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Biological Psychiatry

The biological basis of psychiatric disorders, including neurotransmitter systems, brain imaging in psychiatry, genetic factors, psychopharmacology, and biomarkers for mental illness

8 papers

Papers

Discovering the gene-brain-behavior link in autism via generative machine learning

This preclinical study introduces a novel AI-powered technique (3D TBM) that can accurately identify specific structural brain changes linked to a genetic variation (16p11.2 CNV) often found in autism, with 89-95% accuracy from brain images alone. These identified brain patterns are associated with articulation disorders and explain a portion of IQ variability, though the study cannot establish direct causality. The authors acknowledge that these findings require further clinical validation.

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Biological Psychiatry Oct 03, 07:21 PM

Reticular thalamic hyperexcitability drives autism spectrum disorder behaviors in the Cntnap2 model of autism

This study, conducted in mice, found that increased activity in a brain region called the reticular thalamus (RT) contributes to autism-like behaviors and that suppressing this activity with drugs or genetic techniques improves those behaviors. While promising, it's important to remember that this research was done in mice, so we can't be sure yet if the same will hold true in humans.

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Biological Psychiatry Sep 09, 08:50 PM

Music therapy as a preventive intervention for postpartum depression: modulation of synaptic plasticity, oxidative stress, and inflammation in a mouse model

This study, conducted on mice, suggests that listening to music may help prevent postpartum depression by reducing inflammation, oxidative stress, and promoting healthy brain function. It found that mice exposed to music and hormone withdrawal (simulating postpartum conditions) showed fewer depression-like behaviors and better neural health compared to mice who only experienced hormone withdrawal. While promising, the study's reliance on a mouse model limits its direct applicability to humans.

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Biological Psychiatry Sep 08, 06:55 PM

COVID-19 infection alters kynurenine and fatty acid metabolism, correlating with IL-6 levels and renal status

This study found that COVID-19 infection significantly alters nitrogen and carbon metabolism, including tryptophan, arginine, sulfur amino acid, glucose, and fatty acid pathways. These metabolic changes correlated with markers of inflammation (IL-6 and CRP) and renal function (BUN and creatinine), suggesting potential targets for therapeutic interventions.

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Biological Psychiatry Jul 14, 11:22 AM

Major depressive disorder: hypothesis, mechanism, prevention and treatment

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is a complex disorder with multiple interacting pathogenic factors including genetic predisposition, stress, and comorbidities. The review explores several hypotheses related to MDD, such as the monoamine hypothesis, HPA axis dysfunction, cytokine involvement, and neuroinflammation, highlighting the complex interplay between the brain and other organ systems like the gut and liver, in addition to outlining potential biomarkers and treatments.

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Biological Psychiatry Jul 14, 11:21 AM