BackgroundIncreasing psychotropic prescribing has raised concerns about long-term safety and regimen complexity in mental health care. Although psychotherapy is an established treatment, its role in medication optimization and psychotropic medication reduction in real-world practice across patient subgroups remains insufficiently characterized.ObjectiveTo evaluate whether initiation of psychotherapy is associated with short-term changes in psychotropic medication exposure and regimen complexity, and to examine differences by sex, age, and diagnostic category. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using anonymized pharmacy dispensing data from the Mental Health Service of Hospital Marina Baixa (Alicante, Spain) between 2014 and 2024. Patients with at least one active prescription for a benzodiazepine or antidepressant within 90 days before psychotherapy initiation were included. Psychotropic exposure was compared in symmetric 90-day pre- and post-therapy windows using number of active agents, total Defined Daily Doses, and prevalence of benzodiazepine and antidepressant use, with stratified analyses by sex, age group, and diagnosis.ResultsThe cohort comprised 86,502 patients and 20.76 million dispensations. The median number of psychotropic medications decreased from 5 to 2 (p < 0.001), while total dose remained stable (median Defined Daily Dose ≈ 21.7; p = 0.999). Benzodiazepine use declined from 87.6% to 67.5% and antidepressant use from 81.8% to 68.8% (both p < 0.001). Men were more likely than women to discontinue benzodiazepines (odds ratio 1.27, 95% confidence interval 1.13–1.43), and simplification increased with age (median reduction −1 in <18 years to −4 in ≥65 years). The largest benzodiazepine reductions occurred in depressive, personality, and episodic mood disorders (−23 to −27 percentage points).ConclusionsIn routine public mental health care, psychotherapy initiation is associated with substantial simplification of psychotropic treatment regimens without increasing overall medication dose, supporting a potential role in facilitating rational medication simplification.
Editorial: From molecular changes to behaviour: exploring neuropsychiatric disorders
Editorial: Psychological health in the digital age across global communities
Cognitive-attitudinal factors predict CBT-I enrollment willingness in Chinese sleep clinic patients: a knowledge-attitudes-practices survey
BackgroundDespite strong evidence for cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), uptake remains constrained by poorly understood cognitive, attitudinal, and practical barriers. This study examined determinants of willingness to enroll in sleep improvement programs among adults at risk of sleep disorders—including insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, and comorbid psychological distress—attending a tertiary sleep clinic in China.MethodsA cross-sectional knowledge-attitudes-practices survey was conducted among 2,661 adults attending the sleep and behavioral medicine outpatient clinic at Ganzhou Hospital-Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Ganzhou, Jiangxi, China, between February 2022 and June 2025. Willingness to enroll in a structured sleep improvement program was assessed alongside sleep health knowledge, perceived need, CBT-I versus medication effectiveness beliefs, telehealth acceptability, clinical severity (Insomnia Severity Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, STOP-Bang), psychological symptoms (PHQ-2, GAD-2), perceived barriers, and sociodemographic characteristics. Multivariable logistic regression identified independent predictors of willingness to enrollment, with secondary analyses evaluating model discrimination and testing prespecified interactions.ResultsAmong 2,661 participants (median age 45 years, 56.5% female, median ISI = 13), 1,386 (52.1%) expressed willingness to enroll. Univariable comparisons showed no significant differences between willing and not-willing groups across demographics, clinical characteristics, or barriers (all p>0.05). However, multivariable modeling revealed that when considered simultaneously, cognitive-attitudinal factors emerged as significant independent predictors, suggesting complex interactions rather than simple bivariate associations. In multivariable models, perceived need (OR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.16–1.25, p<0.001), beliefs that CBT-I is more effective and durable than sleep medication (OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.08–1.16, p<0.001), sleep health and treatment knowledge (assessed by a six-item knowledge score) (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.05–1.13, p<0.001), and anxiety symptoms (OR = 1.07, p=0.005) positively predicted willingness. Paradoxically, depression symptoms (OR = 0.94, p<0.001) and insomnia severity (OR = 0.93, p<0.001) inversely predicted willingness. Model discrimination was modest (AUC = 0.543, 95% CI: 0.504–0.590). Time (mean 3.54) and cost (3.44) were most severe barriers but showed no independent association with willingness (p>0.05).ConclusionCognitive-attitudinal factors (perceived need, CBT-I beliefs, knowledge) independently predicted enrollment willingness, whereas demographics and practical barriers did not. Depression and insomnia severity paradoxically reduced willingness, creating an inverse care law. However, poor model discrimination and measurement of stated willingness rather than actual enrollment limit conclusions. Prospective validation and motivational enhancement strategies for patients with depression are needed.
Confirmed Ebola cases in Congo outbreak top 1,000 with 254 deaths, authorities say
BUNIA, Congo — Confirmed cases in the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo have reached 1,003, including 254 deaths, officials said, as tracing those who had been in contact with patients remains a major challenge.
A total of 100 people have recovered in the outbreak concentrated in the Ituri province since it was declared on May 15, Congo’s Ministry of Health said Sunday. At least 365 patients are in hospitals or in isolation, it said.
Brain-Infiltrating T Cells Linked to Social Deficits in Autism Mouse Model
The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is roughly one in 36 people, with a male-to-female ratio of 4:1. The disorder is known to be influenced by multiple factors, both genetic (gene mutations and copy number variations) and environmental, such as infections during pregnancy. However, the role of immunity in genetic ASD remains unclear.
One area of interest lies in lymphocytes—cells that are known to shape neurodevelopment and behavior. But their roles in neurodevelopmental disorders are not well defined.
