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Woodburn SC, Levitt CM, Koester AM, Kwan AC. Psilocybin Facilitates Fear Extinction: Importance of Dose, Context, and Serotonin Receptors. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:3034-3043. [PMID: 39087917 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
A variety of classic psychedelics and MDMA have been shown to enhance fear extinction in rodent models. This has translational significance because a standard treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is prolonged exposure therapy. However, few studies have investigated psilocybin's potential effect on fear learning paradigms. More specifically, the extents to which dose, timing of administration, and serotonin receptors may influence psilocybin's effect on fear extinction are not understood. In this study, we used a delay fear conditioning paradigm to determine the effects of psilocybin on fear extinction, extinction retention, and fear renewal in male and female mice. Psilocybin robustly enhances fear extinction when given acutely prior to testing for all doses tested. Psilocybin also exerts long-term effects to elevate extinction retention and suppress fear renewal in a novel context, although these changes were sensitive to dose. Analysis of sex differences showed that females may respond to a narrower range of doses than males. Administration of psilocybin prior to fear learning or immediately after extinction yielded no change in behavior, indicating that concurrent extinction experience is necessary for the drug's effects. Cotreatment with a 5-HT2A receptor antagonist blocked psilocybin's effects for extinction, extinction retention, and fear renewal, whereas 5-HT1A receptor antagonism attenuated only the effect on fear renewal. Collectively, these results highlight dose, context, and serotonin receptors as crucial factors in psilocybin's ability to facilitate fear extinction. The study provides preclinical evidence to support investigating psilocybin as a pharmacological adjunct for extinction-based therapy for PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel C Woodburn
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Caleb M Levitt
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Allison M Koester
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Alex C Kwan
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York 10065, United States
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2
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Shiroma PR, Thuras P, Polusny MA, Kehle-Forbes S, Disner S, Pardo JV, Gilmore C, Tolly B, Voller E, McManus E, King C, Lipinski A, Eng E, Hawkinson F, Wang G. Ketamine-enhanced prolonged exposure therapy in veterans with PTSD: A randomized controlled trial protocol. Contemp Clin Trials 2024; 143:107569. [PMID: 38729297 DOI: 10.1016/j.cct.2024.107569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2024] [Revised: 04/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The 2023 VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of PTSD recommends individual, manualized trauma-focused such as Prolonged Exposure (PE) over pharmacologic interventions for the primary treatment of PTSD. Unfortunately, clinical trials of trauma-based therapies in the military and veteran population showed that 30% to 50% of patients did not demonstrate clinically meaningful symptom change. Ketamine, an FDA-approved anesthetic with potent non-competitive glutamatergic N-methyl-d-aspartate antagonistic properties, has demonstrated to enhance the recall of extinction learning and decrease fear renewal without interference of extinction training in preclinical studies. METHODS We plan to conduct a single site RCT comparing three ketamine treatment vs. active placebo (midazolam) adjunct to PE therapy among Veterans with PTSD. Pharmacological phase will start simultaneously with PE session 1. Infusions will be administered 24 h. prior to PE session for the first 3 weeks. After PE is completed (session 10), patients will be assessed during a 3-month follow-up period at various time points. We estimate that out of 100 veterans, 80 will reach time point for primary outcome measure and will be considered for primary analysis. Secondary outcomes include severity of depression and anxiety scores, safety and tolerability of ketamine-enhanced PE therapy, cognitive performance during treatment and early improvement during PE related to the rate of dropouts during PE therapy. DISCUSSION Results of the proposed RCT could provide scientific foundation to distinguish the essential components of this approach, enhance the methodology, elucidate the mechanisms involved, and identify sub-PTSD populations that most likely benefit from this intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo R Shiroma
- Mental Health Service Line, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America.
| | - Paul Thuras
- Mental Health Service Line, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Melissa A Polusny
- Mental Health Service Line, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America; Center for Care Delivery & Outcomes Research, Minneapolis VA Healthcare System, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Shannon Kehle-Forbes
- Mental Health Service Line, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America; Center for Care Delivery & Outcomes Research, Minneapolis VA Healthcare System, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Seth Disner
- Mental Health Service Line, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Jose V Pardo
- Mental Health Service Line, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Casey Gilmore
- Mental Health Service Line, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Brian Tolly
- Department of Anesthesiology, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Emily Voller
- Mental Health Service Line, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Eliza McManus
- Mental Health Service Line, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Christie King
- Mental Health Service Line, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Alexandra Lipinski
- Mental Health Service Line, VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD, United States of America
| | - Emily Eng
- Mental Health Service Line, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America; Graduate School of Professional Psychology, Morrison Family College of Health, University of St. Thomas, Saint Paul, MN, United States of America
| | - Francine Hawkinson
- Mental Health Service Line, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
| | - Gloria Wang
- Mental Health Service Line, Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America
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Gokalp D, Unal G. The role of mGluR5 on the therapeutic effects of ketamine in Wistar rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2024; 241:1399-1415. [PMID: 38459971 PMCID: PMC11199271 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-024-06571-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/11/2024]
Abstract
RATIONALE Ketamine produces dissociative, psychomimetic, anxiolytic, antidepressant, and anesthetic effects in a dose dependent manner. It has a complex mechanism of action that involve alterations in other glutamate receptors. The metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) has been investigated in relation to the psychotic and anesthetic properties of ketamine, while its role in mediating the therapeutic effects of ketamine remains unknown. OBJECTIVES We investigated the role of mGluR5 on the antidepressant, anxiolytic and fear memory-related effects of ketamine in adult male Wistar rats. METHODS Two sets of experiments were conducted. We first utilized the positive allosteric modulator CDPPB to investigate how acute mGluR5 activation regulates the therapeutic effects of ketamine (10 mg/kg). We then tested the synergistic antidepressant effect of mGluR5 antagonism and ketamine by combining MTEP with a sub-effective dose of ketamine (1 mg/kg). Behavioral despair, locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior, and fear memory were respectively assessed in the forced swim test (FST), open field test (OFT), elevated plus maze (EPM), and auditory fear conditioning. RESULTS Enhancing mGluR5 activity via CDPPB occluded the antidepressant effect of ketamine without changing locomotor activity. Furthermore, concomitant administration of MTEP and ketamine exhibited a robust synergistic antidepressant effect. The MTEP + ketamine treatment, however, blocked the anxiolytic effect observed by sole administration of MTEP or the low dose ketamine. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that suppressed mGluR5 activity is required for the antidepressant effects of ketamine. Consequently, the antagonism of mGluR5 enhances the antidepressant effectiveness of low dose ketamine, but eliminates its anxiolytic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dilan Gokalp
- Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boğaziçi University, 34342, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Gunes Unal
- Behavioral Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Boğaziçi University, 34342, Istanbul, Turkey.
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Diniz CRAF, Crestani AP, Casarotto PC, Biojone C, Cannarozzo C, Winkel F, Prozorov MA, Kot EF, Goncharuk SA, Benette Marques D, Rakauskas Zacharias L, Autio H, Sahu MP, Borges-Assis AB, Leite JP, Mineev KS, Castrén E, Resstel LBM. Fluoxetine and Ketamine Enhance Extinction Memory and Brain Plasticity by Triggering the p75 Neurotrophin Receptor Proteolytic Pathway. Biol Psychiatry 2024:S0006-3223(24)01425-2. [PMID: 38945387 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2024.06.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 06/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Diverse antidepressants were recently described to bind to TrkB (tyrosine kinase B) and drive a positive allosteric modulation of endogenous BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). Although neurotrophins such as BDNF can bind to p75NTR (p75 neurotrophin receptor), their precursors are the high-affinity p75NTR ligands. While part of an unrelated receptor family capable of inducing completely opposite physiological changes, TrkB and p75NTR feature a crosslike conformation dimer and carry a cholesterol-recognition amino acid consensus in the transmembrane domain. As such qualities were found to be crucial for antidepressants to bind to TrkB and drive behavioral and neuroplasticity effects, we hypothesized that their effects might also depend on p75NTR. METHODS Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based binding and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy were performed to assess whether antidepressants would bind to p75NTR. HEK293T cells and a variety of in vitro assays were used to investigate whether fluoxetine (FLX) or ketamine (KET) would trigger any α- and γ-secretase-dependent p75NTR proteolysis and lead to p75NTR nuclear localization. Ocular dominance shift was performed with male and female p75NTR knockout mice to study the effects of KET and FLX on brain plasticity, in addition to pharmacological interventions to verify how p75NTR signaling is important for the effects of KET and FLX in enhancing extinction memory in male wild-type mice and rats. RESULTS Antidepressants were found to bind to p75NTR. FLX and KET triggered the p75NTR proteolytic pathway and induced p75NTR-dependent behavioral/neuroplasticity changes. CONCLUSIONS We hypothesize that antidepressants co-opt both BDNF/TrkB and proBDNF/p75NTR systems to induce a more efficient activity-dependent synaptic competition, thereby boosting the brain's ability for remodeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassiano Ricardo Alves Faria Diniz
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil; Neuroscience Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, California.
| | - Ana Paula Crestani
- Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, Davis, California; Department of Neuroscience and Behavioral Sciences, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Plinio Cabrera Casarotto
- Neuroscience Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Caroline Biojone
- Neuroscience Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Biomedicine and Translational Neuropsychiatry Unit-Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Cecilia Cannarozzo
- Neuroscience Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Frederike Winkel
- Neuroscience Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mikhail A Prozorov
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia; Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Erik F Kot
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia; Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | - Sergey A Goncharuk
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia; Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Dolgoprudny, Russia
| | - Danilo Benette Marques
- Department of Neuroscience and Behavioral Sciences, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Leonardo Rakauskas Zacharias
- Department of Neuroscience and Behavioral Sciences, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Henri Autio
- Neuroscience Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Anna Bárbara Borges-Assis
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - João Pereira Leite
- Department of Neuroscience and Behavioral Sciences, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Konstantin S Mineev
- Shemyakin-Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Eero Castrén
- Neuroscience Center, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
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Glavonic E, Dragic M, Mitic M, Aleksic M, Lukic I, Ivkovic S, Adzic M. Ketamine's Amelioration of Fear Extinction in Adolescent Male Mice Is Associated with the Activation of the Hippocampal Akt-mTOR-GluA1 Pathway. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:669. [PMID: 38931336 PMCID: PMC11206546 DOI: 10.3390/ph17060669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Fear-related disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety disorders are pervasive psychiatric conditions marked by persistent fear, stemming from its dysregulated acquisition and extinction. The primary treatment for these disorders, exposure therapy (ET), relies heavily on fear extinction (FE) principles. Adolescence, a vulnerable period for developing psychiatric disorders, is characterized by neurobiological changes in the fear circuitry, leading to impaired FE and increased susceptibility to relapse following ET. Ketamine, known for relieving anxiety and reducing PTSD symptoms, influences fear-related learning processes and synaptic plasticity across the fear circuitry. Our study aimed to investigate the effects of ketamine (10 mg/kg) on FE in adolescent male C57 BL/6 mice at the behavioral and molecular levels. We analyzed the protein and gene expression of synaptic plasticity markers in the hippocampus (HPC) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) and sought to identify neural correlates associated with ketamine's effects on adolescent extinction learning. Ketamine ameliorated FE in the adolescent males, likely affecting the consolidation and/or recall of extinction memory. Ketamine also increased the Akt and mTOR activity and the GluA1 and GluN2A levels in the HPC and upregulated BDNF exon IV mRNA expression in the HPC and PFC of the fear-extinguished mice. Furthermore, ketamine increased the c-Fos expression in specific brain regions, including the ventral HPC (vHPC) and the left infralimbic ventromedial PFC (IL vmPFC). Providing a comprehensive exploration of ketamine's mechanisms in adolescent FE, our study suggests that ketamine's effects on FE in adolescent males are associated with the activation of hippocampal Akt-mTOR-GluA1 signaling, with the vHPC and the left IL vmPFC as the proposed neural correlates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilija Glavonic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, “VINČA” Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11351 Belgrade, Serbia; (E.G.); (M.D.); (M.M.); (M.A.); (I.L.); (S.I.)
| | - Milorad Dragic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, “VINČA” Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11351 Belgrade, Serbia; (E.G.); (M.D.); (M.M.); (M.A.); (I.L.); (S.I.)
