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Background: Childhood maltreatment (CM) is a common psychological stressor associated with multiple mental disorders. While CM is associated with vulnerability to depression and anxiety, little is known about the specific mechanism underlying this relationship. Objective: This study aimed to investigate the white matter (WM) of healthy adults with CM and their relationships with depression and anxiety to provide biological evidence for the development of mental disorders in subjects with childhood trauma. Methods: The CM group included 40 healthy adults with CM. The non-CM group included 40 healthy adults without CM. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) data were collected, and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) were applied to the whole brain to assess WM differences between the two groups; post-hoc fibre tractography was used to characterise the developmental differences; and mediation analysis was used to assess the relationships among the Child Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) results, DTI indices, and depression and anxiety scores. Results: Relative to the non-CM group, the CM group revealed significantly lower fractional anisotropy (FA) in the right posterior corona radiata (PCR-R), right anterior corona radiata (ACR-R), left super corona radiata (SCR-L), anterior thalamic radiation (ATR), and right posterior limb of the internal capsule (PLIC-R). Additionally, shorter fibre bundles passed through the PCR-R, ACR-R, and ATR in the CM group compared with the non-CM group. Besides, the length of the ACR-R mediated the relationship between CM and trait anxiety. Conclusions: The alteration of white matter microstructure associated with childhood trauma in healthy adults may reflect biomarkers of childhood trauma. Besides, an alteration of WM microstructure in healthy adults with CM mediates the association between CM and trait anxiety, which may represent the vulnerability to developing mental disorders after childhood trauma experiences.

Abstract Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is characterized by increased stress sensitivity. Emerging findings in healthy adults suggest that stress responses within limbic/striatal-prefrontal regions are moderated by sex and unfold over time. Thus, we hypothesized that stress response abnormalities in MDD might be affected by sex and stress exposure time. The Montreal Imaging Stress Task was administered to 124 unmedicated patients with first-episode MDD (76 females) and 243 healthy controls (HC; 137 females) during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Based on prior studies, amygdala, hippocampus, medial orbitofrontal cortex (mOFC), nucleus accumbens (NAc) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) were selected as a priori regions of interest. In a complementary approach, we probed the effects of stress on the frontoparietal network (FPN) and a network including the amygdala, NAc and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Across groups, males exhibited higher dlPFC activity and right FPN amplitude than females. Relative to female HCs, the female MDD group had less deactivation in limbic/striatal regions (amygdala, NAc, hippocampus, Amygdala-NAc-ACC network). Furthermore, unlike female HCs, the female MDD group failed to show a significant increase of deactivation over stress exposure time in the amygdala, mOFC and NAc. Our findings confirm the importance of considering sex differences when investigating neural stress responses. Case-control differences in neural stress responses observed in females (but not males) provide insights into sex differences in the etiology and pathophysiology of depression. The failure to deactivate limbic/NAc regions in depressed females point to dysfunction of adaptive stress responses over stress exposure time.

Abstract Background Understanding the neural mechanism underlying the transition from suicidal ideation to action is crucial but remains unclear. To explore this mechanism, we combined resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and computational modeling to investigate differences between those who attempted suicide(SA) and those who hold only high levels of suicidal ideation(HSI). Methods A total of 120 MDD patients were categorized into SA group (n=47) and HSI group (n=73). All participants completed a resting-state functional MRI scan, with three subregions of the insula and the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) being chosen as the region of interest (ROI) in seed-to-voxel analyses. Additionally, 86 participants completed the balloon analogue risk task (BART), and a five-parameter Bayesian modeling of BART was estimated. Results In the SA group, the FC between the ventral anterior insula (vAI) and the superior/middle frontal gyrus (vAI-SFG, vAI-MFG), as well as the FC between posterior insula (pI) and MFG (pI-MFG), were lower than those in HSI group. The correlation analysis showed a negative correlation between the FC of vAI-SFG and psychological pain avoidance in SA group, whereas a positive correlation in HSI group. Furthermore, the FC of vAI-MFG displayed a negative correlation with loss aversion in SA group, while a positive correlation was found with psychological pain avoidance in HSI group. Conclusion In current study, two distinct neural mechanisms were identified in the insula which involving in the progression from suicidal ideation to action. Dysfunction in vAI FCs may gradually stabilize as individuals experience heightened psychological pain, and a shift from positive to negative correlation patterns of vAI-MFC may indicate a transition from state to trait impairment. Additionally, the dysfunction in PI FC may lead to a lowered threshold for suicide by blunting the perception of physical harm.

Abstract Background The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CESD) was widely used for screening of depressive symptoms. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the factor structure and measurement invariance of the CESD across genders and groups in a sample of Chinese undergraduates and clinical patients. Methods Participants included 3093 undergraduates from the Hunan province and 336 patients from psychological clinics. The structure of the CESD scale was analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Multiple sets of CFAs were used to test measurement invariance across genders among undergraduates and clinical patients. Internal consistency reliability was also evaluated. Results The five-factor model achieved satisfactory fit (in the undergraduate sample: WLSMVχ2 = 1662.385, df = 160, CFI = 0.973, TLI = 0.968, RMSEA = 0.055; in the clinical patients: WLSMVχ2 = 502.089, df = 160, CFI = 0.962, TLI = 0.955, RMSEA = 0.072). The measurement invariance of the five-factor model across genders was supported fully assuming different degrees of invariance. The CESD also showed acceptable internal consistency. Conclusion Due to its sound structure and measurement invariance, the five-factor model of the CESD is best suited for testing in Chinese mainland college students and clinical patients.

