Sex Differences in Dopamine Receptors and Relevance to Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Dopamine is an important neurotransmitter that plays a key role in neuropsychiatric illness. Sex differences in dopaminergic signaling have been acknowledged for decades and have been linked to sex-specific heterogeneity in both dopamine-related behaviours as well as in various neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the overall number of studies that have evaluated sex differences in dopamine signaling, both in health and in these disorders, is low. This review will bring together what is known regarding sex differences in innate dopamine receptor expression and function, as well as highlight the known sex-specific roles of dopamine in addiction, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Due to differences in prognosis, diagnosis, and symptomatology between male and female subjects in disorders that involve dopamine signaling, or in responses that utilize pharmacological interventions that target dopamine receptors, understanding the fundamental sex differences in dopamine receptors is of vital importance for the personalization of therapeutic treatment strategies.

Assessment of tuberous sclerosis-associated neuropsychiatric disorders using the MINI-KID tool: a pediatric cohort study

Background: Tuberous sclerosis-associated neuropsychiatric disorders (TANDs) have not been studied before in China. We aimed to assess the psychiatric level of TAND using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview for Children (MINI-KID) in China.Results: A total of 83.16% of patients (79/95) had at least one TAND, and 70.53% (67/95) had an intellectual disability. The MINI-KID tool diagnosed a total of 16 neuropsychiatric diseases, the most common of which were attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (51.58%, 49/95) and social anxiety disorder (41.05%, 39/95). The number of children with neuropsychiatric diseases in the TSC group was significantly greater than the number in the normal development group (p <0.0001). Epilepsy before the age of 2 years, a seizure frequency of more than once a month, and the use of more than 2 antiepileptic drugs were closely associated with the occurrence of TAND.Conclusion: The MINI-KID can be used as a standardized tool to examine the psychiatric level of TANDs in children with TSC aged 6-16 years. The rate of neuropsychiatric diseases in children with TSC reached 83.16%. Early onset of epilepsy, frequent seizures, and refractory epilepsy are risk factors for TAND. Early, reasonable, and rapid control of seizures is related to reducing the risk of neuropsychiatric illness in children with epilepsy.

Periodontal Pathogens and Neuropsychiatric Health

Increasing evidence incriminates low-grade inflammation in cardiovascular, metabolic diseases, and neuropsychiatric clinical conditions, all important causes of morbidity and mortality. One of the upstream and modifiable precipitants and perpetrators of inflammation is chronic periodontitis, a polymicrobial infection with Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) playing a central role in the disease pathogenesis. We review the association between P. gingivalis and cardiovascular, metabolic, and neuropsychiatric illness, and the molecular mechanisms potentially implicated in immune upregulation as well as downregulation induced by the pathogen. In addition to inflammation, translocation of the pathogens to the coronary and peripheral arteries, including brain vasculature, and gut and liver vasculature has important pathophysiological consequences. Distant effects via translocation rely on virulence factors of P. gingivalis such as gingipains, on its synergistic interactions with other pathogens, and on its capability to manipulate the immune system via several mechanisms, including its capacity to induce production of immune-downregulating micro-RNAs. Possible targets for intervention and drug development to manage distal consequences of infection with P. gingivalis are also reviewed.