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BackgroundIndividuals with early-onset depression may be a clinically distinct group with particular symptom patterns, illness course, comorbidity and family history. This question has not been previously investigated in a Han Chinese population.MethodsWe examined the clinical features of 1970 Han Chinese women with DSM-IV major depressive disorder (MDD) between 30 and 60 years of age across China. Analysis of linear, logistic and multiple logistic regression models was used to determine the association between age at onset (AAO) with continuous, binary and discrete characteristic clinical features of MDD.ResultsEarlier AAO was associated with more suicidal ideation and attempts and higher neuroticism, but fewer sleep, appetite and weight changes. Patients with an earlier AAO were more likely to suffer a chronic course (longer illness duration, more MDD episodes and longer index episode), increased rates of MDD in their parents and a lower likelihood of marriage. They tend to have higher comorbidity with anxiety disorders (general anxiety disorder, social phobia and agoraphobia) and dysthymia.ConclusionsEarly AAO in MDD may be an index of a more severe, highly comorbid and familial disorder. Our findings indicate that the features of MDD in China are similar to those reported elsewhere in the world.

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The metacognitive deficit in awareness of one's own mental states is a core feature of schizophrenia (SZ). The previous studies suggested that the metacognitive deficit associates with clinical symptoms. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the relationship remain largely unknown. We here investigated the neural activities associated with the metacognitive deficit and the neural signatures associated with clinical symptoms in 38 patients with SZ using functional magnetic resonance imaging with a perceptual decision‐making task accompanied with metacognition, in comparison to 38 age, gender, and education matched healthy control subjects. The metacognitive deficit in patients with SZ was associated with reduced regional activity in both the frontoparietal control network (FPCN) and the default mode network. Critically, the anticorrelational balance between the two disrupted networks was substantially altered during metacognition, and the extent of alteration positively scaled with negative symptoms. Conversely, decoupling between the two networks was impaired when metacognitive monitoring was not required, and the strength of excessive neural activity positively scaled with positive symptoms. Thus, disruptions of the FPCN and the default mode network underlie the metacognitive deficit, and alternations of network balance between the two networks correlate with clinical symptoms in SZ. These findings implicate that rebalancing these networks holds important clinical potential in developing more efficacious therapeutic treatments.

Isolation rearing impairs both baseline PPI and attentional modulations of PPI, but neonatally disrupting NMDA receptor-mediated transmissions specifically impair attentional modulations of PPI. Clozapine has limited alleviating effects.

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Numerous fMRI studies have confirmed functional abnormalities in resting-state brain networks in migraine patients. However, few studies focusing on causal relationships of pain-related brain networks in migraine have been conducted. This study aims to explore the difference of Granger causality connection among pain-related brain networks in migraine without aura (MWoA) patients.Twenty two MWoA patients and 17 matched healthy subjects were recruited to undergo resting-state fMRI scanning. Independent component analysis was used to extract pain-related brain networks, and Granger causality analysis to characterize the difference of Granger causality connection among pain-related brain networks was employed.Seven pain-related brain networks were identified, and MwoA patients showed more complex Granger causality connections in comparison with healthy subjects. Two-sample t test results displayed that there was the significant difference between right-frontoparietal network (RFPN) and executive control network (ECN).This study indicates that the specific intrinsic brain Granger causality connectivity among pain-related networks in MwoA patients are affected after long-term migraine attacks.

Chronic lower back pain patients had more negative mood and less positive mood than controls. These patients also demonstrated neuromotor deficits in coordination and reaction time. Further studies are required to examine possible neurological mechanisms and research potential intervention strategies for patients suffering from chronic pain.