Abstract Background A motivation dimension of the core psychiatric symptom anhedonia additional has been suggested. The Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale (TEPS) has been reported to assess anticipatory and consummatory pleasure separately in multiple factor-structure models. This study explored the factor structure of a Chinese version of the 18-item TEPS and further explored the measurement invariance of the TEPS across sex and clinical status (non-clinical, psychiatric). Methods Best-fit factor structure of the TEPS was examined in a non-clinical cohort of 7410 undergraduates, randomized into sample 1 (N = 3755) for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and sample 2 (N = 3663) for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Additionally, serial CFA was conducted to evaluate measurement invariance across sex and between clinical (N = 313) and non-clinical (N = 341) samples. Results EFA supported a new four-factor structure with a motivation component, based on the original two-factor model (consummatory pleasure with/without motivation drive, anticipatory pleasure with/without motivation drive). CFA confirmed the four-factor model as the best-fit structure and revealed a second-order hierarchy in non-clinical and clinical samples. Full scalar invariance was observed across clinical and non-clinical samples and across sex in the clinical sample; only partial scalar invariance was observed across sex in the non-clinical sample. Conclusions A four-factor structured TEPS can assess motivation-driving dimensions of anticipatory and consummatory pleasure, consistent with the recently advanced multidimensional structure of anhedonia. CFA and measurement invariance results support application of the TEPS for assessing motivation aspects of anhedonia.

Abstract Background The Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Brief Form (PID-5-BF) is a 25-item measuring tool evaluating maladaptive personality traits for the diagnosis of personality disorders(PDs). As a promising scale, its impressive psychometric properties have been verified in some countries, however, there have been no studies about the utility of the PID-5-BF in Chinese settings. The current study aimed to explore the maladaptive personality factor model which was culturally adapted to China and to examine psychometric properties of the PID-5-BF among Chinese undergraduate students and clinical patients. Methods Seven thousand one hundred fifty-five undergraduate students and 451 clinical patients completed the Chinese version of the PID-5-BF. Two hundered twenty-eight students were chosen randomly for test-retest reliability at a 4-week interval. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to discover the most suitable factor structure in China, measurement invariance(MI), internal consistency, and external validity were also calculated. Results The theoretical five-factor model was acceptable, but the exploratory six-factor model was more applicable in both samples (Undergraduate sample: CFI = 0.905, TLI = 0.888, RMSEA = 0.044, SRMR = 0.039; Clinical sample: CFI = 0.904, TLI = 0.886, RMSEA = 0.047, SRMR = 0.060). In the Chinese six-factor model, the Negative Affect domain was divided into two factors and the new factor was named “Interpersonal Relationships”, which was in line with the Big-Six Personality model in Chinese. Measurement invariance across non-clinical and clinical sample was established (configural, weak, strong MI, and partial strict MI). Aside from acceptable internal consistency (Undergraduate sample: alpha = 0.84, MIC = 0.21; Clinical sample: alpha = 0.86, MIC = 0.19) and test-retest reliability(0.73), the correlation between the 25-item PID-5-BF and the 220-item PID-5 was significant(p

PurposeThe Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF) is a widely used self-report tool designed to assess juveniles’ experiences of abuse and neglect. The current study examined the psychometric properties, particularly measurement invariance of the CTQ-SF in Chinese non-clinical adolescents and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD).MethodsParticipants included 1,507 high school students (non-clinical sample) from Hunan Province and 281 adolescent patients with major depressive disorder (MDD sample) from The Second Xiangya Hospital. We examined the reliability and validity of CTQ-SF, confirm the five-factor model of the CTQ-SF. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the measurement invariance across genders, presence of depression, and over time.ResultsThe CTQ-SF had good internal consistency in a non-clinical sample (Cronbach’s α = 0.85) and MDD sample (Cronbach’s α = 0.86). Good test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.72) and Adequate validity were also observed. Good fit of the five-factor CTQ-SF model was confirmed in both samples. Multiple-group CFA confirmed that the CTQ-SF had the scalar invariance across genders and the presence of MDD, as well as over time.ConclusionThe CTQ-SF is an effective and reliable tool for assessing child maltreatment in Chinese adolescents (non-clinical sample and MDD sample). The results suggest that the horizontal and longitudinal invariance of CTQ-SF are strongly established, which means CTQ-SF can be meaningfully used to compare outcomes among Chinese adolescents (non-clinical sample and MDD sample). The experience of child maltreatment, especially neglect (emotional and physical), was found to be common in Chinese adolescents.

Abstract Background Anhedonia is a core clinical symptom of mental disorders. The Revised Physical Anhedonia Scale (RPAS) and the Revised Social Anhedonia Scale (RSAS) have been applied in clinical and non-clinical samples since 1980s. However, the construct of a unified RPAS&RSAS for comprehensive measurement of anhedonia has never been explored. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to examine the factor structure of the unified RPAS&RSAS among undergraduates and clinical patients. Methods A total of 3435 undergraduates from two universities and 294 clinical patients with mental disorders had completed the Chinese version of the RPAS and the RSAS. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were each conducted to reveal the constructs of the RPAS and the RSAS. CFA was used to evaluate first- and second-order models for the unified RPAS&RSAS in undergraduates and clinical patients. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the RPAS and the RSAS were also evaluated. Results EFA and CFA indicated 2-factor structures for RPAS and RSAS, with the factors being defined as anticipatory anhedonia and consummatory anhedonia. The second-order model of the unified RPAS&RSAS in the undergraduates and clinical patients both had satisfactory fit index values (Undergraduate sample: CFI = 0.901, TLI = 0.899, RMSEA = 0.055, SRMR = 0.086; Clinical sample: CFI = 0.922, TLI = 0.911, RMSEA = 0.052, SRMR = 0.078). The psychometric robustness of the RPAS&RSAS were confirmed by high internal consistency and test-retest reliability values. Conclusions The unified RPAS&RSAS with a second-order structure was confirmed in both undergraduates and clinical samples in Chinese. The construct of anhedonia was refreshed as covering physical and social domains, and each of them includes both anticipatory and consummatory components.

