Schizophrenia (SZ), major depressive disorder (MDD), and bipolar disorder (BD) are severe psychiatric disorders and share common characteristics not only in clinical symptoms but also in neuroimaging. The purpose of this study was to examine common and specific neuroanatomical features in individuals with these three psychiatric conditions. In this study, 70 patients with SZ, 85 patients with MDD, 42 patients with BD, and 95 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis was used to explore brain imaging characteristics. Psychopathology was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Cognition was assessed using the digit symbol substitution test (DSST), forward-digital span (DS), backward-DS, and semantic fluency. Common reduced gray matter volume (GMV) in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) region was found across the SZ, MDD, and BD. Specific reduced GMV of brain regions was also found. For patients with SZ, we found reduced GMV in the frontal lobe, temporal pole, occipital lobe, thalamus, hippocampus, and cerebellum. For patients with MDD, we found reduced GMV in the frontal and temporal lobes, insular cortex, and occipital regions. Patients with BD had reduced GMV in the medial OFC, inferior temporal and fusiform regions, insular cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum. Furthermore, the OFC GMV was correlated with processing speed as assessed with the DSST across four groups (r = 0.17, p = 0.004) and correlated with the PANSS positive symptoms sub-score in patients with SZ (r = − 0.27, p = 0.026). In conclusion, common OFC alterations in SZ, MDD, and BD provided evidence that this region dysregulation may play a critical role in the pathophysiology of these three psychiatric disorders.

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression and cognitive impairment in post‑stroke depression (PSD) rats and to explore the mechanism(s) involved in the process of cognitive impairment. A rat model of focal cerebral ischemia was established by occluding the middle cerebral artery (MCA). Rats were subjected to isolation-housing combined with chronic unexpected mild stress (CUMS) to establish a PSD rat model. The learning and memory abilities of the PSD rat model were evaluated by passive avoidance tests. Real‑time PCR and immunohistochemical methods were used to detect changes in BDNF mRNA and protein expression in the hippocampus. Passive avoidance defects were revealed in the PSD and depression groups. Passive avoidance defects were more evident in the PSD group compared with the depression group and the difference was statistically significant (P0.05) or between the PSD and the depression groups (P>0.05). The decrease in BDNF expression in the hippocampus of PSD rats may aggravate cognitive impairment, however, the degree of cognitive impairment cannot be reflected by the expression levels of BDNF in the hippocampus.