Psychological Medicine[JOURNAL]
Sun
200 papers
Novel epigenetic loci identified from an epigenome-wide association study underlying brain structural changes in bipolar disorder.
Yang HH, Han KM, Kang Y … +4 more , Shin D, Tae WS, Han MR, Ham BJ
Psychol Med · 2026 Mar · PMID 41782383 · Full text
BACKGROUND: DNA methylation influences gene-environment interactions and brain development in bipolar disorder (BD). We aimed to identify BD-associated epigenetic loci and examine their associations with brain structural...
BACKGROUND: DNA methylation influences gene-environment interactions and brain development in bipolar disorder (BD). We aimed to identify BD-associated epigenetic loci and examine their associations with brain structural variation. METHODS: We conducted an epigenome-wide association study (BD group, n = 90; healthy controls group, n = 161) to identify BD-associated DNA methylation loci, and we additionally performed copy number alteration and functional enrichment analyses. The correlations between epigenetic loci and cortical thickness (CT) were assessed using Pearson's partial correlation analysis, and the co-methylation effect of the epigenetic loci identified in the neuroimaging-epigenetic analysis was investigated. FINDINGS: A total of 156 differentially methylated positions (DMPs) and 7 differentially methylated regions were identified, and the genes associated with them were observed to be enriched in biological processes related to muscle hypertrophy and neuronal activity. Significant correlations between the methylation levels of 13 DMPs associated with three genes (, , and ) and the CT of the right postcentral gyrus and inferior frontal gyrus were identified. Specifically, 10 DMPs associated with the CpG island in the upstream region of the gene showed negative correlations with the right postcentral gyrus CT, implicating -associated CpG-island methylation in regional cortical thinning. CONCLUSION: Epigenetic changes might play an important role in brain structural changes in BD. These multimodal findings nominate -related methylation as a candidate molecular correlate of cortical thinning and warrant replication and mechanistic follow-up in larger, state-diverse cohorts.
Oxytocin facilitates top-down and bottom-up attention to emotional faces in a general and temporal-dependent manner.
Zhou M, Wang X, Zhang Y … +4 more , Zeng Z, Zhang Q, Kendrick KM, Yao S
Psychol Med · 2026 Mar · PMID 41776858 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Oxytocin (OT) exerts widely modulatory effects on socio-emotional functions in humans, which can be achieved via enhancing the salience of social cues by interacting with the dopaminergic attention system. Ho...
BACKGROUND: Oxytocin (OT) exerts widely modulatory effects on socio-emotional functions in humans, which can be achieved via enhancing the salience of social cues by interacting with the dopaminergic attention system. However, there is a lack of direct evidence for OT modulating attentional processing, with its underlying neural mechanisms remaining to be elucidated. METHODS: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, between-subject design, 60 healthy male participants were recruited. We combined pharmaco-electroencephalography with two modified tasks (a cue-target visual search [CTVS] task and a face distractor interference [FDI] task) to investigate whether intranasal OT can modulate attentional processing of social cues in top-down versus bottom-up task sets. RESULTS: In the CTVS task, OT accelerated participants' response time to target faces, which was paralleled by a larger N170 and stronger theta power, suggesting that OT promoted early top-down attentional processing of social cues. In the FDI task, OT inhibited the distractive effect of task-irrelevant emotional faces in the first half of the task via facilitating top-down attentional control to targets as reflected by enhanced attentional selection (increased N2pc) and more efficient attentional processing (decreased P300). However, in the second half, OT switched from facilitating top-down attentional control to potentiating bottom-up attentional capture by emotional face distractors, as evidenced by OT reducing response accuracy but having no effects on the N2pc and P300. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings not only provide evidence for the role of OT in modulating attentional processing of social cues but also lend support to its therapeutic potential in normalizing such attentional deficits.
Cognition and metacognition in functional motor symptoms and functional seizures: a case-control study.