- Laboratory for Neurobiology, Department of General Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, 11158 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Milos Mitic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, “VINČA” Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11351 Belgrade, Serbia; (E.G.); (M.D.); (M.M.); (M.A.); (I.L.); (S.I.)
| | - Minja Aleksic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, “VINČA” Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11351 Belgrade, Serbia; (E.G.); (M.D.); (M.M.); (M.A.); (I.L.); (S.I.)
| | - Iva Lukic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, “VINČA” Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11351 Belgrade, Serbia; (E.G.); (M.D.); (M.M.); (M.A.); (I.L.); (S.I.)
| | - Sanja Ivkovic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, “VINČA” Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11351 Belgrade, Serbia; (E.G.); (M.D.); (M.M.); (M.A.); (I.L.); (S.I.)
| | - Miroslav Adzic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, “VINČA” Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11351 Belgrade, Serbia; (E.G.); (M.D.); (M.M.); (M.A.); (I.L.); (S.I.)
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6
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MacCallum PE, Cooze JB, Ward J, Moore KA, Blundell J. Evaluating the effects of single, multiple, and delayed systemic rapamycin injections to contextual fear reconsolidation: Implications for the neurobiology of memory and the treatment of PTSD-like re-experiencing. Behav Brain Res 2024; 461:114855. [PMID: 38185381 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.114855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase is known to mediate the formation and persistence of aversive memories. Rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, administered around the time of reactivation blocks retrieval-induced mTOR activity and de novo protein synthesis in the brains of rodents, while correspondingly diminishing subsequent fear memory. The goal of the current experiments was to further explore rapamycin's effects on fear memory persistence. First, we examined whether mTOR blockade at different time-points after reactivation attenuates subsequent contextual fear memory. We show that rapamycin treatment 3 or 12 h post-reactivation disrupts memory persistence. Second, we examined whether consecutive days of reactivation paired with rapamycin had additive effects over a single pairing at disrupting a contextual fear memory. We show that additional reactivation-rapamycin pairings exacerbates the reconsolidation impairment. Finally, we examined if impaired reconsolidation of a contextual fear memory from rapamycin treatment had any after-effects on learning and recalling a new fear association. We show that rapamycin-impaired reconsolidation does not affect new learning or recall and protects against fear generalization. Our findings improve our understanding of mTOR- dependent fear memory processes, as well as provide insight into potentially novel treatment options for stress-related psychopathologies such as posttraumatic stress disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip E MacCallum
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Ave, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Jane B Cooze
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Ave, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Joshua Ward
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Ave, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Kelsey Am Moore
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Ave, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador A1B 3X9, Canada
| | - Jacqueline Blundell
- Department of Psychology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Ave, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador A1B 3X9, Canada.
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Zaretsky TG, Jagodnik KM, Barsic R, Antonio JH, Bonanno PA, MacLeod C, Pierce C, Carney H, Morrison MT, Saylor C, Danias G, Lepow L, Yehuda R. The Psychedelic Future of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Treatment. Curr Neuropharmacol 2024; 22:636-735. [PMID: 38284341 PMCID: PMC10845102 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x22666231027111147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can occur following exposure to a traumatic experience. An estimated 12 million U.S. adults are presently affected by this disorder. Current treatments include psychological therapies (e.g., exposure-based interventions) and pharmacological treatments (e.g., selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)). However, a significant proportion of patients receiving standard-of-care therapies for PTSD remain symptomatic, and new approaches for this and other trauma-related mental health conditions are greatly needed. Psychedelic compounds that alter cognition, perception, and mood are currently being examined for their efficacy in treating PTSD despite their current status as Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)- scheduled substances. Initial clinical trials have demonstrated the potential value of psychedelicassisted therapy to treat PTSD and other psychiatric disorders. In this comprehensive review, we summarize the state of the science of PTSD clinical care, including current treatments and their shortcomings. We review clinical studies of psychedelic interventions to treat PTSD, trauma-related disorders, and common comorbidities. The classic psychedelics psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) and DMT-containing ayahuasca, as well as the entactogen 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and the dissociative anesthetic ketamine, are reviewed. For each drug, we present the history of use, psychological and somatic effects, pharmacology, and safety profile. The rationale and proposed mechanisms for use in treating PTSD and traumarelated disorders are discussed. This review concludes with an in-depth consideration of future directions for the psychiatric applications of psychedelics to maximize therapeutic benefit and minimize risk in individuals and communities impacted by trauma-related conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamar Glatman Zaretsky
- James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Kathleen M. Jagodnik
- The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Robert Barsic
- James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Josimar Hernandez Antonio
- The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Philip A. Bonanno
- The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Carolyn MacLeod
- The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Charlotte Pierce
- The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hunter Carney
- The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Morgan T. Morrison
- James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Charles Saylor
- The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - George Danias
- The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lauren Lepow
- The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rachel Yehuda
- James J. Peters Veterans Affairs Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
- The Center for Psychedelic Psychotherapy and Trauma Research, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
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8
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Titone MK, Hunt C, Bismark A, Nokes B, Lee E, Ramanathan D, Park J, Colvonen P. The effect of obstructive sleep apnea severity on PTSD symptoms during the course of esketamine treatment: a retrospective clinical study. J Clin Sleep Med 2023; 19:2043-2051. [PMID: 37539643 PMCID: PMC10692930 DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.10746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Abstract
STUDY OBJECTIVES Intranasal administration of esketamine is Food and Drug Administration-approved for treatment-resistant depression. In a recent retrospective case series, we show that it has promise in reducing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well. Untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is prevalent among veterans with PTSD and has been shown to interfere with other PTSD treatments. In the current study, we examined whether OSA impacts esketamine's effectiveness in reducing symptoms of PTSD or depression. METHODS Participants were 60 veterans with a diagnosis of major depressive disorder and PTSD who received intranasal esketamine treatment at the San Diego Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center. We used growth-curve modeling to examine changes in depression and PTSD symptoms following esketamine treatments and, in the subset of individuals screened for OSA (n = 24, all prescribed positive airway pressure therapy), examined the impacts of OSA severity on these trajectories. RESULTS We first showed that both PTSD and depressive symptoms significantly decreased over the course of esketamine treatment. In the subset of veterans screened for OSA, individuals with lower OSA severity reported the greatest reduction in PTSD symptoms, while veterans with the most severe OSA reported the least reduction in PTSD symptoms. Depression response was not affected by severity of OSA in this analysis. CONCLUSIONS Veterans with PTSD and depression tend to benefit from esketamine treatment, but OSA may interfere with esketamine effectiveness. Comorbid OSA should be assessed for and treated to maximize esketamine's benefits in PTSD. CITATION Titone MK, Hunt C, Bismark A, et al. The effect of obstructive sleep apnea severity on PTSD symptoms during the course of esketamine treatment: a retrospective clinical study. J Clin Sleep Med. 2023;19(12):2043-2051.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison K. Titone
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California
| | | | | | - Brandon Nokes
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California
| | - Ellen Lee
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Dhakshin Ramanathan
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California
| | - Jane Park
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California
| | - Peter Colvonen
- VA San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, California
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9
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Keeler JL, Kan C, Treasure J, Himmerich H. Novel treatments for anorexia nervosa: Insights from neuroplasticity research. EUROPEAN EATING DISORDERS REVIEW 2023. [PMID: 37823233 DOI: 10.1002/erv.3039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Treatment for anorexia nervosa (AN) remains challenging; there are no approved psychopharmacological interventions and psychotherapeutic strategies have variable efficacy. The investigation of evidence-based treatments has so far been compounded by an underdeveloped understanding into the neurobiological changes associated with the acute stages of AN. There is converging evidence of deficiencies in neuroplasticity in AN. METHOD This paper provides an overview of neuroimaging, neuropsychological, molecular and qualitative findings relating to neuroplasticity in AN, translating these findings to the identification of novel biological and psychotherapeutic strategies. RESULTS Novel psychopharmacological approaches that may ameliorate deficiencies in neuroplasticity include medications such as ketamine, psilocybin and human recombinant leptin. Anti-inflammatory medications and brain-derived neurotrophic factor mimetics may emerge as potential treatments following further research. Psychotherapeutic strategies that may target neuroplastic deficiencies, as well as having wider effects on identity, include imagery rescripting, memory specificity training, cognitive remediation therapy, exposure therapies, narrative therapies, cultural interventions (e.g. music and arts therapies) and yoga/mindfulness-based interventions. CONCLUSIONS Treatments specifically targeted towards mitigating the neurobiological sequalae of AN are warranted, and emerging neurobiological and neuropsychological research utilising longitudinal designs and large sample sizes, as well as initial feasibility studies, are necessitated to bolster translational efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Louise Keeler
- King's College London, Centre for Research in Eating and Weight Disorders (CREW), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Kent, UK
| | - Carol Kan
- Vincent Square Eating Disorder Service, London, UK
| | - Janet Treasure
- King's College London, Centre for Research in Eating and Weight Disorders (CREW), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Kent, UK
| | - Hubertus Himmerich
- King's College London, Centre for Research in Eating and Weight Disorders (CREW), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, London, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Kent, UK
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10
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Zhao Y, Shao H, Wang H, Li H, Xue Q. Age-related impairment in fear memory extinction is restored by ketamine in middle-aged mice. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 23:1374-1383. [PMID: 37420092 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01118-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/09/2023]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a disabling and chronic condition after exposure to an extreme traumatic event, affects approximately 8% of the population worldwide. However, the underlying mechanisms of PTSD are not clear. The ability to manage fear memories is critical for PTSD. Differences in stress responsiveness and coping strategies by age represent an important starting point for the understanding and prevention of PTSD. However, we do not know whether the ability to cope with fear memories is decreased in middle-aged mice. To investigate this, we compared fear memory extinction among different age groups of mice. We found that middle-aged mice exhibited impaired fear memory extinction, which was accompanied by sustained enhanced long-term potentiation (LTP) induction in the extinction process. Most interestingly, ketamine treatment restored the impaired fear memory extinction in middle-aged mice. Moreover, ketamine could ameliorate the increased LTP during the extinction process through a presynaptic mechanism. Altogether, our results indicated that middle-aged mice were unable to extinguish fear memories, which could be treated with ketamine via presynaptic-mediated synaptic plasticity in middle-aged mice, suggesting that ketamine administration may be a new strategy for the treatment of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingying Zhao
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China
| | - Hua Shao
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China
| | - Haitao Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China
| | - Huijuan Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China
| | - Qiong Xue
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain and Perioperative Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, Henan, China.
