Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is used to treat movement disorders, but it is rarely used for psychiatric indications. We aim to demonstrate clinical effects in randomised-controlled trials (RCTs) of DBS for clinically used neurological and psychiatric indications.

We searched databases for RCTs conducting blinded comparisons of active to sham DBS for: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), major depressive disorder (MDD), Gilles-de-la-Tourette syndrome (GTS), Parkinson's Disease (PD), essential tremor (ET), dystonia (DYT) and epilepsy (ED). We compared 28 studies with a meta-analytic approach of the indication-specific scores.

For psychiatric indications, we found a standardised mean difference (SMD) of -0.22 for MDD (p = .204), a SMD of -0.72 for OCD (p = .004) and a SMD of -1.22 for GTS (p = .014). For neurological indications, we found a SMD of 0.74 in PD (p < .001), a SMD of -1.42 in ET (p = .0003), a SMD of -0.71 for DYT (p = .006) and a SMD of -0.09 for ED (p = .790).

Effect sizes in clinical trials were highest in ET in neurology and in GTS in psychiatry. These results underscore that wider clinical use in the psychiatric indications OCD and GTS is justifiable.

Imagine a treatment improving physical AND mental health is identified by an important number of studies. Scientists continuously work on this treatment to analyze, improve, and understand it better. Imagine that this treatment is not only cheap but makes people save money when used. Imagine now that a large number of professionals are especially trained each year to administer this treatment but next to none are working in any health service centre nor pharmacy. This absurd situation is currently happening in Quebec. Despite the vast literature supporting the benefits of physical activity for mental health, kinesiologists are seldom involved in mental health care settings. Paradoxically, Quebec's and Canada's researchers have made important strides on this subject over the last decade. Indeed, teams worked to analyze physical activity's effect on mental well-being, mental illness symptoms and comorbid metabolic disorders. But kinesiologists (physical activity and behaviour change specialists) are still chronically underemployed in mental health settings nonetheless. Today, fewer than 1 in 3 kinesiology graduates is fully employed in a position linked to their training (including a variety of fields outside of health services). Financing the implantation of kinesiologists in public health services would, therefore, be among the best use of public funds.

Transgender women in India experience a disproportionate HIV burden, but the pathways linking intersecting stigmas and condomless receptive anal sex (CAS) have not been elucidated. Using minority stress theory, and psychological mediation and intersectionality frameworks, we tested the mediating and synergistically interacting pathways linking these stigmas to HIV risk. Between November 2020 and March 2022, we conducted a prospective three-wave cohort study among 500 trans women in Mumbai and Chennai. We assessed stigmas (transgender identity, perceived HIV, sex work), five psychosocial variables (depression, anxiety, problematic alcohol use, internalized transprejudice, social support), and CAS with male nonregular partners. We used causal mediation analysis to examine indirect pathways between stigma and CAS. We also tested for synergistic effects. Baseline levels of all three stigmas were high. In Wave-2, we noted relatively high prevalence rates of anxiety (38%), internalized transprejudice (46%), low social support (46%), depression (15%), alcohol use (15%), and CAS (61%, Wave-2; 81%, Wave-3). In mediation analyses, we found that stigmas increased anxiety and depression while eroding protective social support, each of which subsequently increased CAS risk. Social support and anxiety showed the strongest and most consistent indirect effects across stigma types, whereas depression mediated associations primarily for transgender identity and HIV-related stigmas. We demonstrated strong synergistic interactions between specific stigma combinations and anxiety, depression, problematic alcohol use, and low social support. The findings underscore the need for multicomponent interventions that simultaneously address stigmas and their psychosocial consequences, including screening and treatment for depression and anxiety, while bolstering social support.

