Brett W Gelino, Jill A Rabinowitz, Brion S Maher, Julia W Felton, Richard Yi, Matthew D Novak, Sandra Sanchez-Roige, Abraham A Palmer, Justin C Strickland
{"title":"Delay discounting data in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study: Modeling and analysis considerations.","authors":"Brett W Gelino, Jill A Rabinowitz, Brion S Maher, Julia W Felton, Richard Yi, Matthew D Novak, Sandra Sanchez-Roige, Abraham A Palmer, Justin C Strickland","doi":"10.1037/pha0000766","DOIUrl":"10.1037/pha0000766","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This report provides a primer to delay discounting data in the context of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study. Delay discounting describes the tendency for organisms to devalue temporally constrained outcomes. This decision-making framework has garnered attention from multiple fields for its association with various behavioral health conditions like substance use disorder. Importantly, the literature on delay discounting describes many approaches to analyzing and interpreting discounting data. To be most beneficial to the broader scientific audience, consistency and reproducibility in how delay discounting data are operationalized, analyzed, and interpreted is key. We describe relevant data analysis methods for use with the ABCD Study, a large-cohort longitudinal study (<i>N</i> = 11,878) examining delay discounting among youth respondents across child and adolescent development. Particular attention is given to data collected from children and younger populations given their relevance to ABCD research and potential merit for unique analytic considerations (e.g., higher rates of atypical responding). We first provide a background on the broad theoretical and conceptual aspects of discounting research. We then review discounting assessment, describing conventional titration tasks and the more novel algorithm-based approaches to generating descriptive metrics. We conclude with recommendations for best practice modeling, data handling and exclusions based on nonsystematic data, and ensuing interpretations. Analytic pipelines and coding are provided for investigator use. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":12089,"journal":{"name":"Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"225-238"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12097935/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143491361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Wave-Ananda Baskerville, Erica N Grodin, Lindsay R Meredith, Lara A Ray
{"title":"Interplay between alcohol cues and mood states during early abstinence: A daily diary study.","authors":"Wave-Ananda Baskerville, Erica N Grodin, Lindsay R Meredith, Lara A Ray","doi":"10.1037/pha0000770","DOIUrl":"10.1037/pha0000770","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The present study examined the association of mood states, alcohol cue exposure, and their synergistic effect on alcohol consumption and subjective craving during early abstinence. A community sample of 50 (24 females, average age 41.68 years old) individuals with current alcohol use disorder and an intrinsic motivation to reduce/quit alcohol use completed a quit attempt and daily diary assessments (DDAs). Electronic DDAs asked about previous-day drinking, alcohol craving, mood states, and exposure to alcohol cues. Analyses using mixed models tested the main effects and synergistic effects of mood states and alcohol cue exposure on alcohol consumption and subjective craving during the quit attempt. Daily negative mood was associated with same-day alcohol craving (<i>b</i> = 0.18, <i>p</i> = .01), in that higher ratings of negative mood were associated with greater alcohol craving. Daily negative mood was associated with same-day number of drinks consumed (<i>b</i> = 0.35, <i>p</i> < .0001), such that higher negative mood was associated with higher alcohol consumption. Alcohol cue exposure predicted next-day alcohol craving (<i>b</i> = 0.26, <i>p</i> = .02), such that higher cue exposure predicted greater next-day craving for alcohol. Findings underscore the role of negative mood states and exposure to alcohol cues on alcohol consumption and craving during a quit attempt. These findings suggest that negative mood states and alcohol-related cues may be useful targets for just-in-time interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":12089,"journal":{"name":"Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"260-268"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143624076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amber Copeland, Jonas Dora, Kevin M King, Tom Stafford, Matt Field
{"title":"Value-based decision-making in daily tobacco smokers following experimental manipulation of mood.","authors":"Amber Copeland, Jonas Dora, Kevin M King, Tom Stafford, Matt Field","doi":"10.1037/pha0000781","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000781","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Induction of negative mood increases tobacco choice in dependent smokers; however, less is known about the mechanisms behind this. This study addressed this gap by applying a computational model of value-based decision making to tobacco and tobacco-unrelated choices following mood manipulation. Using a preregistered, within-subject design, 49 daily tobacco smokers (>10 daily cigarettes) watched two different videos which primed them to experience negative and positive mood (tobacco valuation and devaluation, respectively). Participants completed self-report measures of mood and craving to smoke before and after priming, followed by a two-alternative forced-choice task with (separate) blocks of tobacco-related and tobacco-unrelated (animal) images. On each block, participants selected the image that they previously rated higher. A drift-diffusion model was fitted to the reaction time and error data to estimate evidence accumulation processes and response thresholds during the different blocks. After watching videos intended to induce negative mood, happiness scores were lower (<i>p</i> < .001, <i>d</i> = 1.16), while sadness and craving to smoke scores were higher (both <i>p</i>s < .001, <i>d</i>s > .60) compared to after watching videos intended to induce positive mood. However, contrary to hypotheses, the experimental manipulation did not robustly affect evidence accumulation rates (<i>F</i> = 1.15, <i>p</i> = .29, η<sub><i>p</i></sub>² = .02) or response thresholds (<i>F</i> = .07, <i>p</i> = .79, η<i><sub>p</sub></i>² = .00) for either tobacco or tobacco-unrelated decisions. Manipulation of mood in daily smokers did not lead to alterations in the internal processes that precede value-based decisions made about tobacco and tobacco-unrelated cues. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":12089,"journal":{"name":"Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144157525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cristina N Abarno, Hannah M Chapman, Amy L Copeland
{"title":"A brief online intervention for sleep problems and heavy drinking: Impacts on alcohol- and sleep-related problems.","authors":"Cristina N Abarno, Hannah M Chapman, Amy L Copeland","doi":"10.1037/pha0000783","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000783","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There is growing evidence that poor sleep contributes to increased alcohol use and related impairment among college students (DeMartini & Fucito, 2014), with heavy drinking exacerbating these effects. Efforts to reduce this impact via online personalized feedback interventions (PFIs) have had limited success, and there is a dearth of research on attempts to simultaneously address these concerns among college students using brief, web-based interventions. The present study assessed intervention efficacy in addition to the impact of sleep disturbance on alcohol outcomes using a novel, brief, online PFI for sleep problems among college students who drink heavily. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three interventions: PFI-Alcohol (<i>n</i> = 66), PFI-Alcohol-Sleep (<i>n</i> = 64), or assessment-only control (<i>n</i> = 66). Alcohol use, related impairment, and sleep problems decreased from baseline to 1-month follow-up under all conditions. However, participants under the control condition endorsed greater alcohol use during follow-up compared with intervention conditions. Notably, baseline insomnia symptoms predicted follow-up alcohol problems (but not use) when accounting for variance attributable to baseline negative affect, condition, and sex. More work is needed to examine the impact of brief online PFIs that concurrently target alcohol use and sleep problems among college students to determine its impact on reducing related-problems in this population. Results highlight the need for further investigation of the incorporation of sleep components within online alcohol PFIs to reduce heavy drinking and sleep problems among college students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":12089,"journal":{"name":"Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144076523","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Anthony N Nist, Daniel A R Cabral, Shuangshuang Xu, Allison N Tegge, Warren K Bickel
{"title":"Rate of cross-commodity discounting of substances varies by substance type for individuals in recovery from substance use disorders.","authors":"Anthony N Nist, Daniel A R Cabral, Shuangshuang Xu, Allison N Tegge, Warren K Bickel","doi":"10.1037/pha0000780","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000780","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The extant literature hints at the existence of substance-specific differences in rates of cross-commodity discounting (CCT). However, direct examinations are currently lacking. The present experiment aimed to replicate previous studies examining CCT of substances and to extend their findings by examining potential substance-specific relationships with discounting. Participants (<i>n</i> = 122) on recovery pathways from substance use disorders indicated the substances they were still actively using and then ranked these substances from most to least preferred. Participants then completed four discounting tasks: (a) money now-money later, (b) money now-drug later, (c) drug now-drug later, and (d) drug now-money later. Monetary and drug amounts were always equated. In these tasks, the drug commodity was always the participant's most preferred except if participants indicated they used multiple substances, in which case they completed additional discounting tasks with their second most preferred substance. Results revealed that discounting rates across substances did not differ significantly in conditions where the same commodity was both the immediate and the delayed option. In contrast, in the drug now-money later condition, we found that rates of discounting varied significantly according to the specific drug commodity. Further, this relationship was inverted in the money now-drug later condition. Overall, results from previous examinations of the CCT of alcohol and stimulants were replicated. In addition, we provide the first direct evidence that rates of CCT may differ across different substances. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":12089,"journal":{"name":"Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143975249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Levent Kirisci, Maureen Reynolds, Michael Vanyukov, Tanya Fabian, Ralph Tarter