Background: Herein, we validate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the THINC-integrated tool (THINC-it) as a screening tool for cognitive deficits in patients with major depressive disorder. The primary aim of this study is to determine whether cognitive deficits as detected by the THINC-it tool in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD) are associated with workplace productivity and/or psychosocial function.Methods: Subjects aged 18–65 (n = 91) with MDD were evaluated and compared to age-, sex- and education- matched healthy controls (n = 95). Symptoms of cognitive dysfunction, workplace productivity, and psychosocial function were measured using the THINC-it tool, Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), The Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire- Specific Health Problem (WPAI-SHP).Results: There were significant differences in THINC-it scores (p < 0.01), the average of HAMD total score (p < 0.01) and all aspects of SDS (p < 0.01) between two groups. There were significant differences in the four aspects of WPAI between the two groups in the employed status (p

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties and posited nine-factor structure of the Chinese version of the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-C) in high school students and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD), including assessment of measurement invariance of CERQ-C and its subscales across gender, time, and presence of depression.Methods: Chinese high school students from Hunan Province (N = 1,253) and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) from the Medical Psychological Institute outpatient clinic at The Second Xiangya Hospital (N = 205) were enrolled. We examined the reliability, and model fit of the CERQ-C. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test measurement invariance of the subscales across gender, time, and presence of depression.Results: The CERQ-C subscales showed good internal consistency and moderate test-retest reliability in high school students and excellent internal consistency in adolescents with MDD group. The nine-factor model yielded adequate fit indices in different samples. Multigroup CFA confirmed that CERQ-C is strongly equivalent across gender, time, and presence of depression.Conclusions: The CERQ-C is a valid, reliable, and stable instrument for the evaluation of the cognitive emotion regulation (ER) strategies for different samples, including high school students and adolescents with MDD. The horizontal and longitudinal equivalences are strongly established.

Objective: Rumination is considered as a key process in the mechanism of depression. Assessing rumination is important for both research and clinical practice. The Ruminative Response Scale (RRS) is a widely-used instrument to measure rumination. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese 10-item Ruminative Response Scale (RRS-10) in a large sample of Chinese undergraduates and depressive patients.Methods: A total of 1,773 university students and 286 clinical patients with major depressive disorder finished the Chinese version of the RRS10, State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to examine the two-factor structure (reflection and brooding) of the RRS-10. The correlations among RRS-10, STAI, and BDI were explored in two samples. In addition, the measurement invariance of the RRS-10 across gender, time, and groups with and without depressive symptoms were further investigated. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability were also evaluated.Results: Confirmatory Factor Analysis revealed that the two-factor structure of RRS-10 fitted reasonably both in undergraduates (CFI = 0.933, TLI = 0.905, RMSEA = 0.071, SRMR = 0.035) and depressive patients (CFI = 0.941, TLI = 0.910, RMSEA = 0.077, SRMR = 0.057). The results of the multi-group confirmatory factor analysis supported the full strict invariance across genders and across groups (undergraduates and depressive patients). The full strong invariance over time was also supported by MGCFA. Besides, the RRS-10 showed acceptable internal consistency and good stability.Conclusions: The RRS-10 has good reliability and validity in different samples and over time, which demonstrated that RRS-10 is a valid measurement instrument to assess rumination.

The Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5) is an established tool for assessing personality disorder (PD) traits that was developed based on section III of the DSM-5. It is composed of 220 items, organized into 25 facets, which are distributed among five domains. The psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the PID-5 remain to be demonstrated. Two samples were embodied in this study that included 3,550 undergraduates and 406 clinical patients. To probe the structure of the PID-5, parallel analyses were conducted to explore the unidimensionality of its 25 facets and a series of confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were carried out to confirm the 25 lower-order facets and their distribution among five higher-order domains. Then, the PID-5 was employed to measure the DSM-5 and ICD-11 trait models and to explore the relationship of DSM-IV categorical PDs with DSM-5 and ICD-11 personality traits. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted to probe how well DSM-IV categorical PDs correspond with maladaptive personality traits specified in the DSM-5 and five ICD-11 domains. The respective average internal reliability coefficients of the 25 facets obtained for undergraduate and clinical patient samples were 0.76 and 0.81, those obtained for the five DSM-5 domains were 0.89 and 0.91, and those obtained for the five ICD-11 domains were 0.87 and 0.89. Serial CFAs confirmed the rationality of the PID-5's lower-order 25-facet structure and higher-order five-domain structure in both samples. Correlation and regression analyses showed that DSM-5 specified traits explain the variance in PD presentation with a manifold stronger correlation (R2 = 0.24–0.44) than non-specified traits (R2 = 0.04–0.12). Overall, the PID-5 was shown to be a reliable, stable, and structurally valid assessment tool that captures pathological personality traits related to DSM-5 and ICD-11 PDs.

It has been proposed recently that major depressive disorder (MDD) could represent an adaptation to conserve energy after the perceived loss of an investment in a vital source, such as group identity, personal assets, or relationships. Energy conserving behaviors associated with MDD may form a persistent marker in brain regions and networks involved in cognition and emotion regulation. In this study, we examined whether subcortical regions and volume-based structural covariance networks (SCNs) have state-independent alterations (trait markers).First-episode drug-naïve currently depressed (cMDD) patients (N = 131), remitted MDD (RD) patients (N = 67), and healthy controls (HCs, N = 235) underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Subcortical gray matter volumes (GMVs) were calculated in FreeSurfer software, and group differences in GMVs and SCN were analyzed.Compared to HCs, major findings were decreased GMVs of left pallidum and pulvinar anterior of thalamus in the cMDD and RD groups, indicative of a trait marker. Relative to HCs, subcortical SCNs of both cMDD and RD patients were found to have reduced small-world-ness and path length, which together may represent a trait-like topological feature of depression.In sum, the left pallidum, left pulvinar anterior of thalamus volumetric alterations may represent trait marker and reduced small-world-ness, path length may represent trait-like topological feature of MDD.

