Category: Psychiatry

Food for Thought: Exploring Dietary Influence on the Gut-Brain Axis and its Implications for Neuropsychiatric Disorders

August 5, 2025 Jacquelin Stanberry
Jacquelin Stanberry Background: Neuropsychiatric disorders with behavioral disturbances have been associated with gastrointestinal symptoms and altered gut microbiomes1. The gut-brain axis is a bidirectional communication network with implications for health and disease that operates through three main pathways: immune, endocrine/systemic, and neuronal2. The immune pathway communicates using inflammatory molecules, while…
Engineering Medicine Featured Abstracts Psychiatry

The Role of the Gut-Brain Axis in Major Depressive Disorder

July 30, 2025 Conrad Li
Conrad Li Background: Major depression disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. The pathophysiology of MDD is complex and poorly understood with multiple competing theories including HPA axis dysregulation, monoamine deficiency, and chronic neuroinflammation.13 Studies over the last couple decades have found links between gut microbiome abnormalities and…
Engineering Medicine Featured Abstracts Psychiatry

Exercise Treats Depression by Upregulating Irisin, Lactate, and Kynurenine Aminotransferase Which have Neuroprotective Roles

July 22, 2025 Olivia Norrell
Olivia Norrell Background: Depression is a debilitating mental health disorder that affects approximately 280 million people worldwide.1 Causes of depression are multifactorial, but are linked to stress, socioeconomic status, and imbalances of neurotransmitters in key areas of the brain: the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.1,2 Current treatments consist of cognitive behavioral…
Neuroscience Psychiatry

Heterozygous Variants of MEIS2 and Their Role in Cleft Lip/Palate, Congenital Heart Defects, and Intellectual Disability

July 17, 2025 Rithvik Gunda
Rithvik Gunda Background: Mutations in the MEIS2 gene, located on chromosome 15q14, are associated with a triad of developmental conditions: cleft lip and/or palate, congenital heart defects, and intellectual impairment. MEIS2 is a member of the TALE (Three Amino Acid Loop Extension) homeobox gene family and acts as a transcription…
Cardiology Psychiatry

The Role of Cell Penetrating Peptides in Increasing Antidepressant Efficacy for Treatment Resistant Depression

July 9, 2025 Ishmam Alam
Ishmam Alam Background: Major depressive disorder is the fourth most prevalent global disease, and can significantly impact an individual’s daily life, potentially proliferating into suicide ideation and attempts.1 This disorder affects a significant portion of the population, with the World Health Organization reporting a global lifetime prevalence of 10%.2 Primary…
Featured Abstracts Neuroscience Psychiatry

Adjunctive Treatment of Neurosteroids Sequesters Drug-Resistant Behavioral Seizures in Children with CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder

September 26, 2024 Michael Neff
Michael Neff Background: Cyclin-dependent like kinase 5 (CDKL5) Deficiency Disorder is an X-linked mutation that leads to severe developmental delays, spontaneous seizures, and early death in infants.6,7,8 CDKL5 is a serine threonine kinase that is a key regulator of early neuronal development that controls the aggregation of glutamatergic receptors, GABA-A…
Featured Abstracts Psychiatry

Food for a Better Mood: Diet as a Modulator of the Gut Microbiome for the Treatment of Depression

June 28, 2024 Raiyan Talukder
Raiyan Talukder Background: Depression is one of the most common mood disorders in the world, characterized by at least 2 weeks of depressed mood, anhedonia, loss of interest, and other symptoms.1 Unfortunately, depression is a growing issue, affecting over 280 million people worldwide with some communities observing a large uptick…
Engineering Medicine Featured Abstracts Microbiology Psychiatry

The Therapeutic Potential of Musical Training in Pediatric Patients with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

June 28, 2024 Kathleen Stephenson
Kathleen Stephenson Background: The increasing prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in the United States presents a multifaceted challenge, affecting approximately 11% of children and spurring an increase in demand for stimulant medications1. National shortages, along with growing parental apprehension regarding the long-term effects of prescription stimulant use in…
Engineering Medicine Featured Abstracts Psychiatry

The Neuroadaptations from Prenatal Exposure to Opioids on Reward Pathway Receptors and the Implications for Vulnerability to Substance Use Disorders in the Future

June 10, 2024 Natalie Philipello
Natalie Philipello Background: The opioid epidemic refers to the widespread and escalating crisis of opioid misuse and addiction, particularly in women of reproductive age1. It encompasses the overuse, abuse, and dependence on prescription opioids, heroin, and synthetic opioids, leading to devastating consequences including overdose deaths, increased healthcare costs, and prenatal…
Psychiatry