iquique earthquake. We document a spatial correspondence between the rupture area and the seismic reflectivity of the plate boundary. North and updip of the rupture area, a coherent, highly reflective plate boundary indicates excess fluid pressure, which may prevent the accumulation of elastic strain. In contrast, the rupture area is characterized by the absence of plate boundary reflectivity, which suggests low fluid pressure that results in stress accumulation and thus controls the extent of earthquake rupture. Generalizing these results, seismic reflection data can provide insights into the physical state of the shallow plate boundary and help to assess the potential for future shallow rupture in the absence of direct measurements of interplate deformation from most outermost forearc slopes.

Omega-3 fatty acids in bipolar patients with a low omega-3 index and reduced heart rate variability: the "BIPO-3" trial.

BACKGROUND: Research suggests that a low omega-3 index may contribute to the low heart rate variability and the increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in bipolar disorders. However, so far, no intervention trial with EPA and DHA has been conducted in bipolar patients attempting to increase their heart rate variability. METHODS: 119 patients with bipolar disorder according to DSM-IV were screened, with 55 euthymic bipolar patients-owing to inclusion criteria (e.g. low omega-3 index (< 6%), SDNN < 60 ms.)-being enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, 12-week parallel study design with omega-3 fatty acids (4 capsules of 530 mg EPA, 150 mg DHA) or corn oil as a placebo, in addition to usual treatment. Heart rate variability as well as the omega-3 index were measured at baseline and at the endpoint of the study. RESULTS: A total of 42 patients (omega-3: n = 23, corn oil: n = 19) successfully completed the study after 12 weeks. There was a significant increase in the omega-3 index (value at endpoint minus value at baseline) in the omega-3 group compared to the corn oil group (p < 0.0001). However, there was no significant difference in the change of the SDNN (value at endpoint minus value at baseline) between the treatment groups (p = 0.22). In addition, no correlation between changes in SDNN and change in the omega-3 index could be detected in the omega-3 group (correlation coefficient = 0.02, p = 0.94) or the corn oil group (correlation coefficient = - 0.11, p = 0.91). Similarly, no significant differences between corn oil and omega-3 group regarding the change of LF (p = 0.19), HF (p = 0.34) and LF/HF ratio (p = 0.84) could be demonstrated. CONCLUSIONS: In our randomized, controlled intervention trial in euthymic bipolar patients with a low omega-3 index and reduced heart rate variability no significant effect of omega-3 fatty acids on SDNN or frequency-domain measures HF, LF and LF/HF ratio could be detected. Possible reasons include, among others, the effect of psychotropic medication present in our trial and/or the genetics of bipolar disorder itself. Further research is needed to test these hypotheses. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT00891826. Registered 01 May 2009-Retrospectively registered, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00891826.

Risky decision-making strategies mediate the relationship between amygdala activity and real-world financial savings among individuals from lower income households: A pilot study.

Lower financial savings among individuals experiencing adverse social determinants of health (SDoH) increases vulnerabilities during times of crisis. SDoH including low socioeconomic status (low-SES) influence cognitive abilities as well as health and life outcomes that may perpetuate poverty and disparities. Despite evidence suggesting a role for financial growth in minimizing SDoH-related disparities and vulnerabilities, neurobiological mechanisms linked with financial behavior remain to be elucidated. As such, we examined the relationships between brain activity during decision-making (DM), laboratory-based task performance, and money savings behavior. Participants (N = 24, 14 females) from low-SES households (income<$20,000/year) underwent fMRI scanning while performing the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), a DM paradigm probing risky- and strategic-DM processes. Participants also completed self-report instruments characterizing relevant personality characteristics and then engaged in a community outreach financial program where amount of money saved was tracked over a 6-month period. Regarding BART-related brain activity, we observed expected activity in regions implicated in reward and emotional processing including the amygdala. Regarding brain-behavior relationships, we found that laboratory-based BART performance mediated the impact of amygdala activity on real-world behavior. That is, elevated amygdala activity was linked with BART strategic-DM which, in turn, was linked with more money saved after 6 months. In exploratory analyses, this mediation was moderated by emotion-related personality characteristics such that, only individuals reporting lower alexithymia demonstrated a relationship between amygdala activity and savings. These outcomes suggest that DM-related amygdala activity and/or emotion-related personality characteristics may provide utility as an endophenotypic marker of individual's financial savings behavior.