Background: Childhood trauma is a major social public-health problem worldwide. Previous literature suggests childhood trauma is associated with the development of psychiatric disorders and maladaptive behaviours later in life, but little is known about the neural basis underlying these associations. Objective: The aim of the current study was to investigate intrinsic brain network alterations in non-clinical adults with childhood trauma. Methods: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were collected from 65 non-clinical adults with moderate or severe childhood trauma (CT group), according to the international demarcation criteria of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and 73 socio-demographically matched non-clinical controls without childhood trauma (no-CT group). Independent component analysis (ICA) was used to extract subnetworks of the default mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and central executive network (CEN). Results: ICA revealed that the CT group had increased FC of the left medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in the anterior DMN (aDMN), increased functional connectivity (FC) of the left anterior insula in the SN, and decreased FC of the inferior parietal gyrus of the right CEN (rCEN). Compared to the controls, the CT group had decreased inter-network FCs between the SN and posterior DMN (pDMN), as well as between the pDMN and rCEN. Conclusions: Impaired FC within the three key brain networks, decreased inter-FC between SN and rCEN, and decreased inter-FC between pDMN and rCEN may reflect biomarkers of childhood trauma.

The stress response is regulated by many mechanisms. Monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) has been related to many mental illnesses. However, few studies have explored the relationship between MAOA and acute laboratory-induced psychosocial stress with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In the current study, the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST) and fMRI were used to investigate how MAOA influences the stress response. Increased cortisol concentrations were observed after the task; functional connectivity between the bilateral anterior hippocampus and other brain regions was reduced during stress. MAOA-H allele carriers showed greater deactivation of the right anterior hippocampus and greater cortisol response after stress than did MAOH-L allele carriers. Hippocampal deactivation may lead to disinhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the initiation of stress hormone release under stress. Our results suggest that the MAOA gene regulates the stress response by influencing the right anterior hippocampus.

Conduct disorder is one of the most common developmental psychiatric disorders which is characterized by persistent aggressive and antisocial behaviors during childhood or adolescence. Previous neuroimaging studies have investigated the neural correlates underlying CD and demonstrated several constructive findings. However, Individuals with CD are at high risk for comorbidities, which might give rise to the inconsistencies of existed findings. It remains unclear which neuroanatomical abnormalities are specifically related to CD without comorbidities. Using structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) data of 69 CD and 69 typically developing (TD) male youths (aged 14–17 years), the present study aims at investigating gray matter volume alterations of non-comorbid CD (i.e., not comorbid with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, substance abuse disorder, anxiety or depression). We also examined how regional gray matter volumes were related to callous-unemotional (CU) traits and conduct problems in the CD group. The whole-brain analysis revealed decreased gray matter volumes in the right pre-postcentral cortex, supramarginal gyrus and right putamen in CD youths compared with TD youths. The region-of-interest analyses showed increased gray matter volumes in the superior temporal gyrus (STG) and right orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) in CD youths. Correlation analysis found that gray matter volume in the left amygdala was negatively correlated with CU traits in CD participants. These results demonstrated that gray matter volume in the orbitofrontal-paralimbic cortex, including OFC, STG and amygdala, might characterize the male youths with non-comorbid CD and might contribute to different severe forms and trajectories of CD.

Background The body of literature regarding the associations between physical activity and psychological problems lacks consensus. Moreover, the role of gender has been scarcely investigated. The present study sought to fill the gap in the data by examining the associations, if any, between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), psychological problems, and self-harm behaviors based on different biological genders (male–female). Methods A self-administered questionnaire was used to measure MVPA and multiple psychological problems, including depression and anxiety; general emotion, behavior, and social problems; Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD); conduct problems; and self-harm behaviors. Participants were a nationally representative sample of Chinese high school students (N = 13, 349). A multiple logistic regression analysis of MVPA, stratified by gender, was conducted on the risk of psychological problems and self-harm behaviors in the total sample. Results For boys, a high frequency of MVPA was associated with a lower risk of depression (OR = 0.68, 95% CI [0.57–0.81]) and anxiety (OR = 0.71, 95% CI [0.53–0.96]) compared to the reference group. The moderate frequency of MVPA was associated with a lower risk of ADHD (OR = 0.73, 95% CI [0.56–0.94]) compared to the reference group. For girls, both MVPA groups were associated with a lower risk of depression (moderate MVPA: OR = 0.81, 95% CI [0.70–0.94]; high MVPA: OR = 0.67, 95% CI [0.54–0.83]) compared to the reference group. High MVPA was associated with a lower risk of ADHD (OR = 0.58, 95% CI [0.37–0.89]) compared to the reference group. Only moderate frequency of MVPA was associated with a lower risk of ODD (OR = 0.79, 95% CI [0.64–0.97]). Conclusion MVPA was associated with a lower risk of depression, anxiety, ADHD, and ODD in a gender-specific and MVPA frequency-specific manner. This implies that for specific psychological issues, PA interventions that are modified based on gender and frequency of MVPA may be more effective than PA interventions without these considerations.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is known to be characterized by altered brain functional connectivity (FC) patterns. However, whether and how the features of dynamic FC would change in patients with MDD are unclear. In this study, we aimed to characterize dynamic FC in MDD using a large multi-site sample and a novel dynamic network-based approach. Methods: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were acquired from a total of 460 MDD patients and 473 healthy controls, as a part of the REST-meta-MDD consortium. Resting-state dynamic functional brain networks were constructed for each subject by a sliding-window approach. Multiple spatio-temporal features of dynamic brain networks, including temporal variability, temporal clustering and temporal efficiency, were then compared between patients and healthy subjects at both global and local levels. Results: The group of MDD patients showed significantly higher temporal variability, lower temporal correlation coefficient (indicating decreased temporal clustering) and shorter characteristic temporal path length (indicating increased temporal efficiency) compared with healthy controls (corrected p < 3.14×10−3). Corresponding local changes in MDD were mainly found in the default-mode, sensorimotor and subcortical areas. Measures of temporal variability and characteristic temporal path length were significantly correlated with depression severity in patients (corrected p < 0.05). Moreover, the observed between-group differences were robustly present in both first-episode, drug-naïve (FEDN) and non-FEDN patients. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that excessive temporal variations of brain FC, reflecting abnormal communications between large-scale bran networks over time, may underlie the neuropathology of MDD.

