Ngandeu Schepanski S, Bogdanski M, Siegfried KK
… +6 more, Schulz S, Czakert J, Kandil F, Teut M, Siewert J, Seifert G
Psychol Med
· 2026 Mar · PMID 41909933
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BACKGROUND: Digital interventions for promoting relaxation are increasingly popular, yet few combine multiple sensory modalities. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a fully digital relaxation program combining hyp...BACKGROUND: Digital interventions for promoting relaxation are increasingly popular, yet few combine multiple sensory modalities. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a fully digital relaxation program combining hypnotherapy with aromatherapy and explored whether the scent can induce a conditioned relaxation effect. METHODS: In this four-arm randomized controlled trial ( = 504), participants were assigned to one of four groups for a 4-week intervention: (a) combined (hypnotherapy + aromatherapy), (b) hypnotherapy-only, (c) aromatherapy-only, or (d) control (minimal intervention pause). Sessions were self-guided and delivered online every 2 days. The primary outcome was subjective calmness, assessed via the calmness-restlessness subscale of the Multidimensional Mood Questionnaire. Secondary outcomes included perceived stress (PSS-10) and well-being (WHO-5). A fifth week with aromatherapy-only exposure was conducted in the combined and aromatherapy-only groups to test for conditioning. RESULTS: At post-intervention, both hypnotherapy-involved groups reported significant greater calmness than controls. The combined group showed a mean difference of = 2.08 (95% CI: 0.50-3.65, = 0.010, = 0.38), while the hypnotherapy-only group showed = 1.80 (95% CI: 0.24-3.37, = 0.024, = 0.33). Both effects were consistent across intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses. Within-group improvements in calmness were also observed across all groups. No significant differences emerged from the conditioning test in week 5. CONCLUSIONS: Digital hypnotherapy improved relaxation, with modest added benefit from aromatherapy. The results support the use of multisensory digital tools to enhance subjective calmness. However, no evidence for conditioned effects of the scent was observed under the current conditions.
Psychol Med
· 2026 Mar · PMID 41909926
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The habenula, a small brain structure involved in processing aversive stimuli, has been strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of mood disorders. While diminutions in hippocampal and medial prefrontal cortex volume h...The habenula, a small brain structure involved in processing aversive stimuli, has been strongly implicated in the pathophysiology of mood disorders. While diminutions in hippocampal and medial prefrontal cortex volume have been demonstrated in individuals with a mood disorder, evidence for structural alterations in the habenula remains inconsistent. This set of meta-analyses examines whether individuals with a mood disorder show alterations in habenula volume compared to healthy controls. We conducted six meta-analyses. Two global analyses compared left and right habenula volumes between individuals with a mood disorder (MDD or BD) and healthy controls (HCs), each including 15 samples (left: 1,230 participants; right: 1,236). Four additional analyses compared MDD versus HCs and BD versus HCs for left and right volumes separately. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses tested the habenula segmentation method, medication status, and MRI resolution as moderators. The global meta-analyses pooling MDD and BD data showed small but significant volume reductions in the left ( = -0.1367, = .0344) and right ( = -0.1562, = .0409) habenula in mood disorder patients compared to controls. However, these effects did not survive correction for multiple comparisons. After correction, no significant group differences were found in the diagnosis-specific meta-analyses (MDD versus controls; BD versus controls), and no moderator analyses were significant. Current evidence points toward small habenula volume reductions in mood disorders, though findings did not withstand correction for multiple comparisons. Further high-resolution neuroimaging studies are needed to clarify habenula volume alterations in mood disorders.
