ObjectiveTo refine the Chinese version of the Dimensional Anhedonia Rating Scale (DARS) and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Revised Chinese DARS (RC-DARS) in a large sample of first-visit psychiatric outpatients.MethodsThe study was conducted in two sequential phases at a specialized psychiatric hospital. In Phase I (n = 277), the existing Chinese DARS underwent semantic and cultural refinement in accordance with ISPOR and TRAPD guidelines, incorporating cognitive interviews and back-translation procedures. In Phase II (n = 788), the RC-DARS was administered alongside the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the MMPI Suicide Ideation Subscale (MMPI-SI). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted using common-factor extraction and the WLSMV estimator for ordinal indicators. Internal consistency, gender-based measurement invariance, and convergent validity were evaluated.ResultsExploratory analyses supported a four-factor domain structure. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated good model fit for the domain-based model (χ²/df = 3.81, CFI = 0.98, TLI = 0.97, RMSEA = 0.08, SRMR = 0.05), with substantially superior fit relative to an alternative reward-processing model. Internal consistency was excellent (Cronbach’s α = 0.95; McDonald’s ω = 0.96). Multi-group analyses supported configural, metric, and scalar invariance across gender (ΔCFI < 0.01). RC-DARS total scores were significantly negatively correlated with depressive symptoms (r = −0.443), anxiety (r = −0.317), sleep disturbance (r = −0.494), and suicide risk (r = −0.312) (all p <.001). Individuals with severe depressive symptoms exhibited significantly lower RC-DARS scores than those below the clinical threshold.ConclusionsThe RC-DARS demonstrates robust psychometric properties in a first-visit outpatient sample. The revision primarily enhances semantic precision and structural differentiation without materially altering score distributions. The scale may serve as a refined instrument for dimensional assessment of anhedonia in similar clinical contexts, pending longitudinal and multi-site validation.
Two faces of police stress: Spanish validation of operational and organizational PSQ scales
IntroductionPolice officers face multiple psychosocial risks stemming from operational and organizational aspects of their work. The Police Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) includes operational (PSQ-Op) and organizational (PSQ-Org) versions to assess these stressors. This study aimed to validate both versions in a sample of Mossos d’Esquadra, examining their factorial structure, reliability, and convergent and discriminant validity.MethodsExploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to examine the internal structure of the PSQ-Op and PSQ-Org. Internal consistency was evaluated using reliability indices. Convergent and discriminant validity were assessed through correlations with measures of anxiety, depression, and coping strategies.ResultsBoth PSQ-Op and PSQ-Org showed an essentially unidimensional structure, indicating that each scale measures a coherent latent construct. Operational and organizational stress remained distinct domains. Both scales exhibited high reliability and adequate psychometric properties. Subtle gender differences were noted in the perception of specific stressors.DiscussionThese findings support the validity and reliability of the PSQ-Op and PSQ-Org for assessing psychosocial risks among Spanish police officers. The scales can inform interventions targeting workplace stress prevention and the promotion of organizational well-being, emphasizing the need to address operational and organizational stressors separately.
Recording Stress Biomarkers in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Conditions: Autism Spectrum Disorder With Intellectual Deficiency
Sponsors: Universite Cote d’Azur
Recruiting
Sponsors: Universite Cote d’Azur
Recruiting
Brain Gene Variations Help Explain Neurological and Psychiatric Sex Differences
Thousands of genes are expressed differently in the brains of men and women, researchers have discovered.
The findings could help explain differences in neurodevelopmental, psychiatric, and neurodegenerative disorders between the sexes.
While men are more likely to experience schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Parkinson’s disease, women are more prone to mood disorders and Alzheimer’s disease.
The U.S. study, in Science, is the first systemic single-cell survey of sex differences in gene expression across multiple regions of the human brain.
“Together, these findings provide a comprehensive map of molecular sex differences in the human brain and offer initial insight into their underlying mechanisms and potential functional consequences,” Alex DeCasien, PhD, from the National Institute of Mental Health in Bethesda, Maryland, told Inside Precision Medicine.
DeCasien and co-workers conducted a high-resolution analysis of gene expression in tissue samples from the brains of 15 men and 15 women using single-nucleus RNA sequencing.
They then used data from earlier large neuroimaging studies to select six cortical regions to sample, four of which showed sex-related differences in grey matter volume and two in which no such differences were found.
The team found subtle but widespread differences in gene activity between men and women. Biological sex explained very little of the variance in gene expression across the brain, at less than 1%, but differences were widespread—with more than 3000 genes showing different expression according to sex in at least one cortical region.
The greatest sex-related differences in gene expression were on the sex chromosomes. However, most of the genes showing sex-related variations in expression were autosomal—carried on one of the 22 numbered non-sex chromosomes.
The predominant driver for sex-biased expression of genes on these autosomal chromosomes were sex steroid hormones such as estrogen and testosterone.
Surprisingly, more than half the X chromosome genes in women were expressed in both alleles for at least one cell type. This indicated that many had escaped X chromosome inactivation—a female phenomenon in which one of the two X chromosomes is switched off early in development to stop women producing double the number of X-linked gene products to men.
“That finding has implications for understanding sex-biased disease susceptibility because several genes implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders reside on the X chromosome,” commented Jessica Tollkuhn, PhD, from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and S Marc Breedlove, from Michigan State University, in an accompanying Perspective article.
They noted that autosomal genes showing sex-biased expression were substantially enriched for extracellular matrix components, hormone signaling pathways, and metabolic processes. “Genes with greater expression in women were enriched for mitochondrial and synaptic functions, whereas male-biased genes were associated with metabolic and structural pathways,” the editorialists added.
“By pinpointing these sexually differentiated processes, the data provide a treasure trove for the discovery of biomarkers of and/or therapeutic targets for differential disease risk in men and women.”