BackgroundChildhood maltreatment is a strong risk factor for the development of depression in later life. However, the neurobiological mechanisms underlying this vulnerability are not well understood. As depression has been associated with dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and increased responsiveness to psychosocial stressors, we speculated that childhood maltreatment may lead to lasting alteration of the stress response system, thereby increasing the risk of depression. This study investigated the effects of childhood maltreatment on the stress response in healthy subjects while controlling for psychiatric condition.MethodsForty-eight healthy young adults (24 females) with childhood maltreatment experience and 48 healthy controls (33 females) without such experience were administered the Montreal Imaging Stress Task during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Childhood maltreatment experience was assessed using the 28-item Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Between-group differences in subjective stress levels, whole brain activations and cortisol levels were assessed.ResultsRelative to healthy control subjects, individuals exposed to childhood maltreatment exhibited higher subjective stress and cortisol levels. Neurofunctionally, participants with histories of childhood maltreatment displayed significantly increased activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), insula and precuneus, and decreased activation in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) relative to healthy controls during the psychosocial stress task. Activations in dlPFC and insula correlated with CTQ scores in the childhood maltreatment group.ConclusionThe results of this study show that childhood maltreatment induces lasting changes in brain function and HPA-axis responsiveness to stress. The observed abnormal activation in the dlPFC, insula and vmPFC and enhanced cortisol response are similar to those seen in individuals with depression. This dysfunction might serve as a diathesis that embeds latent vulnerability to psychiatric disorders, and this mechanism provides evidence supporting the stress sensitization model.

Abstract Background Rumination increases vulnerability to depression, exacerbates and perpetuates negative moods. This study was aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the 10-item Ruminative Response Scale (RRS-10) in a large undergraduate sample. Methods A sample of 5,236 university students finished the RRS and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed to examine the two-factor structure and the measurement equivalence of the RRS-10 across gender. The internal consistency, test-retest reliability, correlations among RRS, RRS-10 and CES-D were also explored. In addition, gender difference on rumination and the relationship between rumination and depression were further investigated. Results The two-factor model of RRS-10 fit the data reasonably and had acceptable internal consistency and test-retest reliability in Chinese undergraduates sample. And the measurement equivalence of the RRS-10 was acceptable across gender in Chinese university students. Findings in respect of latent means and manifest means revealed non-significant gender difference in RRS-10. Besides, participants with high-level rumination had more depressive symptoms than those with low-level rumination. Conclusions The Chinese version of the RRS-10 showed good psychometric properties and was measurement invariant across gender in undergraduates.

Background: The human striatum is a heterogeneous structure involved in diverse functional domains that related to distinct striatum subregions. Striatal dysfunction was thought to be a fundamental element in schizophrenia. However, the connectivity pattern of striatum solely based on functional or structural characteristics leads to inconsistent findings in healthy adult and also schizophrenia. This study aims to develop an integrated striatal model and reveal the altered functional connectivity pattern of the striatum in schizophrenia.Methods: Two data-driven approaches, task-dependent meta-analytic connectivity modeling (MACM) and task-independent resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC), were used for seven anatomical connectivity-based striatum subregions to provide an integrated striatal model. Then, RSFC analyses of seven striatal subregions were applied to 45 first-episode schizophrenia (FES) and 27 healthy controls to examine the difference, based on the integrated model, of functional connectivity pattern of striatal subregions.Results: MACM and RSFC results showed that striatum subregions were associated with discrete cortical regions and involved in distinct cognitive processes. Besides, RSFC results overlapped with MACM findings but showed broader distributions. Importantly, significantly reduced functional connectivity was identified between limbic subregion and thalamus, medial prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, and insula and also between executive subregions and thalamus, supplementary motor area, and insula in FES.Conclusions: Combing functional and structural connectivity information, this study provides the integrated model of corticostriatal subcircuits and confirms the abnormal functional connectivity of limbic and executive striatum subregions with different networks and thalamus, supporting the important role of the corticostriatal-thalamic loop in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

BackgroundEmerging evidences supported the hypothesis that emotional dysregulation results from aberrant connectivity within the fronto-limbic neural networks in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Considering its important role in emotional regulation, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) has not yet been fully explored in BPD patients. Therefore, using the seed-based resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) and probabilistic fiber tracking, we aimed to explore the alterations of functional and structural connectivity (SC) of the ACC in patients with BPD.MethodsA cohort of 50 unmedicated, young BPD patients and 54 sex-, age-, and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) completed psychological tests and underwent rs-fMRI and diffuse tensor imaging (DTI) scanning. Rs-FC analysis and probabilistic fiber tracking were used to plot SC and FC of the ACC.ResultsWith the left ACC selected as a seed, BPD patients exhibited increased rsFC and abnormal SC with the right middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and decreased rsFC with the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG), compared with HCs. Additionally, negative cognitive emotion regulation and depressive symptoms both correlated negatively with the rsFC of the left ACC in BPD patients.ConclusionAbnormal SC and FC of the ACC underlie the deficient emotional regulation circuitry in BPD patients. Such alterations may be important biomarkers of BPD and thus could point to potential BPD treatment targets.

The 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) is widely used to screen depression among elders. But the factor structure of the Chinese version GDS-15 remains unclear. This study was conducted to determine the best-fit factor structure of GDS-15 and to assess measurement invariance across gender groups in a sample of Chinese elders recruited from Mainland China (final sample N = 2428). The best-fit factor structure was examined by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Multigroup CFA was utilized to test the measurement invariance across genders of the factor structure. The results of CFA revealed that a three-factor model, including life satisfaction (four items), general depressive affect (seven items), and withdrawal (three items), fits the structure of the GDS-15 best. Measurement invariance across genders was supported, fully assuming different degrees of invariance.

