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Brain Sciences
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From Neurodevelopment to Mental Health: New Insight on Psychiatric Disorders...
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From Neurodevelopment to Mental Health: New Insight on Psychiatric Disorders Among Children, Adolescents and Young Adults

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Neuropsychiatry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2025) | Viewed by 1318

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Maria Giuseppina Petruzzelli

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Guest Editor
Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience (DIBRAIN), University of Studies of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70124 Bari, Italy
Interests: adolescent psychiatry; neurodevelopmental disorders; gender dysphoria
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Emilia Matera

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Guest Editor
Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Jonian Area (DIMEPREJ), University of Studies of Bari “Aldo Moro”, 70124 Bari, Italy
Interests: adolescent psychiatry; neurodevelopmental disorders; gender dysphoria
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Alessandra Gabellone

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Neuroscience, Policlinico “Riuniti”, Foggia, Italy
2. Department of Translational Biomedicine Neurosciences (DiBraiN), University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy
Interests: adolescent psychiatry; neurodevelopmental disorders; gender dysphoria
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Mental disorders constitute a major challenge to both society and science and comprise some of the largest disease burdens worldwide. The converging findings from epidemiology, basic and clinical research provide a powerful framework for a “neurodevelopmental model of mental disorders” to guide science, practice, and policies. These are motivated by the highly plastic properties of neural circuits and associated cognitive, affective and behavioral processes during children and adolescence, leading to the peak incidence of major mental disorders between 12–25 years of age. The critical implication of the timing of mental ill-health during childhood and adolescence and the developmental cascade model are a primary focus for targeted interventions to prevent the occurrence of long-standing and chronic mental health conditions in adulthood. To address these fundamental challenges, we welcome research on diagnosis and interventions focusing on “risk factors and sensitive periods” for the symptomatic expression of mental ill/health and corresponding “windows of opportunity” for early intervention and novel diagnostic approaches.

Prof. Dr. Maria Giuseppina Petruzzelli
Prof. Dr. Emilia Matera
Dr. Alessandra Gabellone
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • childhood
  • adolescence
  • neurodevelopment
  • psychopathological onset
  • mental health
  • developmental trajectory
  • neurobiology
  • early interventions
  • clinical overlap
  • environmental risk factors
  • diagnostic process

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 605 KB  
Article
Impact of Psychiatric Comorbidity on Cognitive Performance and EEG Theta/Beta Ratio: A Preliminary Study
by Wendy Verónica Herrera-Morales, Karen Nicte-Ha Tuz-Castellanos, Julián Valeriano Reyes-López, Efraín Santiago-Rodríguez and Luis Núñez-Jaramillo
Brain Sci. 2026, 16(1), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci16010034 (registering DOI) - 25 Dec 2025
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Psychiatric conditions are highly prevalent and among the leading causes of disability worldwide. Comorbidities are common in psychiatric patients but are not adequately addressed in diagnostic manuals such as the DSM-5. Understanding the impact of comorbidities on patients’ symptoms and brain activity [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Psychiatric conditions are highly prevalent and among the leading causes of disability worldwide. Comorbidities are common in psychiatric patients but are not adequately addressed in diagnostic manuals such as the DSM-5. Understanding the impact of comorbidities on patients’ symptoms and brain activity could improve the personalization of therapeutic approaches, leading to better outcomes. Given the complexity of this task, a feasible strategy is to examine how comorbidities affect brain activity and a condition commonly observed in psychiatric patients, such as cognitive impairment. Methods: In this study, we assessed impulsiveness, working memory performance, and theta/beta ratio in controls and in subjects exhibiting symptoms of depression, ADHD, and suicide risk. Participants differed in the presence of alcohol use disorders, in addition to the aforementioned symptoms, either presenting no alcohol use disorder (DAS), hazardous alcohol consumption (DAS-H), or risk of alcohol dependence (DAS-D). Results: All three comorbid groups (DAS, DAS-H, DAS-D) showed increased impulsiveness compared with controls, while the DAS-D group also exhibited higher motor impulsiveness than both the DAS and DAS-H groups. A widespread increase in theta/beta ratio was observed only in the DAS group. Conclusions: These results indicate that comorbid alcohol use disorders modulate motor impulsiveness and theta/beta ratio in subjects with symptoms of depression, ADHD, and suicide risk. The findings underscore the importance of considering comorbidities when personalizing treatment strategies for psychiatric patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Neurodevelopment to Mental Health: New Insight on Psychiatric Disorders Among Children, Adolescents and Young Adults)
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11 pages, 227 KB  
Article
Hematological Inflammatory Markers Across Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Preliminary Findings of an Observational Retrospective Study
by Raffaele Garotti, Maria Pia Riccio, Chiara Staffa, Mariangela Pezone and Carmela Bravaccio
Brain Sci. 2025, 15(9), 937; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15090937 - 28 Aug 2025
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Alterations in immunoinflammatory activation may constitute a pathogenetic mechanism in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Blood cell count (CBC) parameters and hematological inflammatory indices (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio) are now assuming a greater role as potential biomarkers for NDDs. Methods: In this [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Alterations in immunoinflammatory activation may constitute a pathogenetic mechanism in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Blood cell count (CBC) parameters and hematological inflammatory indices (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio, platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio) are now assuming a greater role as potential biomarkers for NDDs. Methods: In this retrospective observational study, we gathered data on 135 medication-free individuals aged 6 to 17 years: 90 with NDDs (34 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 29 with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, 14 with intellectual disability, and 13 with tic disorder) and 45 typically developed controls. The variables analyzed were compared using analysis of variance including Bonferroni posthoc testing for pairwise comparisons Significance was defined as p < 0.05. Results: The analysis of variance revealed statistical significance for all evaluated CBC parameters, as well as for the lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio. Notably, subjects with ASD exhibited increased values of neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and eosinophils compared to both typically developing subjects and other NDDs. The lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio was found to be lower in the tic disorder group compared to typically developing subjects. The elevated lymphocyte and monocyte levels in ASD subjects might reflect chronic low-grade inflammation. Conclusions: Consistent with the evidence in literature, statistically significant differences between the NDD group and typically developed subjects in the CBC parameters were found. The principal limitations of this investigation are the restricted sample size and the exclusion of specific NDD subtypes. Future research is needed to evaluate CBC parameters and inflammatory indices in a broader spectrum of NDDs to better understand the immunoinflammatory response specific to each disorder. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue From Neurodevelopment to Mental Health: New Insight on Psychiatric Disorders Among Children, Adolescents and Young Adults)
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