{"title":"Interplay of cultural beliefs, psychological disposition, and social milieu during childhood on development of substance use disorder by early adulthood.","authors":"Levent Kirisci, Maureen Reynolds, Michael Vanyukov, Tanya Fabian, Ralph Tarter","doi":"10.1037/pha0000776","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000776","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study prospectively examined the interplay of culturally ingrained beliefs regarding the benefits of substance use, social milieu featured by disengaged parents and deviant friends, and behavior undercontrol on the development of substance use disorder (SUD) by early adulthood. The sample at baseline consisted of 497 youths between 10 and 12 years of age. Subsequent evaluations were conducted when the participants attained 12-14, 16, and 22 years of age. The research protocol was composed of self-report, informant report, and performance measures. Positive beliefs about substance use effects were evaluated using the Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Expectancy Questionnaire. The social milieu was characterized by the environtype index encompassing parental engagement and normative behavior of friends. Behavior control was quantified using the neurobehavior disinhibition scale. Substance use frequency and intensity of reward experience during consumption were recorded using the Drug Use Screening Inventory and the Substance Use Questionnaire. The outcome variable, lifetime SUD, was diagnosed using the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnosis. Structural equation modeling evaluated the association among these variables. Beliefs regarding the benefits of consumption mediated the associations of childhood social milieu with substance use frequency and reward intensity during the transition into adolescence. Reward intensity during this developmental period predicted consumption frequency and severity of behavior undercontrol in midadolescence, which conjointly predicted SUD by early adulthood. This study demonstrated that SUD manifested by early adulthood culminates from the coaction of acquired cultural beliefs, social context facilitating access to addictive chemicals, and suboptimal psychological self-regulation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":12089,"journal":{"name":"Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143991370","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Timothy Regan, Janardan Devkota, Julia McQuoid, Kekoa Lopez-Paguyo, Nhung Nguyen, Meredith C Meacham, Pamela M Ling, Johannes Thrul
{"title":"Real-time antecedents of cannabis use among young adults: An Ecological Momentary Assessment study.","authors":"Timothy Regan, Janardan Devkota, Julia McQuoid, Kekoa Lopez-Paguyo, Nhung Nguyen, Meredith C Meacham, Pamela M Ling, Johannes Thrul","doi":"10.1037/pha0000775","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000775","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Knowledge regarding in-the-moment antecedents of cannabis use is lacking. We examined internal (e.g., mood, cravings) and external (e.g., locations, people) antecedents of cannabis use among young adults regularly using both cannabis and tobacco. Over 30 days, 36 young adults (<i>M</i><sub>age</sub> = 24.2 years, 33% female, 8% nonbinary, 61% sexual minority, 44% Non-Hispanic White) completed multiple daily Ecological Momentary Assessment surveys, totaling 1,632 prompts. Generalized estimating equations estimated population-averaged relationships between the presence of antecedents and cannabis use outcomes (use vs. nonuse). Overall cannabis use was likelier at neutral ranges of affect (a<i>OR</i> = 0.95; 95% CI [0.91, 1.00]) and affective arousal (a<i>OR</i> = 1.52; 95% CI [0.91, 1.00], see Footnote 1), higher cannabis craving (a<i>OR</i> = 1.52; 95% CI [1.31, 1.76]), and substance intoxication (a<i>OR</i> = 1.25; 95% CI [1.01, 1.55]). Overall use was likelier at home (a<i>OR</i> = 1.97; 95% CI [1.16, 3.37]), and less likely in a place where cannabis smoking was forbidden (a<i>OR</i> = 0.46; 95% CI [0.25, 0.85]) or more people were present (a<i>OR</i> = 0.91; 95% CI [0.87, 0.96]). Other antecedents of use were seeing cannabis product packaging (a<i>OR</i> = 1.91; 95% CI [1.07, 3.39]) and experiencing racial/ethnic-based discrimination (a<i>OR</i> = 2.26; 95% CI [1.39, 3.69]). Future digital interventions for cannabis use will benefit from (a) testing real-time interactions between internal and external antecedents and (b) triggering interventions while users are at home alone, after discrimination experiences, and/or when feeling mild, neutral affect. <i>Note: CIs containing 1.00 interpreted as statistically significant are due to having rounded up to the upper limit</i>. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":12089,"journal":{"name":"Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143987608","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amy L Stamates, Sabrina M Todaro, Anna L Sherman, Melissa Rothstein, Dahianna López
{"title":"A pilot study of impulsivity and subjective alcohol response in the lab and moment.","authors":"Amy L Stamates, Sabrina M Todaro, Anna L Sherman, Melissa Rothstein, Dahianna López","doi":"10.1037/pha0000779","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000779","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Impulsivity and individual differences in alcohol sensitivity (e.g., subjective response to alcohol) have been related to alcohol use behaviors, but scant research has examined how these two constructs are related to each other. Consequently, this pilot study aimed (1) to examine associations between impulsivity domains (impulsive action, impulsive choice, and impulsive personality features) and alcohol sensitivity during alcohol administration in the laboratory; (2) to test daily associations between impulsivity domains and sensitivity to reward during ecological momentary assessment (EMA); and (3) to explore consistency between alcohol sensitivity scores in the lab and EMA. Participants (<i>N</i> = 26; 38.5% male, 61.5% female) were students (graduate and undergraduate) who engaged in recent (past-month) alcohol use and heavy drinking in the past 6 months. Participants completed an in-person alcohol administration session followed by 10 days of EMA. For Aim 1, results indicated that individuals with a greater lack of perseverance reported greater cravings and willingness to drive during the alcohol administration session. Negative and positive