Resilience plays an important role in the health of the elderly. The 10-item Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10) is widely used to evaluate resilience, but its factorial invariance has not been evaluated in the Chinese elders. In the current study, 1,238 Chinese elders aged 60 years and above completed the Chinese CD-RISC-10, yielding good reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.936, Omega coefficient = 0.83, and test-retest reliability coefficient of 0.665 after 6 months). Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a single-factor model fitted our CD-RISC-10 data well, both for the total sample and for each gender group. Furthermore, factorial invariance across genders was supported by multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. Finally, the current study revealed greater resilience levels in Chinese elderly women than in Chinese elderly men.

Purpose: Developmental taxonomic theory posits that formation of early-onset conduct disorder (EO-CD), is considered to have a neurodevelopmental etiology and have more severe psychosocial and neuropsychological dysfunction than adolescent-onset CD (AO-CD), which is thought to stem largely from social mimicry of deviant peers. The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether regional homogeneity (ReHo), denoting the spontaneous brain activity, supports developmental taxonomic theory in a resting state (rs).Materials and Methods: Rs-functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) examinations were administered to 36 EO-CD patients, 32 AO-CD patients, and 30 healthy controls (HCs). All participants were male adolescents, aged between 12 and 17 years old. A one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), with age and IQ as covariates, was performed to identify regions with significant group differences in ReHo values, followed by a post hoc analyses.Results: Compared with the AO-CD groups, EO-CD had higher ReHo values in the right middle/inferior frontal gyrus. Compared with the HCs, the EO-CD group exhibited lower ReHo values in the left precuneus, left middle occipital gyrus, left cerebellum posterior lobe and the right inferior parietal lobule, as well as higher ReHo values in the right middle frontal gyrus, left insula/inferior frontal gyrus, right postcentral gyrus, and the left anterior cingulate gyrus. Compared with the HCs, the AO-CD group showed lower ReHo values in the bilateral precuneus, left cerebellum posterior lobe, and the right inferior parietal lobule.Conclusion: Significant differences in ReHo were observed between the EO-CD and AO-CD groups, implying distinct neuropathological mechanisms of the two CD subtypes, consistent with developmental taxonomic theory. CD-associated abnormalities in ReHo may be related to high-order cognitive and low-level perceptual system impairments in CD.

Purpose: Although efforts have been made to identify neurobiological characteristic of major depressive disorder (MDD) in recent years, trait- and state-related biological characteristics of MDD still remains unclear. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), the aim of this study was to explore whether altered spontaneous neural activities in MDD are trait- or state- related.Materials and Methods: Resting-state fMRI data were analyzed for 72 current MDD (cMDD) patients (first-episode, medication-naïve), 49 remitted MDD (rMDD) patients, and 78 age- and sex- matched healthy control (HC) subjects. The values of amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) were compared between groups.Results: Compared with the cMDD group, the rMDD group had increased ALFF values in the left middle occipital gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus and right cerebellum anterior lobe. Besides, compared with the HC group, the cMDD group had decreased ALFF values in the left middle occipital gyrus. Further analysis explored that the mean ALFF values in the left middle occipital gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus and right cerebellum anterior lobe were correlated positively with BDI scores in rMDD patients.Conclusion: Abnormal activity in the left middle occipital gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus and right cerebellum anterior lobe may be state-specific in current (first-episode, medication-naïve) and remitted (medication-naïve) depression patients. Furthermore, the state-related compensatory effect was found in these brain areas.

Background: It has been suggested that adolescents with conduct disorder (CD) may have a deficit in the affective and cognitive domains empathy, but studies exploring networks within the key brain regions of affective and cognitive empathy in adolescents with CD are lacking.Methods: Functional connectivity (FC) analyses among key brain regions of the affective and cognitive empathy with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) were conducted in 30 adolescent boys with CD and 33 demographically matched healthy controls (HCs).Results: Atypical FC within the key brain regions of affective empathy was not observed in CD adolescents. However, we found that CD adolescents showed decreased frontotemporal connectivity within the key brain regions of cognitive empathy in relation to HCs, that is, the FCs between right temporoparietal junction and ventromedial prefrontal cortex as well as dorsomedial prefrontal cortex.Conclusion: These findings may provide insight into neural mechanism underlying a cognitive empathy deficiency of CD adolescents from the perspective of FC.

Neuroticism is an important concept in psychology, self-report measures of neuroticism are important for both research and clinical practice. The neuroticism subscale of the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Personality Inventory (NEO-PI) is a brief measure of neuroticism, and it was widely used in the world. This study was aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the neuroticism subscale of the NEO-PI. A total of 5,494 undergraduates from three universities and 551 clinical patients with mental disorders from a psychological clinic had completed the Chinese version of the neuroticism subscale of the NEO-PI. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to examine how well the three hypothetical models fit the data and the measurement equivalence of neuroticism subscale across gender. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability were also evaluated. Both the six-facet model and the bi-factor model (six-facet model with one general factor) achieved satisfactory fit, while the six-facet model had best fit (Undergraduate sample: TLI = 0.919, CFI = 0.933, RMSEA = 0.044, SRMR = 0.033; Clinical sample: TLI = 0.921, CFI = 0.935, RMSEA = 0.047, SRMR = 0.041), and it had measurement equivalence across gender. The neuroticism subscale also showed acceptable internal consistency and good stability. Within the undergraduate sample, there were statistically significant gender differences in neuroticism total scores and scores of six facets, while there were no significant gender differences in the neuroticism scores in the clinical sample. Both in the undergraduate sample and the clinical sample, anxiety facet, depression facet and vulnerability facet of the neuroticism subscale significantly predicted the depression level, while anxiety facet, angry-hostility facet and vulnerability facet significantly predicted the anxiety level. In conclusion, the Chinese version of the neuroticism subscale is a reliable and valid measurement of neuroticism in both undergraduate and clinical population.

