Xiaoxiao Liao's research while affiliated with Jinan University (Guangzhou, China) and other places

... High concentration of copper has also been found in patients with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Wilson's diseases and was also linked to decline in intelligence among young adolescents (Stys et al. 2012;Bandmann et al. 2015;Młyniec et al. 2015). Moreover, disturbances of copper metabolism have been found in patients with major depression and its abnormal serum level is being suggested for adoption as a potential biomarker of major depressive disorders (Liao et al. 2021;Russo 2011;Narang et al. 1991;Kułak-Bejda et al. 2020). Clinical reports have also shown that over 25% of patients with Wilson's disease, a rare neurological disorder, also present with the symptoms of major depression (Narang et al. 1991;Litwin et al. 2018;Kułak-Bejda et al. 2020). ...

... Prior research has found that anomalous neuronal function and metabolism, aberrant neuroendocrine system, inflammation, etc., play an important role in the pathogenesis of cognitive deficits in depressed patients with BD-II. For example, our previous studies have revealed an association between abnormal neuronal connectivity/neurometabolism and cognitive dysfunction in patients with BD-II depression [37,38]. There is also evidence that serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), including its levels and gene polymorphism, contribute to the mechanism of cognitive deficits in BD-II depression [36,39]. ...

... There is, however, a limitation to these studies in terms of sample size. Further, our previous preclinical and clinical studies also suggested that copper induced depressive-like behaviors in rats [42], and that the serum copper concentrations were significantly higher in patients with depression than in normal controls [14,43]. Nevertheless, external validation by clinical studies with large sample sizes is required to confirm our findings. ...

... Considering that suicidal behavior usually begins with self-injury, a common behavior among young patients with depression, investigating the suicidal risk factors in people having MDD with self-injury behavior is critical. Based on the assessment of various behavioral abnormalities, such as executive dysfunction in adolescents with depression and NSSI [11] and patients having bipolar disorder with suicidal ideation [12] as well as impaired decision-making in those with SA [13], several statistical and actuarial scales have been developed to aid clinicians to predict and manage suicide risk [14][15][16]. Studies investigating biomarkers and neural markers of suicide risk [17] have suggested neural connectivity as a response predictor for psychotherapy in individuals with NSSI [18] as well as biologically-informed approaches [19], including low serum cholesterol level, as potential suicide risk biomarkers in patients with MDD and suicidal behavior [2,20,21]. ...

... BD is divided into two main types based on the types of mood episodes experienced: Bipolar I Disorder (BD-I), characterized by recurrent episodes of mania and depression.; Bipolar II Disorder (BD-II), characterized by episodes of major depression and hypomania, but not full-blown mania [9]. BD II and MDD patients may also experience cognitive dysfunction in attention, processing speed, verbal learning/memory, and executive function domains [10,11]. Therefore, cognitive function can serve as a valuable intermediate endophenotype in identifying the underlying pathogenesis associated with shared symptoms among psychiatric patients [12]. ...

... The studies were grouped into the following cognitive domains according to the cognitive tasks used used: "attention", "executive functions", "memory (working memory and verbal memory)", "IQ" "self-reported cognitive" and "Cognitive Screening Test ". Fourteen studies used a combination of neuroimaging and neurocognitive assessments to investigate the affective states in BD (Alonso-Lana et al. 2019; Estudillo-Guerra et al. 2020; Gao et al. 2023;Kopf et al. 2023;Lai et al. 2018;Magioncalda et al. 2016;Magioncalda et al. 2015;Martino et al. 2016;Mikawa et al. 2015;Nishimura et al. 2015;Pomarol-Clotet et al. 2015;Rive et al. 2016;Velasques et al. 2013;Yang et al. 2020). ...

... At present, there are many controversies about the study of NAA in the prefrontal lobes of patients with BD. Some studies suggested that the NAA values in the prefrontal lobes were decreased, while others thought that the NAA values were increased or at a normal level (Zhong et al., 2014(Zhong et al., , 2018Moon et al., 2015;Liu et al., 2017b;Patel et al., 2018). The reasons for the inconsistent results may be related to magnetic resonance technical parameters, disease status, the influence of drugs, and other factors. ...

... TAC is one of the most commonly measured parameters of redox signaling and provides an opportunity to evaluate antioxidant components [55]. Several studies reported lower TAC levels in acute depressive episodes of depressed patients [56]. Based on the obtained results, we can only speculate that SFN may act similarly to antidepressants by increasing total antioxidant capacity [57]. ...

... A comprehensive meta-analysis of 12,315 individuals indicated that patients with subclinical hypothyroidism have a higher risk of depression compared to euthyroid controls (relative risk of 2.35, 95% CI: 1.84 to 3.02, p < 0.001) (7). Depression-related thyroid hormone (TH) level changes include increased reversed triiodothyronine (rT3) (8,9) and decreased circulating T3 and TSH levels (10,11). ...