Pick S, Millman LSM, Gun Gürsoy E … +16 more , Basamh Y, Uloyok-Job J, Davies J, Blunstone L, Bhuma S, Coebergh J, David AS, Edwards MJ, Goldstein LH, Hodsoll J, Mehta MA, Nicholson TR, Stanton B, Winston JS, Hotopf M, Chalder T
Psychol Med · 2026 Mar · PMID 41773078 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Cognitive symptoms are common in functional neurological disorder (FND), yet evidence of impaired neurocognitive test performance is variable. We aimed to assess self-reported cognitive symptoms, neurocogniti...
BACKGROUND: Cognitive symptoms are common in functional neurological disorder (FND), yet evidence of impaired neurocognitive test performance is variable. We aimed to assess self-reported cognitive symptoms, neurocognitive test performance, and metacognitive confidence in patients with functional seizures (FS) and functional motor symptoms (FMS). METHODS: Participants with FS (n = 50) and FMS (n = 50) were compared to age- and gender-matched healthy controls (HC, n = 50), and clinical controls with depression and/or anxiety disorders (CC, n = 50). The Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery was used to examine response speed, working memory, executive functions, and social-emotional processing, with subjective confidence rated for each test. Intellectual functioning, performance validity, and self-reported cognitive symptoms were also assessed. RESULTS: The FND groups reported elevated cognitive symptoms compared to HC and CC (p-values<0.001). Impaired performance was demonstrated in both FND groups on tests of sustained attention (p-values = 0.03- < 0.001) and set-shifting (p-values = 0.01-0.001). Performance validity was comparable between groups (p = 0.64). The FND groups reported reduced post-diction confidence for sustained attention (p < 0.001). Executive performance deficits correlated with reduced test-specific confidence in FS/FMS (p-values = 0.02- < 0.001). In FMS, post-diction confidence for sustained attention performance correlated negatively with cognitive symptoms (p = 0.002). Cognitive symptoms were associated with psychological/physical symptom load, quality-of-life, and/or general functioning in FND and CC groups (p-values = 0.04- < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with FS and FMS displayed localized deficits on tests of executive functioning, with reduced domain-specific metacognitive confidence, alongside significant cognitive symptoms. These neurocognitive features were associated with poorer clinical status, warranting interventions targeting cognitive control and/or cognitive symptoms in everyday life.
Stress-diathesis based predictors of depression and anxiety trajectories in adolescence: a population-based longitudinal cohort study.
Batterham PJ, Maston K, O'Dea B … +6 more , Brown L, Calear AL, Larsen M, Skinner SR, Christensen H, Werner-Seidler A
Psychol Med · 2026 Mar · PMID 41773076 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Adolescent mental health has worsened, and prevention efforts have become increasingly important. The purpose of this study was to examine longitudinal symptom trajectories of depression and anxiety throughou...
BACKGROUND: Adolescent mental health has worsened, and prevention efforts have become increasingly important. The purpose of this study was to examine longitudinal symptom trajectories of depression and anxiety throughout adolescence, in a contemporary sample. The stress-diathesis model was used to inform potential vulnerability factors and stressors associated with these trajectories. METHODS: Symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety were assessed in a school-based population sample of = 6102 adolescents (aged 13-14 at baseline). Growth mixture models across four time points were used to model longitudinal trajectories of symptoms. Multinomial regression was used to examine factors associated with each trajectory class. RESULTS: Of the full sample, 49.5% were female, 45.9% were male, and 4.6% were gender diverse. Four discrete classes for both depression and anxiety trajectories were identified, which comprised consistently low symptoms ('low'; 72.5% depression; 66.9% anxiety), consistently high symptoms ('high'; 11.5% depression; 18.4% anxiety), elevated symptoms that reduced over time ('decreasing'; 8.3% depression; 6.9% anxiety), and low-moderate symptoms that increased over time ('increasing'; 7.7% depression; 7.8% anxiety). Factors associated with poorer trajectories were being female or gender diverse, lower socioeconomic status, higher levels of neuroticism and lower levels of conscientiousness, greater adverse childhood experiences, higher levels of peer problems, bullying victimization, and negative family interactions. CONCLUSIONS: A range of background vulnerabilities and specific stressors were associated with poorer depression and anxiety trajectories over a 3-year period. Prevention approaches may require policy and practice changes that promote more supportive family, school, and societal environments from childhood to adolescence.
Inefficient integration between effort and reward in anhedonia.