Purpose: Sex differences in conduct disorder (CD) pathophysiology have yet to be resolved. In this study, we applied the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) and fractional ALFF (fALFF) to compare spontaneous brain activity in male versus female adolescents diagnosed with CD in light of the gender paradox hypothesis.Materials and Methods: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) examinations were conducted with 51 CD patients (35 males) and 53 age-matched healthy controls (HCs; 35 males). Pearson analysis was conducted to detect relationship between ALFF/fALFF values in gender-differentiated regions and clinical characteristics.Results: We observed that male CD patients showed significant increased ALFF in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus (STG)/insula, and significant decreased ALFF in the left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), left middle frontal gyrus (BA8 andBA11), left middle temporal gyrus and left inferior/middle temporal gyrus relative to female CD patients. The fALFF in male CD patients was significantly increased in the right STG/insula, decreased in the right superior frontal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, right inferior frontal gyrus, and right postcentral gyrus relative to female CD patients. Considering the sex-by-diagnosis interactions in CD patients, the male CD patients had significantly higher fALFF in the left putamen, lower fALFF in the right postcentral gyrus relative to the female CD patients.Conclusion: The brain regions whose activity index values differed in relation to sex should be further explored in CD pathophysiology studies, particularly with respect to sex differences in clinical symptoms, emotional features, cognitive features, and prevalence rates in CD. The present findings are consistent with the gender paradox hypothesis.

In this study, combining degree centrality (DC) and fractional amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (fALFF) analyses of resting state (rs)-functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, we aimed to explore functional connectivity density, local brain spontaneous activity, and their coupling strengths in borderline personality disorder (BPD). Forty-three BPD patients and 39 demographically-matched controls underwent rs-fMRI after completing a series of psychological tests. Two-sample t-tests were performed to compare DC and fALFF between these two groups. Across-voxel correlation analysis was conducted to assess DC-fALFF coupling strengths in each group. Imaging parameters and psychological variables were correlated by Pearson correlation analysis in the BPD group. Altered DC and fALFF values in the BPD group, compared with the control group, were distributed mainly in default mode network (DMN), and DC-fALFF coupling strengths were decreased in the left middle temporal gyrus (MTG) and right precuneus in the BPD group. Additionally, insecure attachment scores correlated positively with left precuneus DC and negatively with fALFF of the right posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) in the BPD group. These altered DC and fALFF findings indicate that the BPD patients had disturbed functional connectivity density and local spontaneous activity in the DMN compared with control subjects. Their decreased connectivity-amplitude coupling suggests that the left MTG and right precuneus may be functional impairment hubs in BPD. Disturbed rs function in the left precuneus and right PCC might underlie insecure attachment in BPD.

Background: Conduct disorder (CD) is a mental disorder diagnosed in childhood or adolescence that presents antisocial behaviors, and is associated with structural alterations in brain. However, whether these structural alterations can distinguish CD from healthy controls (HCs) remains unknown. Here, we quantified these structural differences and explored the classification ability of these quantitative features based on machine learning (ML).Materials and Methods: High-resolution 3D structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) was acquired from 60 CD subjects and 60 age-matched HCs. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to assess the regional gray matter (GM) volume difference. The significantly different regional GM volumes were then extracted as features, and input into three ML classifiers: logistic regression, random forest and support vector machine (SVM). We trained and tested these ML models for classifying CD from HCs by using fivefold cross-validation (CV).Results: Eight brain regions with abnormal GM volumes were detected, which mainly distributed in the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, anterior cingulate, cerebellum posterior lobe, lingual gyrus, and insula areas. We found that these ML models achieved comparable classification performance, with accuracy of 77.9 ∼ 80.4%, specificity of 73.3 ∼ 80.4%, sensitivity of 75.4 ∼ 87.5%, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.76 ∼ 0.80.Conclusion: Based on sMRI and ML, the regional GM volumes may be used as potential imaging biomarkers for stable and accurate classification of CD.

BACKGROUND:Increasing evidence has documented subtle changes in brain morphology and function in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD). However, results of magnetic resonance imaging volumetry in patients with BPD are inconsistent. In addition, few researchers using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) have focused on attachment and childhood trauma in BPD. This preliminary study was performed to investigate structural brain changes and their relationships to attachment and childhood trauma in a homogenous sample of young adults with BPD. METHOD:We examined 34 young adults with BPD and 34 healthy controls (HCs) to assess regionally specific differences in gray matter volume (GMV) and gray matter concentration (GMC). Multiple regressions between brain volumes measured by VBM and attachment style questionnaire (ASQ) and childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ) scores were performed. RESULTS:Compared with HCs, subjects with BPD showed significant bilateral increases in GMV in the middle cingulate cortex (MCC)/posterior cingulate cortex (PCC)/precuneus. GMC did not differ significantly between groups. In multiple regression models, ASQ insecure attachment scores were correlated negatively with GMV in the precuneus/MCC and middle occipital gyrus in HCs, HCs with more severe insecure attachment showed smaller volumes in precuneus/MCC and middle occipital gyrus, whereas no negative correlations between insecure attachment and GMV in any region were found in BPD group. In addition, CTQ total scores were not correlated with GMV in any region in the two groups respectively. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings fit with those of previous reports of larger precuneus GMV in patients with BPD, and suggest that GMV in the precuneus/MCC and middle occipital gyrus is associated inversely with insecure attachment style in HCs. Our finding of increased GMV in the MCC and PCC in patients with BPD compared with HCs has not been reported in previous VBM studies.