DeCasien and team added: “These findings raise the possibility that sex differences in gene expression modulate the magnitude of genetic effects at risk loci, contributing to differences in disease vulnerability and to reduced portability of polygenic risk prediction across sexes.”
The post Brain Gene Variations Help Explain Neurological and Psychiatric Sex Differences appeared first on Inside Precision Medicine.
Role of TRPC1 in the pathogenesis of depression induced by traumatic brain injury
BackgroundTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading causes of mortality and disability, with many patients developing long-term sequelae. Depression is among the most common psychiatric complications following TBI, yet its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Transient receptor potential canonical 1 (TRPC1) has been implicated in neurological disorders, but its role in post-TBI depression is not well understood.MethodsA controlled cortical impact (CCI) model was used to induce moderate TBI in mice. At 4 weeks post-injury, depressive-like behaviors were assessed using the tail suspension test (TST), forced swim test (FST), and sucrose preference test (SPT). Subsequently, reactive astrocytes and microglia were quantified, along with the expression of inflammatory cytokines, in the ipsilateral hippocampus. Synaptic function was also evaluated.ResultsBehavioral tests revealed that TBI mice exhibited significant depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors at 4 weeks post-injury. Concurrently, TRPC1 expression was downregulated in the ipsilateral hippocampus, accompanied by reduced levels of synaptic-associated proteins, elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines, and increased reactive astrocytes and microglia. Further experiments demonstrated that TRPC1 overexpression attenuated neuroinflammation, restored synaptic function, and ameliorated depressive-like behaviors in TBI mice.ConclusionThis study suggests that TBI may trigger depression by downregulating TRPC1, thereby promoting neuroinflammation and synaptic dysfunction. Conversely, TRPC1 overexpression mitigates these effects, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for post-TBI depression.
Integrating evidence-based health approaches in U.S. healthcare settings: addressing the syndemics of poverty, health, and violence
Health disparities in the United States are not produced by single risk factors but by interacting social and biological conditions that cluster within structurally marginalized communities. Poverty, violence, and poor physical and mental health form a reinforcing system of disadvantage that traditional healthcare models—organized around isolated diseases—are poorly equipped to address. This perspective examines these dynamics through a syndemic framework, which conceptualizes co-occurring conditions as mutually interacting epidemics intensified by social inequality. Drawing on interdisciplinary evidence from public health, medicine, and social science, we describe how poverty-related stressors such as housing instability, food insecurity, and barriers to healthcare intersect with exposure to interpersonal and structural violence to amplify risks for depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, chronic disease, and premature mortality. These interactions produce compounded health burdens that are disproportionately experienced by marginalized populations. Despite increasing attention to social determinants of health, current healthcare responses remain fragmented. Health systems frequently identify risks through screening for social needs or trauma exposure but lack the institutional infrastructure, reimbursement mechanisms, and cross-sector partnerships required to address them effectively. We argue that advancing health equity requires moving beyond additive models of care coordination toward syndemic-informed healthcare systems that intervene simultaneously on clustered conditions and their shared upstream drivers. We outline key priorities for practice, policy, and research, including linking screening to actionable care pathways, strengthening partnerships between healthcare and social service systems, and expanding workforce training to include structural and syndemic competency.
Establishing standards of care for forensic mental health: an international Delphi consensus-building study
ObjectivesThe present study aimed to establish a consensus on a definition of forensic mental health systems and services, and to identify principles and components of forensic mental health systems.MethodsA Delphi consensus-building process was employed among 23 experts in forensic mental health, defined by lived experience of forensic mental health services, professional, clinical or management practice in forensic settings, or academic research in the field. Items were rated on a 9-point Likert scale, with consensus defined as ≥75% of panelists rating an item between 7 and 9. Across three Delphi rounds, items were revised, merged, or added based on participant feedback. Data were collected anonymously using LimeSurvey, with reminders sent to maximize participation, followed by a structured consensus meeting to resolve remaining areas of disagreement.ResultsThe final consensus statement comprises three components: (1) a definition of forensic mental health services; (2) a general statement including 12 guiding principles; and (3) 43 core components organized across 10 thematic domains addressing models of care, pathways and processes, programs and activities, physical health, service user and peer involvement, evaluation and improvement, service integration, safe environments, restrictive practices, and other system-level considerations. While all items achieved consensus at the consensus meeting, areas of sustained discussion related to the integration of cultural expertise, the inclusion of a lived experience workforce, and the distinction between descriptive and aspirational elements of forensic mental health services.ConclusionsThis international consensus statement provides a structured framework for understanding forensic mental health systems. By articulating shared principles and core components while allowing flexibility across jurisdictions, the framework offers a foundation to support service development and evaluation across diverse jurisdictions.
The mental health parity gap is gaping
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AI-Assisted 4-Week Psychodynamic Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Via Smartphone for Social Anxiety: A Randomized Pilot Study (STePS-Ai)
Conditions: Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)
Interventions: Behavioral: Ai chatbot
Sponsors: Stockholm University
Active, not recruiting
Interventions: Behavioral: Ai chatbot
Sponsors: Stockholm University
Active, not recruiting
Baseline Mismatch Negativity Amplitude Predicts Direction and Magnitude of Ketamine Effect in Healthy Volunteers — A “Disordinal” Effect
Mismatch negativity (MMN) is a component of the auditory event-related potential (ERP) that is elicited during a passive oddball paradigm where task-irrelevant infrequent deviants are presented in a stream of more frequent standard stimuli. MMN is believed to index a pre-attentive stage of auditory information processing closely linked to N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) function. Ketamine is thought to act primarily as an NMDAR antagonist, has been used in clinical trials to model the symptoms of schizophrenia and is increasingly used in the clinic to treat depression.