Distinct correlation network of clinical characteristics in suicide attempters having adolescent major depressive disorder with non-suicidal self-injury.

Suicidal behavior and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) are common in adolescent patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Thus, delineating the unique characteristics of suicide attempters having adolescent MDD with NSSI is important for suicide prediction in the clinical setting. Here, we performed psychological and biochemical assessments of 130 youths having MDD with NSSI. Participants were divided into two groups according to the presence/absence of suicide attempts (SAs). Our results demonstrated that the age of suicide attempters is lower than that of non-attempters in participants having adolescent MDD with NSSI; suicide attempters had higher Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) impulsivity scores and lower serum CRP and cortisol levels than those having MDD with NSSI alone, suggesting levels of cortisol and CRP were inversely correlated with SAs in patients with adolescent MDD with NSSI. Furthermore, multivariate regression analysis revealed that NSSI frequency in the last month and CRP levels were suicidal ideation predictors in adolescent MDD with NSSI, which may indicate that the increased frequency of NSSI behavior is a potential risk factor for suicide. Additionally, we explored the correlation between psychological and blood biochemical indicators to distinguish suicide attempters among participants having adolescent MDD with NSSI and identified a unique correlation network that could serve as a marker for suicide attempters. Our research data further suggested a complex correlation between the psychological and behavioral indicators of impulsivity and anger. Therefore, our study findings may provide clues to identify good clinical warning signs for SA in patients with adolescent MDD with NSSI.

A Novel Retrograde AAV Variant for Functional Manipulation of Cortical Projection Neurons in Mice and Monkeys.

Retrograde adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) are capable of infecting the axons of projection neurons and serve as a powerful tool for the anatomical and functional characterization of neural networks. However, few retrograde AAV capsids have been shown to offer access to cortical projection neurons across different species and enable the manipulation of neural function in non-human primates (NHPs). Here, we report the development of a novel retrograde AAV capsid, AAV-DJ8R, which efficiently labeled cortical projection neurons after local administration into the striatum of mice and macaques. In addition, intrastriatally injected AAV-DJ8R mediated opsin expression in the mouse motor cortex and induced robust behavioral alterations. Moreover, AAV-DJ8R markedly increased motor cortical neuron firing upon optogenetic light stimulation after viral delivery into the macaque putamen. These data demonstrate the usefulness of AAV-DJ8R as an efficient retrograde tracer for cortical projection neurons in rodents and NHPs and indicate its suitability for use in conducting functional interrogations.

[Roadmap of Medical Device for Implanted Brain-computer Interface].

Implanted brain-computer interface (iBCI) is a system that establishes a direct communication channel between human brain and computer or an external devices by implanted neural electrode. Because of the good functional extensibility, iBCI devices as a platform technology have the potential to bring benefit to people with nervous system disease and progress rapidly from fundamental neuroscience discoveries to translational applications and market access. In this report, the industrialization process of implanted neural regulation medical devices is reviewed, and the translational pathway of iBCI in clinical application is proposed. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations and guidances for iBCI were expounded as a breakthrough medical device. Furthermore, several iBCI products in the process of applying for medical device registration certificate were briefly introduced and compared recently. Due to the complexity of iBCI in clinical application, the translational applications and industrialization of iBCI as a medical device need the closely cooperation between regulatory departments, companies, universities, institutes and hospitals in the future.

The brain-inspired decoder for natural visual image reconstruction.

The visual system provides a valuable model for studying the working mechanisms of sensory processing and high-level consciousness. A significant challenge in this field is the reconstruction of images from decoded neural activity, which could not only test the accuracy of our understanding of the visual system but also provide a practical tool for solving real-world problems. Although recent advances in deep learning have improved the decoding of neural spike trains, little attention has been paid to the underlying mechanisms of the visual system. To address this issue, we propose a deep learning neural network architecture that incorporates the biological properties of the visual system, such as receptive fields, to reconstruct visual images from spike trains. Our model outperforms current models and has been evaluated on different datasets from both retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and the primary visual cortex (V1) neural spikes. Our model demonstrated the great potential of brain-inspired algorithms to solve a challenge that our brain solves.

Corrigendum: Menthol Flavor in E-Cigarette Vapor Modulates Social Behavior Correlated With Central and Peripheral Changes of Immunometabolic Signalings.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2022.800406.].

Menthol Flavor in E-Cigarette Vapor Modulates Social Behavior Correlated With Central and Peripheral Changes of Immunometabolic Signalings.

