Depression and Mood Disorders in Neurological Comorbidities: Pathophysiology, Risk Prediction, and Intervention

Depression and mood disorders represent the most prevalent neuropsychiatric complications of neurological disorders. The prevalence of post-stroke depression ranges from 27% to 33%, and up to 38% of patients with Parkinson’s disease experience comorbid depression — both rates are significantly higher than that observed in the general population. Comorbid mood disorders markedly impede neurological functional recovery, elevate disability and mortality rates, and exacerbate long-term healthcare burdens. Currently, clinical diagnosis relies heavily on subjective rating scales. The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of these comorbid conditions remain incompletely elucidated, and there is a critical lack of reliable early biomarkers, individualized risk stratification tools, and precision intervention regimens in clinical practice.This Research Topic focuses on prototypical neurological comorbidity scenarios, namely post-stroke depression and Parkinson’s disease-associated mood disorders, with the following core aims:1. To elucidate the shared and disease-specific pathophysiological mechanisms underlying comorbid mood disorders, including neuroinflammation, monoamine neurotransmitter imbalance, impaired neuroplasticity, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction;2. To identify and validate multimodal biomarkers across body fluid, cognitive, and neurophysiological domains for early risk identification, prognostic evaluation, and therapeutic response monitoring;3. To evaluate the efficacy of pharmacotherapy, neuromodulation, psychotherapy, and comprehensive psychosomatic interventions, and to explore precision diagnosis and treatment pathways stratified by biological subtypes.We welcome submissions addressing the following research directions. All manuscript types are accepted, including original research, systematic reviews, clinical studies, case reports, opinions, and hypotheses:• Cellular and molecular biomarkers• Body fluid biomarkers relevant to brain health• Cognitive function• Lifestyle behaviors (e.g., circadian rhythm, sleep, sedentary behavior, physical activity, social functioning, diet, substance use)• Biobehavioral predictors of treatment response• Psychological assessment and related psychometric tools• Epidemiological investigation studies Topic editors: Lixia Wang, Su Hong, Doug Barrett Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84459/depression-and-mood-disorders-in-neurological-comorbidities-pathophysiology-risk-prediction-and-intervention