Biology subjects

Pizzagalli, D. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Pizzagalli, D. A..

10 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Glutamatergic and Redox Abnormalities in Major Depressive Disorder: Links to Childhood Maltreatment and Perceived Stress

Background: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) increases the risk for major depressive disorder (MDD), yet the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. We examined (1) associations of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) glutamatergic metabolites and redox balance with childhood maltreatment and MDD; and (2) whether these neurochemical measures predicted future perceived stress. Methods: Using proton and phosphorus 4T magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we quantified glutamate, glutamine, their sum (Glx), and the NAD/NADH ratio within the same mPFC voxel in 71 women across four groups: healthy controls (HC; n=27), current MDD without CSA (n=14), current MDD with CSA (n=14), and remitted MDD with CSA (n=16). Results: Glutamate and Glx levels were lower in both CSA-exposed groups (n=30) compared with HC (n=27), whereas women with MDD without CSA did not differ significantly from HC. Among CSA-exposed women, greater maltreatment severity was associated with lower glutamine, and greater maltreatment multiplicity with lower glutamate and Glx, specifically in women with current MDD. The association between depressive symptom severity and glutamine differed by CSA history. A significant interaction between baseline NAD/NADH ratio and clinical group predicted perceived stress at 6-month follow-up, adjusting for baseline perceived stress. Specifically, lower baseline NAD/NADH ratio predicted greater subsequent perceived stress in MDD without CSA, but not in the other clinical groups. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that mPFC glutamatergic metabolites and redox balance show distinct patterns of association with CSA history, depression status, and subsequent perceived stress, highlighting neurochemical heterogeneity in MDD and molecular markers of risk.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

Acute stress reorganizes pregenual cingulate and subthalamic coupling to approach-avoidance decisions in remitted depression

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is highly recurrent, and psychosocial stress is a central precipitant of relapses. Daily choices require weighing potential rewards against costs, a process disrupted in MDD that may contribute to relapse. Here, we tested whether a psychosocial stressor affects neural and computational mechanisms underlying approach-avoidance decision making in individuals with remitted MDD (rMDD, N=50) and healthy controls (N=74), prioritizing pregenual anterior cingulate cortex (pgACC) and subthalamic nucleus (STN) due to their roles in value integration and decision caution, respectively. Participants performed a dynamic approach-avoidance conflict task with fMRI before and after psychosocial stress. Hierarchical Bayesian drift-diffusion modeling evaluated whether stress modulated computational and neural mechanisms, with trial-wise pgACC and STN activity entered as neural regressors on evidence accumulation and decision threshold, respectively. Before stress, groups did not differ in any decision parameter, but pgACC activity contributed to evidence accumulation toward avoidance in controls only. After stress, rMDD showed larger increases than controls in the impact of both reward and aversiveness on accumulation toward approach and avoidance, respectively, predominantly for net-aversive offers. Furthermore, in rMDD, stress rendered both approach and avoidance decisions more sensitive to pgACC activity, and STN activity was more strongly coupled to the decision threshold than in controls. Finally, stress-induced increases in reward sensitivity in rMDD predicted one-year course of depressive symptoms. Thus, MDD remission is not characterized by a generalized blunting of decision-making, but by a latent circuit difference that acute stress reorganizes and predicts future symptoms.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2026

Brain-wide reconfiguration of burst firing by psilocybin reveals 5-HT2A-dependent circuit dynamics

Psilocybin produces rapid and lasting therapeutic effects, yet how 5-HT2A receptor activation reshapes brain-wide circuit dynamics during acute drug administration remains poorly understood. Using simultaneous multi-region Neuropixels recordings of 46,360 single units from 35 mice, together with scalp electroencephalography (EEG), pupillometry, and locomotion monitoring, we provide a brain-wide, single-unit and field-potential characterization of psilocybin's acute effects, with pharmacological dissection using the 5-HT2A antagonist ketanserin. Psilocybin selectively reconfigured burst coding, rather than mean firing rate, across cortical, thalamic, and hippocampal circuits: burst firing decreased in hippocampal CA1-CA3 and was bidirectionally modulated in the thalamus, with the reticular nucleus bursting more and first-order geniculate nuclei bursting less. Critically, most of these burst effects were abolished by ketanserin, consistent with at least partial 5-HT2A receptor dependence. These data suggest that the psychedelic state is not simply a matter of how much neurons fire, but of how they fire, pointing to a region-specific, 5-HT2A-associated reconfiguration of burst coding that may underlie the acute phenomenology of the psilocybin experience.