This review synthesizes current evidence on the psychological and neurological benefits of physical activity, with emphasis on mental health, Parkinson's disease (PD), and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Physical inactivity is increasingly recognized as a modifiable risk factor that may exacerbate neuroinflammatory and metabolic dysfunctions associated with these conditions. Structured exercise has been shown to activate muscle-brain signaling pathways, including neurotrophic factors (BDNF, IGF-1, VEGF), immune modulation (IL-6, IL-10), metabolic regulators (PGC-1α, SIRT1), and peripheral mediators such as myokines and gut-brain axis components. For mental health, exercise is associated with reductions in depressive, anxiety, and stress-related symptoms, potentially through HPA-axis recalibration, neurotransmitter remodeling (serotonin, dopamine), and enhanced endocannabinoid signaling. These changes are supported by fMRI and EEG studies showing improved prefrontal-limbic connectivity and cognitive resilience. In PD, exercise interventions are linked to improvements in motor control, balance, and mood, likely mediated by dopaminergic integrity, neurotrophic support, and anti-inflammatory effects, with multimodal programs (aerobic, resistance, and dance-based) often demonstrating superior outcomes. In AD, mid-life physical activity has been associated with reduced dementia risk in epidemiological studies; proposed mechanisms include enhanced amyloid/tau clearance, glymphatic function, and synaptic adaptation, with some RCTs reporting hippocampal volume preservation and improved network connectivity. Shared mechanisms across conditions include neurotrophic upregulation and anti-inflammatory effects, whereas distinct pathways involve dopaminergic circuit remodeling in PD and glymphatic facilitation in AD. Clinical translation through FITT principles (frequency, intensity, time, type) requires personalized prescriptions, strong adherence strategies, and multidisciplinary integration. Despite methodological heterogeneity and limitations in the existing trials, structured physical activity emerges as a scalable, non-pharmacological intervention with potential for prevention, symptom management, and neuroprotection. Larger, well-designed studies are needed to optimize its application and clarify long-term disease-modifying effects.

War has a profound impact on child and adolescent mental health and service provision. This requires creative internationally supported response to strengthen professional capacity in trauma care, psychosocial support and evidence based clinical practice in child and adolescent psychiatry. In September 2024, the European Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (ESCAP)-Ukraine webinar initiative was launched in collaboration with Ukrainian governmental bodies, UNICEF, and international partners. Across two webinar series (2024-2026), the program delivered structured, expert-led online training to a wide multidisciplinary audience, including healthcare providers, educators, and social sector professionals. A total of 10,489 unique participants from all regions of Ukraine were reached, including frontline areas. Descriptive data highlight broad sectoral engagement, with the largest representation from healthcare (48.5%) and education (27.6%). The webinars, which combined live sessions, simultaneous translation, and interactive discussions, have become a critical and often accessible source of up-to-date professional education under wartime conditions. The initiative supports ongoing systemic reforms in Ukraine, particularly the integration of child and adolescent psychiatry into paediatric healthcare structures and the development of community-based mental health services. Complementary projects, including trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT) training, e-learning programs, and international collaborations, further reinforce capacity building and service development. Overall, the ESCAP-Ukraine webinar series represents a scalable, cost-effective model for workforce development, knowledge exchange, and implementation of standardized, evidence-based mental health care in crisis settings which can serve as good practice examples for other regions. Continued international support and local ownership are essential for sustaining these efforts and addressing long-term mental health needs.

Diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) relies primarily on subjective clinical assessments, necessitating the establishment of objective, low-burden supplementary indicators. While eye-tracking has emerged as a noninvasive method for capturing temporal fluctuations in attentional allocation, its discriminative performance in ADHD remains under-explored. This study examined differences in gaze indices between children with ADHD and typically developing (TD) children using the Gazefinder system and evaluated the utility of these indices in distinguishing diagnostic groups. Participants included 83 children with ADHD and 85 typically developing children (aged 6-17 years). Gaze behavior was recorded during two visual stimuli tasks designed to elicit ADHD characteristics: a classroom animation and a video with increasingly competing stimuli. Six fixation-rate indices and two gaze-shift frequency indices were calculated. Analyses included between-group comparisons, partial correlations with the CANTAB Stop Signal Task and Conners-3, and machine learning-based classification. Fixation-rate indices did not differ significantly between groups; however, under conditions of increasing competing stimuli, children with ADHD exhibited a significantly higher number of gaze shifts between areas of interest (AoIs). Several gaze indices were significantly associated with inhibitory control measures and behavioral symptoms, and select associations remained significant after controlling for diagnosis. Machine learning models incorporating age, sex, and a nested RFE-selected feature subset achieved a maximum area under the curve (AUC) of 0.760. Eye-tracking represents a promising method for quantifying attentional control characteristics associated with ADHD. While gaze indices do not independently replace clinical diagnosis, they may serve as candidate objective supplementary indicators supporting a dimensional understanding of ADHD traits.

