Date Presented 03/22/24
This literature review gains a deeper understanding of the primary causes of psychiatric disorders and changes in brain structure and function associated with them. For therapists, understanding this topic can enhance the effectiveness of treatment.
Primary Author and Speaker: Yu-Jun Chen
Additional Authors and Speakers: Huei Jyun Huang, Chun-Hua Cheng
INTRODUCTION: Psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder, are brain-related conditions that detrimentally affect individuals’ quality of life, resulting in cognitive and social abnormalities. Understanding the psychopathology of these disorders is essential due to their high prevalence and the lack of effective treatments.
OBJECTIVES: This literature review aims to clarify the causes of psychiatric disorders and changes in brain structure and function. Then try to identify evidence-based interventions to enhance clinical treatment and facilitate early prevention, reducing the societal burden.
METHOD: We search in international databases, utilizing keywords such as ‘Psychiatric Disorders,’ ‘Brain Structure and Function,’ and ‘Psychopathology,’ covering the years 2000 to 2023. Our selection criteria focused on literature primarily concerning individuals with schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder and included comprehensive examination of specific disease factors or brain imaging.
RESULTS: Most literature emphasized brain structural imaging, genetic factors, brain neural circuits, and brain protein aggregation in relation to psychiatric disorders. Some studies explored the impact of early adverse experiences and chronic stress on development, while others investigated environmental factors such as air and noise pollution’s link to psychiatric disorders. However, research on the reversibility of brain changes following treatment was limited.
CONCLUSION: Integrated research on the causes of psychiatric disorders and related brain changes is lacking. The interaction between functional brain network maturation and developmental psychopathology remains unclear. Effective diagnostic markers, prevention measures for high-risk populations, and treatments are needed. Further clinical experiments are necessary for precise diagnosis and treatment, ultimately improving patient outcomes.
References
Abdolmaleky, H. M., Martin, M., Zhou, J. R., & Thiagalingam, S. (2023). Epigenetic Alterations of Brain Non-Neuronal Cells in Major Mental Diseases. Genes, 14(4), 896. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes14040896
Dirk Jan Ardesch., Ilan Libedinsky., Lianne H. Scholtens., Yongbin Wei., and Martijn P. van den Heuvel. (2023).Convergence of Brain Transcriptomic and Neuroimaging Patterns in Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder. Biological Psychiatry: CNNI. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpsc.2022.12.013
Holz, N. E., Berhe, O., Sacu, S., Schwarz, E., Tesarz, J., Heim, C. M., & Tost, H. (2023). Early Social Adversity, Altered Brain Functional Connectivity, and Mental Health. Biological psychiatry, 93(5), 430–441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2022.10.019
Ochneva, A., Zorkina, Y., Abramova, O., Pavlova, O., Ushakova, V., Morozova, A., Zubkov, E., Pavlov, K., Gurina, O., & Chekhonin, V. (2022). Protein Misfolding and Aggregation in the Brain: Common Pathogenetic Pathways in Neurodegenerative and Mental Disorders. International journal of molecular sciences, 23(22), 14498. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232214498