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bioRxiv2025

Nociceptin receptor and ligand in Alzheimer's disease:Implications for psychiatric symptoms and circadianregulation

BackgroundNociceptin (N/OFQ) and its receptor OPRL1 play crucial roles in emotional processing, reward-related behaviors, learning, and neurotransmitter regulation, but their involvement in Alzheimers disease (AD) pathology remains poorly understood. This study investigated possible relationships between prepronociceptin (PNOC) and OPRL1 expression and psychiatric symptoms in AD, utilizing Natural Language Processing (NLP) to assess Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) domains. MethodsPost-mortem brain tissue from the dorsal anterior cingulate gyrus (BA32) was analyzed in 61 donors across different Braak and Braak (B&B) stages. RNA expression of PNOC and OPRL1 was quantified and correlated with RDoC scores derived from medical records using NLP. Sex-stratified analyses, circadian rhythmicity analysis, and cell-type specific expression patterns were examined. ResultsBoth genes showed significant downregulation in AD cases (PNOC: p = 0.024; OPRL1: p < 0.001), with notable sex differences. Men displayed higher post-mortem PNOC (Cohens d = -0.482) and OPRL1 (Cohens d = -0.237) expression compared to women. In adjusted models controlling for B&B stage and post-mortem interval, PNOC expression significantly correlated with dimensional scores of positive valence ({beta} = -0.38, p = 0.035) and arousal regulatory systems ({beta} = -0.43, p = 0.015) derived from a text classification algorithm applied to medical records. OPRL1 showed disrupted circadian rhythmicity in AD cases (p = 0.151 vs. p = 0.020 in controls). ConclusionsThese findings suggest distinct roles for PNOC and OPRL1 in AD pathology, with PNOC primarily associated with psychiatric symptoms and OPRL1 showing disrupted circadian regulation. Sex-specific expression patterns further indicate the need for personalized therapeutic approaches targeting the nociceptin system.

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bioRxiv2025

Nociceptin/Orphanin FQ receptor agonism attenuates behavioral and neural responses to conditioned aversive stimuli

The nociceptin/orphanin FQ peptide (NOP) receptor has emerged as a promising anxiolytic target, as its activation has been shown to reduce anxiety-related behaviors in rodents. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects are not well understood. Here, we investigated the effects of the selective NOP receptor agonist SCH-221510 (SCH; 0.01-0.1 mg/kg, IM) on behavioral and neural responses to aversive stimuli in squirrel monkeys (n=3). Subjects underwent Pavlovian fear conditioning, wherein a visual conditioned stimulus (CS) was paired with the presentation of an aversive stimulus. Event-related fMRI was conducted in awake subjects to evaluate CS-evoked neural responses. Behavioral and neural responses to the CS were assessed across three experimental phases: pre-conditioning (Pre-C), post-conditioning (Post-C), and Post-C with SCH administration. In behavioral assessments, CS presentation during Post-C elicited a robust suppression of ongoing operant responding, which was absent during Pre-C and significantly attenuated by SCH treatment (0.1 mg/kg). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) results revealed that, relative to Pre-C, CS presentation during Post-C was associated with increased BOLD activity in brain regions previously implicated in fear processing (e.g., amygdala), expression and regulation (e.g., prefrontal cortex; PFC), as well as sensory integration. Critically, SCH (0.1 mg/kg) administration significantly attenuated CS-induced neural activation in these regions. Furthermore, resting-state functional connectivity analysis revealed that SCH administration decreased connectivity between the PFC and the amygdala, while enhancing connectivity among subregions of the PFC. Collectively, these findings suggest that NOP receptor agonism may attenuate conditioned responses to aversive stimuli by modulating functional interactions within the PFC-amygdala circuit.

