Late-life depression (LLD) predisposes individuals to cognitive decline, often leading to misdiagnoses as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) can distinguish the profiles of these disorders according to gray matter (GM) volumes. We integrated findings from previous VBM studies for comparative analysis and extended the research into molecular profiles to facilitate inspection and intervention.

We comprehensively searched PubMed and Web of Science for VBM studies that compared LLD and MCI cases with matched healthy controls (HCs) from inception to 31st December 2023. We included 13 studies on LLD (414 LLDs, 350 HCs) and 50 on MCI (1878 MCIs, 2046 HCs). Seed-based d Mapping with Permutation of Subject Images (SDM-PSI) was used for voxel-based meta-analysis to assess GM atrophy, spatially correlated with neuropsychological profiles. We then used multimodal and linear-model analysis to assess the similarities and differences in GM volumetric changing patterns. Partial least squares (PLS) regression and gene enrichment were employed for transcription-neuroimaging associations.

GM volumes in the left hippocampus and right parahippocampal gyrus are more affected in MCI, along with memory impairment. MCI was spatially correlated with a more extensive reduction in the levels of neurotransmitters and a severe downregulation of genes related to cellular potassium ion transport and metal ion transmembrane transporter activity.

Compared to LLD, MCI exhibited more GM atrophy in the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus and lower gene expression of ion transmembrane transport. Our findings provided imaging-transcriptomic-genetic integrative profiles for differential diagnosis and precise intervention between LLD and MCI.

Placebo and nocebo effects are widely reported across psychiatric conditions, yet have seldom been examined in the context of gambling disorder. Through meta-analysis, we examined placebo effects, their moderating factors, and nocebo effects, from available randomised, controlled pharmacological clinical trials in gambling disorder.

We searched, up to 19 February 2024, a broad range of databases, for double-blind randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of medications for gambling disorder. Outcomes were gambling symptom severity and quality of life (for efficacy), and drop outs due to medication side effects in the placebo arms.

We included 16 RCTs (n = 833) in the meta-analysis. The overall effect size for gambling severity reduction in the placebo arms was 1.18 (95%CI 0.91–1.46) and for quality of life improvement was 0.63 (0.42-0.83). Medication class, study sponsorship, trial duration, baseline severity of gambling and publication year significantly moderated effect sizes for at least some of these outcome measures. Author conflict of interest, placebo run-in, gender split, severity scale choice, age of participants or unbalanced randomisation did not moderate effect sizes. Nocebo effects leading to drop out from the trial were observed in 6% of participants in trials involving antipsychotics, while this was less for other medication types.

Placebo effects in trials of pharmacological treatment of gambling disorder are large, and there are several moderators of this effect. Nocebo effects were measureable and may be influenced by medication class being studied. Practical implications of these new findings for the field are discussed, along with recommendations for future clinical trials.

Psychiatric diagnosis is based on categorical diagnostic classification, yet similarities in genetics and clinical features across disorders suggest that these classifications share commonalities in neurobiology, particularly regarding neurotransmitters. Glutamate (Glu) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the brain's primary excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters, play critical roles in brain function and physiological processes.

We examined the levels of Glu, combined glutamate and glutamine (Glx), and GABA across psychiatric disorders by pooling data from 121 1H-MRS studies and further divided the sample based on Axis I disorders.

Statistically significant differences in GABA levels were found in the combined psychiatric group compared with healthy controls (Hedge's g = −0.112, p = 0.008). Further analyses based on brain regions showed that brain GABA levels significantly differed across Axis I disorders and controls in the parieto-occipital cortex (Hedge's g = 0.277, p = 0.019). Furthermore, GABA levels were reduced in affective disorders in the occipital cortex (Hedge's g = −0.468, p = 0.043). Reductions in Glx levels were found in neurodevelopmental disorders (Hedge's g = −0.287, p = 0.022). Analysis focusing on brain regions suggested that Glx levels decreased in the frontal cortex (Hedge's g = −0.226, p = 0.025), and the reduction of Glu levels in patients with affective disorders in the frontal cortex is marginally significant (Hedge's g = −0.172, p = 0.052). When analyzing the anterior cingulate cortex and prefrontal cortex separately, reductions were only found in GABA levels in the former (Hedge's g = − 0.191, p = 0.009) across all disorders.

Altered glutamatergic and GABAergic metabolites were found across psychiatric disorders, indicating shared dysfunction. We found reduced GABA levels across psychiatric disorders and lower Glu levels in affective disorders. These results highlight the significance of GABA and Glu in psychiatric etiology and partially support rethinking current diagnostic categories.

The hippocampal formation represents a key region in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Aerobic exercise poses a promising add-on treatment to potentially counteract structural impairments of the hippocampal formation and associated symptomatic burden. However, current evidence regarding exercise effects on the hippocampal formation in schizophrenia is largely heterogeneous. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the impact of aerobic exercise on total hippocampal formation volume. Additionally, we used data from a recent multicenter randomized-controlled trial to examine the effects of aerobic exercise on hippocampal formation subfield volumes and their respective clinical implications.

The meta-analysis comprised six studies that investigated the influence of aerobic exercise on total hippocampal formation volume compared to a control condition with a total of 186 people with schizophrenia (100 male, 86 female), while original data from 29 patients (20 male, 9 female) was considered to explore effects of six months of aerobic exercise on hippocampal formation subfield volumes.

Our meta-analysis did not demonstrate a significant effect of aerobic exercise on total hippocampal formation volume in people with schizophrenia (g = 0.33 [−0.12 to 0.77]), p = 0.15), but our original data suggested significant volume increases in certain hippocampal subfields, namely the cornu ammonis and dentate gyrus.