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11
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Li Y, Zhi W, Qi B, Wang L, Hu X. Update on neurobiological mechanisms of fear: illuminating the direction of mechanism exploration and treatment development of trauma and fear-related disorders. Front Behav Neurosci 2023; 17:1216524. [PMID: 37600761 PMCID: PMC10433239 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2023.1216524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Fear refers to an adaptive response in the face of danger, and the formed fear memory acts as a warning when the individual faces a dangerous situation again, which is of great significance to the survival of humans and animals. Excessive fear response caused by abnormal fear memory can lead to neuropsychiatric disorders. Fear memory has been studied for a long time, which is of a certain guiding effect on the treatment of fear-related disorders. With continuous technological innovations, the study of fear has gradually shifted from the level of brain regions to deeper neural (micro) circuits between brain regions and even within single brain regions, as well as molecular mechanisms. This article briefly outlines the basic knowledge of fear memory and reviews the neurobiological mechanisms of fear extinction and relapse, which aims to provide new insights for future basic research on fear emotions and new ideas for treating trauma and fear-related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Li
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Weijia Zhi
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Bing Qi
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
| | - Lifeng Wang
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangjun Hu
- College of Education, Hebei University, Baoding, China
- Laboratory of Experimental Pathology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, China
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12
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Bottemanne H, Arnould A, Najar A, Delaigue F, Serresse L, Joly L, Mouchabac S. [Combination of ketamine and esketamine with Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder]. L'ENCEPHALE 2023; 49:304-311. [PMID: 37095049 DOI: 10.1016/j.encep.2022.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Revised: 07/24/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), characterized by the combination of obsession and compulsion, is a clinical and therapeutic challenge. Many patients with OCD do not respond to first-line treatments such as serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and exposure and response prevention psychotherapy (ERP). For these resistant patients, some preliminary studies have shown that ketamine, a non-selective glutamatergic NMDA receptors antagonist, could improve the obsessive symptoms. A number of these studies have also suggested that the combination of ketamine with ERP psychotherapy may jointly potentiate the effectiveness of ketamine and ERP. In this paper, we present the existing data on the combined use of ketamine with ERP psychotherapy for OCD. We suggest that modulation of NMDA receptor activity and glutamatergic signaling by ketamine may promote the therapeutic mechanisms involved in ERP such as fear extinction and brain plasticity mechanisms. Finally, we propose a ketamine-augmented ERP psychotherapy (KAP-ERP) protocol in OCD, and we present the limitations associated with its application in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Bottemanne
- Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau (ICM), UMR 7225/UMRS 1127, Sorbonne University/CNRS/Inserm, Paris, France; Sorbonne University, Department of Philosophy, SND Research Unit, UMR 8011, CNRS, Paris, France; Department of Psychiatry, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Sorbonne University, DMU Neuroscience, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, France.
| | - Alice Arnould
- Department of Psychiatry, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Sorbonne University, DMU Neuroscience, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, France
| | - Amaury Najar
- Department of Psychiatry, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Sorbonne University, DMU Neuroscience, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, France
| | - Fanny Delaigue
- Department of Psychiatry, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Sorbonne University, DMU Neuroscience, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, France
| | - Laure Serresse
- Sorbonne University, Unité Mobile d'Accompagnement et de Soins Palliatifs, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, AP-HP, Paris, France
| | - Lucie Joly
- Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau (ICM), UMR 7225/UMRS 1127, Sorbonne University/CNRS/Inserm, Paris, France; Department of Psychiatry, Saint Antoine Hospital, Sorbonne University, DMU Neuroscience, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, France
| | - Stéphane Mouchabac
- Paris Brain Institute - Institut du Cerveau (ICM), UMR 7225/UMRS 1127, Sorbonne University/CNRS/Inserm, Paris, France; Department of Psychiatry, Saint Antoine Hospital, Sorbonne University, DMU Neuroscience, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, France
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13
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Singewald N, Sartori SB, Reif A, Holmes A. Alleviating anxiety and taming trauma: Novel pharmacotherapeutics for anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder. Neuropharmacology 2023; 226:109418. [PMID: 36623804 PMCID: PMC10372846 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2023.109418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Revised: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Psychiatric disorders associated with psychological trauma, stress and anxiety are a highly prevalent and increasing cause of morbidity worldwide. Current therapeutic approaches, including medication, are effective in alleviating symptoms of anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), at least in some individuals, but have unwanted side-effects and do not resolve underlying pathophysiology. After a period of stagnation, there is renewed enthusiasm from public, academic and commercial parties in designing and developing drug treatments for these disorders. Here, we aim to provide a snapshot of the current state of this field that is written for neuropharmacologists, but also practicing clinicians and the interested lay-reader. After introducing currently available drug treatments, we summarize recent/ongoing clinical assessment of novel medicines for anxiety and PTSD, grouped according to primary neurochemical targets and their potential to produce acute and/or enduring therapeutic effects. The evaluation of putative treatments targeting monoamine (including psychedelics), GABA, glutamate, cannabinoid, cholinergic and neuropeptide systems, amongst others, are discussed. We emphasize the importance of designing and clinically assessing new medications based on a firm understanding of the underlying neurobiology stemming from the rapid advances being made in neuroscience. This includes harnessing neuroplasticity to bring about lasting beneficial changes in the brain rather than - as many current medications do - produce a transient attenuation of symptoms, as exemplified by combining psychotropic/cognitive enhancing drugs with psychotherapeutic approaches. We conclude by noting some of the other emerging trends in this promising new phase of drug development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Singewald
- Institute of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), Leopold Franzens University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria.
| | - Simone B Sartori
- Institute of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Center for Molecular Biosciences Innsbruck (CMBI), Leopold Franzens University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Andreas Reif
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Andrew Holmes
- Laboratory of Behavioral and Genomic Neuroscience, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
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14
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Cannarozzo C, Rubiolo A, Casarotto P, Castrén E. Ketamine and its metabolite 2R,6R-hydroxynorketamine promote ocular dominance plasticity and release tropomyosin-related kinase B from inhibitory control without reducing perineuronal nets enwrapping parvalbumin interneurons. Eur J Neurosci 2023; 57:940-950. [PMID: 36740723 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Revised: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Ketamine has been described as a fast-acting antidepressant, exerting effects in depressed patients and in preclinical models with a rapid onset of action. The typical antidepressant fluoxetine is known to induce plasticity in the adult rodent visual cortex, as assessed by a shift in ocular dominance, a classical model of brain plasticity, and a similar effect has been described for ketamine and its metabolite 2R,6R-hydroxynorketamine (R,R-HNK). Here, we demonstrate that ketamine (at 3 or 20 mg/kg) and R,R-HNK facilitated the shift in ocular dominance in monocularly deprived mice, after three injections, throughout the 7-day monocular deprivation regimen. Notably, the comparison between the treatments indicates a higher effect size of R,R-HNK compared with ketamine. Treatment with ketamine or R,R-HNK failed to influence the levels of perineuronal nets (PNNs) surrounding parvalbumin-positive interneurons. However, we observed in vitro that both ketamine and R,R-HNK are able to disrupt the tropomyosin-related kinase B (TRKB) interaction with the protein tyrosine phosphatase sigma (PTPσ), which upon binding to PNNs dephosphorylates TRKB. These results support a model where diverse drugs promote the reinstatement of juvenile-like plasticity by directly binding TRKB and releasing it from PTPσ regulation, without necessarily reducing PNNs deposits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna Rubiolo
- Neuroscience Center-HILIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Plinio Casarotto
- Neuroscience Center-HILIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eero Castrén
- Neuroscience Center-HILIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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15
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Crombie KM, Adams TG, Dunsmoor JE, Greenwood BN, Smits JA, Nemeroff CB, Cisler JM. Aerobic exercise in the treatment of PTSD: An examination of preclinical and clinical laboratory findings, potential mechanisms, clinical implications, and future directions. J Anxiety Disord 2023; 94:102680. [PMID: 36773486 PMCID: PMC10084922 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2023.102680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with heightened emotional responding, avoidance of trauma related stimuli, and physical health concerns (e.g., metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease). Existing treatments such as exposure-based therapies (e.g., prolonged exposure) aim to reduce anxiety symptoms triggered by trauma reminders, and are hypothesized to work via mechanisms of extinction learning. However, these conventional gold standard psychotherapies do not address physical health concerns frequently presented in PTSD. In addition to widely documented physical and mental health benefits of exercise, emerging preclinical and clinical evidence supports the hypothesis that precisely timed administration of aerobic exercise can enhance the consolidation and subsequent recall of fear extinction learning. These findings suggest that aerobic exercise may be a promising adjunctive strategy for simultaneously improving physical health while enhancing the effects of exposure therapies, which is desirable given the suboptimal efficacy and remission rates. Accordingly, this review 1) encompasses an overview of preclinical and clinical exercise and fear conditioning studies which form the basis for this claim; 2) discusses several plausible mechanisms for enhanced consolidation of fear extinction memories following exercise, and 3) provides suggestions for future research that could advance the understanding of the potential importance of incorporating exercise into the treatment of PTSD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin M Crombie
- The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 1601 Trinity Street, Building B, Austin, TX 78712, United States of America.