Wang Z, Zhou S, Gao B … +2 more , Sang H, Zheng Y
Psychol Med · 2026 Mar · PMID 41773068 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Anhedonia is defined as a reduced interest in or inability to experience pleasure from reward-related activities. Recent studies have demonstrated deficient effort-based motivation in anhedonia, but the neura...
BACKGROUND: Anhedonia is defined as a reduced interest in or inability to experience pleasure from reward-related activities. Recent studies have demonstrated deficient effort-based motivation in anhedonia, but the neural dynamics underlying the interface between effort and reward remain unclear. METHODS: To address this issue, we recruited an anhedonia (ANH) group ( = 40) and a control (CNT) group ( = 40) to complete two tasks: (1) an effort-reward task where participants earned varying rewards by exerting different levels of physical effort and (2) an effort-based decision-making task where they chose between a no-effort option for a smaller reward and a high-effort option for a larger reward. We recorded EEG during both tasks and analyzed the resulting neural responses. RESULTS: As expected, the ANH group showed reduced reward responses in both self-reported ratings and event-related potential (ERP) data in response to cue stimuli (indexed by the cue-P3) and reward feedback (indexed by the reward positivity). Importantly, the ANH group exhibited inefficient integration between effort and reward, showing an absent effort-discounting effect on the feedback-P3 during reward evaluation and a lack of reward-related theta modulation during effort-based decision-making. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest a neurodynamic motivation model in anhedonia that informs precise interventions for relevant neuropsychiatric disorders.
Investigating the relationship between Toll-like receptor activity, low-grade inflammation, cognitive deficits, and antipsychotic drug dose in schizophrenia patients: a moderation analysis.
Patlola SR, Hallahan B, McManus R … +6 more , Kenyon M, McDonald C, Morris D, Kelly J, Donohoe G, McKernan DP
Psychol Med · 2026 Mar · PMID 41773067 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia (SZ) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder where patients experience cognitive decline. Antipsychotic drugs alleviate positive symptoms but do not improve cognitive performance. We previously d...
BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia (SZ) is a debilitating psychiatric disorder where patients experience cognitive decline. Antipsychotic drugs alleviate positive symptoms but do not improve cognitive performance. We previously demonstrated that Toll-like receptors (TLRs), involved in cytokine production, can predict cognitive deficits in SZ patients. In this study, we aim to investigate the potential moderating effects of antipsychotic drugs on the associations between cytokines, TLRs, and cognition. METHODS: In total, 280 participants (201 controls and 79 cases of SZ) were recruited in Ireland. Venous blood from the participants was stimulated with TLR ligands. Levels of cytokines were measured from plasma and post-blood stimulation. The participants were administered a battery of cognitive tasks using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IIIR. Olanzapine equivalents were calculated using the defined daily dose method. RESULTS: The results indicate that antipsychotic drug dose does not predict TLR activity or cognition, indicating that antipsychotic drug dose does not have a direct effect on cognition or TLR activity. However, the relationship between TLR4 activity and visual learning and memory is moderated by the antipsychotic drug dose ( = -0.065; < 0.001), where increasing doses have a decreasing impact on their relationship. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that the dose of antipsychotic drugs alone cannot predict changes in cognitive performance and TLR4-activity. It also suggests that antipsychotic drug doses significantly affect TLR activity and its relationship with cognition. These effects are more pronounced on some domains than others. These findings open up new avenues for understanding the complex interplay between antipsychotic drugs, TLRs, and cognitive deficits in SZ.
Pretraining neural and neuropsychological measures of executive functioning are associated with response to working memory training in Veterans with PTSD.
Hunt C, Caudle M, Jak A … +2 more , Simmons AN, Bomyea J
Psychol Med · 2026 Mar · PMID 41766374 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Although there are several evidence-based treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), up to half of patients do not experience significant symptom relief. Executive functioning (EF) impairment is be...
