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Introduction: Resilience plays a pivotal role in shaping the academic accomplishments, psychological well-being, and future prospects of high school students. Despite its significance, there is a notable dearth of studies examining the current state and determinants of resilience among high school students in China. Methods: This research addresses this gap by assessing and exploring levels of resilience and their interconnections across four key domains--individual, family, school, and community--among Chinese high school students. The study also investigates variations in resilience based on factors such as gender, geographical location, and grade levels. A total of 667 high school students participated in the study, responding to four resilience scales. Results: Chinese high school students exhibited generally low levels of resilience, with family resilience ranking the highest and community resilience the lowest. The study revealed that resilience is positively influenced by resilience levels in school, family, and community settings. Consequently, strategies aimed at fortifying resilience should prioritize interventions in familial, educational, and communal environments. Discussion: Moreover, the research findings indicate noteworthy disparities in resilience among high school students based on gender, urban-rural divide, and grade levels. Female, urban, and lower-grade students displayed higher resilience compared to their male, rural, and higher-grade counterparts. This highlights the importance of focusing on resilience-building measures tailored to male, rural, and higher-grade high school students, given their increased likelihood of facing significant challenges and stressors in both academic and personal spheres. Conclusion: This study contributes to the broader understanding of resilience by investigating the correlations between individual, family, school, and community resilience among Chinese high school students. The findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to enhance resilience, particularly in specific demographic groups, thereby advancing the efficacy of resilience-building techniques in high school settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Thyroid hormones play an essential role in hippocampal development, a key structure in psychosis. However, the role of these hormones in first-episode psychosis (FEP) has received limited attention. It has been hypothesized that thyroid hormones could cause morphological modifications in the hippocampal structure through the upregulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). In this study, we primarily aimed to determine the relationship between thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, peripheral BDNF levels, and hippocampal volume in antipsychotic-naïve FEP patients. We also aimed to determine whether TSH levels were associated with clinical symptomatology. Materials and methods: A total of 50 antipsychotic-naïve FEP patients were included in the study. At baseline, we collected fasting blood samples and registered sociodemographic and clinical variables (substance use, DUP, PANSS, GAF, and CDSS). Structural T1 MRI was performed at baseline to quantify brain volumes. No control group was used for this study. Results: Of the 50 patients, more than one-third (36%) presented alterations in TSH levels, mainly elevated levels (32% of patients). The TSH levels were inversely correlated with both peripheral BDNF and hippocampal volume. On the multivariate analysis, the model that best predicted the relative hippocampal volume was a single variable model (TSH levels). No significant association was observed between TSH levels and clinical symptomatology. Discussion: These results suggest that thyroid hormones could have a neuroprotective effect on the hippocampus in FEP patients, possibly through their effect by increasing BDNF concentrations, which could attenuate brain injury and neuroinflammation. Nevertheless, thyroid hormones could also affect hippocampal volume through other pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibromyalgia, a common and enduring pain disorder, ranks as the second most prevalent rheumatic disease after osteoarthritis. Recent years have witnessed successful treatment using non-invasive brain stimulation. Transcranial magnetic stimulation, transcranial direct current stimulation, and electroconvulsion therapy have shown promise in treating chronic pain. This article reviews the literature concerning non-invasive stimulation for fibromyalgia treatment, its mechanisms, and establishes a scientific basis for rehabilitation, and discusses the future directions for research and development prospects of these techniques are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this review was to explore the relevant neurobiology and the association between peripheral levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and acute and short to long-term exercise regimes, as well as its relation to depression and antidepressant treatment. A 20-year literature search was conducted. The screening process resulted in 100 manuscripts. Antidepressants as well as acute exercise, particularly high-intensity, elevates BDNF in healthy humans and clinical populations, as evidenced