Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tuana Kant, Emiko Koyama, Clement C. Zai, Joseph H. Beitchman, James L. Kennedy
Summary: Psychopathic traits in youth may lead to adult criminal behaviors. The Val158Met polymorphism of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) may influence the risk for psychopathy-related behaviors and serve as a biomarker for predicting treatment response to dopaminergic medications. This study conducted a systematic review on the effects of COMT Val158Met on psychopathic traits in children and adolescents and presented new evidence on the developmental trajectory of this association.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Sandra Chi Yiu Wong, Mary Chung Mun Ng, Joe Kwun Nam Chan, Martha Sin Ki Luk, Simon Sai Yu Lui, Eric Yu Hai Chen, Wing Chung Chang
Summary: The study revealed that early-stage bipolar disorder patients with a history of psychosis exhibit altered risk-taking behavior and increased risk aversion compared to controls. Risk-taking indices were not correlated with symptoms, self-reported impulsivity, cognitive functions, or treatment characteristics. Further research is needed to understand the longitudinal trajectory of risk-taking propensity in bipolar disorder.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Mengmeng Wang, Shunmin Zhang, Tao Suo, Tianxin Mao, Fenghua Wang, Yao Deng, Simon Eickhoff, Yu Pan, Caihong Jiang, Hengyi Rao
Summary: The Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART) has been widely used to assess risk-taking behavior and brain function. This study used activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis and functional connectivity (FC) analysis to synthesize brain networks involved in risk-taking during the BART and compared differences between adults and adolescents. The results showed that reward, salience, and executive control networks play important roles in risk-taking during the BART, and adolescents exhibit greater activation compared to adults.
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2022)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Thiago F. A. Franca, Sabine Pompeia
Summary: Adolescence is a period of increased risk-taking behavior, which is often attributed to developmental changes in dopaminergic signaling. However, popular models oversimplify the role of dopamine, only focusing on reward processing and self-control. In this article, we discuss the relationship between changes in the dopaminergic system and adolescent behavior, highlighting the role of dopamine in learning, adaptive decision-making, and motivation. We also emphasize the importance of considering the interactions between dopamine and other neuromodulator systems in understanding adolescent behavior.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Javier Salas-Rodriguez, Luis Gomez-Jacinto, Isabel Hombrados-Mendieta, Natalia del Pino-Brunet
Summary: Traditionally, risk-taking behaviors in adolescents have been analyzed from a psychopathological perspective, focusing on their potential costs. However, this study suggests that risk-taking behaviors may serve as a means for adolescents to obtain potential benefits for survival and reproduction based on evolutionary theory. The study found sex differences in risk propensity, expected benefits, and risk perception in different evolutionary domains, and these factors predicted engagement in risk-taking behaviors in male and female adolescents to varying degrees.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zhengkang Su, Kaiyu Guan, Yunbin Liu, Hai Zhang, Zhengwei Huang, Miaomiao Zheng, Ya Zhu, He Zhang, Weihong Song, Xi Li
Summary: The use of clinical psychoactive drugs can pose unpredictable threats to fetal development. Opicapone, a newly effective peripheral COMT inhibitor, is used for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and other dopamine-related disorders. However, the impact of opicapone on embryonic development is still unknown.
ECOTOXICOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
(2023)
Article
Pediatrics
Suvi Alenius, Eero Kajantie, Reijo Sund, Markku Nurhonen, Peija Haaramo, Pieta Nasanen-Gilmore, Marja Vaarasmaki, Sakari Lemola, Katri Raikkonen, Daniel D. Schnitzlein, Dieter Wolke, Mika Gissler, Petteri Hovi
Summary: This population-based study found that individuals born preterm have a lower risk of sexually transmitted infections and teenage pregnancies, but a higher risk of payment defaults. Extremely preterm individuals have a lower risk of criminal offending, whereas very preterm individuals have a higher risk of payment defaults.
JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Claudio Gentili, Elisa Di Rosa, Ioana Podina, Raluca Popita, Bogdan Voinescu, Daniel David
Summary: The study revealed a significant association between resting state functional connectivity metrics and neural activity during Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART) execution, suggesting that resting state might be a stable predictor of both behavioral indices and neural correlates of impulsivity and reward-guided decision-making.
