Abstract Identifying both the commonalities and differences in brain structures among psychiatric disorders is important for understanding the pathophysiology. Recently, the ENIGMA-Schizophrenia DTI Working Group performed a large-scale meta-analysis and reported widespread white matter microstructural alterations in schizophrenia; however, no similar cross-disorder study has been carried out to date. Here, we conducted mega-analyses comparing white matter microstructural differences between healthy comparison subjects (HCS; N = 1506) and patients with schizophrenia ( N = 696), bipolar disorder ( N = 211), autism spectrum disorder ( N = 126), or major depressive disorder ( N = 398; total N = 2937 from 12 sites). In comparison with HCS, we found that schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and autism spectrum disorder share similar white matter microstructural differences in the body of the corpus callosum; schizophrenia and bipolar disorder featured comparable changes in the limbic system, such as the fornix and cingulum. By comparison, alterations in tracts connecting neocortical areas, such as the uncinate fasciculus, were observed only in schizophrenia. No significant difference was found in major depressive disorder. In a direct comparison between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, there were no significant differences. Significant differences between schizophrenia/bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder were found in the limbic system, which were similar to the differences in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder relative to HCS. While schizophrenia and bipolar disorder may have similar pathological characteristics, the biological characteristics of major depressive disorder may be close to those of HCS. Our findings provide insights into nosology and encourage further investigations of shared and unique pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders.
Lithium is a first-line agent for the treatment of bipolar disorder. A significant association between the Val66Met polymorphism of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene and bipolar disorder has been reported. We investigated whether this polymorphism is associated with the response to lithium treatment in Japanese patients with bipolar disorder. Patients had been treated with lithium carbonate for more than 1 year, and the response was retrospectively evaluated. No significant differences were found in the genotype distribution or allele frequency between responders and non-responders. Our results suggested that the brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism might not greatly contribute to the efficacy of lithium in bipolar disorder.
Background Red algae have been reported to improve lipid and glucose metabolism in rats. We investigated the effects of Palmaria palmata ( P. palmata ), a red alga from northern Japan, on lipid metabolism and glycemic control in participants with hypercholesterolemia. Methods We conducted an 8‐week, randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled, and parallel‐group comparison trial. The study enrolled Japanese participants with a serum low‐density protein cholesterol (LDL‐C) ≥120 mg/dL. The participants were randomly assigned to take either capsules containing P. palmata (2 g/day) or placebo capsules. The primary endpoint was the change in LDL‐C from baseline to week 8 and the secondary endpoints were the changes in other lipid parameters and glycemic control. Results Of the 104 participants completed the study protocol. There were no significant differences in change in LDL‐C, body mass index, waist circumference, or glycemic control between the two groups. However, serum triglyceride showed significantly greater improvement in women in the P. palmata group (−9.0 [−25.0, +5.0]) vs. those in the placebo group (−1.0 [−11.0, +19.0]; p = .03). Conclusions The present study did not show that P. palmata had significant effect on serum LDL‐C nor glycemic control, but hypertriglyceridemia could be ameliorated by administration of P. palmata in women.
Abstract Aim The association of parenting experiences in childhood with anxiety symptoms in adulthood has yet to be clarified. We hypothesized that interpersonal sensitivity (IPS) mediates the impacts of parenting experiences in childhood on anxiety symptoms and negative assessment of life events in adulthood. Methods An observational cross‐sectional study was carried out from January 2014 to August 2014 on 853 adults. Participants provided their demographic information and answered the following four self‐administered questionnaires: Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI), Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure (IPSM), Life Experiences Survey (LES), and State–Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y (STAI‐Y). The data of a total of 404 participants who agreed to take part in this study were analyzed. Results Multiple regression analysis with the State Anxiety subscale of STAI‐Y as the dependent variable identified the following five out of the 15 independent variables as being statistically significant: IPSM total, LES positive and negative, PBI paternal overprotection, and employment status. This model explains 17.8% of the State Anxiety subscale score. In the structural equation models, the Care subscale showed significant indirect negative effects on State Anxiety subscale and LES negative score through a decrease in IPSM total score ( β = –0.061 and –0.042, respectively). The former indirect effect accounted for 31.6%, and the latter accounted for 56.8% of the total effects. In contrast, Overprotection subscale had opposite effects to Care subscale. Conclusion These results suggest that parenting experiences in childhood are related to adult anxiety symptoms and the negative assessment of life events indirectly through IPS.
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