from aerobic and resistance-based studies. Although exercise is increasingly recognised in the management of depression, acute and short-term exercise studies have failed to establish a relationship between the severity of depression and changes in peripheral BDNF. The latter rapidly returns to baseline, possibly indicating a quick re-uptake by the brain, aiding its neuroplasticity functions. The timescale of administration needed for the antidepressants to stimulate biochemical changes is longer than similar increases with acute exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophic growth factor mainly expressed in the brain, has been proposed as a potential effect biomarker; that is, as a measurable biomarker whose values could be associated with several diseases, including neurological impairments. The European Human Biomonitoring Initiative (HBM4EU) has also recognized effect biomarkers as a useful tool for establishing link between exposure to environmental pollutants and human health. Despite the well-establish protocol for measuring serum BDNF, there is a need to validate its assessment in urine, a non-invasive sample that can be easily repeated over time. The aim of this study was to develop, standardize and validate a methodology to quantify BDNF protein levels in urine samples before its implementation in biomonitoring studies. Methods: Different experimental conditions and non-competitive commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits were tested to determine the optimal analytical procedure, trying to minimize the shortcomings of ELISA kits. The fine-tune protocol was validated in a pilot study using both upon awakening (n = 150) and prior to sleeping (n = 106) urine samples from the same Spanish adolescent males in a well-characterized study population (the Spanish INMA-Granada cohort). Results: The best results were obtained in 0.6 ml of urine after the acidification and extraction (pre-concentration) of samples. The highest reproducibility was obtained with the ELISA kit from Raybiotech. Urinary BDNF concentrations of adolescent males were within the previously reported range (morning = 0.047-6.801 ng/ml and night = 0.047-7.404 ng/ml). Urinary BDNF levels in the awakening and pre-sleep samples did not follow a normal distribution and were not correlated. Conclusion: The developed methodology offers good sensitivity and reproducibility. Having reliable markers in urine may facilitate both diagnosis and monitoring possible diseases (and treatment). Further studies are needed to implement urinary BDNF in biomonitoring studies to further elucidate its usefulness and biological significance for neurological impairments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cognitive impairment is a core feature of disorders on the schizophrenia-bipolar spectrum, i.e., schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and schizoaffective disorder. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been proposed to be a biomarker of cognitive impairment in these disorders as it plays a critical role in neuroplasticity and proposed to mediate some of the psychotropic effects of medication. However, despite numerous studies investigating the association between circulating BDNF and these disorders, no solid conclusions have been drawn regarding its involvement in cognitive impairment. Objectives: The current systematic review and meta-analysis aims to examine blood BDNF levels and cognitive dysfunction in patients on the schizophrenia-bipolar spectrum as well as to evaluate whether circulating BDNF measurements can act as a biomarker for cognitive dysfunction. Methods: Studies were identified by searching Embase and Medline databases for English language articles published in peer-reviewed journals between 2000 January and 2021 June according to the PRISMA guidelines. A total of 815 articles were identified of which 32 met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review – reporting on comparisons between blood BDNF levels and cognitive functions of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder patients versus healthy controls (no studies involving schizoaffective patients were specifically obtained for the time being). Twenty-four of these studies (19 with schizophrenia and 5 with bipolar disorder patients) were eligible to be included in the meta-analysis. Results: Our findings indicated that circulating BDNF levels were significantly reduced in patients experiencing an acute episode of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder compared to healthy controls. Cognitive function was also found to be significantly worse in patients, however, correlations between BDNF levels and cognitive impairment were not always detected. Interventions, especially pharmacotherapy seemed to improve certain aspects of cognition and increase circulating BDNF levels. Conclusion: Circulating BDNF alone does not seem to be a valid biomarker of cognitive dysfunction in patients with disorders on the schizophrenia-bipolar spectrum, owing to several confounding factors. Changes of the circulating levels of BDNF should be evaluated in a wider context of other stress-, immune-, and inflammatory-related factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to increasing life expectancy, low-cost interventions to