Kendler KS, Ohlsson H, Fagan AA
… +2 more, Sundquist J, Sundquist K
Psychol Med
· 2026 Mar · PMID 41891148
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BACKGROUND: Drug use disorder (DUD) clusters in families due partly to shared environment, including sibling influences. Low academic achievement (AA) in adolescence increases DUD risk. This study examined whether low AA...BACKGROUND: Drug use disorder (DUD) clusters in families due partly to shared environment, including sibling influences. Low academic achievement (AA) in adolescence increases DUD risk. This study examined whether low AA in an older sibling causally increases DUD risk in younger siblings. METHODS: We studied all Swedish full sibling pairs ( = 309,666) born 1972-1985 and ≤ 5 years apart. Older sibling AA was assessed at age 16. Using Month-of-Birth (MoB) as an instrument, we conducted instrumental variable (IV) analyses and propensity score (PS) models to evaluate the causal impact of older sibling AA on younger sibling DUD risk, assessed by DUD registration in national medical, criminal, or pharmacy registries. RESULTS: Older sibling AA significantly predicted younger sibling DUD risk across models. Beta coefficients (±95% CI) were 2.04 (1.97-2.12) in raw analysis, 1.88 (0.74-3.02) in IV, and 1.26 (1.17-1.34) in PS models. Together with the strong first-stage association, the IV estimates remain positive under small departures from the ideal identifying assumptions. Effect sizes declined with increasing sibling age differences ( = 0.036 for IV; < 0.0001 for PS) and were strongest in male-male pairs (IV: 4.01 [1.42-6.61]; PS: 1.74 [1.55-1.93]). Mediation by older sibling DUD was modest. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from two causal inference approaches support a largely causal link between low AA in an older sibling and increased DUD risk in younger siblings. Stronger effects in close-aged and male-male pairs further support this conclusion. Interventions to improve AA in older siblings may yield indirect preventive benefits for younger siblings.
Sojka P, Máčel M, Nováková L
… +5 more, Křupková B, Sieger T, Nikolai T, Edwards MJ, Serranová T
Psychol Med
· 2026 Mar · PMID 41889295
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BACKGROUND: Childhood trauma is common in functional motor disorder (FMD), but it is unclear whether specific trauma dimensions are differentially linked to symptom burden, and whether depression, anxiety, or multimorbid...BACKGROUND: Childhood trauma is common in functional motor disorder (FMD), but it is unclear whether specific trauma dimensions are differentially linked to symptom burden, and whether depression, anxiety, or multimorbidity can mediate these associations. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional case-control study including 322 patients with clinically definite FMD and 215 neurologically healthy controls, balanced with respect to age and sex. Six outcomes - motor symptom severity, cognitive complaints, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and pain - were jointly modeled using Bayesian multivariate regression with Childhood Trauma Questionnaire subscales as predictors. Bayesian structural equation modeling tested mediation by depression, anxiety, and multimorbidity. RESULTS: In FMD, emotional abuse was the most consistent trauma correlate, associated with higher depression (β = 0.37, 95% CrI 0.22-0.51), anxiety (β = 0.32, 95% CrI 0.16-0.47), cognitive complaints (β = 0.27, 95% CrI 0.11-0.42), fatigue (β = 0.17, 95% CrI 0.03-0.32), and motor symptom severity (β = 0.15, 95% CrI 0.04-0.25). Mediation analyses indicated that affective symptoms fully accounted for trauma-symptom associations (indirect effect β = 0.42, 95% CrI 0.27-0.56). Multimorbidity was associated with more severe affective symptoms (β = 0.24, 95% CrI 0.12-0.37) and FMD symptoms (β = 0.24, 95% CrI 0.07-0.42) but did not mediate trauma-symptom relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Emotional abuse is a key developmental risk factor for FMD, with its effects on symptom severity mediated by depression and anxiety. Multimorbidity increases symptom burden but is not a primary pathway linking trauma to FMD. Findings support routine trauma and affective symptom screening in FMD and targeted psychotherapeutic interventions.