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Subhamita Maitra, Mahasweta Chatterjee, Anirban Roychowdhury, Chinmay Kumar Panda, Swagata Sinha, Kanchan Mukhopadhyay
Summary: This study investigates the association between functional gene variants of the dopamine transporter and catechol-O-methyltransferase with ADHD-related impulsive behavior, executive deficits, and disease persistence. The findings suggest that these genetic variants may serve as predictors for the success of individual therapeutic sessions during cognitive training.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rachel L. Bedder, Matilde M. Vaghi, Raymond J. Dolan, Robb B. Rutledge
Summary: Humans exhibit diurnal modulation in decision making, with risky options with potential losses being increasingly chosen over the course of the day. This diurnal change in risk preference reflects a decrease in sensitivity to increasing losses, but no change in loss aversion. The findings have potential importance for real-life decisions, such as voting, medical decisions, and financial investments.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Business, Finance
Heng Guo
Summary: Litigation risk has a significant impact on corporate risk-taking, with higher amounts and higher risk leading to greater risk-taking. The role of corporate litigation risk in enhancing risk-taking is diminished when analysts express concern. Firms with higher litigation risk may face financing constraints and a negative effect on risk-taking.
FINANCE RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Eunsil Cha, Hyun Jung Ahn, Wonil Kang, Kwang-Ik Jung, Suk Hoon Ohn, Shahid Bashir, Woo-Kyoung Yoo
Summary: The COMT gene polymorphism is associated with individual cognitive function in aging. Individuals carrying the Met allele showed better cognitive performance and lower diffusivity values in several brain regions. These findings suggest a protective effect of the COMT Met allele on cognitive decline in late life.
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Goran Koletic, Ivan Landripet, Azra Tafro, Luka Jurkovic, Goran Milas, Aleksandar Stulhofer
Summary: This meta-analysis examined the association between religious faith and sexual risk-taking behaviors in adolescents and emerging adults, finding a small protective role of religious faith in young people's sexual risk-taking. However, comprehensive sexuality education remains essential for risk-reduction, especially among more religious young people.
SOCIAL SCIENCE & MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Yuyang Zhu, Yituo Wang, Pinhong Chen, Yu Lei, Feng Yan, Zheng Yang, Liu Yang, Lubin Wang
Summary: Decision making under acute stress is common in daily life. Neuroticism has been found to modulate risky decision-making behaviors, but the neural correlates underlying this association remain unclear.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Business, Finance
Guifang Pu, Yanxiang Xie, Kai Wang
Summary: This study uses the data of Chinese A-share non-financial listed companies from 2009 to 2020 to explore the impact of board faultlines on corporate risk-taking. The results show that board faultlines reduce corporate risk-taking capacity, primarily by decreasing idiosyncratic risk-taking. The impact of faultlines is driven by cognitive characteristics rather than demographic characteristics. Board faultlines influence corporate risk-taking by disrupting internal board order, lowering monitoring willingness and ability, and reducing investment efficiency. The heterogeneity test identifies industry competition, performance pressure, financial risk, and equity incentives as activating factors for faultlines.
FINANCE RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Alana H. Fondren, Anne N. Banducci, Randall Cox, Ateka A. Contractor
Summary: The article discusses the potential benefits of processing positive memories for individuals exposed to trauma, such as increasing positive coping mechanisms, addressing avoidance of positive emotions, and honing skills for processing traumatic memories. Through a technique called PPMT, this method can help reduce PTSD severity, improve mood, and enhance self-esteem.
CLINICAL CASE STUDIES
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Henry R. Kranzler, Richard Feinn, Timothy Pond, Emily Hartwell, Joel Gelernter, Richard C. Crist, Katie Witkiewitz
Summary: Topiramate reduces drinking and alcohol-related problems during treatment, but the effects diminish significantly after discontinuation. The rs2832407, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the GRIK1 gene, does not significantly moderate the treatment outcomes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Peter J. Na, Flavio De Angelis, Brandon Nichter, Frank R. Wendt, John H. Krystal, Steven M. Southwick, Daniel F. Levey, Joel Gelernter, Renato Polimanti, Robert H. Pietrzak
Summary: "The study demonstrates a prospective association between suicidality PRS and the symptomatic course of SI, with dispositional optimism and social support potentially moderating these associations."
