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In laser systems requiring a flat-top distribution of beam intensity, beam smoothing is a critical technology for enhancing laser energy deposition onto the focal spot. The continuous phase modulator (CPM) is a key component in beam smoothing, as it introduces high-frequency continuous phase modulation across the laser beam profile. However, the presence of the CPM makes it challenging to measure and correct the wavefront aberration of the input laser beam effectively, leading to unwanted beam intensity distribution and bringing difficulty to the design of the CPM. To address this issue, we propose a deep learning enabled robust wavefront sensing (DLWS) method to achieve effective wavefront measurement and active aberration correction, thereby facilitating active beam smoothing using the CPM. The experimental results show that the average wavefront reconstruction error of the DLWS method is 0.04 μm in the root mean square, while the Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor reconstruction error is 0.17 μm.
This paper presents a three-stage E-band low-noise amplifier (LNA) fabricated in a 28-nm Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor High-Performance Compact Plus process. The proposed E-band LNA achieves a peak gain of 16.8 dB, exhibiting a gain variation of less than ±0.5 dB across the frequency range of 67.8–90.4 GHz. The measured 3-dB gain bandwidth spans from 64 to 93.8 GHz, and the minimum measured noise figure (NF) is 3.8 dB. By employing a one-stage common-source with a two-stage cascode topology, the proposed E-band LNA demonstrates competitiveness in terms of gain flatness and NF when compared to recently published E-band CMOS LNAs.
Harsh parenting in early childhood is related to offspring's adverse behavioral outcomes. Due to the scarcity of longitudinal neuroimaging data, few studies have explored the neurobiological underpinnings of this association, focusing on within-person variability. This study examined the temporal associations among harsh parenting, later behavioral problems, and the developmental trajectories of amygdala volume and amygdala resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) profiles, using longitudinal neuroimaging data.
Methods
The study was embedded in the Growing Up in Singapore Towards healthy Outcomes (GUSTO) cohort. T1-weighted (296 children, 642 scans) and resting-state functional scans (256 children, 509 scans) were collected at ages 4.5, 6, 7.5, and 10.5 years. Amygdala volume and RSFC between the amygdala and six brain regions that have leading roles in emotional regulation were extracted. Harsh parenting at 4.5 years and child behavioral problems at 10.5 years were assessed via parent-report questionnaires. Linear regression and linear mixed models were applied.
Results
Harsh parenting was associated with more severe externalizing problems in girls (β = 0.24, 95% CI 0.08–0.40) but not boys (pint = 0.07). In the overall sample, harsh parenting was associated with the developmental trajectories of amygdala-ACC, amygdala-OFC, and amygdala-DLPFC RSFC. In addition, the developmental trajectory of amygdala-ACC RSFC mediated the harsh parenting–externalizing problems association in girls (indirect effect = 0.06, 95% CI 0.01–0.14).
Conclusions
Harsh parenting in early childhood was associated with amygdala neurocircuitry development and behavioral problems. The developmental trajectory of amygdala-ACC RSFC is a potential neural mechanism linking harsh parenting and externalizing problems in girls.
We report an experimental study of the formation and evolution of laminar thermal structures generated by a small heat source, with a focus on their correlation to the thermal boundary layer and effects of heating time $t_{heat}$. The experiments are performed over the flux Rayleigh number ($Ra_f$) range $2.1\times 10^6 \leq Ra_f \leq 3.6\times 10^{7}$ and the Prandtl number ($Pr$) range $28.6 \leq Pr \leq 904.7$. The corresponding Rayleigh number ($Ra= t_{heat}\,Ra_{f}/\tau _0\,Pr$) range is $900 \leq Ra \leq 4\times 10^{4}$, where $\tau _0$ is a diffusion time scale. For thermal structures generated by continuous heating (i.e. starting plumes), their formation process exists three characteristic times that are well reflected by changes in the thermal boundary layer thickness. These characteristic times, denoted as $t_{emit}$, $t_{recover}$ and $t_{static}$, correspond to the moments when the plume emission begins and completes, and when the thermal boundary layer becomes quasi-static, respectively. Their $Ra_f$–$Pr$ dependencies are found to be $t_{emit}/\tau _0\sim Ra_f^{-0.41}\,Pr^{0.41}$, $t_{recover}/\tau _0\sim Ra_f^{-0.48}\,Pr^{0.48}$ and $t_{static}/\tau _0\sim Ra_f^{-0.49}\,Pr^{0.33}$, respectively. Thermal structures generated by finite $t_{heat}$ exhibit similar evolution dynamics once $t_{heat} \ge t_{emit}$, with the accelerating stage behaving like starting plumes and the decay stage like thermals (i.e. a finite amount of buoyant fluids). It is further found that their maximum rising velocity experiences a transition in the $Ra$-dependence from $Ra$ to $(Ra\ln Ra)^{0.5}$ at $Ra \simeq 6000$; and their maximum acceleration reaches the value of starting plumes at $t_{heat}\simeq t_{recover}$, and remains unchanged for larger $t_{heat}$. In particular, the maximum rising velocity for the cases with $t_{heat} = t_{recover}$ follows a scaling relation $Ra_f^{0.37}\,Pr^{-0.37}$, in contrast to the relation $Ra_f^{0.48}\,Pr^{-0.48}$ for starting plumes. This study provides a more comprehensive understanding of laminar thermal structures, which are relevant to a range of processes in nature and laboratory systems such as Rayleigh–Bénard convection.