Zheng B, Li D, Zhu D
… +6 more, Yang Y, Yang H, Gao Y, Li S, Wang Y, Zhang X
Psychol Med
· 2026 Mar · PMID 41877611
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BACKGROUND: Depression as a mental illness is commonly observed to co-occur with various somatic diseases, such as gastrointestinal diseases. However, previous studies have primarily focused on the risk of mental disorde...BACKGROUND: Depression as a mental illness is commonly observed to co-occur with various somatic diseases, such as gastrointestinal diseases. However, previous studies have primarily focused on the risk of mental disorders following physical illnesses. Our study took depression as a risk factor, attempting to explore its relationship with gastrointestinal diseases. METHODS: A total of 457,940 participants (aged 37-73 years) in the UK Biobank were included. The Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the relationship between depression and gastrointestinal diseases. Mendelian randomization assessed the causal link between depression and gastrointestinal disorders, and seven machine learning algorithms (including LightGBM, XGBoost, and Random Forest) were trained in the total population to develop predictive models for incident gastrointestinal diseases, with model performance evaluated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). RESULTS: During a median follow-up period of 13.7 years, 9563 esophagitis events, 36,420 gastroesophageal reflux disease events, 5469 gastric ulcer events, 3096 duodenal ulcer events, 37,225 gastritis and duodenitis events, and 9153 dyspepsia events were recorded. After adjusting for covariates, depression was associated with increased risk of all six diseases. Two-sample MR analysis supported a causal association. Machine learning models demonstrated good discrimination, with the highest predictive accuracy observed for duodenal ulcer (AUC = 0.76) and gastric ulcer (AUC = 0.75). CONCLUSIONS: Addressing depression as a modifiable risk factor may reduce gastrointestinal disease risk, especially in disadvantaged populations, by integrating mental health care into primary care and using predictive models for early intervention.
Psychol Med
· 2026 Mar · PMID 41873527
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BACKGROUND: Romantic relationships are important contexts for substance use and emotional well-being. We tested the hypotheses that (i) genetic predispositions for alcohol consumption would be positively associated with...BACKGROUND: Romantic relationships are important contexts for substance use and emotional well-being. We tested the hypotheses that (i) genetic predispositions for alcohol consumption would be positively associated with partner substance use, (ii) partner substance use would moderate genetic influences on one's own alcohol outcomes, and (iii) partner discordance in substance use would be associated with lower emotional well-being and relationship quality. METHODS: Analyses included 2,357 participants (M = 51.4, 58.2% female) from the Collaborative Studies on the Genetics of Alcoholism. Focal measures included participants' reports of their own and their current partner's past-year substance use (frequencies of alcohol use, heavy drinking, drunkenness, cannabis use, and nicotine use), emotional well-being, and relationship quality. Participants' genetic predispositions were indexed with genome-wide polygenic scores for alcohol consumption (PGS). Participant-partner substance use discordance was calculated as the difference between the participant's and their partner's use for each substance use measure, separately. RESULTS: Participant PGS was not significantly associated with partners' perceived substance use. Frequent perceived partner alcohol use and heavy drinking significantly amplified the association between PGS and alcohol use or drunkenness. Frequent perceived partner drunkenness and cannabis use significantly attenuated the association between PGS and heavy drinking or frequency of alcohol use. Participant-partner discordance for several substance use measures was significantly associated with lower emotional well-being and relationship quality, controlling for participant and partner substance use main effects. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the importance of partner substance use in etiological models of alcohol use, emotional health outcomes, and relationship quality.
Zheng W, Zhang L, Xu L
… +9 more, Wei Y, Cui H, Zhang D, Hong Y, Zhao J, Liu S, Zhang T, Tang Y, Wang J
Psychol Med
· 2026 Mar · PMID 41872977
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Individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis exhibit both baseline and progressive brain structural abnormalities. However, the extent to which these changes reflect neurobiological trajectories of illness progr...Individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis exhibit both baseline and progressive brain structural abnormalities. However, the extent to which these changes reflect neurobiological trajectories of illness progression versus iatrogenic effects of antipsychotic (AP) treatment remains unresolved. A total of 148 AP-naïve CHRs and 65 healthy controls (HCs) underwent baseline structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. One hundred thirty CHRs received second-generation AP treatment and completed 2-month follow-up scans. HCs also completed the follow-up scans. We compared baseline and longitudinal brain volume changes between CHRs and HCs and explored the relationship between AP treatment and brain structural changes in CHR. At baseline, CHRs showed enlarged third and inferior lateral ventricles compared to HCs. Within CHRs, larger ventricular, as well as smaller hippocampus and amygdala volumes, were associated with more severe symptoms and poorer functioning. No cortical volume differences were observed between groups at baseline, nor were cortical volumes related to clinical symptoms. After 2-month AP treatment, CHRs exhibited continued ventricular enlargement, reduced accumbens volume, and widespread cortical volume loss relative to HCs. Notably, cortical volume reductions were dose-dependent, with higher AP dose correlating with more pronounced cortical reductions. Additionally, cortical volume changes were linked to treatment response, with high-dose responders showing more significant HC-referenced changes compared to high-dose non-responders, low-dose responders, and low-dose non-responders. Our findings underscore the complex, region-specific, and clinically relevant neuroanatomical changes in CHR individuals, emphasizing the critical need to account for AP exposure in CHR neuroimaging studies.