urgency were positively associated with liking the alcoholic beverage. For Aim 2, within-person associations revealed that greater than usual lack of premeditation was associated with greater craving while drinking, and greater than usual lack of perseverance was related to less willingness to drive. For Aim 3, subjective effects for liking, craving, and stimulation scores were greater during the EMA portion as compared to the laboratory session. Our findings suggested that individual differences in some impulsive personality features played a role in the motivation to consume alcohol in the laboratory and real world. Future research should replicate these pilot findings and expand on contextual factors that may be driving the present study's associations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":12089,"journal":{"name":"Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143991551","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Precious Mathis, Fodie Koita, Grace Beuley, Stacy R Ryan-Pettes
{"title":"Parental perceptions of contingency management for adolescent substance use: Acceptability, willingness to pay, and preferences.","authors":"Precious Mathis, Fodie Koita, Grace Beuley, Stacy R Ryan-Pettes","doi":"10.1037/pha0000778","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000778","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite robust evidence, there is a low uptake of incentive-based contingency management (CM) for substance use treatment due to provider worries about client perceptions of CM and high implementation costs. Research has attempted to address these concerns to facilitate the dissemination of CM for adult substance use. However, little research has explored these barriers to disseminating CM for adolescents. The present study assessed the degree to which parents (those most likely to be payors of adolescent treatment) held positive and negative views of incentives for substance use treatment, preferred fixed- versus variable-ratio schedules of reinforcement and immediate versus delayed receipt of reinforcers, and were willing to pay for incentive-based treatment. One hundred twenty-three parents of adolescents currently using substances (<i>N</i> = 123) were recruited via Facebook to participate in a survey study. While results show parents endorsed some objections, parents overwhelmingly endorsed positive views about incentives for adolescent substance use treatment and indicated a willingness to pay out-of-pocket costs. Also, parents endorsed incentives with fixed amounts over variable amounts. Finally, parent age was significantly associated with the likelihood of accepting incentives, and perception of incentives was significantly associated with the likelihood of agreeing to engage and willingness to pay for incentive-based treatment. This study showed parents largely accept the idea of incentives for substance use treatment and support exploring a self-pay model to increase the dissemination of CM. Research is needed to examine perceptions of incentives for substance use treatment among adolescents themselves and explore novel ways of integrating voucher- and prize-based procedures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":12089,"journal":{"name":"Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143998406","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Zhenbo Wu, Hongyu Chen, Li Li, Yanyan Huang, Qinghua Lan, Hanjun Zhu, Songmei Luo
{"title":"Effects of sertraline on depressive symptoms, serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), 5-HT, and inflammatory cytokine expression in pediatric depression patients.","authors":"Zhenbo Wu, Hongyu Chen, Li Li, Yanyan Huang, Qinghua Lan, Hanjun Zhu, Songmei Luo","doi":"10.1037/pha0000768","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1037/pha0000768","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study investigated the therapeutic effects of sertraline in pediatric patients diagnosed with depression, focusing on its impact on serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), serotonin (5-HT), and inflammatory cytokines. A total of 164 pediatric patients were randomly divided into two groups: the sertraline and control groups, with 82 participants in each. Depressive symptoms were evaluated at 2 and 4 weeks using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) and the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R). Serum concentrations of BDNF, 5-HT, and inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α) were quantified using ELISA. Results demonstrated no significant differences in baseline characteristics between the groups. After 4 weeks, both groups showed reductions in HAMD-17 and CDRS-R scores and interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α levels, as well as increases in BDNF and 5-HT levels. Notably, at the 2-week mark, the sertraline group had significantly lower scores in both depression scales and inflammatory cytokines compared to the control group (fluoxetine treatment), indicating an early onset of action. Despite these findings, by 4 weeks, differences in HAMD-17 and CDRS-R scores, BDNF, and 5-HT levels between the two groups were no longer significant, although the sertraline group maintained lower levels of inflammatory cytokines. Additionally, the sertraline group reported higher rates of early improvement and adverse events, though no significant differences in remission or response rates were found between the groups. Overall, sertraline demonstrates effectiveness in alleviating depressive symptoms in children during the initial treatment period, potentially via mechanisms involving BDNF, 5-HT, and inflammation modulation, although it presents a less favorable safety profile compared to fluoxetine. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":12089,"journal":{"name":"Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2025-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143987731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}