Psychological distress is associated with early ultrasound-detected median nerve changes in asymptomatic young adults
Abstract
Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common compressive neuropathy, caused by entrapment of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel. CTS has a vast range of symptoms, resulting in sensory and motor dysfunction of the hand. Whether psychosocial factors are associated with CTS remains obscure. The present study examined the relationship between median nerve ultrasonographic cross-sectional area (CSA) and stress and depression among asymptomatic young individuals. The study involved 169 healthy Greek medical students (67 men and 102 women). Age, gender, dominant hand, medical history, daily hours of computer use, and family background were recorded. Two validated psychiatric questionnaires estimating stress and anxiety were self-completed. Median nerve status was examined using ultrasonography. A CSA of < 10 mm² was considered normal and > 12 mm² pathological. Data were analyzed using Pearson linear correlation and t-test. Mean CSA of the median nerve was 0.082 cm (SD = 0.018). Total daily time of computer use was positively correlated with CSA ( p = 0.012). Mean Zung Scale Score for depression was 38.89 (± 8.76), while STAI-Y1 and STAI-Y2 for anxiety estimation were 37.28 (± 9.78) and 41.14 (± 11.21) respectively. CSA of the median nerve was positively associated with ZUNG ( p = 0.001), STAI-Y1 ( p < 0.001) and STAI-Y2 ( p < 0.001) scores. The daily hours of computer use, depression and anxiety are positively associated with median nerve CSA among healthy young adults. The correlation between anxiety, depression and CSA highlights the need for both biomechanical and psychiatric interventions in asymptomatic subjects with psychological distress.
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BibTeX
@article{marini2026psychological,
title = {{Psychological distress is associated with early ultrasound-detected median nerve changes in asymptomatic young adults}},
author = {Aikaterini Marini and Kalliopi Iliou and Alexandra Stergiou and Natalia Kitsouli and Theocharis Chatzoglou and Panagiotis V. Kitsoulis and Dimitrios N. Varvarousis},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1038/s41598-026-77077-5},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-77077-5},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Psychological distress is associated with early ultrasound-detected median nerve changes in asymptomatic young adults
AU - Aikaterini Marini
AU - Kalliopi Iliou
AU - Alexandra Stergiou
AU - Natalia Kitsouli
AU - Theocharis Chatzoglou
AU - Panagiotis V. Kitsoulis
AU - Dimitrios N. Varvarousis
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/20
JO - Scientific Reports
DO - 10.1038/s41598-026-77077-5
UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-026-77077-5
AB - Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is a common compressive neuropathy, caused by entrapment of the median nerve within the carpal tunnel. CTS has a vast range of symptoms, resulting in sensory and motor dysfunction of the hand. Whether psychosocial factors are associated with CTS remains obscure. The present study examined the relationship between median nerve ultrasonographic cross-sectional area (CSA) and stress and depression among asymptomatic young individuals. The study involved 169 healthy Greek medical students (67 men and 102 women). Age, gender, dominant hand, medical history, daily hours of computer use, and family background were recorded. Two validated psychiatric questionnaires estimating stress and anxiety were self-completed. Median nerve status was examined using ultrasonography. A CSA of < 10 mm² was considered normal and > 12 mm² pathological. Data were analyzed using Pearson linear correlation and t-test. Mean CSA of the median nerve was 0.082 cm (SD = 0.018). Total daily time of computer use was positively correlated with CSA ( p = 0.012). Mean Zung Scale Score for depression was 38.89 (± 8.76), while STAI-Y1 and STAI-Y2 for anxiety estimation were 37.28 (± 9.78) and 41.14 (± 11.21) respectively. CSA of the median nerve was positively associated with ZUNG ( p = 0.001), STAI-Y1 ( p < 0.001) and STAI-Y2 ( p < 0.001) scores. The daily hours of computer use, depression and anxiety are positively associated with median nerve CSA among healthy young adults. The correlation between anxiety, depression and CSA highlights the need for both biomechanical and psychiatric interventions in asymptomatic subjects with psychological distress.
SN - 2045-2322
ER -