Screen time in infancy is linked to changes in social-emotional development but the pathway underlying this association remains unknown. We aim to provide mechanistic insights into this association using brain network topology and to examine the potential role of parent–child reading in mitigating the effects of screen time.
Methods
We examined the association of screen time on brain network topology using linear regression analysis and tested if the network topology mediated the association between screen time and later socio-emotional competence. Lastly, we tested if parent–child reading time was a moderator of the link between screen time and brain network topology.
Results
Infant screen time was significantly associated with the emotion processing-cognitive control network integration (p = 0.005). This network integration also significantly mediated the association between screen time and both measures of socio-emotional competence (BRIEF-2 Emotion Regulation Index, p = 0.04; SEARS total score, p = 0.04). Parent–child reading time significantly moderated the association between screen time and emotion processing-cognitive control network integration (β = −0.640, p = 0.005).
Conclusion
Our study identified emotion processing-cognitive control network integration as a plausible biological pathway linking screen time in infancy and later socio-emotional competence. We also provided novel evidence for the role of parent–child reading in moderating the association between screen time and topological brain restructuring in early childhood.
tDCS application to the DLPFC is associated with the improvements of executive function, memory enhancement, language, processing speed, global cognitive symptoms and apathy over time after treatment. DLB is the second most common form of degenerative dementia. There is no FDA-approved medications that can slow, stop or improve the progression of cognitive declines in DLB. Identifying effective treatments is a critical issue for DLB. In neuropathology, extracelluar α-syn oligomers interfere with the expression of long-term potentiation(LTP), and influence memory and learning. tDCS has been proposed to affect long-term synaptic plasticity through LTP and long-term depression, thereby improving cognitive ability. So far, only two studies have evaluated the effect of tDCS in DLB. In this pilot study, we investigate the effect of tDCS on left DLPFC in DLB.
Method:
Fourteen DLB aged 55-90 years (mean age 76.4, with 4 males and 10 females) were included in a double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled cross over design study. DLB diagnostics is according to DSM-5 criteria. CDR ratings for DLB participants ranged from 0.5 to 2. The active tDCS (or sham) process consists of daily sessions of active tDCS (or sham) for 10 consecutive days. The anodal electrode was placed over the left DLPFC and the cathodal electrode was placed over the right supraorbital area, with a current intensity of 2 mA and an electrode size of 25 cm2 for 30 min in a session. Before and after these treatment sessions, all subjects received a series of neuropsychological tests, including CDR, MMSE, CASI, NPI and WCST. Chi-square test, Wilcoxon signed ranks test and Mann-Whitney U test were used to assess differences in participant demographic characteristics and to compare differences among groups.
Results:
The active tDCS group showed significant improvements on the three items of CASI, ‘language ability’, ‘concentration and calculation’, ‘categorical verbal fluency’, after active stimulations. There is no improvement in MMSE, CASI, NPI and WCST scores in the sham groups.
Conclusion:
These results suggest that left DLPFC anodal, and right deltoid cathodal tDCS, may have some cognitive benefits in DLB. Larger-scale trials are needed to confirm the effect of tDCS in DLB.