| | - Tom G Adams
- University of Kentucky, Department of Psychology, 105 Kastle Hill, Lexington, KY 40506-0044, United States of America; Yale School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, 300 George St., New Haven, CT 06511, United States of America
| | - Joseph E Dunsmoor
- The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 1601 Trinity Street, Building B, Austin, TX 78712, United States of America
| | - Benjamin N Greenwood
- University of Colorado Denver, Department of Psychology, Campus Box 173, PO Box 173364, Denver, CO 80217-3364, United States of America
| | - Jasper A Smits
- The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychology, 108 E Dean Keeton St., Austin, TX 78712, United States of America
| | - Charles B Nemeroff
- The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 1601 Trinity Street, Building B, Austin, TX 78712, United States of America; Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, 1601 Trinity Street, Building B, Austin, TX 78712, United States of America
| | - Josh M Cisler
- The University of Texas at Austin, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 1601 Trinity Street, Building B, Austin, TX 78712, United States of America; Institute for Early Life Adversity Research, The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, 1601 Trinity Street, Building B, Austin, TX 78712, United States of America
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16
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Glavonic E, Mitic M, Francija E, Petrovic Z, Adzic M. Sex-specific role of hippocampal NMDA-Erk-mTOR signaling in fear extinction of adolescent mice. Brain Res Bull 2023; 192:156-167. [PMID: 36410566 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2022.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is a key phase of development for perturbations in fear extinction, with inability to adequately manage fear a potent factor for developing psychiatric disorders in adulthood. However, while behavioral correlates of adolescent fear regulation are established to a degree, molecular mediators of extinction learning in adolescence remain largely unknown. In this study, we observed fear acquisition and fear extinction (across 4 and 7 days) of adolescent and adult mice of both sexes and investigated how hippocampal levels of different plasticity markers relate to extinction learning. While fear was acquired evenly in males and females of both ages, fear extinction was found to be impaired in adolescent males. We also observed lower levels of GluA1, GLUN2A and GLUN2B subunits in male adolescents following fear acquisition, with an increase in their expression, as well as the activity of Erk-mTOR pathway over subsequent extinction sessions, which was paralleled with improved extinction learning. On the other hand, we detected no changes in plasticity-related proteins after fear acquisition in females, with alterations in GluA1, GluA4 and GLUN2B levels across fear extinction sessions. Additionally, we did not discern any pattern regarding the Erk-mTOR activity in female mice associated with their extinction performance. Overall, our research identifies sex-specific synaptic properties in the hippocampus that underlie developmentally regulated differences in fear extinction learning. We also point out hippocampal NMDA-Erk-mTOR signaling as the driving force behind successful fear extinction in male adolescents, highlighting this pathway as a potential therapeutic target for fear-related disorders in the adolescent population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilija Glavonic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, "VINČA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
| | - Milos Mitic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, "VINČA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Ester Francija
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, "VINČA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Zorica Petrovic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, "VINČA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia; Dominick P. Purpura Department of Neuroscience, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Miroslav Adzic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, "VINČA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
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17
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Marguilho M, Figueiredo I, Castro-Rodrigues P. A unified model of ketamine's dissociative and psychedelic properties. J Psychopharmacol 2023; 37:14-32. [PMID: 36527355 PMCID: PMC9834329 DOI: 10.1177/02698811221140011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Ketamine is an N-methyl-d-aspartate antagonist which is increasingly being researched and used as a treatment for depression. In low doses, it can cause a transitory modification in consciousness which was classically labelled as 'dissociation'. However, ketamine is also commonly classified as an atypical psychedelic and it has been recently reported that ego dissolution experiences during ketamine administration are associated with greater antidepressant response. Neuroimaging studies have highlighted several similarities between the effects of ketamine and those of serotonergic psychedelics in the brain; however, no unified account has been proposed for ketamine's multi-level effects - from molecular to network and psychological levels. Here, we propose that the fast, albeit transient, antidepressant effects observed after ketamine infusions are mainly driven by its acute modulation of reward circuits and sub-acute increase in neuroplasticity, while its dissociative and psychedelic properties are driven by dose- and context-dependent disruption of large-scale functional networks. Computationally, as nodes of the salience network (SN) represent high-level priors about the body ('minimal' self) and nodes of the default-mode network (DMN) represent the highest-level priors about narrative self-experience ('biographical' self), we propose that transitory SN desegregation and disintegration accounts for ketamine's 'dissociative' state, while transitory DMN desegregation and disintegration accounts for ketamine's 'psychedelic' state. In psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, a relaxation of the highest-level beliefs with psychotherapeutic support may allow a revision of pathological self-representation models, for which neuroplasticity plays a permissive role. Our account provides a multi-level rationale for using the psychedelic properties of ketamine to increase its long-term benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Pedro Castro-Rodrigues
- Centro Hospitalar Psiquiátrico de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal,NOVA Medical School, NMS, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal,Pedro Castro-Rodrigues, Centro Hospitalar Psiquiátrico de Lisboa, Avenida do Brasil, 53, Lisbon, 1749-002, Portugal.
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18
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Zhan B, Zhu Y, Xia J, Li W, Tang Y, Beesetty A, Ye JH, Fu R. Comorbidity of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Alcohol Use Disorder: Animal Models and Associated Neurocircuitry. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 24:ijms24010388. [PMID: 36613829 PMCID: PMC9820348 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD) are prevalent neuropsychiatric disorders and frequently co-occur concomitantly. Individuals suffering from this dual diagnosis often exhibit increased symptom severity and poorer treatment outcomes than those with only one of these diseases. Lacking standard preclinical models limited the exploration of neurobiological mechanisms underlying PTSD and AUD comorbidity. In this review, we summarize well-accepted preclinical model paradigms and criteria for developing successful models of comorbidity. We also outline how PTSD and AUD affect each other bidirectionally in the nervous nuclei have been heatedly discussed recently. We hope to provide potential recommendations for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo Zhan
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Yingxin Zhu
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Jianxun Xia
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Yunkang School of Medicine and Health, Nanfang College, Guangzhou 510970, China
| | - Wenfu Li
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
| | - Ying Tang
- Department of Biology, School of Life Science, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Anju Beesetty
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, Rutgers, New Jersey Medical School, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
| | - Jiang-Hong Ye
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology, Physiology & Neuroscience, Rutgers, New Jersey Medical School, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, NJ 07103, USA
- Correspondence: (J.-H.Y.); (R.F.)
| | - Rao Fu
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
- Correspondence: (J.-H.Y.); (R.F.)
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19
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Gasparyan A, Navarro D, Navarrete F, Manzanares J. Pharmacological strategies for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): From animal to clinical studies. Neuropharmacology 2022; 218:109211. [PMID: 35973598 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2022.109211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disabling psychiatric condition with a critical familiar, personal, and social impact. Patients diagnosed with PTSD show various symptoms, including anxiety, depression, psychotic episodes, and sleep disturbances, complicating their therapeutic management. Only sertraline and paroxetine, two selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, are approved by different international agencies to treat PTSD. In addition, these drugs are generally combined with psychotherapy to achieve positive results. However, these pharmacological strategies present limited efficacy. Nearly half of the PTSD patients do not experience remission of symptoms, possibly due to the high prevalence of psychiatric comorbidities. Therefore, in clinical practice, other off-label medications are common, even though the effectiveness of these drugs needs to be further investigated. In this line, antipsychotics, antiepileptics, adrenergic blockers, benzodiazepines, and other emerging pharmacological agents have aroused interest as potential therapeutic tools to improve some specific symptoms of PTSD. Thus, this review is focused on the most widely used drugs for the pharmacological treatment of PTSD with a translational approach, including clinical and preclinical studies, to emphasize the need to develop safer and more effective medications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ani Gasparyan
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, Avda. de Ramón y Cajal s/n, San Juan de Alicante, 03550, Alicante, Spain; Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientada a Resultados en Salud (RICORS), Red de Investigación en Atención Primaria de Adicciones (RIAPAd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER, Madrid, Spain; Departamento de Medicina Clínica, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), Alicante, Spain
| | - Daniela Navarro
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, Avda. de Ramón y Cajal s/n, San Juan de Alicante, 03550, Alicante, Spain; Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientada a Resultados en Salud (RICORS), Red de Investigación en Atención Primaria de Adicciones (RIAPAd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER, Madrid, Spain; Departamento de Medicina Clínica, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), Alicante, Spain
| | - Francisco Navarrete
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, Avda. de Ramón y Cajal s/n, San Juan de Alicante, 03550, Alicante, Spain; Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientada a Resultados en Salud (RICORS), Red de Investigación en Atención Primaria de Adicciones (RIAPAd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER, Madrid, Spain; Departamento de Medicina Clínica, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), Alicante, Spain
| | - Jorge Manzanares
- Instituto de Neurociencias, Universidad Miguel Hernández-CSIC, Avda. de Ramón y Cajal s/n, San Juan de Alicante, 03550, Alicante, Spain; Redes de Investigación Cooperativa Orientada a Resultados en Salud (RICORS), Red de Investigación en Atención Primaria de Adicciones (RIAPAd), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, MICINN and FEDER, Madrid, Spain; Departamento de Medicina Clínica, Universidad Miguel Hernández, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL), Alicante, Spain.
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20
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Paredes D, Knippenberg AR, Bulin SE, Keppler LJ, Morilak DA. Adjunct treatment with ketamine enhances the therapeutic effects of extinction learning after chronic unpredictable stress. Neurobiol Stress 2022; 19:100468. [PMID: 35865972 PMCID: PMC9293662 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2022.100468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating illness characterized by dysfunction in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Although both pharmacological and cognitive behavioral interventions have shown some promise at alleviating symptoms, high attrition and persistence of treatment-resistant symptoms pose significant challenges that remain unresolved. Specifically, prolonged exposure therapy, a gold standard intervention to treat PTSD, has high dropout rates resulting in many patients receiving less than a fully effective course of treatment. Administering pharmacological treatments together with behavioral psychotherapies like prolonged exposure may offer an important avenue for enhancing therapeutic efficacy sooner, thus reducing the duration of treatment and mitigating the impact of attrition. In this study, using extinction learning as a rat model of exposure therapy, we hypothesized that administering ketamine as an adjunct treatment together with extinction will enhance the efficacy of extinction in reversing stress-induced deficits in set shifting, a measure of cognitive flexibility. Results showed that combining a sub-effective dose of ketamine with a shortened, sub-effective extinction protocol fully reversed stress-induced cognitive set-shifting deficits in both male and female rats. These effects may be due to shared molecular mechanisms between extinction and ketamine, such as increased neuronal plasticity in common circuitry (e.g., hippocampus-mPFC), or increased BDNF signaling. This work suggests that fast-acting drugs, such as ketamine, can be effectively used in combination with behavioral interventions to reduce treatment duration and potentially mitigate the impact of attrition. Future work is needed to delineate other pharmacotherapies that may complement the effects of extinction via shared or independent mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denisse Paredes
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Anna R. Knippenberg
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Sarah E. Bulin
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - Lydia J. Keppler
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
| | - David A. Morilak
- Department of Pharmacology and Center for Biomedical Neuroscience, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
- South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX, 78229, USA
- Corresponding author. Department of Pharmacology, Mail Code 7764 University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 7703 Floyd Curl Drive, San Antonio, TX, 78229-3900, USA
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21
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Artin H, Bentley S, Mehaffey E, Liu FX, Sojourner K, Bismark AW, Printz D, Lee EE, Martis B, De Peralta S, Baker DG, Mishra J, Ramanathan D. Effects of intranasal ( S)-ketamine on Veterans with co-morbid treatment-resistant depression and PTSD: A retrospective case series. EClinicalMedicine 2022; 48:101439. [PMID: 35706484 PMCID: PMC9092498 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND (S)-ketamine is a glutamatergic drug with potent and rapid acting effects for the treatment of depression. Little is known about the effectiveness of intranasal (S)-ketamine for treating patients with comorbid depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHODS We performed a retrospective case series analysis of clinical outcomes in 35 Veterans with co-morbid depression and PTSD who were treated with intranasal (S)-ketamine treatments at the VA San Diego Neuromodulation Clinic between Jan 2020 and March 2021. Veterans were not randomized or blinded to treatment. The primary outcome measured was a change in patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) scores across the first 8 treatments (induction period) using a repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). In a smaller sub-group (n = 19) of Veterans who received at least 8 additional treatments, we analyzed whether intranasal (S)-ketamine continued to show treatment effects. Finally, we performed a sub-group and correlation analyses to understand how changes in PHQ-9 and PCL-5 scores were related across treatments. FINDINGS During the induction phase of treatment there was an absolute reduction of 5.1 (SEM 0.7) on the patient health questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) rating scale for depression, from 19.8 (SEM 0.7) at treatment 1 to 14.7 (SEM 0.8) at treatment 8 (week 4) (F(7238) = 8.3, p = 1e-6, partial η2 = 0.2). Five Veterans (14%) showed a clinically meaningful response (50% reduction in PHQ-9 score) at treatment 8. There was an absolute reduction of 15.5 +/- 2.4 on the patient checklist 5 (PCL-5) rating scale for PTSD, from 54.8 (SEM 2) at treatment 1 down to 39.3 (SEM 2.5) at treatment 8 (F(7238) = 15.5, p = 2e-7, partial η2 = 0.31). Sixteen Veterans (46%) showed a clinically meaningful response (reduction in PCL-5 of > 30%) in PTSD. Change in PHQ-9 correlated with change in PCL-5 at treatment 8 (r = 0.47, p = 0.005), but a decrease in PTSD symptoms were observable in some individuals with minimal anti-depressant response. INTERPRETATIONS While this is an open-label retrospective analysis, our results indicate that both depression and PTSD symptoms in Veterans with dual-diagnoses may improve with repeated intranasal (S)-ketamine treatment. The effects of (S)-ketamine on PTSD symptoms were temporally and individually distinct from those on depression, suggesting potentially different modes of action on the two disorders. This work may warrant formal randomized controlled studies on the effects of intranasal (S)-ketamine for individuals with co-morbid MDD and PTSD. FUNDING VA Center of Excellence in Stress and Mental Health, VA ORD (Career Development Award to DSR), Burroughs-Wellcome Fund Award (DSR), NIMH (EL).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hewa Artin
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sean Bentley
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Eamonn Mehaffey
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Fred X. Liu
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Kevin Sojourner
- Mental Health Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS), San Diego, CA 92161, USA
| | - Andrew W. Bismark
- Mental Health Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS), San Diego, CA 92161, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - David Printz
- Mental Health Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS), San Diego, CA 92161, USA
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VASDHS, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Ellen E. Lee
- Mental Health Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS), San Diego, CA 92161, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Brian Martis
- Mental Health Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS), San Diego, CA 92161, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Sharon De Peralta
- Mental Health Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS), San Diego, CA 92161, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Dewleen G. Baker
- Mental Health Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS), San Diego, CA 92161, USA
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VASDHS, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Jyoti Mishra
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Dhakshin Ramanathan
- Mental Health Service, VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHS), San Diego, CA 92161, USA
- Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health, VASDHS, San Diego, CA 92161, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Corresponding author at: Department of Psychiatry, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
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22
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Chen YL, Tong L, Chen Y, Fu CH, Peng JB, Ji LL. MiR-153 downregulation alleviates PTSD-like behaviors and reduces cell apoptosis by upregulating the Sigma-1 receptor in the hippocampus of rats exposed to single-prolonged stress. Exp Neurol 2022; 352:114034. [PMID: 35259352 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2022.114034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may lead to a series of changes in the central nervous system, including impaired synaptic plasticity, neuronal dendritic spine loss, enhanced apoptosis and increased inflammation. However, the specific mechanism of PTSD has not been studied clearly. In the present study, we found that the level of miR-153-3p in the hippocampus of rats exposed tosingle-prolonged stresss (SPS) was upregulated, but its downstream target σ-1R showed a significant decrease. The downregulation of miR-153 could alleviate the PTSD-like behaviors in the rats exposed to SPS, and this effect might be related to the upregulation of σ-1R and PSD95. Furthermore, anti-miR-153 could also increase the dendritic spine density and reduce cell apoptosis in the hippocampus of SPS rats. In addition, we showed that the mTOR signaling pathway might be involved in the regulation of σ-1R in the hippocampus of rats exposed to SPS. The results of this study indicated that miR-153 might alleviate PTSD-like behaviors by regulating cell morphology and reducing cell apoptosis in the hippocampus of rats exposed to SPS by targeting σ-1R, which might be related to the mTOR signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Lu Chen
- Department of Anatomy, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Lei Tong
- Department of Anatomy, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Yao Chen
- Department of Anatomy, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Chang-Hai Fu
- Department of Anatomy, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China
| | - Jun-Bo Peng
- Department of Anatomy, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
| | - Li-Li Ji
- Department of Anatomy, College of Basic Medical Sciences, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.