Altered large-scale brain network interactions associated with HIV infection and error processing.

Altered activity within and between large-scale brain networks has been implicated across various neuropsychiatric conditions. However, patterns of network dysregulation associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and further impacted by cannabis (CB) use, remain to be delineated. We examined the impact of HIV and CB on resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) between brain networks and associations with error awareness and error-related network responsivity. Participants (N = 106), stratified into four groups (HIV+/CB+, HIV+/CB-, HIV-/CB+, HIV-/CB-), underwent fMRI scanning while completing a resting-state scan and a modified Go/NoGo paradigm assessing brain responsivity to errors and explicit error awareness. We examined separate and interactive effects of HIV and CB on resource allocation indexes (RAIs), a measure quantifying rsFC strength between the default mode network (DMN), central executive network (CEN), and salience network (SN). We observed reduced RAIs among HIV+ (vs. HIV-) participants, which was driven by increased SN-DMN rsFC. No group differences were detected for SN-CEN rsFC. Increased SN-DMN rsFC correlated with diminished error awareness, but not with error-related network responsivity. These outcomes highlight altered network interactions among participants with HIV and suggest such rsFC dysregulation may persist during task performance, reflecting an inability to disengage irrelevant mental operations, ultimately hindering error processing.

Chronic vs non-chronic depression in psychiatric inpatient care - Data from a large naturalistic multicenter trial.

BACKGROUND: Around 20% - 30% of depressed individuals experience a chronic form of depression lasting two or more years. This naturalistic study investigates the characteristics and the course of chronic depressed patients (CD) during standard antidepressant treatment in comparison to not chronically depressed (NCD) patients. METHODS: Data of 954 patients were drawn from the prospective naturalistic, multicenter study of the German research network on depression, CD was met as classifier by 113 patients (11.8%), whereas 841 patients (88.2%) had non-chronic courses (NCD). RESULTS: CD was significantly associated with a low age at onset, use of benzodiazepines, psychotherapy at baseline, substance abuse, a depressive personality disorder and a low degree of extraversion. CD patients showed a longer hospital stay, lower remission rates, increased rates of suicidal ideation as well as higher depression scores at discharge. In addition, individuals with chronic depression continued to obtain higher neuroticism scores and lower extraversion scores at discharge. LIMITATION: Results were assessed by a post-hoc analysis, based on prospectively collected data. CONCLUSION: CD patients have an inferior outcome in clinical measures as well as personality dimensions (i.e. low extraversion) compared to non-CD patients. These findings support the notion that CD patients entering a setting of standard psychiatric inpatient care will show less benefit compared to non-CD patients, and that this difference as such may be used as a stratifying marker for providing specialized psychiatric treatment with optimized pharmacological and psychotherapeutic protocols.

Interactive Effects of HIV Infection and Cannabis Use on Insula Subregion Functional Connectivity.

Chronic inflammation in the central nervous system is one mechanism through which human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may lead to progressive cognitive decline. Given cannabis's (CB's) anti-inflammatory properties, use prevalence among people living with HIV (PLWH), and evidence implicating the insula in both, we examined independent and interactive effects of HIV and CB on insular circuitry, cognition, and immune function. We assessed resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of three insula subregions among 106 participants across four groups (co-occurring: HIV+/CB+; HIV-only: HIV+/CB-; CB-only: HIV-/CB+; controls: HIV-/CB-). Participants completed a neurocognitive battery assessing functioning across multiple domains and self-reported somatic complaints. Blood samples quantified immune function (T-cell counts) and inflammation (tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α]). We observed interactive HIV × CB effects on rsFC strength between two anterior insula (aI) subregions and sensorimotor cortices such that, CB appeared to normalize altered rsFC among non-using PLWH. Specifically, compared to controls, HIV-only and CB-only groups displayed decreased dorsal anterior insula (DI) - postcentral gyrus rsFC and increased ventral anterior insula (VI) - supplementary motor area rsFC, whereas the co-occurring group displayed DI and VI rsFC more akin to that of controls. Altered DI - postcentral rsFC correlated with decreased processing speed and somatic complaints, but did not significantly correlate with inflammation (TNF-α). These outcomes implicate insula - sensorimotor neurocircuitries in HIV and CB and are consistent with prior work suggesting that CB use may normalize insula functioning among PLWH.