BACKGROUND: Although there are several evidence-based treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), up to half of patients do not experience significant symptom relief. Executive functioning (EF) impairment is believed to impede PTSD recovery and diminish treatment response, but is not directly targeted by traditional treatments. Cognitive training for EF has emerged as a promising treatment alternative for PTSD, but may only benefit certain patients. The present study aimed to identify, validate, and characterize the subgroup of patients with PTSD who respond to an EF training program. METHODS: Veterans with PTSD (N = 79) completed neuropsychological tests and a working memory task during functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning, followed by 16 sessions of an EF training program (working memory training [WMT]). Growth mixture modeling identified subgroups based on session-by-session working memory changes. Mixed-effects models then evaluated differences in spatial working memory and PTSD symptom improvement among these subgroups. Finally, the subgroups were compared on baseline neuropsychological performance and neural activity. RESULTS: Three subgroups were extracted, with one subgroup (labeled low-WM/steep improvement subgroup) exhibiting steeper working memory improvement across training and greater spatial working memory and PTSD symptom improvement following training. The low-WM/steep improvement subgroup was uniquely characterized by a combination of lower EF task performance and lower working memory-related neural activity at baseline. CONCLUSIONS: WMT may be a promising alternative PTSD treatment for Veterans with EF impairments. Patients likely to benefit from WMT could be identified using a combination of neuropsychological and neuroimaging assessments, but further research is needed to confirm these indicators.
Baseline household income is associated with severity and course of severe mental illness.
Valencia-Arango JP, Salazar-Uribe JC, Muniz-Terrera G … +15 more , Wade S, Cardona DS, Valencia J, Palacio-Ortiz JD, Diaz-Zuluaga AM, Vélez J, Gerdes G, Sanhueza-Vallejos M, McCutcheon R, Bhui K, McGuire P, Olde Loohuis L, Freimer N, López-Jaramillo C, Crossley NA
Psychol Med · 2026 Mar · PMID 41766372 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Poverty is associated with the severity of common mental health disorders and increased physical comorbidities. However, its effects on severe mental illness (SMI), beyond increasing their incidence, are less...
BACKGROUND: Poverty is associated with the severity of common mental health disorders and increased physical comorbidities. However, its effects on severe mental illness (SMI), beyond increasing their incidence, are less understood, especially in low- and middle-income countries. We here examined the relationship between baseline household income and subsequent mental and physical health outcomes in a large cohort of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder in Colombia. METHODS: Retrospective cohort and case-control study using electronic health records from over 5 million Colombians. We identified individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder and their baseline household income. Mental health outcomes included third-line antipsychotic treatments (clozapine or antipsychotic polypharmacy) and psychiatric hospitalizations. Physical outcomes included diagnoses of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and HbA1c levels, compared with rates in individuals without SMI. RESULTS: We included 12,216 (6,485 women) participants newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia between 2019 and 2023. Compared to middle-income participants (between $700-1,750USD/month), patients on a low income (less than $700USD/month) were more likely to require third-line antipsychotic treatment (OR 1.84 [1.64, 2.08]) and psychiatric hospitalization (incidence rate ratio 1.30 [1.21, 1.41]). Low-income participants with SMI had hypertension and diabetes rates like middle-income participants without SMI who were 20 years older. However, the combined effect of SMI and low income together posed a less-than-additive risk. Lower income was associated with higher HbA1c levels in diabetes, while a diagnosis of SMI was associated with lower levels. CONCLUSIONS: Low income at SMI onset is associated with worse mental and physical health outcomes.
Sex differences in the genetic and causal relationships between depression, smoking, and alcohol use: the role of socioeconomic status.
Hu J, Grasby K, Mitchell B
Psychol Med · 2026 Mar · PMID 41766371 · Full text
Major depressive disorder (MDD), smoking, and drinking frequently co-occur, with evidence suggesting these relationships may differ by sex. However, the direction of causality and the extent of sex-specific associations...