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23
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Kim D, Jung H, Shirai Y, Kim H, Kim J, Lim D, Mori T, Lee H, Park D, Kim HY, Guo Q, Pang B, Qiu W, Cao X, Kouyama-Suzuki E, Uemura T, Kasem E, Fu Y, Kim S, Tokunaga A, Yoshizawa T, Suzuki T, Sakagami H, Lee KJ, Ko J, Tabuchi K, Um JW. IQSEC3 Deletion Impairs Fear Memory Through Upregulation of Ribosomal S6K1 Signaling in the Hippocampus. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 91:821-831. [PMID: 35219498 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND IQSEC3, a gephyrin-binding GABAergic (gamma-aminobutyric acidergic) synapse-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor, was recently reported to regulate activity-dependent GABAergic synapse maturation, but the underlying signaling mechanisms remain incompletely understood. METHODS We generated mice with conditional knockout (cKO) of Iqsec3 to examine whether altered synaptic inhibition influences hippocampus-dependent fear memory formation. In addition, electrophysiological recordings, immunohistochemistry, and behavioral assays were used to address our question. RESULTS We found that Iqsec3-cKO induces a specific reduction in GABAergic synapse density, GABAergic synaptic transmission, and maintenance of long-term potentiation in the hippocampal CA1 region. In addition, Iqsec3-cKO mice exhibited impaired fear memory formation. Strikingly, Iqsec3-cKO caused abnormally enhanced activation of ribosomal P70-S6K1-mediated signaling in the hippocampus but not in the cortex. Furthermore, inhibiting upregulated S6K1 signaling by expressing dominant-negative S6K1 in the hippocampal CA1 of Iqsec3-cKO mice completely rescued impaired fear learning and inhibitory synapse density but not deficits in long-term potentiation maintenance. Finally, upregulated S6K1 signaling was rescued by IQSEC3 wild-type, but not by an ARF-GEF (adenosine diphosphate ribosylation factor-guanine nucleotide exchange factor) inactive IQSEC3 mutant. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that IQSEC3-mediated balanced synaptic inhibition in hippocampal CA1 is critical for the proper formation of hippocampus-dependent fear memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongwook Kim
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Hyeji Jung
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Yoshinori Shirai
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Institute of Medicine, Academic Assembly, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan
| | - Hyeonho Kim
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Jinhu Kim
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Dongseok Lim
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Takuma Mori
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Institute of Medicine, Academic Assembly, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan; Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan
| | - Hyojeong Lee
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Dongseok Park
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Hee Young Kim
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Qi Guo
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Institute of Medicine, Academic Assembly, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan
| | - Bo Pang
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Institute of Medicine, Academic Assembly, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan
| | - Wen Qiu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Institute of Medicine, Academic Assembly, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan
| | - Xueshan Cao
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Institute of Medicine, Academic Assembly, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan
| | - Emi Kouyama-Suzuki
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Institute of Medicine, Academic Assembly, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan
| | - Takeshi Uemura
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Institute of Medicine, Academic Assembly, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan
| | - Enas Kasem
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Institute of Medicine, Academic Assembly, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan; Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafr el-Sheikh, Egypt
| | - Yu Fu
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Institute of Medicine, Academic Assembly, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan
| | - Seungjoon Kim
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Akinori Tokunaga
- Division of Laboratory Animal Resources, Life Science Research Laboratory, University of Fukui, Fukui, Japan
| | - Takahiro Yoshizawa
- Research Center for Supports to Advanced Science, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan
| | - Tatsuo Suzuki
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Institute of Medicine, Academic Assembly, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Sakagami
- Department of Anatomy, Kitasato University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kea Joo Lee
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, South Korea; Neural Circuits Research Group, Korea Brain Research Institute, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Jaewon Ko
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, South Korea
| | - Katsuhiko Tabuchi
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Institute of Medicine, Academic Assembly, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan; Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Cutting Edge Research, Shinshu University, Nagano, Japan.
| | - Ji Won Um
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, South Korea.
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24
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Raut SB, Marathe PA, van Eijk L, Eri R, Ravindran M, Benedek DM, Ursano RJ, Canales JJ, Johnson LR. Diverse therapeutic developments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) indicate common mechanisms of memory modulation. Pharmacol Ther 2022; 239:108195. [PMID: 35489438 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2022.108195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), characterized by abnormally persistent and distressing memories, is a chronic debilitating condition in need of new treatment options. Current treatment guidelines recommend psychotherapy as first line management with only two drugs, sertraline and paroxetine, approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of PTSD. These drugs have limited efficacy as they only reduce symptoms related to depression and anxiety without producing permanent remission. PTSD remains a significant public health problem with high morbidity and mortality requiring major advances in therapeutics. Early evidence has emerged for the beneficial effects of psychedelics particularly in combination with psychotherapy for management of PTSD, including psilocybin, MDMA, LSD, cannabinoids, ayahuasca and ketamine. MDMA and psilocybin reduce barrier to therapy by increasing trust between therapist and patient, thus allowing for modification of trauma related memories. Furthermore, research into the memory reconsolidation mechanisms has allowed for identification of various pharmacological targets to disrupt abnormally persistent memories. A number of pre-clinical and clinical studies have investigated novel and re-purposed pharmacological agents to disrupt fear memory in PTSD. Novel therapeutic approaches like neuropeptide Y, oxytocin, cannabinoids and neuroactive steroids have also shown potential for PTSD treatment. Here, we focus on the role of fear memory in the pathophysiology of PTSD and propose that many of these new therapeutic strategies produce benefits through the effect on fear memory. Evaluation of recent research findings suggests that while a number of drugs have shown promising results in preclinical studies and pilot clinical trials, the evidence from large scale clinical trials would be needed for these drugs to be incorporated in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanket B Raut
- Schools of Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, TAS 7250, Australia
| | - Padmaja A Marathe
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Seth GS Medical College & KEM Hospital, Parel, Mumbai 400 012, India
| | - Liza van Eijk
- Department of Psychology, College of Healthcare Sciences, James Cook University, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Rajaraman Eri
- Health Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, TAS 7250, Australia
| | - Manoj Ravindran
- Medicine, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, TAS 7250, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, North-West Private Hospital, Burnie TAS 7320, Australia
| | - David M Benedek
- Centre for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University School of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Robert J Ursano
- Centre for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University School of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Juan J Canales
- Schools of Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, TAS 7250, Australia
| | - Luke R Johnson
- Schools of Psychological Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, TAS 7250, Australia; Centre for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University School of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
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25
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Sala N, Paoli C, Bonifacino T, Mingardi J, Schiavon E, La Via L, Milanese M, Tornese P, Datusalia AK, Rosa J, Facchinetti R, Frumento G, Carini G, Salerno Scarzella F, Scuderi C, Forti L, Barbon A, Bonanno G, Popoli M, Musazzi L. Acute Ketamine Facilitates Fear Memory Extinction in a Rat Model of PTSD Along With Restoring Glutamatergic Alterations and Dendritic Atrophy in the Prefrontal Cortex. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:759626. [PMID: 35370690 PMCID: PMC8968915 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.759626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress represents a major risk factor for psychiatric disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recently, we dissected the destabilizing effects of acute stress on the excitatory glutamate system in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Here, we assessed the effects of single subanesthetic administration of ketamine (10 mg/kg) on glutamate transmission and dendritic arborization in the PFC of footshock (FS)-stressed rats, along with changes in depressive, anxious, and fear extinction behaviors. We found that ketamine, while inducing a mild increase of glutamate release in the PFC of naïve rats, blocked the acute stress-induced enhancement of glutamate release when administered 24 or 72 h before or 6 h after FS. Accordingly, the treatment with ketamine 6 h after FS also reduced the stress-dependent increase of spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic current (sEPSC) amplitude in prelimbic (PL)-PFC. At the same time, ketamine injection 6 h after FS was found to rescue apical dendritic retraction of pyramidal neurons induced by acute stress in PL-PFC and facilitated contextual fear extinction. These results show rapid effects of ketamine in animals subjected to acute FS, in line with previous studies suggesting a therapeutic action of the drug in PTSD models. Our data are consistent with a mechanism of ketamine involving re-establishment of synaptic homeostasis, through restoration of glutamate release, and structural remodeling of dendrites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalie Sala
- Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology and Functional Neurogenomics, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Caterina Paoli
- Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology and Functional Neurogenomics, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.,School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
| | - Tiziana Bonifacino
- Department of Pharmacy, Unit of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Jessica Mingardi
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Emanuele Schiavon
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Busto Arsizio, Italy
| | - Luca La Via
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Marco Milanese
- Department of Pharmacy, Unit of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Paolo Tornese
- Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology and Functional Neurogenomics, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Ashok K Datusalia
- Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology and Functional Neurogenomics, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.,Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), Raebareli, India
| | - Jessica Rosa
- Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology and Functional Neurogenomics, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy.,Department of Pharmacology, Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil
| | - Roberta Facchinetti
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer", SAPIENZA University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Frumento
- Department of Pharmacy, Unit of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy
| | - Giulia Carini
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | | | - Caterina Scuderi
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer", SAPIENZA University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Lia Forti
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Busto Arsizio, Italy
| | - Alessandro Barbon
- Department of Molecular and Translational Medicine, University of Brescia, Brescia, Italy
| | - Giambattista Bonanno
- Department of Pharmacy, Unit of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.,IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Maurizio Popoli
- Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology and Functional Neurogenomics, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
| | - Laura Musazzi
- School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy
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Kawaminami A, Yamada D, Yanagisawa S, Shirakata M, Iio K, Nagase H, Saitoh A. Selective δ-Opioid Receptor Agonist, KNT-127, Facilitates Contextual Fear Extinction via Infralimbic Cortex and Amygdala in Mice. Front Behav Neurosci 2022; 16:808232. [PMID: 35264937 PMCID: PMC8899726 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2022.808232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Facilitation of fear extinction is a desirable action for the drugs to treat fear-related diseases, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We previously reported that a selective agonist of the δ-opioid receptor (DOP), KNT-127, facilitates contextual fear extinction in mice. However, its site of action in the brain and the underlying molecular mechanism remains unknown. Here, we investigated brain regions and cellular signaling pathways that may mediate the action of KNT-127 on fear extinction. Twenty-four hours after the fear conditioning, mice were reexposed to the conditioning chamber for 6 min as extinction training (reexposure 1). KNT-127 was microinjected into either the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA), hippocampus (HPC), prelimbic (PL), or infralimbic (IL) subregions of the medial prefrontal cortex, 30 min before reexposure 1. Next day, mice were reexposed to the chamber for 6 min as memory testing (reexposure 2). KNT-127 that infused into the BLA and IL, but not HPC or PL, significantly reduced the freezing response in reexposure 2 compared with those of control. The effect of KNT-127 administered into the BLA and IL was antagonized by pretreatment with a selective DOP antagonist. Further, the effect of KNT-127 was abolished by local administration of MEK/ERK inhibitor into the BLA, and PI3K/Akt inhibitor into the IL, respectively. These results suggested that the effect of KNT-127 was mediated by MEK/ERK signaling in the BLA, PI3K/Akt signaling in the IL, and DOPs in both brain regions. Here, we propose that DOPs play a role in fear extinction via distinct signaling pathways in the BLA and IL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayako Kawaminami
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Chiba, Japan
| | - Daisuke Yamada
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Chiba, Japan
- *Correspondence: Daisuke Yamada,
| | - Shoko Yanagisawa
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Chiba, Japan
| | - Motoki Shirakata
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Chiba, Japan
| | - Keita Iio
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Nagase
- International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Akiyoshi Saitoh
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Chiba, Japan
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Glavonic E, Mitic M, Adzic M. Hallucinogenic drugs and their potential for treating fear-related disorders: Through the lens of fear extinction. J Neurosci Res 2022; 100:947-969. [PMID: 35165930 DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Fear-related disorders, mainly phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder, are highly prevalent, debilitating disorders that pose a significant public health problem. They are characterized by aberrant processing of aversive experiences and dysregulated fear extinction, leading to excessive expression of fear and diminished quality of life. The gold standard for treating fear-related disorders is extinction-based exposure therapy (ET), shown to be ineffective for up to 35% of subjects. Moreover, ET combined with traditional pharmacological treatments for fear-related disorders, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, offers no further advantage to patients. This prompted the search for ways to improve ET outcomes, with current research focused on pharmacological agents that can augment ET by strengthening fear extinction learning. Hallucinogenic drugs promote reprocessing of fear-imbued memories and induce positive mood and openness, relieving anxiety and enabling the necessary emotional engagement during psychotherapeutic interventions. Mechanistically, hallucinogens induce dynamic structural and functional neuroplastic changes across the fear extinction circuitry and temper amygdala's hyperreactivity to threat-related stimuli, effectively mitigating one of the hallmarks of fear-related disorders. This paper provides the first comprehensive review of hallucinogens' potential to alleviate symptoms of fear-related disorders by focusing on their effects on fear extinction and the underlying molecular mechanisms. We overview both preclinical and clinical studies and emphasize the advantages of hallucinogenic drugs over current first-line treatments. We highlight 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine and ketamine as the most effective therapeutics for fear-related disorders and discuss the potential molecular mechanisms responsible for their potency with implications for improving hallucinogen-assisted psychotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emilija Glavonic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, "VINČA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Milos Mitic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, "VINČA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Miroslav Adzic
- Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, "VINČA" Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of thе Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia
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28
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Radford KD, Berman RY, Jaiswal S, Kim SY, Zhang M, Spencer HF, Choi KH. Enhanced Fear Memories and Altered Brain Glucose Metabolism ( 18F-FDG-PET) following Subanesthetic Intravenous Ketamine Infusion in Female Sprague-Dawley Rats. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23031922. [PMID: 35163844 PMCID: PMC8836808 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 01/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Although women and men are equally likely to receive ketamine following traumatic injury, little is known regarding sex-related differences in the impact of ketamine on traumatic memory. We previously reported that subanesthetic doses of an intravenous (IV) ketamine infusion following fear conditioning impaired fear extinction and altered regional brain glucose metabolism (BGluM) in male rats. Here, we investigated the effects of IV ketamine infusion on fear memory, stress hormone levels, and BGluM in female rats. Adult female Sprague–Dawley rats received a single IV ketamine infusion (0, 2, 10, or 20 mg/kg, over a 2-h period) following auditory fear conditioning (three pairings of tone and footshock). Levels of plasma stress hormones, corticosterone (CORT) and progesterone, were measured after the ketamine infusion. Two days after ketamine infusion, fear memory retrieval, extinction, and renewal were tested over a three-day period. The effects of IV ketamine infusion on BGluM were determined using 18F-fluoro-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG-PET) and computed tomography (CT). The 2 and 10 mg/kg ketamine infusions reduced locomotor activity, while 20 mg/kg infusion produced reduction (first hour) followed by stimulation (second hour) of activity. The 10 and 20 mg/kg ketamine infusions significantly elevated plasma CORT and progesterone levels. All three doses enhanced fear memory retrieval, impaired fear extinction, and enhanced cued fear renewal in female rats. Ketamine infusion produced dose-dependent effects on BGluM in fear- and stress-sensitive brain regions of female rats. The current findings indicate that subanesthetic doses of IV ketamine produce robust effects on the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis and brain energy utilization that may contribute to enhanced fear memory observed in female rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kennett D. Radford
- Daniel K. Inouye Graduate School of Nursing, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA;
| | - Rina Y. Berman
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; (R.Y.B.); (M.Z.)
| | - Shalini Jaiswal
- Biomedical Research Imaging Core (BRIC), Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA;
| | - Sharon Y. Kim
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; (S.Y.K.); (H.F.S.)
| | - Michael Zhang
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; (R.Y.B.); (M.Z.)
| | - Haley F. Spencer
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; (S.Y.K.); (H.F.S.)
| | - Kwang H. Choi
- Daniel K. Inouye Graduate School of Nursing, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA;
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; (R.Y.B.); (M.Z.)
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; (S.Y.K.); (H.F.S.)
- Department of Psychiatry, F. E. Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-301-295-2682
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Krystal JH, Southwick SM, Girgenti MJ. Matthew J. Friedman, M.D., Ph.D. and His Legacy of Leadership in the Field of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Psychiatry 2022; 85:161-170. [PMID: 35588483 DOI: 10.1080/00332747.2022.2068931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Positive modulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in the mPFC reduces the spontaneous recovery of fear. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:2580-2589. [PMID: 35418600 PMCID: PMC9135632 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01498-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) modulators have recently received increased attention as potential therapeutics for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Here, we tested a novel NMDAR-positive modulator, NYX-783, in the following two rodent models of PTSD: an auditory fear-conditioning model and a single-prolonged stress (SPS) model. We examined the ability of NYX-783 to reduce subsequent fear-based behaviors by measuring enhanced fear extinction and reduced spontaneous recovery (spontaneous return of fear) in male mice. NYX-783 administration significantly reduced spontaneous recovery in both PTSD models and enhanced fear extinction in the SPS model. Furthermore, NYX-783 increased the NMDA-induced inward currents of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the infralimbic medial prefrontal cortex (IL mPFC) and that the GluN2B subunit of NMDARs on pyramidal neurons in the IL mPFC is required for its effect on spontaneous recovery. The downstream expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor was required for NYX-783 to achieve its behavioral effect. These results elucidate the cellular targets of NYX-783 and the molecular mechanisms underlying the inhibition of spontaneous recovery. These preclinical findings support the hypothesis that NYX-783 may have therapeutic potential for PTSD treatment and may be particularly useful for inhibiting spontaneous recovery.
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31
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Kang MJY, Hawken E, Vazquez GH. The Mechanisms Behind Rapid Antidepressant Effects of Ketamine: A Systematic Review With a Focus on Molecular Neuroplasticity. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:860882. [PMID: 35546951 PMCID: PMC9082546 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.860882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The mechanism of action underlying ketamine's rapid antidepressant effects in patients with depression, both suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD), including treatment resistant depression (TRD), remains unclear. Of the many speculated routes that ketamine may act through, restoring deficits in neuroplasticity may be the most parsimonious mechanism in both human patients and preclinical models of depression. Here, we conducted a literature search using PubMed for any reports of ketamine inducing neuroplasticity relevant to depression, to identify cellular and molecular events, relevant to neuroplasticity, immediately observed with rapid mood improvements in humans or antidepressant-like effects in animals. After screening reports using our inclusion/exclusion criteria, 139 publications with data from cell cultures, animal models, and patients with BD or MDD were included (registered on PROSPERO, ID: CRD42019123346). We found accumulating evidence to support that ketamine induces an increase in molecules involved in modulating neuroplasticity, and that these changes are paired with rapid antidepressant effects. Molecules or complexes of high interest include glutamate, AMPA receptors (AMPAR), mTOR, BDNF/TrkB, VGF, eEF2K, p70S6K, GSK-3, IGF2, Erk, and microRNAs. In summary, these studies suggest a robust relationship between improvements in mood, and ketamine-induced increases in molecular neuroplasticity, particularly regarding intracellular signaling molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melody J Y Kang
- Center of Neuroscience Studies (CNS), Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Emily Hawken
- Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University School of Medicine, Kingston, ON, Canada.,Providence Care Hospital, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Gustavo Hector Vazquez
- Center of Neuroscience Studies (CNS), Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University School of Medicine, Kingston, ON, Canada.,Providence Care Hospital, Kingston, ON, Canada
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32
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Duran JM, Sierra RO, Corredor K, Cardenas FP. Cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation on the prefrontal cortex applied after reactivation attenuates fear memories and prevent reinstatement after extinction. J Psychiatr Res 2021; 145:213-221. [PMID: 34929471 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.12.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 12/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/11/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the last decade, pharmacological strategies targeting reconsolidation after memory retrieval have shown promising efforts to attenuate persistent memories and overcome fear recovery. However, most reconsolidation inhibiting agents have not been approved for human testing. While non-invasive neuromodulation can be considered an alternative approach to pharmacological treatments, there is a lack of evidence about the efficacy of these technologies when modifying memory traces via reactivation/reconsolidation mechanism. OBJECTIVE In this study, we evaluate the effect of cathodal (c-tDCS) and anodal (a-DCS) transcranial direct current stimulation applied after memory reactivation and extinction in rats. METHODS Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned into three groups: one sham group, one anodal tDCS group, and one cathodal tDCS group (500 μA, 20 min). Reconsolidation and extinction of fear memories were evaluated using a contextual fear conditioning. RESULTS Our results showed that c-tDCS and a-tDCS after memory reactivation can attenuate mild fear memories. However, only c-tDCS stimulation prevented both fear expression under strong fear learning and fear recovery after a reinstatement protocol without modification of learning rate or extinction retrieval. Nevertheless, the remote memories were resistant to modification through this type of neuromodulation. Our results are discussed considering the interaction between intrinsic excitability promoted by learning and memory retrieval and the electric field applied during tDCS. CONCLUSION These results point out some of the boundary conditions influencing the efficacy of tDCS in fear attenuation and open new ways for the development of noninvasive interventions aimed to control fear-related disorders via reconsolidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna M Duran
- Laboratory of Neuroscience and Behavior, Department of Psychology, Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia.