Wild MG, Campbell-Sills L, Sun X
… +5 more, Kessler RC, Benedek DM, Ursano RJ, Jain S, Stein MB
Psychol Med
· 2026 Mar · PMID 41872971
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BACKGROUND: The impact of combat injury on the development of chronic pain and mental health concerns in combat-exposed populations is unknown. This study examined associations of combat injury and injury-related pain wi...BACKGROUND: The impact of combat injury on the development of chronic pain and mental health concerns in combat-exposed populations is unknown. This study examined associations of combat injury and injury-related pain with pain-related factors and mental health outcomes, and potential mediation of the relation between combat injury and mental health outcomes by pain-related factors. METHODS: Pain interference, pain catastrophizing, pain intensity, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and major depressive episode (MDE) were assessed in (1) a probability sample of US Army soldiers and veterans cross-sectionally and (2) US Army soldiers before and 1, 3, and 9 months after deployment to Afghanistan. Associations among these variables were modeled using logistic regression and multiple mediation analyses. RESULTS: Among 5003 service members with cross-sectional data, combat injury-related pain was associated with increased odds of clinically significant pain intensity (OR=2.69), pain interference (OR=3.69), MDE (OR=2.17), and PTSD (OR=3.96) relative to pain from other injuries and conditions. Among 4645 service members assessed pre- and post-deployment, combat injury was associated with increased odds of new-onset pain interference (OR=2.78), pain catastrophizing (OR=2.75), PTSD (OR=4.06), and MDE (OR=2.56) 3 months post-deployment, and PTSD (OR=2.86) and MDE (OR=1.74) 9 months post-deployment. Pain-related factors mediated the relations of combat injury with post-deployment PTSD and MDE. CONCLUSIONS: Combat injury is associated with greater odds of pain interference, pain catastrophizing, PTSD, and MDE compared to other sources of pain in a cohort of US service members. Efforts to address pain-related factors following combat injury may mitigate the risk of subsequent chronic pain and mental health disorders.
Wang M, Zhu GH, Yang J
… +7 more, Fu XW, Zhang LY, Hu DD, Lui S, Wang YY, Wang Y, Chan RCK
Psychol Med
· 2026 Mar · PMID 41869941
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BACKGROUND: Empathy involves communicating and understanding others' emotion in multisensory contexts, including visual and auditory modalities. Schizophrenia (SCZ) patients have impaired empathy, but whether the impact...BACKGROUND: Empathy involves communicating and understanding others' emotion in multisensory contexts, including visual and auditory modalities. Schizophrenia (SCZ) patients have impaired empathy, but whether the impact of visual/auditory context would be altered in SCZ patients and people with high social anhedonia (HSoA) remained unclear. METHODS: We administered the modified Chinese version of the Empathic Accuracy Task (EAT) to clinical (50 SCZ patients and 50 healthy controls) and subclinical samples (59 HSoA and 60 low social anhedonia [LSoA] participants). The EAT employed audio-only, audiovisual, and audioavatar visual conditions to assess the impact of multimodal information on empathy during positive and negative emotional events. RESULTS: In positive-valenced context, SCZ patients performed worse than controls in cognitive and affective empathy. The Modality-by-Group interaction on empathic accuracy was significant, that is, SCZ patients performed worse than controls in both audiovisual and audioavatar visual conditions, but comparable to controls in audio-only condition. In negative-valenced context, SCZ patients performed worse than controls in cognitive empathy. The Modality-by-Group interaction on empathic accuracy was significant, that is, SCZ patients performed worse than controls in audio-only and audiovisual conditions. Moreover, HSoA participants exhibited lower cognitive empathy than controls in positive-valenced context; and lower cognitive empathy and empathic motivation in negative-valenced context. No significant Modality-by-Group interaction was found in the HSoA-LSoA sample. CONCLUSIONS: SCZ patients have generalized impairments of cognitive and affective empathy across positive and negative contexts, particularly in multimodal conditions. HSoA individuals are primarily impaired in cognitive empathy and empathic motivation.