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Alexander S. Hatoum, Emma C. Johnson, Sarah M. C. Colbert, Renato Polimanti, Hang Zhou, Raymond K. Walters, Joel Gelernter, Howard J. Edenberg, Ryan Bogdan, Arpana Agrawal
Summary: Shared genetic liability partly explains susceptibility to alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, and opioid use disorders. The Addiction-Risk-Factor is associated with risk-taking, neuroticism, executive function, and non-substance psychopathology, retaining specific variance even after accounting for the genetics of substance use.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Janitza L. Montalvo-Ortiz, Joel Gelernter, Zhongshan Cheng, Matthew J. Girgenti, Ke Xu, Xinyu Zhang, Shyamalika Gopalan, Hang Zhou, Ronald S. Duman, Steven M. Southwick, John H. Krystal, Robert H. Pietrzak
Summary: This study identified multiple CpG sites associated with PTSD, involving genes related to immune function, transcription regulation, among others. Particularly, SENP7, involved in transcription regulation, was replicated in an independent cohort and downregulated in the medial orbitofrontal cortex of PTSD postmortem brain tissue. These findings suggest potential epigenetic biomarkers of PTSD that may inform the pathophysiology of this disorder in veterans and other trauma-affected populations.
TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Substance Abuse
Ofir Livne, Richard Feinn, Justin Knox, Emily E. Hartwell, Joel Gelernter, Deborah S. Hasin, Henry R. Kranzler
Summary: This study examines the prevalence of DSM-5 alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) in individuals with unhealthy alcohol use and its associated factors. The findings show a high prevalence of AWS in individuals with unhealthy alcohol use, with significant associations with male gender, unmarried status, and lower income levels, as well as psychiatric disorders, alcohol-related features, and healthcare utilization.
ALCOHOL-CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Anne N. Banducci, Alana Fondren, Ashley Bocanegra, Maria Crespo, Ateka A. Contractor
Summary: Recent literature suggests that it is important to consider emotionally laden memories more broadly among trauma-exposed individuals, rather than solely focusing on traumatic memories. Difficulties in retrieving both positive and negative memories are common among trauma-exposed individuals, and interventions aimed at enhancing the retrieval of these memories can improve overall well-being. This study piloted a novel technique called Processing of Positive Memories Technique (PPMT) among trauma-exposed community members, and feedback was gathered to enhance its scalability, feasibility, and effectiveness.
JOURNAL OF NERVOUS AND MENTAL DISEASE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sheila Tiemi Nagamatsu, Robert H. Pietrzak, Ke Xu, John H. Krystal, Joel Gelernter, Janitza Liz Montalvo-Ortiz
Summary: Smoking is a serious public health issue that causes over 8 million deaths annually and can lead to nicotine dependence. This study examined the epigenomic signatures of nicotine dependence and identified specific biomarkers that can differentiate it from smoking exposure.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
David A. A. Baranger, Alexander S. Hatoum, Renato Polimanti, Joel Gelernter, Howard J. Edenberg, Ryan Bogdan, Arpana Agrawal
Summary: The integration of multi-omics information can be useful for interpreting findings from GWAS, but it does not reliably increase novel gene discovery in brain-related GWAS.
GENES BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Youshu Cheng, Cecilia Dao, Hang Zhou, Boyang Li, Rachel L. Kember, Sylvanus Toikumo, Hongyu Zhao, Joel Gelernter, Henry R. Kranzler, Amy C. Justice, Ke Xu
Summary: Smoking behaviors and alcohol use disorder commonly co-occur and are moderately heritable. Previous single-trait GWAS studies have identified multiple loci for smoking and AUD. However, limited by small samples, GWASs aiming to identify loci contributing to co-occurring smoking and AUD have been less informative. Using multi-trait analysis of GWASs (MTAG) with data from the Million Veteran Program, this study identified novel loci associated with smoking initiation and cessation. Functional annotation highlighted biologically important regions contributing to smoking behaviors. MTAG results did not enhance discovery for smoking behaviors and alcohol consumption compared to single-trait GWAS. This study provides new insights into the pleiotropic effects of genetic variants on smoking behavior and AUD through the application of MTAG.
TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Substance Abuse
Frances L. Wang, Brian M. Hicks, Hang Zhou, Henry R. Kranzler, Joel Gelernter, Robert A. Zucker
Summary: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified hundreds of loci associated with alcohol-related traits. This study aims to evaluate the usefulness of a polygenic risk score (PRS) for problematic alcohol use (PAU), and the results show that PAU PRS can predict heavy drinking and alcohol problems even after accounting for family history of AUD and prior drinking history.
DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
David A. Sbarra, Ferris A. Ramadan, Karmel W. Choi, Jorien L. Treur, Daniel F. Levey, Robyn E. Wootton, Murray B. Stein, Joel Gelernter, Yann C. Klimentidis
Summary: This study using Mendelian Randomization (MR) found robust evidence for a bidirectional causal relationship between loneliness and major depression (MD). The findings suggest that reducing loneliness may play a causal role in decreasing the risk for depressive illness, highlighting the importance of efforts to reduce loneliness in preventing and ameliorating MD.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Amanda J. F. Tamman, Dora Koller, Sheila Nagamastu, Brenda Cabrera-Mendoza, Chadi Abdallah, John H. Krystal, Joel Gelernter, Janitza L. Montalvo-Ortiz, Renato Polimanti, Robert H. Pietrzak
Summary: This study examined the association between GrimAge and genetic predisposition for systemic inflammation, as well as the moderating effect of psychosocial factors. The results showed that certain inflammatory markers were associated with accelerated GrimAge, and this association was influenced by modifiable psychosocial variables such as exercise and gratitude. Furthermore, gene enrichment analysis identified potential anti-inflammatory and antihistamine drugs that affect genes represented in the inflammatory markers.
NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gregory L. Rompala, Sheila T. Nagamatsu, Jose Jaime Martinez-Magana, Diana L. Nunez-Rios, Jiawei Wang, Matthew J. Girgenti, John H. Krystal, Joel Gelernter, Traumatic Stress Brain Res Grp, Yasmin L. Hurd, Janitza L. Montalvo-Ortiz
Summary: In this study, the authors revealed DNA hydroxymethylation as an important gene regulatory mechanism for OUD in the human brain using a multi-omics approach. They found that DNA hydroxymethylation showed a higher correlation with OUD-associated genes and gene networks compared to DNA methylation. The results also showed enrichment of DNA hydroxymethylation marks for GWAS of psychiatric traits and interactions with opioid-related drugs.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Review
Psychology, Clinical
Ateka A. Contractor, Anne N. Banducci, Nicole H. Weiss
Summary: The study focuses on a Positive Memory-PTSD model, which highlights the importance of specific positive memories, the heterogeneity in affect processes following positive memory retrieval, and the potential moderating effects of trauma type/count and co-occurring conditions on the relationship between positive memory processing and PTSD. This updated model provides implications for positive memory interventions for individuals with PTSD symptoms.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY & PSYCHOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Yafit Levin, Rahel Bachem, Dorit Brafman, Menachem Ben-Ezra
Summary: Negative symptoms of schizophrenia have been overlooked, and this study found an association between negative symptoms and the risk of dissociative disorder, independently of depression and anxiety symptoms. It is important to consider both negative symptoms and dissociative symptoms in clinical practice to better understand their interaction.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2024)
Review
Psychiatry
Roland Mergl, Sarah M. Quaatz, Vanessa Lemke, Antje-Kathrin Allgaier
Summary: Women who have had miscarriages or stillbirths have an increased risk for depressive symptoms and disorders, with a wide range of prevalence rates. However, depressive symptoms tend to diminish over time.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Psychiatry
Hai-Yang Wang, Lin Zhang, Bei-Yan Guan, Shi-Yao Wang, Cui-Hong Zhang, Ming-Fei Ni, Yan-Wei Miao, Bing-Wei Zhang