Now, new research shows that a subset of T cells—γδ T cells—can infiltrate the brain and contribute to changes in social behavior in a genetic mouse model that mimics behavioral features of ASD. Depleting these cells from the brain increased sociability, suggesting that targeting abnormal immune function during neurodevelopment may offer interventions for ASD.
This work is published in Science Immunology in the paper, “CXCL16-mediated recruitment of γδ T cells to the brain reduces sociability in mice.”
Infections during pregnancy can induce the release of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) from T helper 17 cells and γδ T cells. Prior research has linked this type of maternal immune activation to neurodevelopmental disorders, but there is a lack of evidence connecting IL-17A and social behaviors in genetic mouse models.
To investigate this further, a team of researchers from the Division of Allergy and Immunology in the Medical Institute of Bioregulation at Kyushu University, in Fukuoka, Japan, studied 15q11-13 duplication (15q dup) mice—a mouse model that mimics a chromosome duplication found in some humans with ASD. These mice also demonstrate reduced social interactions, behavioral inflexibility, and increased anxiety-like behaviors.
The team analyzed immune cell populations in the brains of the 15q dup mice. Their findings suggest an increase in γδ T cells in the developing brains when compared with wild-type mice.
Using single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), the team uncovered that this was most likely due to microglia in the brain expressing the chemokine CXCL16, which promotes immune cell migration. CXCL16 was highly expressed in the brains of 15q dup mice and contributed to increased infiltration of γδ T cells.
In addition, experiments revealed that deleting IL-17A–producing γδ T cells or blocking them with antibodies after birth increased sociability and reduced anxiety-like behaviors in the 15q dup mice.
Taken together, the authors note that these findings suggest that “immune dysregulation contributes to social behavior deficits in 15q dup mice, consistent with observations in maternal immune activation models, and may represent a potential target for interventions for ASD-associated differences in social behavior.”
The post Brain-Infiltrating T Cells Linked to Social Deficits in Autism Mouse Model appeared first on GEN – Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.
Breast Milk Fatty Acid Shapes Immune Development in Mice
In a new study published in Science titled, “Maternal trans-vaccenic acid shapes neonatal T cell development and early-life immune imprinting,” researchers from the University of Chicago have found that trans-vaccenic acid (TVA), the most abundant trans fatty acid in human breast milk, helps boost immune system development in mice.
Nursing female mice that were fed a diet enriched with TVA passed the nutrient to their pups, leading to increased production of immune cells during early development. Genetic analyses showed that TVA exposure during breastfeeding reprogrammed immune cells to improve responses to pathogens. Mice that were nursed on TVA-enriched milk responded faster to infections with viruses or common bacteria, even into adulthood.
“It’s common knowledge that breastfeeding is important for neonatal immune development and overall health, but breast milk is so complex that it seems almost impossible that one single molecule would be sufficient to change a baby’s immune development,” said Jing Chen, PhD, professor of medicine at UChicago and co-corresponding author on the study. “So, it was very surprising to see that during this crucial stage of development, one nutrient derived from the mother’s diet and delivered through breastfeeding has such a tremendous effect.”
TVA is a long-chain fatty acid found in meat and dairy products from grazing animals such as cows and sheep. The human and mouse body must obtain TVA through diet.
Pups who were nursed by mothers with a diet enriched with TVA demonstrated a broader and more effective immune cell population, particularly CD4+ T cells that are important for adaptive immunity. Mice raised on TVA-enriched breast milk responded more quickly and had higher survival rates when exposed to the flu virus or Salmonella.
“We saw that only postnatal exposure to TVA through breastfeeding is important to train the neonatal T cells, and this can have long-lasting imprinting effects,” Chen said. “Even in adulthood, when we challenged the mice with influenza, the ones that were exposed to higher TVA levels during breastfeeding responded better when battling the infection.”
The team also analyzed TVA levels in breast milk and blood samples from human nursing mothers and infants. They found that higher TVA levels in breast milk were closely linked to higher TVA levels in infants’ blood. In preterm infants, levels of circulating TVA correlated with similar shifts in immune responses seen in mice.
Higher TVA levels in human breast milk were also associated with reduced risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia, a chronic inflammatory lung disease that affects premature infants with underdeveloped lungs and increased susceptibility to respiratory infection.
Chen hopes for more research on the possibilities for supplementing diets with TVA during pregnancy and breastfeeding, or infant formula. The team will also investigate additional fatty acids and nutrients found in breast milk to understand their benefits.
“There are close to 40 fatty acids in total in breast milk, along with hundreds of other components,” Chen said. “So, I think it’s safe for us to say that we believe there could be additional fatty acids and nutrients that can do something similar.”
The post Breast Milk Fatty Acid Shapes Immune Development in Mice appeared first on GEN – Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.
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STAT+: Another big deal, another sign biotech M&A is back
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Good morning! Pharma companies are on a biotech buying spree, an LSD pill just delivered unusually strong late-stage depression data, and the FDA reverses course of Regenxbio’s treatment.
Also: Today, thousands of industry players (and me!) are gathering in San Diego for BIO to talk deals, science, and whatever comes next. Check out the last item for a jaunt down memory lane about the conference.
STAT+: Despite transplant referrals, most kidney patients don’t make the waitlist
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Good morning. Here’s a poem for the first Monday of (official) summer. As Alex Dimitrov writes, “Unfortunately / for me and you, we have / the rest of it to get to.” Let’s get to it.
A looming threat to health disparities research in NIH grant proposal
Since the Trump administration announced its plan to overhaul the federal grantmaking process to give more power to political appointees, researchers have expressed alarm at the potential impact such a change could have on American science. And within the 412-page proposal, there’s one particular section that health disparities researchers say could disqualify their work from federal funding — a change that poses perhaps the biggest threat yet to the future of their field.