| | | | - Karen Corredor
- Laboratory of Neuroscience and Behavior, Department of Psychology, Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia
| | - Fernando P Cardenas
- Laboratory of Neuroscience and Behavior, Department of Psychology, Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia.
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Norbury A, Rutter SB, Collins AB, Costi S, Jha MK, Horn SR, Kautz M, Corniquel M, Collins KA, Glasgow AM, Brallier J, Shin LM, Charney DS, Murrough JW, Feder A. Neuroimaging correlates and predictors of response to repeated-dose intravenous ketamine in PTSD: preliminary evidence. Neuropsychopharmacology 2021; 46:2266-2277. [PMID: 34333555 PMCID: PMC8580962 DOI: 10.1038/s41386-021-01104-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Revised: 06/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Promising initial data indicate that the glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist ketamine may be beneficial in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Here, we explore the neural correlates of ketamine-related changes in PTSD symptoms, using a rich battery of functional imaging data (two emotion-processing tasks and one task-free scan), collected from a subset of participants of a randomized clinical trial of repeated-dose intravenous ketamine vs midazolam (total N = 21). In a pre-registered analysis, we tested whether changes in an a priori set of imaging measures from a target neural circuit were predictive of improvement in PTSD symptoms, using leave-one-out cross-validated elastic-net regression models (regions of interest in the target circuit consisted of the dorsal and rostral anterior cingulate cortex, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, anterior hippocampus, anterior insula, and amygdala). Improvements in PTSD severity were associated with increased functional connectivity between the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and amygdala during emotional face-viewing (change score retained in model with minimum predictive error in left-out subjects, standardized regression coefficient [β] = 2.90). This effect was stronger in participants who received ketamine compared to midazolam (interaction β = 0.86), and persisted following inclusion of concomitant change in depressive symptoms in the analysis model (β = 0.69). Improvement following ketamine was also predicted by decreased dorsal anterior cingulate activity during emotional conflict regulation, and increased task-free connectivity between the vmPFC and anterior insula (βs = -2.82, 0.60). Exploratory follow-up analysis via dynamic causal modelling revealed that whilst improvement in PTSD symptoms following either drug was associated with decreased excitatory modulation of amygdala→vmPFC connectivity during emotional face-viewing, increased top-down inhibition of the amygdala by the vmPFC was only observed in participants who improved under ketamine. Individuals with low prefrontal inhibition of amygdala responses to faces at baseline also showed greater improvements following ketamine treatment. These preliminary findings suggest that, specifically under ketamine, improvements in PTSD symptoms are accompanied by normalization of hypofrontal control over amygdala responses to social signals of threat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnes Norbury
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sarah B Rutter
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Abigail B Collins
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sara Costi
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Manish K Jha
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sarah R Horn
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Marin Kautz
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Morgan Corniquel
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Katherine A Collins
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - Andrew M Glasgow
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jess Brallier
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lisa M Shin
- Department of Psychology, Tufts University, Medford, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dennis S Charney
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Pharmacological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - James W Murrough
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Adriana Feder
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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34
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Keeler JL, Treasure J, Juruena MF, Kan C, Himmerich H. Ketamine as a Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa: A Narrative Review. Nutrients 2021; 13:4158. [PMID: 34836413 PMCID: PMC8625822 DOI: 10.3390/nu13114158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Revised: 11/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a highly complex disorder to treat, especially in severe and enduring cases. Whilst the precise aetiology of the disorder is uncertain, malnutrition and weight loss can contribute to reductions in grey and white matter of the brain, impairments in neuroplasticity and neurogenesis and difficulties with cognitive flexibility, memory and learning. Depression is highly comorbid in AN and may be a barrier to recovery. However, traditional antidepressants are often ineffective in alleviating depressive symptoms in underweight patients with AN. There is an urgent need for new treatment approaches for AN. This review gives a conceptual overview for the treatment of AN with ketamine. Ketamine has rapid antidepressant effects, which are hypothesised to occur via increases in glutamate, with sequelae including increased neuroplasticity, neurogenesis and synaptogenesis. This article provides an overview of the use of ketamine for common psychiatric comorbidities of AN and discusses particular safety concerns and side effects. Potential avenues for future research and specific methodological considerations are explored. Overall, there appears to be ample theoretical background, via several potential mechanisms, that warrant the exploration of ketamine as a treatment for adults with AN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Louise Keeler
- Section of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, UK; (J.T.); (H.H.)
| | - Janet Treasure
- Section of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, UK; (J.T.); (H.H.)
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Monks Orchard Road, Beckenham BR3 3BX, UK;
| | - Mario F. Juruena
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Monks Orchard Road, Beckenham BR3 3BX, UK;
- Centre for Affective Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Carol Kan
- Eating Disorder Service, Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust, 1 Nightingale Place, Kensington & Chelsea, London SW10 9NG, UK;
| | - Hubertus Himmerich
- Section of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, UK; (J.T.); (H.H.)
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Monks Orchard Road, Beckenham BR3 3BX, UK;
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35
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Wilkinson ST, Rhee TG, Joormann J, Webler R, Ortiz Lopez M, Kitay B, Fasula M, Elder C, Fenton L, Sanacora G. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to Sustain the Antidepressant Effects of Ketamine in Treatment-Resistant Depression: A Randomized Clinical Trial. PSYCHOTHERAPY AND PSYCHOSOMATICS 2021; 90:318-327. [PMID: 34186531 DOI: 10.1159/000517074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Ketamine has emerged as a rapid-acting antidepressant. While ongoing treatment can prevent relapse, concerns exist regarding long-term exposure. OBJECTIVE We conducted a randomized trial to examine the feasibility and efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) following intravenous ketamine in treatment-resistant depression (TRD). METHODS Subjects with TRD were recruited and treated with 6 intravenous infusions of ketamine over 3 weeks. Subjects who experienced a clinical response (≥50% improvement in depression severity) were then randomized to receiving CBT or treatment as usual (TAU) for an additional 14 weeks, using a sequential treatment model. RESULTS Of the 42 patients who signed consent, 28 patients achieved a response and were randomized to CBT or TAU. When measured using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (primary outcome measure), the effect size at the end of the study was moderate (Cohen d = 0.65; 95% CI -0.55 to 1.82), though the group-by-time interaction effect was not significant. There was a significant group-by-time interaction as measured by the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (F = 4.58; p = 0.033), favoring a greater sustained improvement in the CBT group. This corresponded to a moderate-to-large effect size of the Cohen d = 0.71 (95% CI -0.30 to 1.70) at the end of the study (14 weeks following the last ketamine infusion). In a subset of patients (N = 20) who underwent cognitive testing using the emotional N-back assessments before and after ketamine, ketamine responders showed improvement in the accuracy of emotional N-back (t[8] = 2.33; p < 0.05) whereas nonresponders did not (t[10] <1; p ns). CONCLUSIONS This proof-of-concept study provides preliminary data indicating that CBT may sustain the antidepressant effects of ketamine in TRD. Further study and optimization of this treatment approach in well-powered clinical trials is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel T Wilkinson
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Interventional Psychiatric Service, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Taeho Greg Rhee
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jutta Joormann
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Ryan Webler
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Mayra Ortiz Lopez
- Department of Nursing, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Brandon Kitay
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Madonna Fasula
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Christina Elder
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Lisa Fenton
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Gerard Sanacora
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.,Interventional Psychiatric Service, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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36
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Bottemanne H, Arnould A. Ketamine Augmentation of Exposure Response Prevention Therapy for Obsessive-compulsive Disorder. INNOVATIONS IN CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE 2021; 18:9-11. [PMID: 35096475 PMCID: PMC8794478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a disabling disease characterized by intrusive thoughts, with compulsions performed to lessen distress. Many patients with OCD do not respond to first-line intervention, such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) and exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy. Previous studies have focused on the use of ketamine, a nonselective N-methyl D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, for treatment-resistant OCD. Research has shown that ketamine modulates NMDARs and gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors (GABAR), which are major pathways for contingency-learning, belief updating, and extinction learning. Here, we propose an augmented psychotherapy (AP) protocol combining ERP intervention with administration of ketamine. We describe the theory that NMDAR modulation might directly promote the therapeutic mechanisms involved in exposure and discuss the possibility that ketamine plasticity enhancement might potentiate extinction-based psychotherapy in the treatment of OCD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Bottemanne
- Dr. Bottemanne and Ms. Arnould are with Sorbonne University, Paris Brain Institute-Institut du Cerveau (ICM), and Department of Psychiatry (Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, APHP) in Paris, France
| | - Alice Arnould
- Dr. Bottemanne and Ms. Arnould are with Sorbonne University, Paris Brain Institute-Institut du Cerveau (ICM), and Department of Psychiatry (Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, APHP) in Paris, France
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Aleksandrova LR, Phillips AG. Neuroplasticity as a convergent mechanism of ketamine and classical psychedelics. Trends Pharmacol Sci 2021; 42:929-942. [PMID: 34565579 DOI: 10.1016/j.tips.2021.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The emerging therapeutic efficacy of ketamine and classical psychedelics for depression has inspired tremendous interest in the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. We review preclinical and clinical evidence supporting neuroplasticity as a convergent downstream mechanism of action for these novel fast-acting antidepressants. Through their primary glutamate or serotonin receptor targets, ketamine and psychedelics [psilocybin, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT)] induce synaptic, structural, and functional changes, particularly in pyramidal neurons in the prefrontal cortex. These include increased glutamate release, α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR) activation, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-mediated signaling, expression of synaptic proteins, and synaptogenesis. Such influences may facilitate adaptive rewiring of pathological neurocircuitry, thus providing a neuroplasticity-focused framework to explain the robust and sustained therapeutic effects of these compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily R Aleksandrova
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health and Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
| | - Anthony G Phillips