Depression and anxiety are a major contributor to the global burden of mental disorders, disproportionately affecting women of reproductive age (15-49 years).

This study examined the global trends for depression and anxiety in women of reproductive age, allowing for the variation in social development, profiles of risk factors, and public policies.

We analyzed Global Burden of Disease Study (1990-2021) data, estimating age-standardized rates (ASRs) and applying age-period-cohort (APC) analysis to assess trends in depressive and anxiety disorders by sociodemographic index (SDI). We also calculated the slope index of inequality (SII) to measure disparities in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and examined correlations with policy performance indicators.

From 1990 to 2021, the global age-standardized prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders rose from 55.98 (95% UI: 55.96-55.99) to 62.21 (62.20-62.22) and 58.66 (58.65-58.67) to 70.97 (70.96-70.98) per 1,000 reproductive-aged women, respectively, with the steepest increase in high SDI regions. Socioeconomic disparities in depression shifted from lower SDI regions in 1990 to near convergence by 2021, while anxiety disparities persisted in higher SDI regions. Intimate partner violence and bullying victimization drove a high burden of depression and anxiety among younger women in Eastern Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa. Migration and financial policies correlated strongly with rising depressive disorder burdens (r = 0.40-0.41).

The global burden of depression and anxiety in women of reproductive age necessitates the concerted action targeting their social lives and mental wellness. Integration of mental health services into broader development strategies is encouraged to build sustainable and inclusive societies.

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSDs) are clinically and biologically heterogeneous and lack reliable biomarkers for stratification, treatment response and course prediction. Evidence from postmortem, fluid biomarker, and neuroimaging studies suggests that changes in the blood-brain barrier (BBB) may contribute to pathophysiology in a biologically defined subgroup. However, findings in this context are inconsistent and often based on cross-sectional or indirect measures. This study is a longitudinal, multimodal investigation designed to quantify BBB permeability across disease phases using dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) and to integrate these measures with deep clinical phenotyping. We recruit inpatients with SSDs and healthy controls (HC). Participants undergo multimodal MRI including DCE-MRI at three time points: acute psychosis (baseline; V1), early treatment (4-6 weeks; V2), and long-term follow-up (2.5 years; V3). Clinical characterization includes standardized measures of psychopathology, functioning and cognition. Blood samples are collected at each visit, while CSF is obtained at V1. DCE-MRI-derived voxel-wise permeability metrics are then analyzed. Primary objectives are to compare BBB leakage cross-sectionally between SSD and HC. Secondary objectives include (i) characterizing spatial and temporal leakage profiles across illness phases, (ii) analyzing associations with psychopathology and biological (e.g., inflammatory) signatures, as well as exploratory identification of subgroups. By providing a longitudinal, BBB-specific neuroimaging framework embedded in a deep phenotyping infrastructure, the IMPACT study aims to elucidate BBB alterations in SSDs and to support stratification approaches in precision psychiatry.

Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a risk factor for psychopathology, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD) and somatic symptom disorder (SSD). One possible mechanism linking CM with psychopathology is social cognition, comprising empathy and theory of mind (ToM). While prior research has focused on the association of CM with behavioral empathy and ToM capacities, not much is known about its association with functional neural correlates.

The sample included N = 101 adults with PTSD, MDD, and SSD, as well as healthy volunteers (HV) with varying CM experiences. We assessed social cognition and its neural correlates by applying the EmpaToM task and CM using a validated interview covering ten CM types. We analyzed neural activations related to empathy and ToM and calculated correlations between neural activations in regions-of-interest and CM severity. Finally, applying multiple linear regression analysis we investigated whether the association between neural activations and CM severity was moderated by primary diagnosis.

We found significant activation in the neural empathy and ToM networks. Exploratory analyses indicated activation related to empathy in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) to be negatively associated with CM severity. This association was not moderated by primary diagnosis. Activation in the neural ToM network was not associated with CM severity.

Results highlight an association of CM severity with activation of the neural empathy but not the ToM network. Especially empathy-related dmPFC activity might be a transdiagnostic mechanism through which CM contributes to the risk for psychopathology. This result should be replicated in an independent sample but represents a promising starting point for the development of transdiagnostic therapeutic approaches.