Di He, Zeqi Hao, Mengqi Zhao, Mengting Li, Na Hou, Yang Yu, Lulu Cheng, Xize Jia
{"title":"Structural and functional brain abnormal alteration in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A coordinate-based meta-analysis.","authors":"Di He, Zeqi Hao, Mengqi Zhao, Mengting Li, Na Hou, Yang Yu, Lulu Cheng, Xize Jia","doi":"10.1038/s41398-025-03488-z","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41398-025-03488-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a prevalent chronic condition associated with a range of abnormalities in both the functional and structural aspects of the brain. However, existing studies have produced inconsistent results due to disease heterogeneity and small sample size. Therefore, we aim to examine common functional and structural alterations in patients with T2DM.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase (published before July 2023) and included a total of 52 valid studies (58 datasets), which have 2160 patients with T2DM and 2124 healthy controls (HCs). Then, we used the anisotropic effect size seed-based d mapping (AES-SDM) to examine changes in neural activity and grey matter volume (GMV) in patients with T2DM. To validate the findings of the AES-SDM results, two additional meta-analyses were performed using activation likelihood estimation (ALE) and multilevel kernel density analysis (MKDA).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The results showed that patients with T2DM exhibited abnormal neural activity, functional connectivity of default mode network, and GMV in brain regions related to visual processing, such as the occipital lobe, lingual gyrus, and Heschl's gyrus. In addition, functional or structural alterations were also found in other sensory-motor, cognitive, and attention-related brain regions in patients with T2DM. The results of ALE and MKDA fundamentally confirmed the findings of the AES-SDM analysis.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings offer robust neural markers and deepen our understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of T2DM.</p>","PeriodicalId":23278,"journal":{"name":"Translational Psychiatry","volume":"15 1","pages":"269"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12328820/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144795632","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hanyang Shen, Ciera Stafford, Joeri Meijsen, Lijin Zhang, Jacob Reiter, Rebecca B Lawn, Alicia K Smith, Mytilee Vermuri, Laramie E Duncan
{"title":"Associations between testosterone and future PTSD symptoms among middle age and older UK residents.","authors":"Hanyang Shen, Ciera Stafford, Joeri Meijsen, Lijin Zhang, Jacob Reiter, Rebecca B Lawn, Alicia K Smith, Mytilee Vermuri, Laramie E Duncan","doi":"10.1038/s41398-025-03482-5","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41398-025-03482-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Testosterone has been theorized to influence the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the relationship between testosterone level and PTSD is still not well understood. We evaluated the potential association between testosterone and subsequent development of PTSD symptoms using a large sample size, in a civilian context, inclusive of both males and females. Out of around 500,000 total UK Biobank participants, our sample had 130,471 participants who: had testosterone measures, completed the mental health questionnaire, and passed outlier exclusion. After adjusting for relevant covariates, we used linear regression to assess the relationship between testosterone level and future development of symptoms, in males and females separately (N<sub>males</sub> = 61,758, N<sub>females</sub> = 67,053). In both males and females, small but significant nonlinear (and oftentimes U-shaped) relationships were observed between testosterone levels and PTSD symptoms. When grouping participants into deciles of testosterone for both sexes, the strongest associations between testosterone levels and PTSD symptoms were observed in the central deciles. For example, for total testosterone, compared to decile 1: individuals in decile 7 had the lowest PTSD symptom scores in both males (beta = -0.16, p = 1.58 × 10<sup>-3</sup>) and females (beta = -0.23, p = 3.04 × 10<sup>-5</sup>). We also found that body mass index (BMI) moderated the relationship between testosterone and PTSD symptoms, such that the relationship was considerably stronger among individuals with higher BMI. Results were similar for depression and anxiety measures. Analyses using calculated free testosterone (cFT) and the free androgen index (FAI) were generally consistent with total testosterone (TT) results. These findings suggest that mid-range testosterone levels are associated with the lowest risk of PTSD symptoms in both sexes, and future work should seek to examine if this relationship is causal.