Identifying youths most at risk to COVID-19-related mental illness is essential for the development of effective targeted interventions.

To compare trajectories of mental health throughout the pandemic in youth with and without prior mental illness and identify those most at risk of COVID-19-related mental illness.

Data were collected from individuals aged 18–26 years (N = 669) from two existing cohorts: IMAGEN, a population-based cohort; and ESTRA/STRATIFY, clinical cohorts of individuals with pre-existing diagnoses of mental disorders. Repeated COVID-19 surveys and standardised mental health assessments were used to compare trajectories of mental health symptoms from before the pandemic through to the second lockdown.

Mental health trajectories differed significantly between cohorts. In the population cohort, depression and eating disorder symptoms increased by 33.9% (95% CI 31.78–36.57) and 15.6% (95% CI 15.39–15.68) during the pandemic, respectively. By contrast, these remained high over time in the clinical cohort. Conversely, trajectories of alcohol misuse were similar in both cohorts, decreasing continuously (a 15.2% decrease) during the pandemic. Pre-pandemic symptom severity predicted the observed mental health trajectories in the population cohort. Surprisingly, being relatively healthy predicted increases in depression and eating disorder symptoms and in body mass index. By contrast, those initially at higher risk for depression or eating disorders reported a lasting decrease.

Healthier young people may be at greater risk of developing depressive or eating disorder symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Targeted mental health interventions considering prior diagnostic risk may be warranted to help young people cope with the challenges of psychosocial stress and reduce the associated healthcare burden.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are associated with high services use, but European data on costs are scarce.

Utilisation and annual costs of 385 individuals with ASD (aged 4-67 years; 18.2% females; 37.4% IQ < 85) from German outpatient clinics were assessed.

Client Service Receipt Inventory

Average annual costs per person were 3287 EUR, with psychiatric inpatient care (19.8%), pharmacotherapy (11.1%), and occupational therapy (11.1%) being the largest cost components. Females incurred higher costs than males (4864 EUR vs. 2936 EUR). In a regression model, female sex (Cost Ratio: 1.65), lower IQ (1.90), and Asperger syndrome (1.54) were associated with higher costs.

In conclusion, ASD-related health costs are comparable to those of schizophrenia, thus underlining its public health relevance. Higher costs in females demand further research.

No significant relationships.

It has not yet been determined if the commonly reported cannabis–psychosis association is limited to individuals with pre-existing genetic risk for psychotic disorders.

We examined whether the relationship between polygenic risk score for schizophrenia (PRS-Sz) and psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), as measured by the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences-42 (CAPE-42) questionnaire, is mediated or moderated by lifetime cannabis use at 16 years of age in 1740 of the individuals of the European IMAGEN cohort. Secondary analysis examined the relationships between lifetime cannabis use, PRS-Sz and the various sub-scales of the CAPE-42. Sensitivity analyses including covariates, including a PRS for cannabis use, were conducted and results were replicated using data from 1223 individuals in the Dutch Utrecht cannabis cohort.

PRS-Sz significantly predicted cannabis use (p = 0.027) and PLE (p = 0.004) in the IMAGEN cohort. In the full model, considering PRS-Sz and covariates, cannabis use was also significantly associated with PLE in IMAGEN (p = 0.007). Results remained consistent in the Utrecht cohort and through sensitivity analyses. Nevertheless, there was no evidence of a mediation or moderation effects.

These results suggest that cannabis use remains a risk factor for PLEs, over and above genetic vulnerability for schizophrenia. This research does not support the notion that the cannabis–psychosis link is limited to individuals who are genetically predisposed to psychosis and suggests a need for research focusing on cannabis-related processes in psychosis that cannot be explained by genetic vulnerability.

Sex-related differences in psychopathology are known phenomena, with externalizing and internalizing symptoms typically more common in boys and girls, respectively. However, the neural correlates of these sex-by-psychopathology interactions are underinvestigated, particularly in adolescence.

Participants were 14 years of age and part of the IMAGEN study, a large (N = 1526) community-based sample. To test for sex-by-psychopathology interactions in structural grey matter volume (GMV), we used whole-brain, voxel-wise neuroimaging analyses based on robust non-parametric methods. Psychopathological symptom data were derived from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).

We found a sex-by-hyperactivity/inattention interaction in four brain clusters: right temporoparietal-opercular region (p < 0.01, Cohen's d = −0.24), bilateral anterior and mid-cingulum (p < 0.05, Cohen's d = −0.18), right cerebellum and fusiform (p < 0.05, Cohen's d = −0.20) and left frontal superior and middle gyri (p < 0.05, Cohen's d = −0.26). Higher symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention were associated with lower GMV in all four brain clusters in boys, and with higher GMV in the temporoparietal-opercular and cerebellar-fusiform clusters in girls.