The use of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) has been increasing dramatically worldwide. More than 8,000 flavors of e-cigarettes are currently marketed and menthol is one of the most popular flavor additives in the electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). There is a controversy over the roles of e-cigarettes in social behavior, and little is known about the potential impacts of flavorings in the ENDS. In our study, we aimed to investigate the effects of menthol flavor in ENDS on the social behavior of long-term vapor-exposed mice with a daily intake limit, and the underlying immunometabolic changes in the central and peripheral systems. We found that the addition of menthol flavor in nicotine vapor enhanced the social activity compared with the nicotine alone. The dramatically reduced activation of cellular energy measured by adenosine 5' monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling in the hippocampus were observed after the chronic exposure of menthol-flavored ENDS. Multiple sera cytokines including C5, TIMP-1, and CXCL13 were decreased accordingly as per their peripheral immunometabolic responses to menthol flavor in the nicotine vapor. The serum level of C5 was positively correlated with the alteration activity of the AMPK-ERK signaling in the hippocampus. Our current findings provide evidence for the enhancement of menthol flavor in ENDS on social functioning, which is correlated with the central and peripheral immunometabolic disruptions; this raises the vigilance of the cautious addition of various flavorings in e-cigarettes and the urgency of further investigations on the complex interplay and health effects of flavoring additives with nicotine in e-cigarettes.

Response and Remission Rates Following High-Frequency vs. Low-Frequency Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) Over Right DLPFC for Treating Major Depressive Disorder (MDD): A Meta-Analysis of Randomized, Double-Blind Trials.

Background: High-frequency (HF) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) is the most widely applied treatment protocol for major depressive disorder (MDD), while low-frequency (LF) rTMS over the right DLPFC (R-DLPFC) also exhibits similar, if not better, efficacy for MDD. Therefore, a meta-analysis is warranted to compare the efficacy of the two protocols for MDD. Method: We searched the literature from 1990 through to August 1, 2017 using MEDLINE, and the literature from 1995 through to August 1, 2017 using EMBASE, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), SCOPUS, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (PQDT). We included randomized controlled trials (RCT) comparing the efficacy of HF rTMS over the L-DLPFC and LF rTMS over the R-DLPFC for MDD, which used response and/or remission rates as the primary endpoints, with and without sham-controlled. Results: (1) The meta-analysis of the response rates was based on 12 studies, including 361 patients with MDD (175 for HF (> 5 Hz) over the L-DLPFC, and 186 for LF (<5 Hz) over the R-DLPFC; odds ratio = 1.08; 95%, confidence interval = 0.88-1.34). (2) The meta-analysis of the remission rate was based on 5 studies, including 131 MDD patients (64 for HF over the L-DLPFC and 67 for LF over the R-DLPFC; odds ratio = 1.29; 95% confidence interval = 0.54-3.10). Conclusion: Both HF rTMS over the L-DLPFC and LF over the R-DLPFC demonstrated similar therapeutic efficacy for the treatment of patients with MDD. The results suggested that further investigation on treatment efficacy indicators before/during treatment is necessary and helpful for optimizing a personalized protocol for patients.

Altered gray matter volume, cerebral blood flow and functional connectivity in chronic stroke patients.

It is entangled connections and intensive functional interactions between cortex and subcortical structures that enable our brain to perform delicate movement, and poses plasticity to recover from stroke. However, it is still unclear how cortical structures and functions change in well-recovered patients from subcortical infarctions in motor pathway. In order to reveal neuroplasticity underlying well-recovered stroke patients, both structural (gray matter volume, GMV) and functional reorganizations (cerebral blood flow, CBF and resting-state functional connectivity, rsFC) were investigated by using multi-modal MRI. Our results showed that well-recovered stroke patients exhibited significantly increased GMV in contralesional supplementary motor area (SMA), increased CBFs in contralesional superior frontal gyrus (SFG) and supramarginal gyrus (SMG) irrespective of GMV correction. Furthermore, our results showed increased rsFC between contralesional middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and SMG. Negative correlations between CBF increases and behavior test scores were also observed, suggesting neural mechanism underlying clinical improvement. Our results suggested that neuroplasticity after chronic stroke showed in both structural and functional levels, and correlation between CBF change and clinical test suggested possible biomarker for stroke recovery.

Behavioral Manipulation by Optogenetics in the Nonhuman Primate.

Given their neuroanatomical similarities to humans and their ability to perform complex behaviors, the nonhuman primate has been an important model for understanding complex systems such as sensory processing, motor control, social interaction, and nervous system disorders. Optogenetics offers cell-type specific neural control with millisecond precision, making it a powerful neural modulation technique. Combining optogenetics with the nonhuman primate model promises to lead to significant advances in both basic and applied research. In the past few years, optogenetics has made considerable progress in the nonhuman primate. Here, we systematically review the current state-of-art of optogenetics in the nonhuman primate with an emphasis on behavioral manipulation. Given its recent successes, we believe that the progress in the nonhuman primate will boost the translation of optogenetics to clinical applications in the near future.