Multimodal Mechanisms of Depression and Suicidal Behaviour: Integrating Genetic, Neural, and Environmental Perspectives

Depression and suicidality remain among the most pressing public health challenges worldwide and are major contributors to premature mortality. Despite decades of research, the biological mechanisms linking depressive symptoms and suicidal behavior are still not clearly understood. Increasing evidence suggests that disturbances in brain function and stress regulation, together with genetic and environmental influences, may play important roles in this relationship. Integrating insights from neuroimaging, electrophysiology, genetics, and related disciplines holds promise for identifying biomarkers and advancing our understanding of the complex pathways underlying depression and suicidality. This Research Topic welcomes contributions that explore these multimodal mechanisms and support the development of targeted strategies for prevention and treatment.This Research Topic aims to advance understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying depression and suicidal behavior. By integrating evidence from neuroimaging, electrophysiology, genetics, epigenetics, gut microbiota research, and neuromodulation, we seek to clarify how alterations in brain function and biological regulation contribute to depressive and suicidal symptoms. Studies examining brain networks, gene–environment interactions, immune and microbiota-related pathways, clinical trajectories, or treatment effects are encouraged.We particularly encourage studies investigating brain networks, gene–environment interactions, immune- and microbiota-related pathways, clinical trajectories, or treatment effects. Research involving longitudinal follow-up, multimodal data integration, or randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is of particular interest. Taken together, such contributions may help bridge basic science and clinical practice, thereby deepening our understanding of depression and suicidality.This Research Topic welcomes studies that enhance understanding of the biological mechanisms associated with depression and suicidal behavior. We encourage studies employing multimodal approaches, including neuroimaging, electrophysiology, gut microbiota and molecular methods, as well as innovative research involving rTMS and other neuromodulation techniques. Areas of interest include alterations in brain networks, biomarkers associated with suicide risk, gene–environment interactions, and the application of machine-learning models for prediction and clinical stratification.Submissions highlighting the translational value of multimodal biomarkers—especially those informing diagnosis, prevention, or individualized treatment—are particularly encouraged. We accept a broad range of manuscript types, including original research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, brief reports, perspectives, and methodological papers contributing to advances in precision psychiatry related to depression and suicidality. Topic editors: Honglei Yin, Zhenghui Gu, Ji-Hong Liu, Jia Guo Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/76319/multimodal-mechanisms-of-depression-and-suicidal-behaviour-integrating-genetic-neural-and-environmental-perspectives