Depression is associated with hyperconnectivity of an introspective socio-affective network during the recall of formative relationship episodes

Association between Body Roundness Index and Depression Among Middle-aged and Older Adults in Chinese Communities: An Empirical Analysis Based on CHARLS Data

BACKGROUND

The relationship between depression and obesity has been confirmed by multiple studies. Compared to conventional measurement indicators such as body mass index or waist circumference, the body roundness index (BRI) demonstrates higher accuracy in assessing body fat content, especially visceral adiposity. Nevertheless, despite the advantages of BRI in measuring fat, the specific link between BRI and depression remains unclear. This study aims to clarify the potential correlation using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).

METHODS

This study used CHARLS data from 2015 and 2020. We screened and included 7,258 middle-aged and older adults without depressive symptoms at baseline. We explored the connection between BRI and depression risk through logistic regression analyses, restricted cubic spline analyses, subgroup analyses, and interaction tests.

RESULTS

After adjusting for covariates, a positive correlation was observed between BRI and depression risk. Specifically, a one-unit increase in BRI led to a 14% increase in depression risk (OR =  1.14, 95% CI: 1.09-1.20, P <  0.001).

CONCLUSION

BRI is linked to a higher risk of depression in middle-aged and older adults in China and can be used as a simple indicator to predict depression.

Synchrony Across Brains

Second-person neuroscience focuses on studying the behavioral and neuronal mechanisms of real-time social interactions within single and across interacting brains. In this review article, we describe the developments that have been undertaken to study socially interactive phenomena and the behavioral and neurobiological processes that extend across interaction partners. More specifically, we focus on the role that synchrony across brains plays in enabling and facilitating social interaction and communication and in shaping social coordination and learning, and we consider how reduced synchrony across brains may constitute a core feature of psychopathology.

The multi-level outcome study of psychoanalysis for chronically depressed patients with early trauma (MODE): rationale and design of an international multicenter randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Whether and how psychotherapies change brain structure and function is unknown. Its study is of great importance for contemporary psychotherapy, as it may lead to discovery of neurobiological mechanisms that predict and mediate lasting changes in psychotherapy, particularly in severely mentally ill patients, such as those with chronic depression. Previous studies have shown that psychoanalytic psychotherapies produce robust and enduring improvements in not only symptom severity but also personality organization in patients who have chronic depression and early life trauma, especially if therapy is delivered at a high weekly frequency.

METHODS/DESIGN

Patients with chronic major depression and a history of early life trauma will be recruited, assessed, and treated across 3 international sites: Germany, Switzerland, and the United States. They will be randomized to one of two treatment arms: either (1) once weekly psychoanalytic psychotherapies, or (2) 3-4 times weekly psychoanalytic psychotherapies. They will have full clinical characterization as well as undergo MRI scanning at study baseline prior to randomization and again one year later. A group of matched healthy controls will undergo similar assessments and MRI scanning at the same time points to help discern whether study treatments induce brain changes toward or away from normal values. Primary study outcomes will include anatomical MRI, functional MRI, and Diffusion Tensor Imaging measures. Study hypotheses will be tested using the treatment-by-time interaction assessed in multiple general linear models with repeated measures analyses in an intent-to-treat analysis.

DISCUSSION

MODE may allow the identification of brain-based biomarkers that may be more sensitive than traditional behavioral and clinical measures in discriminating, predicting, and mediating treatment response. These findings could help to personalize care for patients who have chronic depression patients and early life trauma, and they will provide new therapeutic targets for both psychological and biological treatments for major depressive illness.