Abstract Objective: In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) and its applications have become a compelling topic in psychiatry. This study aimed to investigate whether the AI chatbot ChatGPT is useful for patient education by evaluating the quality, reliability, and readability of its responses to patient questions about repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS). Methods: Twenty-five frequently asked questions about rTMS were separately queried to ChatGPT-4 with no follow-up questions. Responses were reviewed by three psychiatrists by using the Global Quality Scale (GQS), DISCERN tool, and Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Benchmark Criteria. Readability was evaluated by the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level and the Gunning Fog, Coleman-Liau, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook Indexes. Results: Overall, the quality of ChatGPT responses was moderate to good, with a mean GQS score of 3.69. The mean DISCERN score was 35.33, which is considered poor, and the JAMA Benchmark Criteria score was 0 for all questions. The mean readability score was high (mean grade level, 10.98). Conclusion: Our results show that ChatGPT responses to patient questions about rTMS are of acceptable quality and usefulness. However, the reliability and accuracy of the responses are limited, and a high reading level is required to understand them. Although ChatGPT can support patient education about rTMS, it should be used with caution and under guidance from healthcare professionals.
Abstract Background: In this cross-sectional analysis, we examined associations between socioeconomic status (SES), body mass index (BMI), inflammation, diet, and cognitive performance. While low SES is associated with lower cognitive scores, the present study investigated whether these variables – specifically BMI, inflammatory biomarkers, and dietary intake – statistically mediate this relationship. Methods: The final sample included 109 young adults (mean age = 21.31; 65% female; 45% white). Analyses utilized a comprehensive neuropsychological battery, including the NIH Cognitive Toolbox and Kaufman Brief Intelligence Test, alongside biomarkers of inflammation (Interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)), and self-reported dietary intake via the National Cancer Institute’s Diet History Questionnaire – Third Edition. A pre-registered analysis using bootstrapped standard errors across 5,000 bootstrapped replications in ‘lavaan’ tested whether (i) associations between SES and executive functioning and episodic memory were statistically mediated by a higher BMI and (ii) associations between BMI and executive functioning and episodic memory were statistically mediated by elevated inflammation and sugar or fat intake. Results: BMI did not account for the association between SES and cognition; however, BMI, fat intake, and sugar intake were inversely correlated with cognitive functioning. Sugar intake mediated the association between BMI and cognition, though this finding was not significant after adjusting for covariates. Inflammation did not mediate the relationship between BMI and cognition. Conclusions: These results provide support for a link between BMI and cognitive performance and preliminary evidence of a mediating role of sugar intake. Further longitudinal and experimental research is needed to extend these findings and characterize underlying mechanisms.
Abstract Objective: Physical neglect constitutes an experience of deprivation characterised by the absence of care, supervision, and stimulation, which may affect cognitive development during adolescence and hinder the learning of strategies to cope with demands. This study aimed to analyse coping styles and cognitive performance in adolescents in residential care with physical neglect as the predominant form of maltreatment, as well as to examine the association between both dimensions. Methods: This observational, cross-sectional study included 45 adolescents in residential care, aged between 12 and 16 years, with physical neglect as the predominant type of maltreatment. The instruments used were the Adolescent Coping Scale (ACS), the Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT), the Behavioural Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome for Children (BADS-C), and the Digit Span and Coding subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-V). Results: Participants showed a predominance of the non-productive coping style, together with lower-than-expected scores for their age and educational level in selective attention, processing speed, working memory, planning, cognitive flexibility, and inhibition. Lower cognitive and executive performance was related to greater use of the non-productive coping style. In addition, linear regression analyses showed that the global cognitive performance index was significantly associated with the non-productive coping style, even after statistically controlling for sex, age, and polyvictimization. Conclusion: These findings suggest the importance of jointly considering coping styles and cognitive performance in adolescents in residential care with physical neglect, as well as the potential value of interventions that integrate emotion regulation, executive functions, and problem-solving.
Abstract Introduction: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), indicated in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, influences reward processing, integral to disparate mental disorders. Emerging evidence suggests that GLP-1 receptor mono-agonists (GLP-1RAs) are potential treatment strategies for select mental disorders. Herein, we systematically review preclinical research documenting how GLP-1 and GLP-1RAs may impact reward function. Methods: Relevant studies were identified through Web of Science, OVID (MedLINE, Embase, PsycInfo), and PubMed from database inception to June 28, 2026. Preclinical research investigating the association between GLP-1 and select GLP-1RAs and reward function was included. Reward functions assessed were food-, drug-, and sexual-related reward. Results: A total of 66 studies met inclusion and were synthesised herein. Taken together, results indicate that GLP-1 and GLP-1RAs affect measures of food-related, drug-associated, and sexual behaviours. GLP-1 administration was associated with a reduction in food intake and gross locomotor activity with respect to approaching and engaging in reward-seeking behaviours. When locally administered in selected brain regions of evaluated animal models, exenatide was associated with reduced substance use, food seeking, and sexual behaviours ( p < 0.05). Similarly, liraglutide was observed to attenuate substance and food-related rewards ( p < 0.05). In addition, semaglutide was demonstrated to reduce substance and sucrose intake, while dulaglutide is reported to reduce substance intake ( p < 0.001). Discussion: Extant preclinical findings demonstrate a trend toward reductions in reward-associated behaviours following GLP-1RA administration. Our findings can also provide rationale and impetus for evaluating GLP-1RAs in the treatment of psychiatric disorders characterised by disturbance in hedonic function and behaviours.
Abstract Treatment-resistant mood disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD), remain a significant clinical challenge. A confluence of emerging evidence implicates chronic low-grade inflammation in the pathophysiology of at least a subset of mood disorders, potentially mediating their poor response to traditional therapies. Colchicine, a well-established anti-inflammatory agent used in gout and more recently (at low dose) cardiovascular disease, inhibits microtubule polymerisation and suppresses NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Recent advances in immunopsychiatry suggest NLRP3-mediated pathways are key mediators of mood pathology. This hypothesis-generating paper explores how low-dose colchicine may plausibly serve as a novel augmenting agent in refractory mood disorders by targeting these neuroinflammatory pathways. We present mechanistic rationale, integrate preclinical and translational evidence, review long-term safety data and outline biomarker-guided clinical trial proposals.