Driven by the necessity of better understanding the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, the present work underlines the importance to focus on hippocampal formation subfields and to characterize subgroups of patients that show neuroplastic responses to aerobic exercise accompanied by corresponding clinical improvements.

Various studies have highlighted the increased incidence and symptoms of depression and anxiety in paediatric cancer survivors (PCS). Yet no meta-analysis has focused on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in PCS and their family nucleus.

To evaluate the overall risk of PTSD and severity of PTSS in PCS and their family nucleus. Secondary objectives include identifying potential risk factors of PTSD and high PTSS.

We systematically searched PubMed, Embase and PsycINFO for studies comparing the risk of PTSD and PTSS severity among PCS, their family nucleus and non-cancer controls. PRISMA reporting guidelines were followed. Random effects meta-analyses and meta-regressions were conducted.

From 1089 records, we included 21 studies. PCS have an increased risk of PTSD (risk ratio 2.36, 95% CI 1.37–4.06) and decreased PTSS severity (standardised mean difference −0.29, 95% CI −0.50 to −0.08). Subgroup analyses of other categorical study-level characteristics revealed that female PCS who were older at diagnosis and data collection had a significantly higher risk of PTSD. Meta-regression were insignificant. Family nucleus did not show a significantly increased risk of PTSD (risk ratio 1.13, 95% CI 0.59–5.00) and PTSS severity (standardised mean difference 0.53, 95% CI −0.00 to 1.06). Systematically reviewing studies on the family nucleus found that the majority reported a significantly increased risk of psychological trauma compared with the comparator. Lower education, income and social status were also risk factors.

Timely identification and interventions are imperative for policy makers and healthcare providers to prevent trauma from worsening in this population group.

This systematic review aimed to review therapeutic patient education (TPE) programmes in managing psychiatric disorders, considering the diversity in delivering agents, intervention formats, targeted skills, and therapeutic outcomes.

Comprehensive database searches, including Web of Science, PubMed, and COCHRANE, were conducted from September 2019 to January 2023, yielding 514 unique records, with 33 making it through rigorous evaluation for full-text review. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria, focusing on various psychiatric disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis, and multiple serious mental illnesses. A total of 38 studies were included from our previous review to supplement the current database search.

TPE programmes exhibited diversity in delivering agents and intervention formats, with a notable presence of multidisciplinary teams and various professionals. The interventions prioritized coping strategies and disease management techniques, though the extent varied based on the disorder. Effectiveness was heterogeneous across studies; some interventions showed significant benefits in areas such as symptom management, coping, and functional improvement, while others reported no significant outcomes.

The findings underscore the potential of TPE in psychiatric care, revealing its multifaceted nature and varied impact. TPE not only addresses deficits but also leverages patients’ existing strengths and capabilities. Despite the reported benefits, a portion of the interventions lacked statistical significance, indicating the necessity for continuous refinement and evaluation.

The estimates of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) prevalence across various studies are significantly variable, contributing to uncertainty in ADHD prevalence estimation. Previous systematic reviews and meta-analyses have attributed this variability primarily to the methodological characteristics of the studies, including the diagnostic criteria, source of information, and impairment requirement for the diagnosis.

Review identified studies reporting ADHD prevalence in representative samples of children and adults in Europe and worldwide. Studies that were conducted in the general population were included. We focused on studies that report ADHD prevalence based on clinical diagnosis (clinical diagnostic criteria based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and International Classification of Diseases criteria, other diagnostic tools, such as various scales or interviews based on clinical diagnostic criteria). PubMed/Medline was searched to identify relevant articles published until 2024/2/01. The study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020200220) and followed Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines for systematic review and meta-analysis.

In total, 117 studies were subjected to full evaluation. In the meta-analysis, 103 studies representing 159 independent datapoints were included. The overall prevalence of ADHD in register studies was 1.6%, 95% CI [0.9; 3.0], in survey studies 5.0%, 95% CI [2.9; 8.6], in one-stage clinical studies 4.2%, 95% CI [2.9; 6.0], and in two-stage clinical studies 4.8%, 95% CI [4.0; 5.8].

Exact comparisons among studies with different diagnostic criteria and types of sampling can impact prevalence estimates. When comparing data from methodologically different studies, these factors need to be considered.

Music listening has been used as a sleep intervention among different populations. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to explore whether music is an effective sleep aid in adults with mental health problems.

We searched for studies investigating music interventions for sleep in adults with mental health problems. The primary outcome was subjective sleep quality; secondary outcomes were objective sleep outcomes, quality of life, and other mental health symptoms. Risk of bias assessment (RoB1) and random-effect model were used for the systematic review and meta-analyses.

The initial screening (n = 1492) resulted in 15 studies in the systematic review. Further qualified studies led to the meta-analysis of sleep quality (n = 7), depression (n = 5), and anxiety (n = 5). We found that the music listening intervention showed a potential effect on subjective sleep quality improvement compared to treatment-as-usual or no-intervention groups. When excluding an outlier study with an extreme effect, the meta-analysis showed a moderate effect on sleep quality (Hedges’ g = −0.66, 95% CI [−1.19, −0.13], t = −3.21, p = 0.0236). The highest risk of bias was the blinding of participants and researchers due to the nature of the music intervention.

Our results suggest that music interventions could have the potential to improve sleep quality among individuals with mental health problems, even though more high-quality studies are needed to establish the effect fully.