counteract age-related memory impairment have gained popularity. Physical activity has been shown to positively affect memory and hippocampal plasticity in rodents and humans. These effects have been proposed to be mediated by the release of neurotrophic factors. However, studies examining the effects of a single cardiovascular exercise session on human memory have yielded conflicting results. Moreover, it remains unclear whether exercise-induced memory enhancements are related to changes in peripheral neurotrophic factor concentrations. The present study tested whether one bout of cardiovascular exercise during an early phase of memory consolidation, compared to one bout of stretching and toning, positively affected memory. Furthermore, it was analyzed whether exercise-induced changes in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were related to memory enhancement after a single bout of physical exercise. Fifty healthy participants (20–40 years) were randomly assigned to either a cycling group (BIKE) or a stretching and toning group (STRETCH). Participants performed an implicit vocabulary learning task which was immediately followed by physical exercise. Memory for the learned vocabulary was tested 1–2 weeks later. To measure exercise-induced changes in serum neurotrophic factor levels, blood samples were collected at rest (baseline) and immediately after the exercise session. Results did not show a significant difference in memory between the BIKE group and the STRETCH group. However, in the BIKE group, a larger increase in BDNF and VEGF levels was observed than in the STRETCH group. Moreover, the increase in BDNF and memory performance tended to be positively related in the BIKE group. We speculate that the correlation between exercise-increased BDNF levels and memory in the cycling group may indicate an involvement of BDNF in mediating memory processes after acute cardiovascular exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nation-wide community quarantines and social distancing are part of the new normal because of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Since extensive and prolonged lockdowns are relatively novel experiences, not much is known about the well-being of individuals in such extreme situations. This research effort investigated the relationship between well-being elements and resiliency of 533 Filipino adults who were placed under the nationwide enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants comprised of 376 females (70.56%) and 157 males (29.45%). The median and mode ages of the participants is 23 years, while 25 is the mean age. PERMA Profiler was used to measure participants' well-being elements, while Connor-Davidson Resiliency Scale-10 (CD-RISC-10) was used to measure their resiliency. Collected data were analyzed using the regression model and necessary condition analysis. This study corroborated that all the five pillars of well-being are significant positive correlates of resiliency (p < 0.00) in quarantined adults. The results shown accomplishment (β = 0.447, p < 0.01) positively predicts resiliency, while negative emotions (β = −0.171, p < 0.00) negatively predict resiliency. Lastly, the five pillars of well-being are necessary-but-not-sufficient conditions (ceiling envelopment with free disposal hull, CE-FDH p < 0.00) of resiliency. Our results cast a new light on well-being elements as constraints rather than enablers of resiliency. This novel result shows that optimum resiliency is only possible when all the five pillars of well-being are taken care of and when a person is at least minimally contented with their physical health. The present findings underscore the importance of a holistic as against an atomistic approach to maintaining good mental health, which suggests that deficiencies in certain areas of well-being may not be fully addressed by overcompensating on other areas, as all five pillars of well-being are necessary-but-not-sufficient conditions of resiliency. The study ends with the recommendation for the use of necessary condition analysis to study both classical and novel psychological research problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined acute cerebral hemodynamic and circulating neurotrophic factor responses to moderate intensity continuous exercise (MICT), guideline-based high intensity interval exercise (HIIT), and sprint interval exercise (SIT). We hypothesized that the pattern of middle cerebral artery velocity (MCAv) response would differ between interval and continuous exercise, with SIT inducing the smallest increase from rest, while increases in neurotrophic factors would be intensity-dependent. In a randomized crossover design, 24 healthy adults (nine females) performed three exercise protocols: (i) MICT (30 min), (ii) HIIT (4 × 4 min at 85% HRmax), and (iii) SIT (4 × 30 s supramaximal). MCAv significantly increased from rest across MICT (Δ13.1 ± 8.5 cm⋅s–1, p < 0.001) and all bouts of HIIT (Δ15.2 ± 9.8 cm⋅s–1, p < 0.001), but only for the initial bout of SIT (Δ17.3 ± 11.6 cm⋅s–1, p < 0.001). Immediately following each interval bout, MCAv increased (i.e., rebounded) for the SIT (9–14% above rest, p ≤ 0.04), but not HIIT protocol. SIT alone induced significant elevations from rest to end-exercise in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF; Δ28 ± 36%, p = 0.017) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF, Δ149% ± 162%, p < 0.001) and there were greater increases in lactate than in either other protocol (>5-fold greater in SIT, p < 0.001), alongside a small significant reduction at the end of active recovery in insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1, Δ22 ± 21%, p = 0.002). In conclusion, while the nature of the response may differ, both guideline-based and sprint-based interval exercise have the potential to induce significant changes in factors linked to improved cerebrovascular and brain health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Child maltreatment (CM) and attachment experiences are closely linked to alterations in the human oxytocin (OXT) system. However, human data about oxytocin receptor (OXTR) protein levels are lacking. Therefore, we investigated oxytocin receptor (OXTR) protein levels in circulating immune cells and related them to circulating levels of OXT in peripheral blood. We hypothesized reduced OXTR protein levels, associated with both, experiences of CM and an insecure attachment representation. Methods: OXTR protein expressions were analyzed by western blot analyses in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and plasma OXT levels were determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA) in 49 mothers. We used the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) to assess adverse childhood experiences. Attachment representations (secure vs. insecure) were classified using the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP) and levels of anxiety and depression were assessed with the German version of the Hospital Depression and Anxiety scale (HADS-D). Results: CM-affected women showed significantly lower OXTR protein expression with significantly negative correlations between the OXTR protein expression and the CTQ sum score, whereas plasma OXT levels showed no significant differences in association with CM. Lower OXTR protein expression in PBMC were particularly pronounced in the group of insecurely attached mothers compared to the securely attached group. Anxiety levels were significantly higher in CM-affected women. Conclusion: This study demonstrated a significant association between CM and an alteration of OXTR protein expression in human blood cells as a sign for chronic, long-lasting alterations in this attachment-related neurobiological system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data is inconsistent concerning the question whether cognitive-physical training (CPT) yields stronger cognitive gains than cognitive training (CT). Effects of additional counseling, neurobiological mechanisms, and predictors have scarcely been studied. Healthy older adults were trained with CT (n = 20), CPT (n = 25), or CPT with counseling (CPT+C; n = 23). Cognition, physical fitness, BDNF, IGF-1, and VEGF were assessed at pre- and post-test. No interaction effects were found except for one effect showing that CPT+C led to stronger gains in verbal fluency than CPT (p = 0.03). However, this superiority could not be assigned to additional physical training gains. Low baseline cognitive performance and BDNF, not carrying apoE4, gains in physical fitness and the moderation of gains in physical fitness × gains in BDNF predicted training success. Although all types of interventions seem successful to enhance cognition, our data do not support the hypotheses that CPT shows superior CT gains compared to CT or that CPT+C adds merit to CPT. However, as CPT leads to additional gains in physical fitness which in turn is known to have positive impact on cognition in the long-term, CPT seems more beneficial. Training success can partly be predicted by neuropsychological, neurobiological, and genetic parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are significantly decreased in patients with schizophrenia and correlate with impairments in cognitive function. However, no study has investigated the relationship between the serum BDNF levels and decision-making. We compared patients with schizophrenia to healthy controls with respect to their decision-making ability and serum BDNF levels. Eighty-six chronic schizophrenia patients and 51 healthy controls participated in this study. We controlled for gender, age, and estimated intelligence quotient (IQ), and we investigated the differences in decision-making performance on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) between the schizophrenia patient and control groups. We also compared the IGT scores, the serum BDNF levels, and the clinical symptoms between the groups. The IGT scores of the schizophrenia patients were lower than those of the controls. A negative correlation was detected between the mean net scores on the trials in the final two blocks and the serum BDNF levels (p < 0.05). Multiple regression analysis revealed that depressive symptoms and the serum BDNF levels were significantly associated with the mean net scores on the trials in the final two blocks. Based on these results, impaired sensitivity to both reward and punishment is associated with depressive symptoms and reduced serum BDNF levels in chronic schizophrenia patients and may be related to their poor performance on the IGT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]