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bioRxiv2025

Nociceptin Orphanin F/Q Pathways are Dysregulated by Stress and Modulate Reward Learning and Motivation Across Species

Nociceptin orphanin F/Q has been implicated in stress-related depressive phenotypes. Specifically, exposure to chronic stressors upregulates nociceptin receptors (NOPR), whereas NOPR antagonism has anti-depressant/anti-anhedonic effects. The mechanisms underlying these effects remain, however, unclear. Here, we investigated the role of NOPR in depressive phenotypes alongside potentially prohedonic effects of NOPR antagonism across species. In Study 1, we evaluated whether exposure to early-life adversity (ELA) upregulated ventral tegmental area (VTA) and striatal prepronociceptin (Pnoc) gene expression in adult mice. In Study 2, we tested whether chronic social defeat altered Pnoc gene expression in reward-related regions. To establish whether direct NOPR modulation is implicated in reward-related behaviors, in Study 3, we assessed whether NOPR antagonism alters reward learning in rats. Finally, in Study 4, we tested whether NOPR antagonism boosts motivation among depressed humans. ELA induced anhedonic behavior and increased Pnoc expression in the VTA; in females (but not males), ELA increased Pnoc expression in the dorsal striatum (Study 1). Furthermore, chronic stress reduced Pnoc-expressing cells in the VTA, dorsal striatum and prefrontal cortex and susceptible rats showed reduced VTA NOPR gene (Oprl1)-expressing cells (Study 2). In a behavioral assay, a single 30-mg dose of a NOPR antagonist (BTRX-246040) boosted reward learning in rats (Study 3). Finally, in depressed humans, relative to placebo, 8-week treatment with BTRX-246040 increased incentive motivation (Study 4). Collectively, our findings indicate that chronic stressors alter Pnoc and mRNA levels of Pnoc-expressing cells in a sex-selective and region-specific manner impacting reward structures, and that NOPR antagonism shows anti-anhedonic properties.

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bioRxiv2024

Test-Retest Reliability and repeatability of Behavioral and Electrophysiological Markers in an Eriksen Flanker Task

Cognitive control processes, specifically interference control and error monitoring, are often impaired across neuropsychiatric disorders and have been proposed as transdiagnostic markers of psychopathology and important treatment targets. Accurately probing them, however, requires understanding the psychometric properties of the measures used to assess cognitive control, including their intra- and interindividual stability over time. Using an Eriksen Flanker Task, we tested behavioral and electrophysiological readouts of cognitive control in 36 healthy individuals (26 female, 10 male, M age{+/-}SD=33.18{+/-}14.49, range=19-68) and evaluated their test-retest reliability across 48 hours by calculating Pearson correlations and Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs) to assess group-level stability. Moreover, we assessed repeatability through Coefficients of Variation (CVs) and Bland-Altman statistics, to investigate the degree of change in participants absolute scores. We found satisfactory-to-excellent test-retest reliability for most cognitive control measures, with condition-specific metrics generally being more reliable than difference scores. Regarding repeatability, we observed considerable intraindividual variability in absolute scores over time, which differed widely between participants. These results demonstrate that measurements of cognitive control may display substantial intraindividual variability across sessions despite demonstrating high test-retest reliability and vice versa. Our findings expand the current literature by providing novel information about the stability of behavioral and physiological markers of cognitive control over time. Moreover, they may have important implications for the application and evaluation of clinical interventions by highlighting the usefulness of considering repeatability measures in addition to the more commonly reported test-retest reliability metrics, when tracking changes over time in clinically relevant processes within single individuals.

