BackgroundCognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia that is more serious in patients with early-onset schizophrenia (EOS). However, the neuroimaging basis of cognitive functions, including neurocognition and social cognition, remains unclear in patients with EOS.MethodsForty-three patients with EOS underwent structural and resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. Brain structure and function were evaluated through the analysis of brain gray matter volume (GMV) and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF). They underwent comprehensive assessments for neurocognition (verbal memory, verbal expression, attention, and executive function) and social cognition (theory of mind and attributional bias). Correlation analyses were conducted to detect the potential link between cognitive function indices and brain imaging parameters.ResultsFirst, neurocognition was linked to brain structure characterized by higher immediate recall scores associated with increased GMV in the left temporal pole, higher verbal fluency scores associated with increased GMV in the left temporal pole: middle temporal gyrus, and higher Stroop-word scores associated with increased GMV in the right middle frontal gyrus. Second, social cognition was related to brain function characterized by lower sense of reality scores associated with increased ALFF in the left precentral gyrus, higher scores of accidental hostility bias associated with increased ALFF in the right middle temporal gyrus, and higher scores of accidental aggression bias associated with increased ALFF in the left precentral gyrus.ConclusionThese findings may add to the existing knowledge about the cognitive function-brain relationship. They may have clinical significance for studying the mechanism of neurocognitive and social cognitive impairment in patients with EOS and providing potential neural targets for their treatment and intervention.

ObjectiveTo analyze the demographic and clinical characteristics and treatment among children and adolescents with depression in different age groups of onset.Methods635 children and adolescents with depression in a hospital from January 2014 to December 2021 were collected by e-case, and grouped according to age of onset, including 115 cases in childhood 8-12, 359 cases in early adolescence 13-1 and 161 cases in late adolescence 16-18, and the general conditions, clinical characteristics, and treatment were compared between the three groups.ResultsFemales had more onset and were more likely to have psychotic symptoms in childhood, short duration and hospitalization in early adolescence increased year by year, and males had more onset and less hospitalization in late adolescence. There were no statistical differences in medication regimen, suicide, length of hospitalization, or family history between the three groups.ConclusionChildren and adolescents with depression have their unique clinical characteristics at different age of onset and need to enhance prevention and individualized treatment.

This study explored the differences in emotional memory between adolescents with and without suicidal ideation. Fifty adolescents with depression and suicidal ideation, 36 with depression but no suicidal ideation, and 41 healthy controls rated the emotional valence of positive, neutral, and negative pictures. Then, the recognition of the images was evaluated 72 h later. Adolescents with suicidal ideation reported more negative emotional valence scores for positive and neutral pictures and were significantly less likely to recognize negative pictures than were those without suicidal ideation. The performance of adolescents with suicidal ideation on the negative picture recognition test was closely related to anxiety, depression severity, and intensity of suicidal ideation. The negative bias toward neutral stimuli and cognitive impairment may be important risk factors for adolescents with suicidal ideation. Improving emotional memory via targeted management approaches may help young people with suicidal ideation.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the demographics, clinical characteristics, and treatment of depression in children and adolescents in different age groups. A total of 635 cases of children and adolescents with depression in a hospital were collected through electronic records from January 2014 to December 2021. They were grouped according to the age of onset, amounting to 115 cases in childhood (8–12), 359 early adolescents (13–15), and 161 cases in late adolescence (16–18). The three groups were compared in terms of general conditions, clinical characteristics, and treatment. Results showed that over the past 8 years, the proportion of hospitalizations in the early adolescence group has been increasing, that in the late adolescence group was lower than that in previous years, and gender (X2 = 16.66, P < 0.001), psychotic symptoms (X2 = 6.224, P = 0.045), and disease course (Z = 84.617, P < 0.001) were significantly different. No significant differences were found in drug treatment regimen, suicide, length of hospital stay, or family history among the three groups. There were differences in the general conditions and clinical characteristics of children and adolescents with depression at different onset ages. The number of hospitalized children and adolescents with depression is increasing annually, and the proportion of hospitalizations in the children group was higher than that in previous years. Females are more likely to suffer from the disease and present more psychotic symptoms. The course of the disease in the early adolescence group was shorter than that in the other two groups, and the late adolescence group had more males and fewer psychotic symptoms.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the hospitalization rates, length of stay, age at the time of admission, and sex distribution for major psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents and provide a reference for early intervention for these diseases and distribution of medical resources in hospitals.MethodsWe screened 4,423 patients in the child and adolescent wards of the Anhui Provincial Mental Health Center from 2001 to 2020, and examined the top four (81.1%) mental health disorders that accounted for the overall proportion of patients admitted, namely schizophrenia (SCZ) (45.7%), depressive disorder (DD) (14.5%), bipolar disorder (BD) (9.3%), and childhood emotional disorder (CED) (11.6%), and for each disorder, the percentage of hospitalization, length of stay, age at admission, and sex distribution were analyzed.ResultsFrom 2001 to 2020, there was a significantly decreasing trend in the proportion of hospitalizations for SCZ (p &lt; 0.001) and an increasing trend for depression and CED (p &lt; 0.001). In terms of length of stay, SCZ was significantly longer than the other three disorders (p &lt; 0.001), whereas there was no significant difference between DD, BD, and CED, and there was no significant trend in length of stay for any of the four disorders. The age at admission for CED was significantly lower than that for the other three disorders (p &lt; 0.001). There was a decreasing trend in the age at admission for DD (p = 0.011) and an increasing trend for BD (p = 0.001). A significant increase in the number of female patients admitted for SCZ, DD, and CED was observed, while there was no significant change in the sex ratio for BD.ConclusionAlthough there is a significant downward trend in the percentage of hospitalizations for SCZ, it is still the most common psychiatric disorder in children and adolescents. We observed a significant increase in the percentage of hospitalizations for DD and CED. In addition, the proportion of female patients being hospitalized is on the rise, and this aspect requires continuous attention.