</p>","PeriodicalId":23278,"journal":{"name":"Translational Psychiatry","volume":"15 1","pages":"268"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12328684/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144795631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Glymphatic dysfunction associated with cortisol dysregulation in major depressive disorder.","authors":"Shengli Chen, Ziyun Xu, Zheng Guo, Shiwei Lin, Hongyuan Zhang, Qunjun Liang, Qianyun Chen, Yingli Zhang, Bo Peng, Yanzhen Zhao, Gangqiang Hou, Yingwei Qiu","doi":"10.1038/s41398-025-03486-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41398-025-03486-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cortisol dysregulation plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of depression, but its exact impact on the brain remains unclear. In this cross-sectional study, 210 participants, including 164 depressed patients and 46 healthy controls (HCs), were assessed. Glymphatic circulation was evaluated on Magnetic Resonance Imaging via choroid plexus (CP) volume fraction, perivascular space (PVS) volume fraction, fractional volume of extracellular-free water (FW), and diffusion tensor imaging along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS) index. Chemiluminescence was employed to analyze the cortisol levels in a sub-cohort of the patients. Independent sample t-tests and Pearson's correlation analysis were used to assess differences in these metrics between groups and their correlation with cortisol levels. After adjusting for age, sex, years of education, and total intracranial volume, depressed patients exhibited a significantly higher FW and lower ALPS than HCs. No significant differences were found in CP volume and PVS fraction between depressed patients and HCs. Additionally, the increased FW correlated positively with cortisol levels in depressed patients, suggesting that glymphatic dysfunction is linked to plasma cortisol levels in depression.</p>","PeriodicalId":23278,"journal":{"name":"Translational Psychiatry","volume":"15 1","pages":"265"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12325902/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144790057","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sex-specific modulation of anxiety-like behavior by forebrain neuronal SMC3 in mice.","authors":"Natalia Saleev, Dmitriy Getselter, Evan Elliott","doi":"10.1038/s41398-025-03494-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41398-025-03494-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>SMC3 is a chromatin binding factor that plays central roles in genome organization and in proper neurodevelopment. Mutations in SMC3 gene (SMC3) induce neurodevelopmental and behavioral phenotypes in humans, including changes in anxiety behavior and self-injury. However, it is not clear what are the exact roles of SMC3 in behavior in adulthood or if its effects are only developmental. Using an adult forebrain excitatory neuron specific Smc3 knockout mouse model, the current study determined specific sex-dependent effects of SMC3 ablation during adulthood. Behavioral tests identified anxiolytic effects of Smc3 knockout in females and anxiogenic effects in males four weeks after initiation of adult knockout. The prefrontal cortex, a regulator of anxiety behavior, also displayed sex-dependent effects in dendritic branching. Transcriptional analysis revealed gene expression effects of Smc3 knockout in males and females, including changes in anxiety-related genes and relevant transcriptional pathways. While effects on anxiety behavior was sex-specific, both males and females developed self-injury behavior at approximately ten weeks after induction of knockout. The current study suggests that neuronal SMC3 modulates anxiety during adulthood in a sex-specific manner.</p>","PeriodicalId":23278,"journal":{"name":"Translational Psychiatry","volume":"15 1","pages":"266"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12325900/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144790121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sodium benzoate treatment decreased amyloid beta peptides and improved cognitive function among patients with Alzheimer's disease: secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial.","authors":"Chieh-Hsin Lin, Hsien-Yuan Lane","doi":"10.1038/s41398-025-03492-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41398-025-03492-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With the recent approval of anti-amyloid beta (Aβ) monoclonal antibody infusion therapies for Alzheimer's disease (AD), more feasible and safter Aβ-reducing approaches are anticipated. Previous studies showed that 750-mg/day or 1000-mg/day (but not 500-mg/day) sodium benzoate treatment improved cognitive function in AD patients with excellent safety and that benzoate decreased Aβ burden in an animal AD model. The current study aimed to explore whether oral sodium benzoate was able to reduce Aβ peptides in AD patients and whether Aβ before treatment was correlated with cognitive improvement after treatment. This secondary analysis used data from a double-blind trial, in which 149 patients with mild AD were randomized to receive oral placebo or one of three benzoate doses (500, 750, or 1000 mg/day). Cognitive function and plasma Aβ 1-40 and Aβ 1-42 levels were measured before and after treatment. When compared to placebo, benzoate therapy at effective doses (750 and 1000 mg/day) reduced Aβ 1-40 and the sum of both Aβ peptides (Aβ 1-40 plus Aβ 1-42) in AD patients. Moreover, higher Aβ 1-42 levels at baseline were associated with better cognitive improvements after benzoate treatment at effective doses in the patients. The findings suggest that sodium benzoate therapy can reduce Aβ 1-40 and the total Aβ in AD patients and higher Aβ 1-42 levels before treatment predict better cognitive improvements. Due to its superior safety and convenient administration, sodium benzoate has the potential to be a novel Aβ-reducing therapy for AD treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Name of trial registry: NMDA Enhancer for the Treatment of Mild Alzheimer's Disease. Identifying number: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03752463 ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03752463 ). Registration date: 2018-11-21.</p>","PeriodicalId":23278,"journal":{"name":"Translational Psychiatry","volume":"15 1","pages":"264"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12326001/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144790122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Prokopis Konstanti, Kira F Ahrens, Rebecca J Neumann, Michael M Plichta, Carmen Schiweck, Alea Ruf, Christian J Fiebach, Raffael Kalisch, Ulrike Basten, Michèle Wessa, Oliver Tuescher, Bianca Kollmann, Klaus Lieb, Alejandro Arias-Vasquez, Hauke Smidt, Andreas Reif, Silke Matura, Clara Belzer