Sato S, Matsunaga A, Ogawa M
… +5 more, Mizuno M, Kikuchi A, Kumano H, Yamaguchi S, Fujii C
Psychol Med
· 2026 Mar · PMID 41821370
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BACKGROUND: Individuals with severe mental illnesses (SMIs) experience anxiety that impairs functioning and quality of life. This cluster randomized trial evaluated exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ebCBT) int...BACKGROUND: Individuals with severe mental illnesses (SMIs) experience anxiety that impairs functioning and quality of life. This cluster randomized trial evaluated exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy (ebCBT) integrated into assertive community treatment (ACT) teams to reduce anxiety. METHODS: Fifteen ACT teams were allocated to ebCBT + ACT (k = 8, n = 50) or ACT-only (k = 7, n = 43). The intervention followed four steps: situation identification, four-component analysis (behavior, cognition, emotion, physical symptoms), psychoeducation, and graded exposure. Staff received 50 h training and bimonthly supervision over 12 months. Co-primary outcomes were trait and social anxiety; secondary outcomes were psychiatric symptoms, functioning, quality of life, and recovery. RESULTS: The ebCBT + ACT group showed significant improvements in State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait scores at 12 months (AMD = -5.30, 95% CI = -8.71 to -1.90, p = 0.002, d = -0.64) and 18 months (AMD = -7.22, 95% CI = -12.1 to -2.34, p = 0.004, d = -0.60). Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation scores showed near-significant improvement at 18 months (AMD = -3.70, 95% CI = -7.44 to 0.04, p = 0.052, d = -0.40). Secondary outcomes, including global functioning, recovery, and quality of life, also improved. Cost-effectiveness analyses indicated favorable cost-effectiveness for anxiety outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Embedding ebCBT within ACT services may reduce anxiety-related fear and avoidance and enhance recovery-related outcomes in individuals with SMI. These findings support the feasibility and clinical value of integrating structured psychological interventions into intensive community-based outreach services.
D'Amelio R, Betz LT, Jow SM
… +6 more, Retz W, Philipsen A, Klein JP, Fassbinder E, Jacob GA, Retz-Junginger P
Psychol Med
· 2026 Mar · PMID 41810578
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Access to evidence-based psychosocial interventions for adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) remains limited, despite strong patient demand for nonpharmacological options such as cognitive behavior...Access to evidence-based psychosocial interventions for adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) remains limited, despite strong patient demand for nonpharmacological options such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Digital interventions may offer a scalable, low-threshold solution to meet this need and complement existing care. This pragmatic randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of , a fully self-guided digital intervention based on CBT and mindfulness principles, as an adjunct to treatment as usual (TAU). A total of 337 adults with confirmed ADHD were randomized to either + TAU or TAU alone. The primary outcome was ADHD symptom severity (Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale total score) at 3 months post-randomization (T1). Secondary outcomes included functional impairment, depressive symptoms, self-esteem, and health-related quality of life. Follow-up was conducted at 6 months (T2). Intent-to-treat analyses showed significantly lower ADHD symptom severity in the intervention group at T1 (baseline-adjusted mean difference = -5.0 points; = 0.85, < .001). Significant improvements were also observed across all secondary outcomes, and effects remained stable at T2. Responder analyses confirmed the clinical relevance of the findings. Subgroup analyses demonstrated consistent effects across sex, medication use, psychotherapy status, and treatment changes. No adverse events related to were reported. was effective in reducing ADHD symptoms and improving a broad range of functional and psychosocial outcomes. As a safe, low-threshold, fully self-guided intervention, it may serve as a valuable adjunct to routine care and help address existing gaps in access to psychosocial treatment for adults with ADHD.