Using a large, sex-balanced and community-based sample, our study lends support to the idea that externalizing symptoms of hyperactivity/inattention may be associated with different neural structures in male and female adolescents. The brain regions we report have been associated with a myriad of important cognitive functions, in particular, attention, cognitive and motor control, and timing, that are potentially relevant to understand the behavioural manifestations of hyperactive and inattentive symptoms. This study highlights the importance of considering sex in our efforts to uncover mechanisms underlying psychopathology during adolescence.

To describe symptom expression and functional outcome in psychotic disorders in relation with temperament traits assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in a population-based sample.

As part of the 31-year follow-up survey of the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort, TCI temperament items were filled in by 4349 members of the cohort. In individuals with psychotic disorders, also positive and negative symptoms and outcome variables were assessed in a 35-year follow-up. Information of TCI and outcomes were available for altogether 41 individuals with psychosis.

Reward dependence (RD) (rho = −0.45) and Persistence (P) (rho = −0.52) were significantly correlated with Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) negative symptoms. Higher P scores predicted higher social and occupational functioning (as measured by Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale [SOFAS]), and higher Harm avoidance (HA) predicted a higher likelihood of being on a disability pension.

Results indicate that understanding of personality dimensions support better understanding of outcome and symptom expressions in psychotic disorders.

Restrictive and selective eating behavior with food preferences and aversions is a characteristic symptom in anorexia nervosa (AN). Typically fat-containing food is avoided. Furthermore, very often patients with AN replace food which is rich in calories by fruits and vegetable. The aim of the present study was to evaluate if there is a relationship between food preferences and taste perception in AN.

15 female patients with acute AN (ANacute) (BMI 16.5 ± 1.3 kg/m2, 20.4 ± 4.7 yrs.), 21 remitted female patients with AN (ANrem) (BMI 21.4 ± 2.9 kg/m2, 24.2 ± 3.2 yrs., remission period 6 ± 2.6 yrs.) and 15 female healthy controls (HC) (BMI 21.6 ± 3.1 kg/m2, 24.9 ± 2.7 yrs.) were included. Taste perception was evaluated using taste strips (sweet, sour, salty, bitter). Food practice and choice were assessed by self-report. Several blood parameters including hormones and leptin were analyzed. The number of fungiform papillae was quantified using digital photography and image processing.

In ANacute bitter tasting foods were significantly consumed more often when compared with ANrem and HC. Sensoric taste perception for salty and bitter was reduced in ANacute (n.s.). Hedonic taste perception for sour, salty and bitter was increased in ANacute (n.s.). The number of fungiform papillae was significantly decreased in ANacute compared with ANrem and HC. Taste perception for bitter tastes within a range of concentrations correlated with serum estrogen and leptin.

Our results indicate a relationship between food selection and biological factors which can influence taste perception during the underweight stage of ANacute.

There is increasing evidence that many of the core behavioral impairments in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) emerge from disconnectivity of networks that are important for social communication. It is less clear, which specific fiber tracts are involved and how possible alterations of white matter are associated with clinical symptomatology and neuropsychololgical characteristics in ASD.

18 children with ASD and 18 carefully matched typically developing controls aged 6–12 years were examined using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and voxel-based morphometry (VBM). Fractional anisotropy (FA) values were correlated with symptom severity as indexed by the children's scores on the Autisms Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and results from the Childrens Embedded Figures Test (CEFT).

Decreased FA values were identified for the fornix (FO), the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) the corpus callosum and the uncinate fasciculus (UF) in the ASD group compared to controls, with most prominent differences in the UF bilaterally and the right SLF. FA values of affected fiber tracts were negatively associated with clinical measures of autistic smypotmatology and response time of the CEFT. Additionally, we observed decreased grey matter concentration in the left supramarginal gyrus.

Our findings support the hypothesis of abnormal white matter microstructure of fronto-temporal cortical networks in ASD, which are associated with core symptoms of the disorder.

Taste is a hereditary trait and affects eating and dietary behavior. Nearly 70% of the population is sensitive for 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) which is typified as moderately-to-extremely bitter by this population group. It has been hypothesized that PROP-tasters are more sensitive to other bitter tastes, sweet taste and the texture of fats. Recently we could show that food preferences in healthy adolescents are associated with the number of the tongue's taste papillae and the sensitivity for PROP. the impact of PROP status in eating disorders is unknown.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the food consumption in PROP-tasters and nontasters of remitted female patients with anorexia nervosa (AN).