{"title":"Impulsivity among healthy adults is associated with diet and fecal microbiota composition.","authors":"Prokopis Konstanti, Kira F Ahrens, Rebecca J Neumann, Michael M Plichta, Carmen Schiweck, Alea Ruf, Christian J Fiebach, Raffael Kalisch, Ulrike Basten, Michèle Wessa, Oliver Tuescher, Bianca Kollmann, Klaus Lieb, Alejandro Arias-Vasquez, Hauke Smidt, Andreas Reif, Silke Matura, Clara Belzer","doi":"10.1038/s41398-025-03483-4","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41398-025-03483-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Impulsivity is an important personality trait that has been associated with unhealthy dietary choices and higher alcohol consumption. In turn, both diet and alcohol can affect gut microbiota composition, which has been recently linked with mental health. Although a few studies have explored the relationship between personality traits and gut microbiota, the interplay between trait impulsivity, diet, and gut microbiota remains underexplored. In the present cross-sectional study, we examine the relationship between impulsivity, diet, and fecal microbiota composition in the LORA (Longitudinal Resilience Assessment) cohort, which included participants of the general population (N = 913), without any lifetime diagnosis of mental disorder and no major disease. Fecal samples were analyzed using 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequencing, and trait impulsivity was assessed using the UPPS (Urgency-Premeditation-Perseverance-Sensation seeking) questionnaire. UPPS facets were associated with consumption of alcohol, sugary drinks, fruits, vegetables and fiber but not with meat. All the dietary components were associated with overall fecal microbiota composition as determined by beta diversity analyses, but no associations were detected for any of the four UPPS facets. Per genus analysis revealed associations of urgency with three bacterial taxa, premediation with four bacterial taxa and sensation seeking with one bacterial taxon. Notably, the genera Butyricicoccus and Lachnospiraceae UCG-001 that were negatively associated with urgency were also associated with healthier dietary patterns such as higher fiber, fruits and vegetables consumption and with lower consumption of sugary drinks. Furthermore the bacterium Eubacterium siraeum that was associated with higher sensation seeking, was also associated with more frequent alcohol consumption. Overall, our results suggest that impulsivity in neurotypical adults is associated with dietary choices and the relative abundances of specific gut bacteria.</p>","PeriodicalId":23278,"journal":{"name":"Translational Psychiatry","volume":"15 1","pages":"263"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12318000/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144769078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Chronic stress in mice: how gut bacteria influence gene activity in key brain neurons.","authors":"Wenxia Jiang, Yifan Li, Jie Yang, Xunmin Tan, Ruimin Tian, Guojing Ma, Jing Wu, Jianping Zhang, Yu Huang, Ping Liu, Minghao Yuan, Xiaodong Song, Leyao Luo, Xingyu Zhou, Hongzhou Zuo, Ma-Li Wong, Julio Licino, Peng Zheng","doi":"10.1038/s41398-025-03479-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41398-025-03479-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a serious mental disorder. Increasing evidence suggests that changes of gut microbiota are involved in pathogenesis of depression, yet the underlying mechanisms remains unknown. Here, chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) mice model was constructed to mimic depression. We characterized the microbial composition and function of control, bedding exchange, and CUMS mice through 16S rRNA gene and metagenomic sequencing. Additionally, single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq) was used to compare the transcriptomic changes in the hypothalamus of these three groups. We found that replacing the bedding of CUMS mice with that of control mice could reverse the depressive-like behaviors. The microbial signatures of bedding exchange group trended towards the control group at the genus level. The abundance of g_norank_f_Muribaculaceae significantly increased in the bedding exchange group compared to CUMS group. Meanwhile, we found that the CUMS mice were characterized by cell-specific transcriptomic changes in hypothalamus. Notably, the transcriptomes of excitatory neurons in the hypothalamus were mainly affected, and these changes could be effectively reversed by bedding exchange treatment. The gene modules analysis revealed that the gut microbiota mainly modulated glyoxylate and dicarboxylate metabolism as well as arginine biosynthesis in hypothalamic excitatory neurons. Our findings provide new insights into the pathogenesis of depression.