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bioRxiv2022

A mesocorticolimbic signature of pleasure in the human brain

Pleasure is a fundamental driver of human behavior, yet its neural basis remains largely unknown. Rodent studies highlight opioidergic neural circuits connecting the nucleus accumbens, ventral pallidum, insula, and orbitofrontal cortex as critical for the initiation and regulation of pleasure, and human neuroimaging studies exhibit some translational parity. However, whether activation observed across these regions reflects a common, generalizable code for pleasure driven by opioidergic mechanisms remains unclear. Here we use pattern recognition techniques to develop a human functional magnetic resonance imaging signature of mesocorticolimbic activity unique to states of pleasure. In independent validation tests, we find this signature has high sensitivity to pleasant tastes and positive affect evoked by humor. The signature is spatially coextensive with mu-opioid receptor gene expression, and its response is attenuated by the opioid antagonist naloxone. These findings provide evidence of a basis for pleasure derived from primary and secondary rewards in humans that is distributed across brain systems, and suggest that similar mechanisms underlie hedonic impact across mammalian species.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2020

Glutamatergic adaptation to stress in medial prefrontal cortex underlies risk and resilience for pessimistic beliefs

Stress is a major risk factor for the development of mental illness, including major depressive disorder (MDD), yet the underlying biological mechanisms remain unclear. Particular challenges lie in disentangling adaptive versus maladaptive responses to repeated stress exposure. Preclinically, stress-induced changes in glutamatergic function have been frequently observed in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), a key region for mediating adaptive stress responses. Here, we examined stress-induced changes in mPFC glutamate using magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in four human samples varying in perceived stress exposure. Changes in mPFC glutamate following an acute stressor were reliably moderated by recent perceived stress in healthy controls. This adaptive glutamate response was absent in unmedicated individuals with MDD and was associated with excessively pessimistic beliefs as assessed via ecological momentary assessments over a 1-month follow-up period. Taken together, these data provide novel evidence for glutamatergic adaptation to stress in mPFC that is significantly disrupted in MDD.

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bioRxiv2018

Functional connectomics of affective and psychotic pathology

Converging evidence indicates that groups of patients with nominally distinct psychiatric diagnoses are not separated by sharp or discontinuous neurobiological boundaries. In healthy populations, individual differences in behavior are reflected in variability across the collective set of functional brain connections (functional connectome). These data suggest that the spectra of transdiagnostic symptom profiles observed in psychiatric patients may map onto detectable patterns of network function. To examine the manner through which neurobiological variation might underlie clinical presentation we obtained functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from over 1,000 individuals, including 210 diagnosed with a primary psychotic disorder or affective psychosis (bipolar disorder with psychosis and schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder), 192 presenting with a primary affective disorder without psychosis (unipolar depression, bipolar disorder without psychosis), and 608 demographically and data-quality matched healthy comparison participants recruited through a large-scale study of brain imaging and genetics. Here, we examine variation in functional connectomes across psychiatric diagnoses, finding striking evidence for disease connectomic \"fingerprints\" that are commonly disrupted across distinct forms of pathology and appear to scale as a function of illness severity. Conversely, other properties of network connectivity were preferentially disrupted in patients with psychotic illness, but not patients without psychotic symptoms. This work allows us to establish key biological and clinical features of the functional connectomes of severe mental disease.\n\nSIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTHistorically, most research on the biological origins of psychiatric illness has focused on individual diagnostic categories, studied in isolation. Mounting evidence suggests nominally distinct psychiatric diagnoses are not separated by clear neurobiological boundaries. Here, we derive functional connectomic signatures in over 1,000 individuals including patients presenting with specific categories of impairment (psychosis), clinical diagnoses, or severity of illness as reflected in treatment seeking. Our analyses revealed features of connectome functioning that are commonly disrupted across distinct forms of pathology, scaling with clinical severity. Conversely, other aspects of network connectivity were preferentially disrupted in patients with psychotic illness, but not patients without psychotic symptoms. These data have important implications for the establishment of functional connectome fingerprints of severe mental disease.

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