Posts by:
Gabriella True

REM sleep atonia in patients with pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome: implications for pathophysiology
Congiu P, Gagliano A, Carucci S, Lanza G, Ferri R, Puligheddu M. REM sleep atonia in patients with pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome: implications for pathophysiology. J Clin Sleep Med. 2025 May 1;21(5):757-764. doi: 10.5664/jcsm.11544. PMID: 39745443; PMCID: PMC12048332.

  • Sleep disturbance occurs in up to 80% of children with PANS.
  • Study compared 69 PANS patients to 44 age- and sex-matched controls using polysomnography.
  • REM atonia index (RAI) was significantly lower in PANS patients.
  • 25 of 57 PANS patients had abnormally low RAI vs 1 of 43 controls.
  • Normal age-related increase in REM atonia seen in controls was absent in PANS.
  • Takeaway: Reduced REM atonia in PANS suggests brainstem dysfunction affecting REM sleep
Immunological drivers and potential novel drug targets for major psychiatric, neurodevelopmental, and neurodegenerative conditions

Dardani, C., Robinson, J.W., Jones, H.J. et al. Immunological drivers and potential novel drug targets for major psychiatric, neurodevelopmental, and neurodegenerative conditions. Mol Psychiatry 30, 4487–4496 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-025-03032-x

  • Study used Mendelian randomization and genetic colocalisation to assess causality between immune biomarkers and neuropsychiatric disease
  • 736 immune-related biomarkers were analyzed across blood and brain tissue
  • Evidence supported a potential causal role for 29 immune biomarkers across 7 neuropsychiatric conditions
  • Findings implicate both systemic and brain-specific immune mechanisms in schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and bipolar disorder
  • 20 identified biomarkers are therapeutically actionable, including ACE, TNFRSF17, SERPING1, AGER, and CD40
  • Results help prioritize immune targets for future mechanistic studies and treatment development, though causality requires further validation
Defining Clinical Course of Patients Evaluated for Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome: Phenotypic Classification Based on 10 Years of Clinical Data
Masterson EE, Miles K, Schlenk N, Manko C, Ma M, Farhadian B, Chang K, Silverman M, Thienemann M, Frankovich J, Frankovich J. Defining Clinical Course of Patients Evaluated for Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome: Phenotypic Classification Based on 10 Years of Clinical Data. Dev Neurosci. 2025;47(4):270-286. doi: 10.1159/000545598. Epub 2025 Apr 4. PMID: 40188825.
  • 10-year Stanford IBH study standardizes how PANS patient status and flares are defined, including flare vs recovery, acuity of onset, duration, and trajectory.
  • 74% of patients meeting PANS criteria had a relapsing–remitting course rather than continuous illness.
  • 43% experienced a persistent clinical course (>12 months of impairment), yet 77% ultimately recovered.
  • 57% never developed persistent symptoms and typically had 1–3 flares per year, each lasting about 3 months.
  • Findings reinforce PANS as a heterogeneous, episodic condition where persistence does not rule out recovery.
Sudden Onset Disordered Eating Behaviors and Appetite Issues in a Local Clinical Cohort of Children With Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS)
Kapphahn C, Peet B, Gao J, Chan A, Farhadian B, Ma M, Silverman M, Tran P, Schlenk N, Thienemann M, Frankovich J. Sudden Onset Disordered Eating Behaviors and Appetite Issues in a Local Clinical Cohort of Children With Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS). Int J Eat Disord. 2025 Jul;58(7):1219-1232. doi: 10.1002/eat.24388. Epub 2025 Mar 31. PMID: 40165330.
  • 130 youth with PANS (ages 4–18) reviewed at a specialty clinic
  • 56% developed abrupt-onset restrictive eating during flares
  • Eating restriction patterns mirrored ARFID presentations
  • Most affected youth had severe concurrent neuropsychiatric symptoms
  • 12% had baseline eating restriction, often worsened during flares