Major depressive disorder (MDD), smoking, and drinking frequently co-occur, with evidence suggesting these relationships may differ by sex. However, the direction of causality and the extent of sex-specific associations remain unclear. We investigated sex-specific genetic relationships between MDD and substance use phenotypes using genome-wide association studies (GWAS) from the UK Biobank and publicly available sex-stratified GWAS for MDD and problematic alcohol use (PAU). Causal effects were assessed using bidirectional, sex-stratified Mendelian randomization (MR). We further applied multivariable MR (MVMR) to evaluate the influence of socioeconomic status (SES). Genetic correlation analyses indicated significant shared genetic architecture between MDD and all substance use traits in sex-combined GWAS. In sex-specific analyses, the correlation between cigarettes per day and MDD was significantly stronger in females, and drinks per week were correlated with MDD only in females. MR analyses showed that genetic liability to MDD increased the risk of smoking initiation and PAU in females, and was associated with reduced alcohol drinking frequency in males. In contrast, no tested substance use trait showed evidence of a causal effect on MDD in either sex. MVMR adjusting for SES attenuated the association between MDD and smoking initiation. The effect on PAU in females remained. In males, the negative association between MDD and drinking frequency became non-significant after SES adjustment. These findings reveal sex-specific genetic and causal relationships between smoking, drinking, and MDD, and highlight the role of SES as a potential confounder. Incorporating sex and socioeconomic context is critical when examining these associations.
Meta-analysis of neural correlates of working memory, reward, and emotion processing in major depressive disorder using ALE.
Zhang Q, Hou Y, Ding H … +1 more , Liu J
Psychol Med · 2026 Feb · PMID 41749073 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has revealed inconsistent neural activity patterns in major depressive disorder (MDD) across cognitive and affective domains, and this study used an activation lik...
BACKGROUND: Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has revealed inconsistent neural activity patterns in major depressive disorder (MDD) across cognitive and affective domains, and this study used an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis to examine brain function abnormalities in working memory, reward processing, and emotion processing. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and CNKI for fMRI studies comparing MDD patients with healthy controls (HCs), including data up to 3 December 2024. ALE meta-analysis was performed to examine activation patterns. Jackknife sensitivity analysis, risk of bias, and Newcastle-Ottawa scale were used to assess robustness and publication bias. Meta-regression analyses were conducted to explore the impact of covariates on the results. RESULTS: Sixty-nine studies (2,073 MDD individuals and 2,009 HCs) were included. MDD individuals showed hyperactivation in the bilateral parahippocampal gyrus, subcallosal gyrus, lentiform nucleus, left claustrum, insula, and anterior cingulate cortex, alongside hypoactivation in the right lentiform nucleus, parahippocampal gyrus, fusiform gyrus, and other regions. Domain-specific analyses revealed working memory-related hyperactivation in the right middle and superior frontal gyrus, reward-related hyperactivation in the bilateral lentiform nucleus, right claustrum, and left caudate, and emotion-related hyperactivation in the bilateral parahippocampal gyrus, bilateral lentiform nucleus, right subcallosal gyrus, right anterior cingulate cortex, and left claustrum. Jackknife sensitivity analysis confirmed robustness, with no significant publication bias or covariate impact. CONCLUSIONS: Aberrant activation in the lentiform and caudate nuclei across reward and emotion tasks suggests striatal dysfunction plays a key role in emotion-motivation interplay, highlighting the striatum as a potential target for future therapies.
Letter about '"Here today, gone tomorrow" - What happened to recurrent brief depression?".
Carta MG
Psychol Med · 2026 Feb · PMID 41749062 · Full text
Abstract loading — click title to view on PubMed.
The effect of adult psychological therapies on employment and earnings: Evidence from England.
Rzepnicka K, Sharland E, Rossa M … +5 more , Dolby T, Oparina E, Saunders R, Ayoubkhani D, Nafilyan V
Psychol Med · 2026 Feb · PMID 41749061 · Full text
BACKGROUND: People suffering from common mental disorders (CMDs), such as depression and anxiety, are more likely to be inactive in the labor market. Psychological therapies are highly effective at treating CMDs, but les...