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) among adolescents is an important public health issue worldwide. It is still uncertain whether homogeneous subgroups of SIB can be identified and whether constellations of SIBs can co-occur due to the high heterogeneity of these behaviors. In this study, a cross-sectional study was conducted on a large school-based sample and latent class analysis was performed (n = 10,069, mean age = 15 years) to identify SIB classes based on 11 indicators falling under direct SIB (DSIB), indirect SIB (ISIB), and suicide attempts (SAs). Social and psychological characteristics of each subgroup were examined after controlling for age and gender. Results showed that a four-class model best fit the data and each class had a distinct pattern of co-occurrence of SIBs and external measures. Class 4 (the baseline/normative group, 65.3%) had a low probability of SIB. Class 3 (severe SIB group, 3.9%) had a high probability of SIB and the poorest social and psychological status. Class 1 (DSIB+SA group, 14.2%) had similar scores for external variables compared to class 3, and included a majority of girls [odds ratio (OR) = 1.94]. Class 2 (ISIB group, 16.6%) displayed moderate endorsement of ISIB items, and had a majority of boys and older adolescents (OR = 1.51). These findings suggest that SIB is a heterogeneous entity, but it may be best explained by four homogenous subgroups that display quantitative and qualitative differences. Findings in this study will improve our understanding on SIB and may facilitate the prevention and treatment of SIB.

Alack of inhibition control has been found in subjects with conduct disorder (CD), but the underlying neuropathophysiology remains poorly understood. The current study investigated the different mechanism of inhibition control in adolescent-onset CD males (n = 29) and well-matched healthy controls (HCs) (n = 40) when performing a GoStop task by functional magnetic resonance images. Effective connectivity (EC) within the inhibition control network was analyzed using a stochastic dynamic causality model. We found that EC within the inhibition control network was significantly different in the CD group when compared to the HCs. Exploratory relationship analysis revealed significant negative associations between EC between the IFG and striatum and behavioral scale scores in the CD group. These results suggest for the first time that the failure of inhibition control in subjects with CD might be associated with aberrant connectivity of the frontal-basal ganglia pathways, especially between the IFG and striatum.

Deficit schizophrenia (DS) has been proposed as a pathophysiologically distinct subgroup within schizophrenia. Earlier studies focusing on neurocognitive function of DS patients have yielded inconsistent findings ranging from substantial deficits to no significant difference relative to non-deficit schizophrenia patients (NDS). The present study investigated the severity and characteristic patterns of neurocognitive impairments in DS and NDS patients and their relationships with clinical variables.Attention, ideation fluency, cognitive flexibility and visuospatial memory function were assessed in 40 DS patients, 57 NDS patients, and 52 healthy controls by a comprehensive neuropsychological battery.Both schizophrenia subgroups had overall more severe cognitive impairments than controls while DS performed worse on every neuropsychological measure except the Stroop interference than the NDS patients with age and education as the covariates. Profile analysis found significantly different patterns of cognitive profiles between two patients group mainly due to their differences in attention and cognitive flexibility functions. Age, education, illness duration and negative symptoms were found to have the correlations with cognitive impairments in the NDS group, while only age and the negative symptoms were correlated with the cognitive impairments in the DS group. Multiple regression analyses revealed that sustained attention and cognitive flexibility were the core impaired cognitive domains mediating other cognitive functions in DS and NDS patients respectively.DS patients exemplified worse in almost all cognitive domains than NDS patients. Sustained attention and cognitive flexibility might be the key impaired cognitive domains for DS and NDS patients respectively. The present study suggested the DS as a specific subgroup of schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) has been associated with abnormal structure and function of the brain's affective network, including the amygdala and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). However, it is unclear if alterations of resting-state function in this affective network are present at the initial onset of MDD. AIMS: To examine resting-state function of the brain's affective network in first-episode, medication-naive patients with MDD compared to healthy controls (HCs). METHODS: Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) was performed on 32 first-episode, medication-naive young adult patients with MDD and 35 matched HCs. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) of the blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal and amygdala-seeded functional connectivity (FC) were investigated. RESULTS: Compared to HC, MDD patients showed reduced ALFF in the bilateral OFC and increased ALFF in the bilateral temporal lobe extending to the insular and left fusiform cortices. Enhanced anti-correlation of activity between the left amygdala seed and the left OFC was found in MDD patients but not in HCs. CONCLUSIONS: Reduced ALFF in the OFC suggests hypo-functioning of emotion regulation in the affective network. Enhanced anti-correlation of activity between the amygdala and OFC may reflect dysfunction of the amygdala-OFC network and additionally represent a pathological process of MDD.

Some environmental stressors lead to the onset of depression via inhibiting hippocampal BDNF expression, but other environmental stressors-induced depression exhibits no change in BDNF expression. The underlying mechanisms behind the divergence remain unknown. In this study, depression-like behaviors were induced in rats by maternal deprivation (MD) and chronic unpredictable stress (CUPS). Depression-like behaviors were tested by open field test, forced swimming test, and sucrose consumption test. BDNF and miR-16 expressions in the hippocampus were examined by real-time PCR. MD and CUPS rats crawled less distance, exhibited decreased vertical activity, and produced more fecal pellets than control rats in the open field test. However, MD rats crawled less distance and produced significantly less fecal pellets than CUPS rats. In the forced swimming and sucrose consumption tests, CUPS and MD rats exhibited longer floating time and consumed less sucrose than control rats, but MD rats exhibited shorter floating time and consumed less sucrose than CUPS rats. MD but not CUPS rats showed lower BDNF mRNA and higher miR-16 expression than control rats. In MD rats, BDNF mRNA expression negatively correlated with the expression of miR-16. BDNF expression positively correlated with the total distance rats crawled and vertical activity in the open field test while miR-16 expression negatively correlated the two behaviors. BDNF positively correlated with sucrose preference rate while miR-16 negatively correlated with sucrose preference rate of the sucrose consumption test. Our study suggests that MD and CUPS induced different depression-like behaviors in rats. Depression induced by MD but not CUPS was significantly associated with upregulation of miR-16 and possibly subsequent downregulation of BDNF in hippocampus.