Key words: Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, Dementia with Lewy Bodies, cognitive function, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, left DLPFC
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been proposed to affect long-term synaptic plasticity through LTP and LTD, thereby improving cognitive ability. In pathology, the amyloid deposits in AD disrupts the balance between long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) of neuronal cells and synaptic plasticity. An increasing number of studies have been concluded a positive therapeutic effect on cognition in AD. In brain stimulation, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) was associated with improvements in memory enhancement, language, processing speed, global cognitive symptoms, and apathy over a period of treatment. Theoretically, the aftereffect of tDCS would need to be re-stimulated by tDCS to maintain its delayed plastic response benefits. In this pilot study, we investigate the maintenance effects of continuing tDCS at three different times, weekly, every two weeks, and every four weeks, for 12 weeks.
Method:
Twenty-eight AD participants aged 55-90 years were enrolled (mean age 72.7, 77.3, and 76.2 in the three groups - maintained weekly (7 cases), biweekly (9 cases) and every 4 weeks (12 cases)). The anodal electrode was placed over the left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex and the cathodal electrode was placed over the right supraorbital area. In each active session, we applied a current intensity of 2 mA and an electrode size of 25 cm2 for 30 min. All subjects received a series of neuropsychological assessments including CDR, MMSE, CASI and WCST at (1) baseline, (2) post-10sessions of tDCS (in 2weeks), and (3) post-maintenance phase (total of 12 weeks). Chi-square tests, Wilcoxon signed rank tests and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to assess differences in participant demographic characteristics and to compare differences in test scores between groups.
Results:
After 10 sessions of tDCS stimulations, the total CASI scores in the 1-week group improved significantly from baseline to 2 weeks. However, there are no significant difference in MMSE, CASI or WCST between baseline and after maintain phase stimulations in each group.
Conclusion:
Although tDCS has a positive effect in AD, it is recommended to prolong the number of tDCS stimulations, such as 20 sessions in 4 weeks.
Stroke is a common neurological disease, the main pathological feature of which is cerebral ischemia or bleeding caused by sudden blockage or rupture of cerebral vessels. Impaired upper limb motor control after stroke severely affects patients’ quality of life and ability to perform daily activities. Traditional rehabilitation methods mainly rely on physical therapy and drug therapy, but there are limited effects.
Subjects and Methods
It is to explore the clinical effect of motor imagery therapy in the study of upper limb motor control after stroke. Fifty patients with stroke and the influence of upper limb movement were selected as experimental subjects, 25 as an experimental group and 25 as a control group. The experimental group received six months of rehabilitation training using motor imagery therapy, and the control group received six months of rehabilitation training using traditional drug alteplase.
Results
The experimental results were evaluated by SPSS23.0 system. P<0.05 indicated that the difference was statistically significant, and the upper limb motor function and muscle strength of 20 patients in the experimental group were significantly improved after half a year, More than 80 percent have recovered, with significant differences (P<0.05).
Conclusions
After the motor imagination therapy is integrated into stroke patients, it can promote the reorganization of brain nerves, enhance the motor memory of muscles, improve the patients’ attention and concentration on sports, and help them recover the motor function of the upper limbs.
Acknowledgement
2021 Shanghai Society of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Community Medicine and Health Management Research Project (No. 2021-117); 2022 Shanghai Jing’an District Medical Research Fund Project (No. 2022QT05).
Objectives: Medical devices and the hospital environment can be contaminated easily by multidrug-resistant bacteria. The effectiveness of cleaning practices is often suboptimal because environmental cleaning in hospitals is complex and depends on human factors, the physical and chemical characteristics of environment, and the viability of the microorganisms. Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) lamps can be used to reduce the spread of microorganisms. We evaluated the effectiveness of an ultraviolet-C (UV-C) device on terminal room cleaning and disinfection. Methods: The study was conducted at an ICU of a medical center in Taiwan. We performed a 3-stage evaluation for the effectiveness of UV-C radiation, including pre–UV-C radiation, UV-C radiation, and a bleaching procedure. The 3 stages of evaluation were implemented in the ICU rooms from which a patient had been discharged or transferred. We collected the data from adenosine triphosphate (ATP) bioluminescence testing, colonized strains, and their corresponding colony counts by sampling from the environmental surfaces and air. We tested 8 high-touch surfaces, including 2 sides of bed rails, headboards, footboards, bedside tables, monitors, pumping devices, IV stands, and oxygen flow meters. Results: In total, 1,696 environmental surfaces and 72 air samples were analyzed. The levels of ATP bioluminescence and colony counts of isolated bacteria decreased significantly after UV-C radiation and bleaching disinfection for both the environmental and air samples (P < .001). Resistant bacteria (vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, VRE) were commonly isolated on the hard-to-clean surfaces of monitors, oxygen flow meters, and IV pumps. However, they were also eradicated (P < .001). Conclusions: UV-C can significantly reduce environmental contamination by multidrug-resistant microorganisms. UV-C is an effective device to assist staff in cleaning the hospital environment.