BACKGROUND: People suffering from common mental disorders (CMDs), such as depression and anxiety, are more likely to be inactive in the labor market. Psychological therapies are highly effective at treating CMDs, but less is known about their impact on long-term labor market outcomes. METHODS: Using national treatment program data in England, NHS Talking Therapies (NHSTT), with unique linkage to administration data on employment and census records, we estimated the effects of NHSTT on employment and earnings. We used an event study approach using individual fixed effects to capture time-invariant confounders and natural recovery. RESULTS: Overall, completing treatment led to a maximum average increase of £17 in monthly earnings (year 2) and a likelihood of paid employment by 1.5 percentage points (year 7). Those 'Not working, seeking work' saw a maximum average increase in pay of £63 per month (year 7) and a likelihood of paid employment by 3.1 percentage points (year 4). Patients in the younger age groups (25-34 years) saw the largest effect on the likelihood of paid employment by 2.3 percentage points (year 7), followed by those aged 35-44 years with 2.0 percentage points (year 5). CONCLUSIONS: Completion of psychological treatment for CMDs through the national NHSTT program leads to sustained increases in both employment and earnings up to 7 years after the start of treatment. Our findings demonstrate the economic benefits of treating CMDs and how investing in mental health can impact labor market participation.
Evidence for a diagnostic distinction between functional seizures and functional motor symptoms from the TriNetX electronic health record database.
Kanaan RA, Nicholson TR, Asan L … +1 more , Pollak TA
Psychol Med · 2026 Feb · PMID 41742811 · Full text
BACKGROUND: There is evidence that the two most common subtypes of functional neurological disorder, functional seizures (FSs) and functional motor symptoms (FMDs), have differences between them beyond symptom type, crea...
BACKGROUND: There is evidence that the two most common subtypes of functional neurological disorder, functional seizures (FSs) and functional motor symptoms (FMDs), have differences between them beyond symptom type, creating debate as to whether they may best be considered distinct disorders. However, most research has studied FS or FMD separately, and the few studies that have directly compared them have been relatively small. We used the large TriNetX electronic health database to see whether the differences previously identified would be confirmed in a larger sample of both subtypes. METHODS: All cases of FMD without FS were compared with cases of FS without FMD, extracted from the TriNetX electronic health records database. Previously identified between-group differences in demographics, comorbidity, and antecedents were compared between groups. RESULTS: Over 120,000 cases of FMD and FS were extracted. They confirmed that people with FS were significantly younger and had a younger onset than those with FMD, were more likely to be Black and less likely to be Asian, and had higher rates of all comorbid mental health diagnoses, other than somatoform diagnoses, which were more common in FMD. The onset of FS was more commonly preceded by psychological injury, as measured by preceding depression or stress reactions. CONCLUSION: The differences between FMD and FS previously identified in small studies were confirmed in this much larger dataset. They provide indirect support for differences in etiology and mechanism, which may in turn support a nosological distinction between FMD and FS.
Maternal depression with and without a history of childhood maltreatment and newborn white matter microstructure.
Moog NK, Al-Ali K, Rasmussen JM … +11 more , Miller RK, Barrett ES, Graham AM, Fair DA, Tivarus ME, Entringer S, Wadhwa PD, Simhan HN, O'Connor TG, Styner M, Buss C
Psychol Med · 2026 Feb · PMID 41731979 · Full text
Maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy have consequences for offspring brain development, likely mediated via biological signals. However, gestational biological correlates of maternal depression may differ depend...
Maternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy have consequences for offspring brain development, likely mediated via biological signals. However, gestational biological correlates of maternal depression may differ depending on childhood maltreatment (CM) history. We investigated the association of maternal depressive symptoms in pregnancy and CM history with newborn global white matter microstructure. In a sample of = 90 mother-infant dyads from two cohorts, maternal depressive symptoms were assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. CM was assessed with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire or the Adverse Childhood Experiences scale. Diffusion-weighted imaging was performed in the infants within 90 days of birth. Fiber profiles of fractional anisotropy (FA), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) were determined, and a global mean for each metric was computed. In adjusted models, there was a significant interaction effect of maternal depression and CM on newborn global FA ( = -0.523, = .029) and RD ( = 0.590, = .014) but not AD ( = 0.367, = .120). In infants of women with CM history, maternal depressive symptoms were correlated negatively with FA and positively with RD. In contrast, infants of women without CM exhibited the reverse pattern of associations between depressive symptoms and diffusion metrics. These findings suggest that the impact of prenatal exposures, such as maternal depressive symptoms, on offspring brain development may be conditional on the presence or absence of maltreatment history. These findings highlight the importance of assessing trauma history and monitoring psychosocial well-being during pregnancy.
Identification of a diagnosis-selective neurobiological substrate for bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia: a meta-analysis of 57,717 subjects.
Liloia D, Rocca P, Brasso C … +6 more , Tanaka M, Manuello J, Crocetta A, Duca S, Costa T, Cauda F
Psychol Med · 2026 Feb · PMID 41731301 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Neuroimaging studies have consistently revealed neuroanatomical abnormalities in individuals with bipolar disorder (BD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and schizophrenia (SZ). However, it remains unknown wh...
BACKGROUND: Neuroimaging studies have consistently revealed neuroanatomical abnormalities in individuals with bipolar disorder (BD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and schizophrenia (SZ). However, it remains unknown whether and to what extent disorder-selective gray matter variations occur in these prominent psychiatric disorders. This study conducted a meta-analysis of 25 years of published voxel-based morphometry (VBM) research to assess the presence of selective and robust neuroanatomical substrates of gray matter variation in BD, MDD, and SZ. METHODS: Peer-reviewed experiments encompassing subjects with target disorders were systematically searched in the MEDLINE database. Additionally, peer-reviewed data on 30 other psychiatric disorders and 65 neurological diseases were obtained from the BrainMap database. Experiments reporting whole-brain group comparisons between patients and healthy controls were included if they identified significant reductions in gray matter morphometry. RESULTS: The data were analyzed using the Bayes fACtor mOdeliNg algorithm. A total of 1,021 VBM experiments were included, comprising 29,540 patients and 28,177 healthy controls. Primary analyses of psychiatric data revealed strong evidence of gray matter reduction in the right middle temporal gyrus for BD and the posterior dorsal anterior cingulate cortex for SZ ( ≥ 95% selectivity). The robustness of these findings was confirmed using the fail-safe method tailored to the neuroimaging meta-analytic environment. No selective findings were observed in additional analyses that included neurological diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these findings offer a framework that underscores the significance of diagnosis-selective neural substrates in psychopathology, a new perspective that could inform distinct pathophysiological processes and assist in diagnosis and treatment.
Genetic and molecular factors associated with changes in structural-functional coupling in medication-free obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Zhang X, Liu N, Zhang X … +5 more , Xu J, Xie M, Shao C, Sun Y, Li Y
Psychol Med · 2026 Feb · PMID 41716129 · Full text
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a complex psychiatric disorder. While existing studies have revealed abnormalities in brain structure and function associated with OCD, there is a paucity of research integrating th...
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a complex psychiatric disorder. While existing studies have revealed abnormalities in brain structure and function associated with OCD, there is a paucity of research integrating these two aspects, and the transcriptional patterns underlying these abnormalities remain unclear. This study is a multiscale, exploratory investigation designed to generate hypotheses rather than to test causal mechanisms. We aimed to investigate aberrations in brain structure-function coupling (SFC) in OCD patients and, by integrating gene expression profiles and neurotransmitter maps, to explore the potential molecular and genetic bases of these changes. We recruited 100 medication-free OCD patients and 90 healthy controls, and employed multimodal imaging techniques to systematically analyze abnormalities in static SFC in OCD patients. Subsequently, we conducted transcriptomic analysis to identify genes associated with SFC abnormalities and performed spatial correlation analysis with neurotransmitter atlases to investigate potential links between SFC dysregulation and transcriptional patterns. Our findings demonstrated that OCD patients exhibit significant SFC abnormalities in the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ). These SFC abnormalities are significantly associated with 2,421 gene expression profiles and the serotonin neurotransmitter system. Gene enrichment analysis revealed that these aberrant genes are primarily involved in key biological processes, such as brain development, synaptic signaling, cell projection development, and regulation of neuronal processes. By integrating multimodal imaging, transcriptomic, and neurotransmitter data, this study provides multiscale evidence for the potential molecular basis of SFC abnormalities in the rTPJ of OCD patients, offering preliminary insights into a possible pathological pathway of OCD.
Longitudinal associations between gaming and academic motivation during middle childhood - CORRIGENDUM.