20 remitted female patients with AN were included and tested for PROP-sensitivity. 10 patients were PROP-nontaster (aged 22,9 ± 3,0 yrs., BMI 20,5 ± 2,0 kg/m2, remission period 6,7 ± 2,9 yrs.) and 10 patients with AN were PROP-taster (24,9 ± 2,9 yrs., BMI 22,3 ± 3,5 kg/m2, remission period 5,3 ± 2,2 yrs.). Taste perception was evaluated using taste strips (sweet, sour, salty, bitter). Food practice and choice were assessed by self-report. Several blood parameters including hormones and leptin were analyzed. for psychological evaluation SIAB-S, EDI-2 and ASR were used.

Remitted PROP-taster with AN consume significantly more often ice cream, dumpling, lemonade, potato chips, candies and sweets.

We hypothesize that PROP status may influence eating behaviour in eating disorders. the sensitivity for PROP possibly improves the course of AN.

We investigated if alterations in higher-order association areas related to schizophrenia, namely the heteromodal association cortex (HASC), are also observable in subjects with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

A group of 18 children with ASD and 18 healthy controls (HC) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The examination comprised an analysis of group differences in gray matter (GM) volume, surface area (SA) and hemispheric lateralization.

Differences in GM volumes in children with ASD and HC were detected in frontal and parietal areas related to the HASC. No HASC structure that showed changes in GM volume exhibited differences in SA. Alterations in hemispheric lateralization between ASD and HC are seen in a frontal area of the HASC.

Our results indicate that changes in HASC areas are not restricted to schizophrenia, but extend to other psychiatric disorders, namely ASD. The lacking group differences in SA indicate that changes in GM volume are possibly evoked by other variables than SA in children with ASD.

Although neuroimaging studies suggest brain regional abnormalities in depressive disorders, it remains unclear whether abnormalities are present at illness onset or reflect disease progression.

We hypothesized that cerebral variations were present in adolescents with subthreshold depression known to be at high risk for later full-blown depression.

We examined brain structural and diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance images of adolescents with subthreshold depression.

The participants were extracted from the European IMAGEN study cohort of healthy adolescents recruited at age 14. Subthreshold depression was defined as a distinct period of abnormally depressed or irritable mood, or loss of interest, plus two or more depressive symptoms but without diagnosis of Major Depressive Episode. Comparisons were performed between adolescents meeting these criteria and control adolescents within the T1-weighted imaging modality (118 and 475 adolescents respectively) using voxel-based morphometry and the diffusion tensor imaging modality (89 ad 422 adolescents respectively) using tract-based spatial statistics. Whole brain analyses were performed with a statistical threshold set to p< 0.05 corrected for multiple comparisons.

Compared with controls, adolescents with subthreshold depression had smaller gray matter volume in caudate nuclei, medial frontal and cingulate cortices; smaller white matter volume in anterior limb of internal capsules, left forceps minor and right cingulum; and lower fractional anisotropy and higher radial diffusivity in the genu of corpus callosum.

The findings suggest that adolescents with subthreshold depression have volumetric and microstructural gray and white matter changes in the emotion regulation frontal-striatal-limbic network.

Resilience is the capacity of individuals to resist mental disorders despite exposure to stress. Little is known about its neural underpinnings. The putative variation of white-matter microstructure with resilience in adolescence, a critical period for brain maturation and onset of high-prevalence mental disorders, has not been assessed by diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Lower fractional anisotropy (FA) though, has been reported in the corpus callosum (CC), the brain's largest white-matter structure, in psychiatric and stress-related conditions. We hypothesized that higher FA in the CC would characterize stress-resilient adolescents.

Three groups of adolescents recruited from the community were compared: resilient with low risk of mental disorder despite high exposure to lifetime stress (n = 55), at-risk of mental disorder exposed to the same level of stress (n = 68), and controls (n = 123). Personality was assessed by the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Voxelwise statistics of DTI values in CC were obtained using tract-based spatial statistics. Regional projections were identified by probabilistic tractography.

Higher FA values were detected in the anterior CC of resilient compared to both non-resilient and control adolescents. FA values varied according to resilience capacity. Seed regional changes in anterior CC projected onto anterior cingulate and frontal cortex. Neuroticism and three other NEO-FFI factor scores differentiated non-resilient participants from the other two groups.

High FA was detected in resilient adolescents in an anterior CC region projecting to frontal areas subserving cognitive resources. Psychiatric risk was associated with personality characteristics. Resilience in adolescence may be related to white-matter microstructure.