We aimed to investigate the association of metabolic obesity phenotypes with all-cause mortality risk in a rural Chinese population. This prospective cohort study enrolled 15 704 Chinese adults (38·86 % men) with a median age of 51·00 (interquartile range: 41·00–60·00) at baseline (2007–2008) and followed up during 2013–2014. Obesity was defined by waist circumference (WC: ≥ 90 cm for men and ≥ 80 cm for women) or waist-to-height ratio (WHtR: ≥ 0·5). The hazard ratio (HR) and 95 % CI for the risk of all-cause mortality related to metabolic obesity phenotypes were calculated using the Cox hazards regression model. During a median follow-up of 6·01 years, 864 deaths were identified. When obesity was defined by WC, the prevalence of participants with metabolically healthy non-obesity (MHNO), metabolically healthy obesity (MHO), metabolically unhealthy non-obesity (MUNO) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) at baseline was 12·12 %, 2·80 %, 41·93 % and 43·15 %, respectively. After adjusting for age, sex, alcohol drinking, smoking, physical activity and education, the risk of all-cause mortality was higher with both MUNO (HR = 1·20, 95 % CI 1·14, 1·26) and MUO (HR = 1·20, 95 % CI 1·13, 1·27) v. MHNO, but the risk was not statistically significant with MHO (HR = 0·99, 95 % CI 0·89, 1·10). This result remained consistent when stratified by sex. Defining obesity by WHtR gave similar results. MHO does not suggest a greater risk of all-cause mortality compared to MHNO, but participants with metabolic abnormality, with or without obesity, have a higher risk of all-cause mortality. These results should be cautiously interpreted as the representation of MHO is small.
We report here the first hundred-watt continuouswave fiber gas laser in H2-filled hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (PCF) by stimulated Raman scattering. The pump source is a homemade narrow-linewidth fiber oscillator with a 3 dB linewidth of 0.15 nm at the maximum output power of 380 W. To efficiently and stably couple several-hundred-watt pump power into the hollow core and seal the gas, a hollow-core fiber end-cap is fabricated and used at the input end. A maximum power of 110 W at 1153 nm is obtained in a 5 m long hollow-core PCF filled with 36 bar H2, and the conversion efficiency of the first Stokes power is around 48.9%. This work paves the way for high-power fiber gas Raman lasers.
Although maternal mental illnesses have been found to influence child health and development, little is known about the impact of maternal positive well-being on child health and development. Therefore, this longitudinal study investigated the effects of prenatal subjective well-being on birth outcomes and child development by considering the potential modifier effect of parity.
Methods
Pregnant women in early stages of pregnancy were recruited at five selected hospitals in Taipei, Taiwan, during their prenatal appointments since 2011. Self-reported evaluations were conducted at seven time points up to 2 years postpartum. Linear regression and generalized estimating equation models were used for examination.
Results
Higher prenatal eudaimonic well-being was associated with longer gestational length (adjusted beta [aβ] = 0.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.03, 0.68) and higher birth weight (aβ = 124.71, 95% CI = 35.75, 213.66). Higher positive and negative affect were associated with longer gestational length (aβ = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.06, 0.70) and smaller birth weight (aβ = −93.51, 95% CI = −178.35, −8.67), respectively. For child’s outcomes, we found an association between higher prenatal eudaimonic well-being and decreased risks of suspected developmental delay, particularly for children of multiparous mothers (adjusted odds ratio = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.05, 0.70). Higher levels of prenatal depression and anxiety were significantly associated with increased risks of suspected developmental delay for children of primiparous mothers.
Conclusions
Positive prenatal maternal mental health may benefit birth outcomes and child development, particularly for children of multiparous mothers. Interventions for improving prenatal mental health may be beneficial for child development.
Drawing on the job demands-resources model and conservation of resources theory, this study investigates how and when the high-performance work systems (HPWS) influence proactive workforce. Using the data obtained from 204 supervisor-employee dyads in China, we developed and tested a moderated mediation model in which leader-member exchange (LMX) moderates the positive relationship between HPWS and proactive behavior via work engagement. Our results demonstrated that the association between HPWS and proactivity was fully mediated by work engagement. We also found that the indirect effect of HPWS on proactivity was significantly weaker among employees with high-quality LMX. Theoretical and practical implications, as well as directions for future research, are then discussed.