Tiraboschi GA, Garon-Carrier G, Madigan S … +3 more , Smith J, Surprenant R, Fitzpatrick C
Psychol Med · 2026 Feb · PMID 41708560 · Full text
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Using machine learning to identify parenting features prospectively related to callous-unemotional traits from infancy to early adolescence.
Paz Y, Vogel SC, Goh PK … +8 more , Perkins ER, Broussard A, Huth N, Rosellini AJ, Mills-Koonce R, Willoughby MT, Wagner NJ, Waller R
Psychol Med · 2026 Feb · PMID 41705336 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Parenting is related to the development of callous-unemotional (CU) traits (i.e. low empathy and restricted guilt), making it an important target of interventions for childhood conduct problems (CPs). However...
BACKGROUND: Parenting is related to the development of callous-unemotional (CU) traits (i.e. low empathy and restricted guilt), making it an important target of interventions for childhood conduct problems (CPs). However, the relative importance of different parenting features in relation to the development of CU traits remains unclear. This study used machine learning to examine multiple parenting features assessed across infancy and early childhood as predictors of CU traits and CPs in early adolescence. METHODS: Data were from the Family Life Project ( = 1,292; 49% female, 41% Black, and 28% below the poverty line). Seventy-four parenting predictors were assessed at eight time points between children aged 6-90 months using parent-reported questionnaires and observer ratings of videotaped interactions and home visits. CU traits and CPs were assessed via parent-reported questionnaires in preadolescence (12-14 years). RESULTS: Parenting features explained 8.2% of CU traits variability in preadolescence, with top predictors including early sensitive parenting and later behavior management and scaffolding practices. Prediction of CPs was weaker, with parenting explaining 4.5% of the variability. CONCLUSIONS: Results highlight that disruption in close and sensitive early parent-child relationships is relevant to the development of CU traits. Results from the prediction of CPs indicate a more heterogeneous etiology. Findings support targeting parental sensitivity and behavior management within preventative interventions for CU traits and CPs.
Mapping latent neuroanatomical substrates of behavioral and emotional dysregulation in ADHD.
Park S, Benda M, Mekhanik A … +3 more , Milham MP, Hong SJ, Roy AK
Psychol Med · 2026 Feb · PMID 41705333 · Full text
BACKGROUND: Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently exhibit impairing emotional dysregulation along with inattention and hyperactivity. We aim to parse the heterogeneity of behavioral and...
BACKGROUND: Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) frequently exhibit impairing emotional dysregulation along with inattention and hyperactivity. We aim to parse the heterogeneity of behavioral and emotional dysregulation in ADHD using latent brain factors based on cortical thickness (CT), and examine associated differences in intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC). METHODS: Data were collected from 123 children (39 ADHD, 47 ADHD with impairing emotional outbursts [ADHD + IEO], 37 neurotypical controls [NT], 5-9.9 years old). First, exploratory factor analysis revealed latent behavioral factors. Using Latent Dirichlet allocation, we decomposed heterogeneous CT patterns into parsimonious latent brain factors. We further investigated the functional relevance of brain regions showing structural differences in the ADHD + IEO group and examined associations between brain and behavioral latent factors. RESULTS: Among the four behavioral factors identified (Externalizing, Emotion Dysregulation, Internalizing, and Surgency/Impulsivity), the dominant factor - Externalizing behavior - significantly differentiated the ADHD + IEO from the ADHD and NT groups. A conjunction analysis of the three brain factors revealed significantly thicker CT in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for ADHD + IEO compared to NT. Using this region as a seed, we found reduced functional connectivity primarily in the default mode network, which differentiated ADHD + IEO and ADHD groups. Structural brain and iFC measures showed significant associations with the Externalizing behavior factor. CONCLUSIONS: Parsing the neurobiology underlying the heterogeneous presentation of ADHD requires integrating multiple modalities and analytical methods. This study demonstrates that combining behavioral, structural, and functional data reveals unique neural features associated with behavioral and emotional dysregulation.
Comparative Effectiveness of Digital Versus Face-to-Face Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Alcohol Use Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis - CORRIGENDUM.
Kim JE, Kim J, Choi N … +3 more , Lee SK, Oh HS, Roh S
Psychol Med · 2026 Feb · PMID 41667939 · Full text
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