Ahmad SI, Sullivan ADW, Churchill ML
… +36 more, Crum RM, Noroña-Zhou AN, Moog NK, Brennan PA, Barrett ES, Schmidt RJ, Buss C, Leve LD, Coccia MA, Aschner JL, Avalos LA, Bastain TM, Croen L, Dabelea D, Dunlop AL, Bosquet Enlow M, Ferrara A, Hipwell AE, Alshawabkeh AN, Lyall K, Koinis-Mitchell D, O'Connor TG, Oken E, Santos HP, Wright RJ, Arizaga J, Chu SH, Derry-Vick H, Tabb KM, Hockett CW, Kelly RS, McKenna BG, Meeker JD, LeWinn KZ, Bush NR, ECHO Cohort Consortium
Psychol Med
· 2026 Mar · PMID 41810562
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BACKGROUND: The rising global prevalence of pediatric mental health problems requires the identification of preventable factors underlying their development. This study assessed whether maternal adverse childhood experie...BACKGROUND: The rising global prevalence of pediatric mental health problems requires the identification of preventable factors underlying their development. This study assessed whether maternal adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and pregnancy stress were intergenerationally associated with offspring mental health. METHODS: This study used data from 34 sites in the nationwide Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes Cohort. Eligible parent-child dyads (child age: 1.5-18 years) provided data on at least one measure of maternal stress and at least one measure of child mental health. Study aims were evaluated using regression analyses, including interaction tests to determine potential effect modifiers. RESULTS: Participants were organized into three subsamples with data on (1) maternal ACEs ( = 2,906), (2) perceived prenatal stress ( = 4,441), and (3) both stress exposures ( = 834). After adjusting for confounders, maternal ACEs and prenatal stress were significantly associated with child mental health problems ( = 2.53 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.09, 2.96], < 0.0001 and = 2.36 [95% CI: 2.03, 2.68], < 0.0001, respectively). Among participants with data on both stress exposures, maternal ACEs ( = 1.72, 95% CI: [0.96, 2.48], < 0.0001) and prenatal stress ( = 2.05, 95% CI: [1.29, 2.80], < 0.0001) were independently associated with child mental health problems. Neither maternal ACEs nor child sex modified the association between prenatal stress and child mental health problems. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal exposure to ACEs and pregnancy stress were associated with the development of child mental health problems. These findings highlight the need for policies and interventions that mitigate exposure to adversity and protect pregnant individuals and their children from the intergenerational transmission of mental health problems.
Zhong S, Chen C, Chen P
… +11 more, Tang X, Chen G, Lai S, Zhang Y, Ma W, Zhang Y, Zhang S, Qi Z, Tao Q, Jia Y, Wang Y
Psychol Med
· 2026 Mar · PMID 41800542
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BACKGROUND: Subthreshold depression (StD) is considered a prodromal stage of major depressive disorder (MDD). This study aims to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms of StD by analyzing functional connectivity (FC)...BACKGROUND: Subthreshold depression (StD) is considered a prodromal stage of major depressive disorder (MDD). This study aims to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms of StD by analyzing functional connectivity (FC) and cognitive function in comparison to MDD. METHODS: A total of 153 StD individuals, 188 MDD patients, and 110 healthy controls (HCs) were studied using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Whole-brain FC was calculated using seeds from the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), executive control network, and affective network (AN). Cognitive function was assessed across seven domains. RESULTS: StD showed only a deficit in social cognition, while MDD exhibited multidomain cognitive impairments compared to HCs. Both MDD and StD exhibited reduced FC between the right anterior insula (AI) and the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and increased FC between the right subcallosal cingulate cortex and the left posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), key areas of the SN and AN, compared to HCs. MDD particularly showed decreased connectivity between the left PCC and the left middle temporal gyrus, and within the left PCC, while no abnormal FC of the DMN was found in StD. Altered AI-IFG FC was positively correlated with social cognition in StD. CONCLUSIONS: Abnormal connectivity patterns of the SN and AN may contribute to the development of depressive symptoms in StD and MDD, while altered FC of the DMN may be involved in the onset of the disease. A social cognition deficit appeared first in StD, relating to the abnormal connectivity of the SN.
Meiering MS, Belleau E, Weigner D
… +4 more, Gruzman R, Pizzagalli D, Enge S, Grimm S
Psychol Med
· 2026 Mar · PMID 41782393
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BACKGROUND: Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) and neuroticism are risk factors for internalizing psychopathology. However, their interaction has only been investigated at the self-report level, and studies elucidating t...BACKGROUND: Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) and neuroticism are risk factors for internalizing psychopathology. However, their interaction has only been investigated at the self-report level, and studies elucidating their interrelationship at the neural level are lacking. We therefore investigated the interaction of trait RNT and neuroticism with respect to the dynamics of neural networks during negative self-referential processing. METHODS: A sample of 110 healthy subjects reported trait RNT and neuroticism, followed by an RNT induction paradigm during fMRI. Dynamic coactivation pattern (CAP) analysis was used to identify a set of recurring coactivation patterns and to quantify their persistence and count rates. Next, the effects of trait RNT, neuroticism, and their interaction on brain dynamics were tested using regression models. RESULTS: Negative interactions between RNT and neuroticism were found for persistence and counts of the canonical default mode network (DMN) as well as salience network (SAL) CAP. Simple slope analysis revealed that subjects scoring high on neuroticism exhibited a negative association between trait RNT and DMN as well as canonical SAL dynamics. Furthermore, trait RNT was positively associated with persistence and count rates of a hybrid FPN+DMN coactivation state. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that individuals with high neuroticism who spend more time in SAL and DMN CAPs may be less vulnerable to RNT, potentially reflecting more adaptive network configurations. Furthermore, less segregated CAPs, evident by the concurrent activation of functionally antagonistic networks (FPN+DMN), emerge more often in individuals prone to RNT, likely reflecting disrupted network interactions.
Hunt C, Glynn LM, Davis EP
… +7 more, Baram TZ, Nievergelt CM, Castillo G, Cortes C, Chang CY, Baker D, Risbrough VB
Psychol Med
· 2026 Mar · PMID 41782389
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BACKGROUND: Unpredictability in the child's environment has recently emerged as a significant and unique form of early life adversity (ELA). Cross-sectional studies have linked childhood unpredictability with increased p...BACKGROUND: Unpredictability in the child's environment has recently emerged as a significant and unique form of early life adversity (ELA). Cross-sectional studies have linked childhood unpredictability with increased post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in adults; however, no prospective studies have tested the link between childhood unpredictability and PTSD risk in later life, nor what processes, such as increased anhedonia symptoms, might mediate such risk. Here, we leveraged three distinct prospective, longitudinal cohorts to test the hypothesis that unpredictability during childhood contributes to adult PTSD via worsening anhedonia symptoms. METHODS: Participants were male service members (=314), adult females (=170), and adolescents (=137) recruited for separate longitudinal investigations. All completed dimensional assessments of anhedonia symptoms and PTSD; childhood trauma and childhood unpredictability were measured by the Questionnaire for Unpredictability in Childhood (QUIC). Pearson correlations tested relations between QUIC, anhedonia symptoms, and PTSD symptoms. Mediational models tested whether the link between childhood unpredictability and PTSD is mediated by increased anhedonia symptoms by estimating indirect effects via bootstrapped path analysis. RESULTS: Childhood unpredictability was associated with increased adult PTSD symptoms in all three cohorts (s>.19, s<.016). Further, in all three cohorts, the relationship was partially mediated by higher anhedonia symptoms (>0.046, 95% confidence intervals = 0.01-0.12). All effects remained significant when controlling for levels of childhood trauma and removing anhedonia-related PTSD items. CONCLUSIONS: Unpredictability during childhood may confer risk for adult PTSD, and this increased risk may occur via alterations in anhedonia symptoms. Efforts to increase predictability during childhood could enhance resilience to later traumatic events.