Emotional dysregulation (ED) is a common characteristic of both attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and major depressive disorder (MDD), especially in adolescents. However, whether ADHD and MDD may share the specific ED-related neural networks remains unknown.
Methods
In total, 43 adolescents with clinical ED (22 adolescents with ADHD and 21 with MDD) were recruited; in addition, 29 sex- and age-matched healthy controls (HCs) were included. Resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) analysis, voxel-based morphometry, and diffusion tensor imaging analysis were performed for each patient. In addition, we determined the significant regions of interest in patients with ED due to ADHD and MDD as compared with HCs and tested their correlations with clinical rating scale scores.
Results
Compared with HCs, patients with ED had greater RSFC in the cerebellum and supramarginal gyrus (SMG), especially between vermis VI and the SMG in the attention networks, and lower RSFC between the right supplementary motor area and right lateral parietal area. Lower gray matter (GM) volume in the SMG was also found. RSFC was significantly correlated with clinical rating scale scores for all patients with ED due to ADHD or MDD. GM change was correlated with ED and MDD rating scale scores.
Discussion
The cerebellum and attention networks might play major roles in ED pathophysiology in adolescents with ADHD and MDD. Increased connectivity of the vermis to the SMG serves as a possible underlying neural network.
Long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics improve medication adherence in patients with schizophrenia and extend the duration of therapeutic drug levels but with administration of an increased dose. Real-world mortality data in patients prescribed LAIs are lacking. We conducted a population-based cohort study to estimate and compare the incidence rates of all-cause death and completed suicide in patients with schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder exposed to LAIs and oral antipsychotics.
Methods
Patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder between January 1, 2015 and November 30, 2019 were enrolled from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database and linked to Death Registry records. Eligible patients were new antipsychotic users. Relative risks of death for each antipsychotic compared with oral paliperidone were evaluated using a Cox proportional hazard model adjusted for age, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index, index year, bipolar or major depressive or other mood disorders, mental disorders due to drug use, and baseline hospitalization frequency.
Results
There were 228,791.08 person-years of follow-up (mean 2.48 years). The incidence rates of all-cause death in users of LAI paliperidone administered monthly (PP1M) and every 3 months (PP3M) were 7.40/1,000 person-years (95% confidence interval 5.94–9.11) and 9.93 (5.88–15.79), respectively. The incidences of completed suicide were 2.03/1,000 person-years (1.32–2.99) and 3.10 (1.14–6.88), respectively. No significant associations were observed between PP1M and PP3M compared to oral paliperidone in incidences of all-cause death or for completed suicide.
Discussion
No increased risk of all-cause death or completed suicide was observed in users of antipsychotic LAIs, including PP1M and PP3M.
To explore and develop effective treatments is crucial for patients with Alzheimer’s dementia (AD). In pathology, the amyloid deposits of AD result in disruption of the balance between long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) of neuronal cells and synaptic plasticity. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been proposed to affect long-term synaptic plasticity through LTP and LTD, thereby improving cognitive ability. Although an increasing number of studies have been concluded a positive therapeutic effect on cognition in AD, tDCS studies to date are limited on exploring the duration of its efficacy. In this pilot study, we investigate the effects of tDCS in AD and verify its extending beneficial effects for 3 months follow-up period after the end of stimulation.
Method:
34 AD participants aged 55-90 years (mean age 75.9 (66-86)) were included in a double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled crossover study. All participants were randomly assigned to receive 10 consecutive daily sessions of active tDCS (or sham) and switched groups 3 months later. The anodal electrode was on the left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex and the cathodal electrode was on the right supraorbital area. In each active session, we applied a current intensity of 2 mA and an electrode size of 25 cm2 for 30 min in the active group. All subjects received a series of neuropsychological assessments including CDR, MMSE, CASI and WCST at baseline and in 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks post-tDCS (or sham) 10 sessions. Chi-square tests, Wilcoxon signed rank tests and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to assess the differences in participant demographic characteristics and to compare the differences of test scores between groups.
Results:
The active tDCS group showed significant improvements on CASI total scores from baseline to 2-weeks, 1-month and 3-months after active stimulations, though the improvement declined over time. There are also different presentations in total correct items, conceptual level responses, failure to maintain sets of WCST between active tDCS and sham groups. There is no difference in MMSE, CASI and WCST scores in the sham groups.
Conclusion:
These results suggest a long term-beneficial effects of tDCS in AD.
Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB), this second most common form of degenerative dementia, presents more functional disability, more potentially fatal complication, more impaired quality of life than Alzheimer’s dementia. There is no FDA-proved medication can slow, stop or improve the progression of cognitive declines in DLB. Identifying effective treatments is a critical issue for DLB. In neuropathology, extracelluar α-syn oligomers interfere with the expression of long-term potentiation, and influence memory and learning. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has been proposed to affect long-term synaptic plasticity through LTP and LTD, thereby improving cognitive ability. So far, only two researches assess the effect of tDCS in DLB. In this pilot study, we investigate the effects of tDCS in DLB.
Method:
Using a double-blind, randomized, sham- controlled and crossover trial design, 11 DLB aged 55-90 years (mean age 77.8) were included in the study. DLB diagnostics is according to DSM-5 criteria. The CDR ratings of DLB participants ranged from 0.5 to 2. The active tDCS (or sham) process includes consecutive daily sessions of active tDCS (or sham) for 10 days. The anodal electrode was over the left dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the cathodal electrode on the right supraorbital area. In each session, we applied a current intensity of 2 mA and an electrode size of 25 cm2 for 30 min in the active group. All subjects received a series of neuropsychological tests, which included CDR, MMSE, CASI, NPI and WCST, before and after these treatment sessions. Chi-square tests, Wilcoxon signed rank tests and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to assess the differences in participant demographic characteristics and to compare the differences among groups.
Results:
On CASI, MMSE, NPI and WCST, there were no statistically significant differences between pre- and post the 10-session course for the active and the sham groups. No side effects reported during or immediately after active tDCS stimulation.
Conclusion:
These results suggest that left DLPFC anodal, and right deltoid cathodal tDCS, do not improve cognition, behavioral and psychological symptoms in DLB. Larger-scale trials are needed to confirm the effect of tDCS in DLB.
Cognitive impairment is common in late-life depression, which may increase Alzheimer disease (AD) risk. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether late-life major depressive disorder (MDD) has worse cognition and increases the characteristic AD neuropathology. Furthermore, we carried out a comparison between treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and non-TRD. We hypothesized that patients with late-life depression and TRD may have increased β-amyloid (Aβ) deposits in brain regions responsible for global cognition.
Methods
We recruited 81 subjects, including 54 MDD patients (27 TRD and 27 non-TRD) and 27 matched healthy controls (HCs). Neurocognitive tasks were examined, including Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment to detect global cognitive functions. PET with Pittsburgh compound-B and fluorodeoxyglucose were used to capture brain Aβ pathology and glucose use, respectively, in some patients.
Results
MDD patients performed worse in Montreal Cognitive Assessment (p = 0.003) and had more Aβ deposits than HCs across the brain (family-wise error-corrected p < 0.001), with the most significant finding in the left middle frontal gyrus. Significant negative correlations between global cognition and prefrontal Aβ deposits existed in MDD patients, whereas positive correlations were noted in HCs. TRD patients had significantly more deposits in the left-sided brain regions (corrected p < 0.001). The findings were not explained by APOE genotypes. No between-group fluorodeoxyglucose difference was detected.
Conclusions
Late-life depression, particularly TRD, had increased brain Aβ deposits and showed vulnerability to Aβ deposits. A detrimental role of Aβ deposits in global cognition in patients with late-onset or non-late-onset MDD supported the theory that late-life MDD could be a risk factor for AD.
Few studies have explored the complex relationship of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines with cognitive function in adolescents with first-episode schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depressive disorder.
Methods
In total, 26, 35, and 29 adolescents with first-episode schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder, respectively, and 22 age- and sex-matched controls were included in the current study. Cytokines, namely interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and C-reactive protein (CRP), were assessed. The Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the working memory task were administered to assess cognitive function.
Results
Using generalized linear models with adjustment for demographic data and clinical symptoms, patients with bipolar disorder were found to exhibit the highest levels of CRP (P = .023), IL-6 (P = .022), and TNF-α (P = .011), and had the lowest IL-2 levels (P = .034) among the four groups. According to the results of the WCST and working memory task, adolescents with schizophrenia exhibited the lowest performance in cognitive function. In addition, among the assessed cytokines, only CRP levels (P = .027) were negatively associated with WCST scores.
Discussion
Dysregulated pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and impaired cognitive functioning were observed in first-episode adolescent-onset schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. The altered cytokine profiles may play important roles in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder.