Brain Sciences最新文献

{"title":"General Sense of Perceived Self-Efficacy and Loneliness Among Polish Adolescents: Communication with Peers as Mediator.","authors":"Małgorzata Szcześniak, Agata Hiacynta Świątek, Aniela Szczerba, Karolina Szpunar, Adam Falewicz","doi":"10.3390/brainsci15090946","DOIUrl":"10.3390/brainsci15090946","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background</b>: Adolescence is a particularly vulnerable period for experiencing loneliness. According to the latest statistics, there are worldwide increases in adolescents' social isolation caused by different psychosocial challenges. A number of different studies have linked a strong belief in being successful at doing something to lower levels of feeling lonely. <b>Objectives</b>: Because we know less about the potential mediators of this relationship, the aim of the current study was to assess: (1) the association between self-efficacy and loneliness; (2) the mediatory role of peer communication. <b>Methods</b>: A total of 191 primary and high school students (M_age = 16.22; SD = 1.44) completed the General Self-Efficacy Scale, the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale, and the Scale of Communication of Adolescents with Peers. <b>Results</b>: The results of the correlation analyses revealed that self-efficacy was negatively associated with loneliness and difficulty in adolescents' communication with peers. Conversely, self-efficacy was positively associated with openness in adolescents' communication with peers. Moreover, the outcomes of the PROCESS macro for SPSS (model number 4; Hayes, 2013) showed that openness in adolescents' communication with peers and difficulty in this communication were mediators in this relationship. <b>Conclusions</b>: Young people who strongly believe in their abilities to achieve success may be more willing to share ideas and personal experiences with others and have less difficulty in communicating with peers, which may lead to a reduced sense of loneliness.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"15 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12468521/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145173867","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}

{"title":"HIITing Anxiety and Depression in Parkinson's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis-A Study Protocol of a Transdiagnostic Randomized Controlled Trial (HersenFIT).","authors":"Arianne S Gravesteijn, Marc B Rietberg, Vincent de Groot, Mark A Hirsch, Tim Vanbellingen, Richard T Jaspers, Chris Vriend, Wilma D J van de Berg, Odile A van den Heuvel, Erwin E H van Wegen, On Behalf Of The HersenFIT Consortium","doi":"10.3390/brainsci15090945","DOIUrl":"10.3390/brainsci15090945","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background/Objectives:</b> Parkinson's disease (PD) and multiple sclerosis (MS) are neurological conditions that result in debilitating non-motor symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, which significantly reduce quality of life and often persist despite pharmacological treatment. As a result, effective alternative treatment strategies are needed. Exercise therapy-particularly aerobic training-has shown promise in alleviating non-motor symptoms, potentially through neuroplastic adaptations. However, traditional aerobic exercise is often time-consuming and monotonous, limiting long-term adherence. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) offers a time-efficient and potentially more engaging alternative, though its effects on non-motor symptoms in PD and MS remain understudied. <b>Methods</b>: This transdiagnostic randomized controlled trial will enroll 48 participants (24 PD, 24 MS) with clinically significant affective symptoms (hospital anxiety and depression scale [HADS] ≥ 8). The participants will be randomly assigned to one of three 8-week interventions: (1) HIIT, 5-6 intervals of 45 s of high-intensity cycling; (2) continuous aerobic training (CAT), 50 min of low-intensity cycling; (3) movement advice (MA), step goals, and physical education. The primary (affective symptoms) and secondary outcomes (cognition, fatigue, sleep, motor function) will be assessed at four time points: 4 and 1 weeks pre intervention, and 1 and 4 weeks post intervention. Weekly blood samples and pre/post brain imaging will be collected to study biofluid and MRI measures for potential neuroplasticity. Linear mixed models will analyze the time and group effects. <b>Discussion:</b> This trial will assess whether HIIT can more effectively improve non-motor and motor symptoms in PD and MS than CAT or MA. A multimodal approach will explore both the clinical outcomes and underlying mechanisms, informing scalable and engaging rehabilitation strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"15 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12468372/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145173780","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}

{"title":"Putamen Stiffness Declines with Age and Is Associated with Implicit Sequence Learning Outcomes.","authors":"Hyeon Jung Heselton, Aaron T Anderson, Curtis L Johnson, Neal J Cohen, Bradley P Sutton, Hillary Schwarb","doi":"10.3390/brainsci15090947","DOIUrl":"10.3390/brainsci15090947","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objectives: </strong>Sequence learning, the ability to pick up on regularities in our environment to facilitate behavior, is critically dependent on striatal structures in the brain, with the putamen emerging as a critical hub for implicit sequence learning. As the putamen is known to shrink with age, and age-related declines in sequence learning abilities are common, it has been hypothesized that the structural integrity of the putamen is likely related to sequence learning outcomes. However, the structural literature is sparse. One reason may be that traditional structural imaging measures, like volume, are not sufficiently sensitive to measure changes that are related to performance outcomes. We propose that magnetic resonance elastography (MRE), an emerging neuroimaging tool that provides quantitative measures of microstructural integrity, may fill this gap.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this study, both sequence learning abilities and the structural integrity of the putamen were assessed in 61 cognitively healthy middle-aged and older adults (range: 45-78 years old). Sequence learning was measured via performance on the Serial Reaction Time Task. Putamen integrity was assessed in two ways: first, via standard structural volume assessments, and second, via MRE measures of tissue integrity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Age significantly correlated with both putamen volume and stiffness but not sequence learning scores. While sequence learning scores did not correlate with volume, MRE-derived measures of putamen stiffness were significantly correlated with learning outcomes such that individuals with stiffer putamen showed higher learning scores. A series of control analyses were performed to highlight the specificity and sensitivity of this putamen stiffness-sequence learning relationship.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Together these data indicate that microstructural changes that occur in the putamen as we age may contribute to changes in sequence learning outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"15 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12468379/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145173766","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}

{"title":"Multidimensional Representation Dynamics for Abstract Visual Objects in Encoded Tangram Paradigms.","authors":"Yongxiang Lian, Shihao Pan, Li Shi","doi":"10.3390/brainsci15090941","DOIUrl":"10.3390/brainsci15090941","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The human visual system is capable of processing large quantities of visual objects with varying levels of abstraction. The brain also exhibits hierarchical integration and learning capabilities that combine various attributes of visual objects (e.g., color, shape, local features, and categories) into coherent representations. However, prevailing theories in visual neuroscience employ simple stimuli or natural images with uncontrolled feature correlations, which constrains the systematic investigation of multidimensional representation dynamics.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this study, we aimed to bridge this methodological gap by developing a novel large tangram paradigm in visual cognition research and proposing cognitive-associative encoding as a mathematical basis. Critical representation dimensions-including animacy, abstraction level, and local feature density-were computed across a public dataset of over 900 tangrams, enabling the construction of a hierarchical model of visual representation.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Neural responses to 85 representative images were recorded using Electroencephalography (<i>n</i> = 24), and subsequent behavioral analyses and neural decoding revealed that distinct representational dimensions are independently encoded and dynamically expressed at different stages of cognitive processing. Furthermore, representational similarity analysis and temporal generalization analysis indicated that higher-order cognitive processes, such as \"change of mind,\" reflect the selective activation or suppression of local feature processing.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings demonstrate that tangram stimuli, structured through cognitive-associative encoding, provide a generalizable computational framework for investigating the dynamic stages of human visual object cognition.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"15 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12467768/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145173664","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}

{"title":"Association Between Upper Respiratory Tract Infections and Parkinson's Disease in Korean Populations: A Nested Case-Control Study Using a National Health Screening Cohort.","authors":"Hyuntaek Rim, Hyo Geun Choi, Jee Hye Wee, Joo Hyun Park, Mi Jung Kwon, Ho Suk Kang, Hoang Nguyen, In Bok Chang, Joon Ho Song, Ji Hee Kim","doi":"10.3390/brainsci15090939","DOIUrl":"10.3390/brainsci15090939","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Although several epidemiological studies have suggested a potential association between infections and Parkinson's disease (PD), relatively few have specifically examined the relationship between upper respiratory tract infections (URIs) and PD, apart from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>We investigated whether a history of URI was associated with the diagnosis of PD among Korean individuals aged ≥40 years, using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service-Health Screening Cohort.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 5844 patients newly diagnosed with PD were identified and matched with 23,376 control participants at a 1:4 ratio based on age, sex, income, and geographical region. Conditional logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for PD, adjusting for potential confounders including smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, blood pressure, comorbidity scores, blood glucose, and serum cholesterol levels.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, no significant association was found between a history of URI and PD when considering a two-year exposure window. However, in the one-year window analysis, individuals with a history of URI had a modestly reduced odds of PD (≥1, ≥2, or ≥3 episodes: (adjusted OR: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.88-0.97, aOR: 0.91, 95% CI: 0.87-0.96 and aOR: 0.92, 95% CI: 0.87-0.98, respectively). Subgroup analyses revealed that the inverse association was more pronounced among women, older adults (≥65 years), and those with higher comorbidity scores. No clear dose-response trend was observed across increasing frequencies of URI diagnoses.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our findings suggest that the apparent protective association between recent URI history and PD is unlikely to be causal and may instead reflect confounding by medication use or reverse causation related to the prodromal phase of PD. These results should therefore be interpreted with caution and regarded as hypothesis-generating. Further prospective studies incorporating detailed prescription data and long-term follow-up are warranted to clarify the role of infections and anti-inflammatory medications in the pathogenesis of PD.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"15 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12468527/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145173570","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}

{"title":"Implications of Indolethylamine N-Methyltransferase (INMT) in Health and Disease: Biological Functions, Disease Associations, Inhibitors, and Analytical Approaches.","authors":"Seif Abouheif, Ahmed Awad, Christopher R McCurdy","doi":"10.3390/brainsci15090935","DOIUrl":"10.3390/brainsci15090935","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Indolethylamine N-methyltransferase (INMT) is a Class 1 methyltransferase responsible for N-methylation of various endogenous and exogenous compounds, including tryptamine, serotonin, and dopamine. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the biological and therapeutic relevance of INMT, emphasizing the human isoform (hINMT), highlighting its structural characteristics, disease association, and recent advances in analytical strategies. Dysregulation of INMT activity has been linked to a range of pathological conditions, including neuropsychiatric disorders, neurodegeneration, and several forms of cancer. These associations are addressed by integrating current findings across disease pathophysiology, enzyme inhibition, and analytical methodologies, including both radiolabeled and non-radiolabeled in vitro assays, for measuring INMT activity. We further explored the chemical diversity of INMT inhibitors, both natural and synthetic, and highlighted key compounds with therapeutic relevance. Additionally, recent commercial assays for quantifying INMT activity are emphasized. By integrating emerging evidence from structural biology and disease pathology with inhibitor profiling and analytical technologies, this review highlights the underexplored therapeutic potential of targeting INMT and underscores its value as a promising target for drug development and therapeutic applications.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"15 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12467775/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145173279","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}

{"title":"Ictal MEG-EEG Study to Localize the Onset of Generalized Seizures: To See Beyond What Meets the Eye.","authors":"Valentina Gumenyuk, Oleg Korzyukov, Noam Peled, Patrick Landazuri, Olga Taraschenko, Sheridan M Parker, Darya Frank, Spriha Pavuluri","doi":"10.3390/brainsci15090938","DOIUrl":"10.3390/brainsci15090938","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Introduction:</b> Patients with generalized epilepsy are rarely referred for advanced diagnostics like magnetoencephalography (MEG). This is due to the assumption that generalized seizures cannot be localized noninvasively. <b>Methods:</b> We present simultaneous MEG (306 channels) and EEG (64 channels) data from seven patients with drug-resistant generalized epilepsy. Three patients experienced typical generalized seizures during their MEG clinical evaluation. In total, 38 epileptiform events (three seizures, 35 interictal discharges) were analyzed using two software platforms and three localization methods: equivalent current dipole (ECD), sLORETA (via SWARM), and dynamic statistical parametric mapping (dSPM). Individual head models were created from each patient's MRI. <b>Results:</b> MEG successfully localized seizure onset zones, showing distinct hypersynchronous discharges on all sensors as well as alternately during interictal discharges. Localization was consistent across methods and generalized events within subjects, revealing cortical sources in all cases, with rapid propagation (27-60 ms) across networks. <b>Conclusions:</b> This study demonstrates that MEG can meaningfully localize both seizures and interictal discharges in generalized epilepsy. This supports a broader use for MEG beyond focal epilepsy. Incorporating MEG in drug-resistant cases including generalized epilepsies may improve diagnosis and guide treatments including non-surgical options.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"15 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12468207/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145172932","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}