Summary: This study investigates the association between cognitive reappraisal and panic disorder (PD), and finds that PD patients have weakened functional connectivity between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the amygdala, which is associated with the severity of PD symptoms. Additionally, cognitive reappraisal is negatively correlated with PD severity, and the PFC-amygdala functional connectivity plays a mediating role in this association.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Psychiatry
Yanqiang Tao, Xinyuan Zou, Qihui Tang, Wenxin Hou, Shujian Wang, Zijuan Ma, Gang Liu, Xiangping Liu
Summary: Depression and anxiety are prevalent mental disorders among adolescents. The study utilized network analysis to examine the symptom dimension of depression and anxiety in different age groups of adolescents. The results indicated that different age groups have different key symptoms and bridging symptoms, highlighting the importance of targeting specific symptoms at different stages of adolescence in treatment to alleviate the comorbidity of anxiety and depression.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Psychiatry
Philip J. Batterham, Aliza Werner-Seidler, Bridianne O'Dea, Alison L. Calear, Kate Maston, Andrew Mackinnon, Helen Christensen
Summary: Screening for psychological distress in adolescents is important, and the Distress Questionnaire-5 (DQ5) is a reliable measure for this purpose. The study found that DQ5 had good fit to a unidimensional construct, strong criterion and predictive validity, and sensitivity to change. The brevity and ease of interpretation of DQ5 make it suitable for screening in schools.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Psychiatry
Xiaoli Liu, Qianqian Chen, Fang Cheng, Wenhao Zhuang, Wenwu Zhang, Yiping Tang, Dongsheng Zhou
Summary: This study found working memory defects in adolescents with major depressive disorder compared to healthy controls based on mean oxy-hemoglobin changes, which can be useful for distinguishing adolescents with MDD from healthy controls.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Psychiatry
Anders Nordahl-Hansen, Hugo Cogo-Moreira, Sareh Panjeh, Daniel S. Quintana
Summary: This article aims to determine empirically-derived effect size thresholds associated with psychotherapy for depressive disorders by calculating the effect size distribution. The findings indicate that the observed effect size thresholds are larger than the suggested guidelines, which has implications for interpreting study effects and planning future research.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Psychiatry
Guangli Zhao, Liyong Yu, Peixin Chen, Keli Zhu, Lu Yang, Wenting Lin, Yucai Luo, Zeyang Dou, Hao Xu, Pan Zhang, Tianmin Zhu, Siyi Yu
Summary: This study investigated the neural mechanisms underlying emotional attention bias in patients with CID using ERP and rs-FC approaches. The results revealed abnormalities in attention processing and connectivity in the emotion-cognition networks of CID patients. This study provides a neural basis for understanding attention bias in CID.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Psychiatry
Seungyeon Lee, Sora Mun, Jiyeong Lee, Hee-Gyoo Kang
Summary: Major depressive disorder is a prevalent condition worldwide, but the proportion of patients receiving treatment has not increased. Biomarkers related to drug-treatment responses can be used to monitor the effectiveness of medication. Serum protein levels were compared among patients with depression who received medication, those who did not, and a control group. Eight biomarkers were identified, which can be used to monitor the effectiveness of drug treatment.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Psychiatry
Alfredo L. Sklar, Fang -Cheng Yeh, Mark Curtis, Dylan Seebold, Brian A. Coffman, Dean F. Salisbury
Summary: This study investigated semantic verbal fluency (SVF) impairments in first-episode psychosis patients within the schizophrenia spectrum. The findings revealed disruptions in both functional and structural connectivity in these patients, as well as an association between enhanced connectivity in the right hemisphere and worse SVF performance and longer disease duration.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Psychiatry
Maksymilian Rejek, Blazej Misiak
Summary: This study investigates the association of the exposome score (ES) with psychosis risk in a non-clinical population. The results show that the ES is associated with the extended psychosis phenotype, suggesting its potential to identify individuals who may benefit from further psychosis risk assessment.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2024)