</p>","PeriodicalId":23278,"journal":{"name":"Translational Psychiatry","volume":"15 1","pages":"262"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12318120/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144769077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Substance use disorders: a call for a staging paradigm.","authors":"Keren Bachi, Yasmin L Hurd, Edwin A Salsitz","doi":"10.1038/s41398-025-03484-3","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41398-025-03484-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Despite advances in the characterization of substance use disorders (SUDs) as chronic brain disorders, specific clinical stages have yet to be established similar to other chronic illnesses. A dynamic structured staging model for SUDs that incorporates multidimensional factors including social determinants of health, could improve personalized treatment and enhance clinical translation of addiction research.</p>","PeriodicalId":23278,"journal":{"name":"Translational Psychiatry","volume":"15 1","pages":"261"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12317042/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144765588","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Eben Holderness, Bruce Atwood, Marc Verhagen, Ann K Shinn, Philip Cawkwell, Hudson Cerruti, James Pustejovsky, Mei-Hua Hall
{"title":"Machine learning in psychiatric health records: A gold standard approach to trauma annotation.","authors":"Eben Holderness, Bruce Atwood, Marc Verhagen, Ann K Shinn, Philip Cawkwell, Hudson Cerruti, James Pustejovsky, Mei-Hua Hall","doi":"10.1038/s41398-025-03487-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41398-025-03487-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Psychiatric electronic health records present unique challenges for machine learning due to their unstructured, complex, and variable nature. This study aimed to create a gold standard dataset by identifying a cohort of patients with psychotic disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder, (PTSD), developing clinically-informed guidelines for annotating traumatic events in their health records and to create a gold standard publicly available dataset, and demonstrating the dataset's suitability for training machine learning models to detect indicators of symptoms, substance use, and trauma in new records. We compiled a representative corpus of 200 narrative heavy health records (470,489 tokens) from a centralized database and developed a detailed annotation scheme with a team of clinical experts and computational linguistics. Clinicians annotated the corpus for trauma-related events and relevant clinical information with high inter-annotator agreement (0.715 for entity/span tags and 0.874 for attributes). Additionally, machine learning models were developed to demonstrate practical viability of the gold standard corpus for machine learning applications, achieving a micro F1 score of 0.76 and 0.82 for spans and attributes respectively, indicative of their predictive reliability. This study established the first gold-standard dataset for the complex task of labelling traumatic features in psychiatric health records. High inter-annotator agreement and model performance illustrate its utility in advancing the application of machine learning in psychiatric healthcare in order to better understand disease heterogeneity and treatment implications.</p>","PeriodicalId":23278,"journal":{"name":"Translational Psychiatry","volume":"15 1","pages":"260"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12317041/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144765587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Damien Huzard, Giulia Oliva, Mélanie Marias, Chloé Granat, Vanessa Soubeyre, Glaécia do Nascimento Pereira, Ahmed Negm, Gawain Grellier, Jérôme Devaux, Emmanuel Bourinet, Amaury François
{"title":"Primary sensory neuron dysfunction underlying mechanical itch hypersensitivity in a Shank3 mouse model of autism.","authors":"Damien Huzard, Giulia Oliva, Mélanie Marias, Chloé Granat, Vanessa Soubeyre, Glaécia do Nascimento Pereira, Ahmed Negm, Gawain Grellier, Jérôme Devaux, Emmanuel Bourinet, Amaury François","doi":"10.1038/s41398-025-03461-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41398-025-03461-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder marked by social deficits, repetitive behaviors and atypical sensory perception. The link between ASD and skin abnormalities, inducing itchiness, has never been investigated in depth. This study explores mechanical itch sensitivity in the Shank3<sup>ΔC/ΔC</sup> mouse model. Key observations include heightened scratching in response to skin deformation and hypersensitivity to mechanical itch (i.e. alloknesis) in Shank3<sup>ΔC/ΔC</sup> mice. In Shank3<sup>ΔC/ΔC</sup> mice, ex vivo electrophysiological experiments revealed that C-fiber low-threshold mechanoreceptors (C-LTMRs) were hyporesponsive and transcriptomic analysis showed a downregulation of TAFA4, a protein secreted by C-LMTRs. Interestingly, pharmacologically inhibiting Aβ-LTMR, important in mechanical itch initiation, abolished the itch hypersensitivity. Also, TAFA4 injections reduced the spontaneous scratching response to skin deformation but failed to restore itch sensitivity. Our data suggest that somatosensory deficits in Shank3<sup>ΔC/ΔC</sup> mice lead to a hypersensitivity to itchiness and indicate that two pathways might be regulating mechanical itchiness, dependent or not on TAFA4.</p>","PeriodicalId":23278,"journal":{"name":"Translational Psychiatry","volume":"15 1","pages":"259"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2025-07-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12304312/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144733387","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}