{"title":"Beyond the Eye: Glaucoma and the Brain.","authors":"Marco Zeppieri, Federico Visalli, Mutali Musa, Alessandro Avitabile, Rosa Giglio, Daniele Tognetto, Caterina Gagliano, Fabiana D'Esposito, Francesco Cappellani","doi":"10.3390/brainsci15090934","DOIUrl":"10.3390/brainsci15090934","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Glaucoma is traditionally classified as an ocular disease characterized by progressive retinal ganglion cell (RGC) loss and optic nerve damage. However, emerging evidence suggests that its pathophysiology may extend beyond the eye, involving trans-synaptic neurodegeneration along the visual pathway and structural changes within central brain regions, including the lateral geniculate nucleus and visual cortex. In this narrative review, we have used the phrase 'brain involvement' to underscore central changes that accompany or follow retinal ganglion cell loss; we have not intended to redefine glaucoma as a primary cerebral disorder. Neuroimaging studies and neurocognitive assessments in adult glaucoma patients, primarily older individuals with primary open-angle glaucoma reveal that glaucoma patients may exhibit alterations in brain connectivity and cortical thinning, aligning it more closely with neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. This evolving neurocentric perspective raises important questions regarding shared mechanisms-such as mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and impaired axonal transport-that may link glaucomatous optic neuropathy to central nervous system (CNS) pathology. These insights open promising therapeutic avenues, including the repurposing of neuroprotective and neuroregenerative agents, targeting not only intraocular pressure (IOP) but also broader CNS pathways. Furthermore, neuroimaging biomarkers and brain-targeted interventions may play a future role in diagnosis, prognosis, and individualized treatment. This review synthesizes current evidence supporting glaucoma as a CNS disease, explores the mechanistic overlap with neurodegeneration, and discusses the potential clinical implications of glaucoma within a neuro-ophthalmologic paradigm.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"15 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12467791/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145173626","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}

{"title":"Resident Training in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery: A Scoping Review.","authors":"Michael C Oblich, James G Lyman, Rishi Jain, Dillan Prasad, Sharbel Romanos, Nader Dahdaleh, Najib E El Tecle, Christopher S Ahuja","doi":"10.3390/brainsci15090936","DOIUrl":"10.3390/brainsci15090936","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background/Objectives</b>: Minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) is complex and requires proficiency with a variety of technological and robotic modalities. Acquiring these skills is a long and involved process, often with a steep learning curve. This paper seeks to characterize the state of MISS training in neurosurgical and orthopedic residency programs, focusing on their effectiveness at minimizing substantial learning curves in the field, as well as highlighting potential areas for future growth. <b>Methods</b>: We conducted a scoping review of the PubMed, Scopus, and Embase databases utilizing the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews. <b>Results</b>: Of the 100 studies initially identified, 16 were included in our final analysis. MISS training types could be broadly grouped into four categories: virtual simulation (including AR and VR), physical models, hybrid didactic and simulation, and mentored training. Training with these modalities led to improvements in resident performance across multiple different MISS techniques, including percutaneous pedicle screw fixation, MIS dural repair, MIS-TLIF, MIS-LLIF, MIS-ULBD, microscopic discectomy/disk herniation repair, percutaneous needle placement, and surgical navigation. Specific improvements included reduced error rate, operation time, and fluoroscopy exposure, as well as increased procedural knowledge, accuracy, and confidence. <b>Conclusions</b>: The incorporation of MISS training modalities in spine surgery residency leads to increases in simulated performance and could serve as a means of overcoming significant learning curves in the field.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"15 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12467833/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145172888","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}

{"title":"Hematological Inflammatory Markers Across Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Preliminary Findings of an Observational Retrospective Study.","authors":"Raffaele Garotti, Maria Pia Riccio, Chiara Staffa, Mariangela Pezone, Carmela Bravaccio","doi":"10.3390/brainsci15090937","DOIUrl":"10.3390/brainsci15090937","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background/Objectives:</b> Alterations in immunoinflammatory activation may constitute a pathogenetic mechanism in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Blood cell count (CBC) parameters and hematological inflammatory indices (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio) are now assuming a greater role as potential biomarkers for NDDs. <b>Methods:</b> In this retrospective observational study, we gathered data on 135 medication-free individuals aged 6 to 17 years: 90 with NDDs (34 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 29 with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, 14 with intellectual disability, and 13 with tic disorder) and 45 typically developed controls. The variables analyzed were compared using analysis of variance including Bonferroni posthoc testing for pairwise comparisons Significance was defined as <i>p</i> < 0.05. <b>Results:</b> The analysis of variance revealed statistical significance for all evaluated CBC parameters, as well as for the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio. Notably, subjects with ASD exhibited increased values of neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and eosinophils compared to both typically developing subjects and other NDDs. The lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio was found to be lower in the tic disorder group compared to typically developing subjects. The elevated lymphocyte and monocyte levels in ASD subjects might reflect chronic low-grade inflammation. <b>Conclusions:</b> Consistent with the evidence in literature, statistically significant differences between the NDD group and typically developed subjects in the CBC parameters were found. The principal limitations of this investigation are the restricted sample size and the exclusion of specific NDD subtypes. Future research is needed to evaluate CBC parameters and inflammatory indices in a broader spectrum of NDDs to better understand the immunoinflammatory response specific to each disorder.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"15 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.8,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12467866/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145173795","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}