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health and Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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Philipp-Muller AE, Reshetukha T, Vazquez G, Milev R, Armstrong D, Jagayat J, Alavi N. Combining Ketamine and Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc 2021; 10:e30334. [PMID: 34092549 PMCID: PMC8335614 DOI: 10.2196/30334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Revised: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Over one third of patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) do not respond to current interventions. Ketamine presents a potential treatment option; however, its effects are temporary. Administering ketamine alongside psychotherapy is one potential means of prolonging its effects; however, only a few studies have investigated this treatment method to date, and none have tested ketamine with internet-based or electronically delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (e-CBT). Objective This open-label randomized controlled trial aims to assess the efficacy of a combined treatment method of subanesthetic intravenous ketamine and e-CBT for treating patients with PTSD. Methods In total, 20 patients with refractory PTSD recruited from a community clinic will be randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=10), receiving a combination of ketamine and therapist-administered e-CBT over 14 weeks, or a waitlist control group (n=10), receiving the experimental treatment after 14 weeks. Both groups will be assessed for the symptoms of PTSD and comorbid disorders before treatment, at two midway points, and at the end of the experiment. Results PTSD symptoms of participants in the experimental group are expected to improve significantly more than those of participants in the waitlist control group (P=.05) with a large effect size (η2=0.14). Conclusions This is the first study to assess the relationship between e-CBT and ketamine and their combined ability to treat refractory PTSD. If successful, this study will open web-based, asynchronous therapeutic options for patients with PTSD and will provide new insights into the functional role of glutamate in trauma-related disorders as well as in learning, memory, and fear extinction. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04771767; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04771767. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) PRR1-10.2196/30334
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Taras Reshetukha
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Gustavo Vazquez
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Roumen Milev
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Dawn Armstrong
- Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Jasleen Jagayat
- Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Nazanin Alavi
- Centre for Neuroscience Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
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Zhang M, Spencer HF, Berman RY, Radford KD, Choi KH. Effects of subanesthetic intravenous ketamine infusion on neuroplasticity-related proteins in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. IBRO Neurosci Rep 2021; 11:42-51. [PMID: 34286313 PMCID: PMC8273220 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibneur.2021.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 10/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Although ketamine, a multimodal dissociative anesthetic, is frequently used for analgesia and treatment-resistant major depression, molecular mechanisms of ketamine remain unclear. Specifically, differences in the effects of ketamine on neuroplasticity-related proteins in the brains of males and females need further investigation. In the current study, adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats with an indwelling jugular venous catheter received an intravenous ketamine infusion (0, 10, or 40 mg/kg, 2-h), starting with a 2 mg/kg bolus for ketamine groups. Spontaneous locomotor activity was monitored by infrared photobeams during the infusion. Two hours after the infusion, brain tissue was dissected to obtain the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), hippocampus including the CA1, CA3, and dentate gyrus, and amygdala followed by Western blot analyses of a transcription factor (c-Fos), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK). The 10 mg/kg ketamine infusion suppressed locomotor activity in male and female rats while the 40 mg/kg infusion stimulated activity only in female rats. In the mPFC, 10 mg/kg ketamine reduced pERK levels in male rats while 40 mg/kg ketamine increased c-Fos levels in male and female rats. Female rats in proestrus/estrus phases showed greater ketamine-induced c-Fos elevation as compared to those in diestrus phase. In the amygdala, 10 and 40 mg/kg ketamine increased c-Fos levels in female, but not male, rats. In the hippocampus, 10 mg/kg ketamine reduced BDNF levels in male, but not female, rats. Taken together, the current data suggest that subanesthetic doses of intravenous ketamine infusions produce differences in neuroplasticity-related proteins in the brains of male and female rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.,Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Haley F Spencer
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Rina Y Berman
- Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.,Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Kennett D Radford
- Daniel K. Inouye Graduate School of Nursing, Uniformed Services University, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Kwang H Choi
- Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.,Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.,Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.,Daniel K. Inouye Graduate School of Nursing, Uniformed Services University, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
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40
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Keizer BM, Roache JD, Jones JR, Kalpinski RJ, Porcerelli JH, Krystal JH. Continuous Ketamine Infusion for Pain as an Opportunity for Psychotherapy for PTSD: A Case Series of Ketamine-Enhanced Psychotherapy for PTSD and Pain (KEP-P2). PSYCHOTHERAPY AND PSYCHOSOMATICS 2021; 89:326-329. [PMID: 32248200 DOI: 10.1159/000507095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin M Keizer
- Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Center for the Intrepid, Brooke Army Medical Center, Joint Base San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA,
| | - John D Roache
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - John R Jones
- United States Air Force, Robins Air Force Base, Warner Robins, Georgia, USA
| | - Ryan J Kalpinski
- United States Air Force, Joint Base Andrews, JB Andrews, Maryland, USA
| | - John H Porcerelli
- Department of Psychology, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, Michigan, USA
| | - John H Krystal
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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Zhang X, Zhao Y, Du Y, Sun H, Zhang W, Wang A, Li Q, Li C, Wang Y, Du Z, Sun H, Sun L. Effect of ketamine on mood dysfunction and spatial cognition deficits in PTSD mouse models via HCN1-BDNF signaling. J Affect Disord 2021; 286:248-258. [PMID: 33752039 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2021.02.058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental disease with high morbidity and major social and economic relevance. No efficient treatment for PTSD has thus far been identified. Clinical research has shown that ketamine can rapidly alleviate symptoms in patients with chronic PTSD; however, its pharmacological mechanism has yet to be determined. METHODS This study aimed to identify a model of single prolonged stress (SPS), which induced PTSD-like features in adult mice. Once the model was established, stress-related behavioral changes in the mouse model were evaluated after intraperitoneal injection of ketamine (10 mg/kg). Alterations in certain proteins (HCN1, BDNF, and PSD95) and synaptic ultrastructure in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HIP) were measured. RESULTS The mice under the SPS model exhibited anxiety- and depression-like behaviors and induced spatial cognitive deficits, accompanied by elevated HCN1 protein expression in the PFC and HIP, reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and PSD95 proteins, and alterations in synaptic morphology. After ketamine administration, the SPS-treated mice restored their protein levels and synaptic ultrastructure in the PFC, and their PTSD-like behaviors improved. However, learning and memory in the SPS-treated mice did not improve in the water maze test, and no significant changes in protein level and synaptic ultrastructure in the HIP were shown. LIMITATIONS The electrophysiological mechanism of the HCN1 ion channel after ketamine administration was not explored. CONCLUSION Ketamine could generally improve SPS-induced mood dysfunction in mice but exerted no effect on the spatial cognitive function, which could be related to the alterations in synaptic morphology and function mediated by HCN1-related BDNF signaling in the PFC and HIP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianqiang Zhang
- School of Psychology, Weifang Medical University, 7166# Baotong West Street, Weifang, Shandong 261053, China; National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Peking University Sixth Hospital/Institute of Mental Health and the Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Ministry of Health (Peking University), Beijing, China
| | - Yanan Zhao
- Student affairs office, Silicon Lake College, 168 Greenland Avenue, Huaqiao International Business Zone, Kunshan, Jiangsu 215332, China
| | - Yalin Du
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Weifang Medical University, 7166# Baotong West Street, Weifang, Shandong 261053, China
| | - Haoran Sun
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Weifang Medical University, 7166# Baotong West Street, Weifang, Shandong 261053, China
| | - Wenlei Zhang
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Weifang Medical University, 7166# Baotong West Street, Weifang, Shandong 261053, China
| | - Aihong Wang
- Department of Hematology, Affiliated Hospital of Weifang Medical University, Weifang, Shandong Province 261031, P. R. China
| | - Qi Li
- Department of Psychiatry and Centre for Reproduction Growth and Development, University of Hong Kong, China
| | - Changjiang Li
- School of Psychology, Weifang Medical University, 7166# Baotong West Street, Weifang, Shandong 261053, China
| | - Yanyu Wang
- School of Psychology, Weifang Medical University, 7166# Baotong West Street, Weifang, Shandong 261053, China
| | - Zhongde Du
- Department of Neurology, Sunshine Union Hospital, 9000# Yingqian Street, Weifang, Shandong 261000, China
| | - Hongwei Sun
- School of Psychology, Weifang Medical University, 7166# Baotong West Street, Weifang, Shandong 261053, China
| | - Lin Sun
- School of Psychology, Weifang Medical University, 7166# Baotong West Street, Weifang, Shandong 261053, China.
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Asim M, Wang B, Hao B, Wang X. Ketamine for post-traumatic stress disorders and it's possible therapeutic mechanism. Neurochem Int 2021; 146:105044. [PMID: 33862176 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2021.105044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2020] [Revised: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a devastating medical illness, for which currently available pharmacotherapies have poor efficacy. Accumulating evidence from clinical and preclinical animal investigations supports that ketamine exhibits a rapid and persistent effect against PTSD, though the underlying molecular mechanism remains to be clarified. In this literature review, we recapitulate the achievements from early ketamine studies to the most up-to-date discoveries, with an effort to discuss an inclusive therapeutic role of ketamine for PTSD treatment and its possible therapeutic mechanism. Ketamine seems to have an inimitable mechanism of action entailing glutamate modulation via actions at the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptors, as well as downstream activation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathways to potentiate synaptic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammad Asim
- Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical Science, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong; Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China; Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Bing Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, China
| | - Bo Hao
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China; Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China; Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xiaoguang Wang
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China; Guangdong Province Translational Forensic Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China; Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Brain Function and Disease, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
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Melanson B, Lapointe T, Leri F. Impact of impaired glucose metabolism on responses to a psychophysical stressor: modulation by ketamine. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:1005-1015. [PMID: 33404733 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05748-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE There is evidence that hypoglycemia, a metabolic stressor, can negatively impact mood and motivation, and can interact with other stressors to potentiate their effects on behavior and physiology. OBJECTIVES/METHODS The current study in male Sprague-Dawley rats explored the interaction between impaired glucose metabolism induced by 0, 200, or 300 mg/kg 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) and a psychophysical stressor induced by forced swimming stress (FSS; 6 sessions, 10 min/session). The endpoints of interest were blood glucose levels, progressive behavioral immobility, and saccharin preference (2-bottle choice test). Furthermore, it was investigated whether pre-treatment with 0, 10, or 20 mg/kg ketamine could modify the interaction between 2-DG and FSS on these endpoints. RESULTS It was found that 2-DG increased blood glucose levels equally in all experimental groups, accelerated the immobile response to FSS, and suppressed saccharin preference 1 week following termination of stress exposure. As well, pre-treatment with ketamine blocked the effects of combined 2-DG and FSS on immobility and saccharin preference without affecting blood glucose levels and produced an anti-immobility effect that was observed during a drug-free test swim 1 week following administration. CONCLUSIONS Overall, these findings demonstrate that impaired glucose metabolism can potentiate the effects of a psychophysical stressor, and that this interaction can be modulated pharmacologically by ketamine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett Melanson
- Department of Psychology and Collaborative Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Thomas Lapointe
- Department of Psychology and Collaborative Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Francesco Leri
- Department of Psychology and Collaborative Neuroscience Program, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada.
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Kohtala S. Ketamine-50 years in use: from anesthesia to rapid antidepressant effects and neurobiological mechanisms. Pharmacol Rep 2021; 73:323-345. [PMID: 33609274 PMCID: PMC7994242 DOI: 10.1007/s43440-021-00232-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Revised: 02/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Over the past 50 years, ketamine has solidified its position in both human and veterinary medicine as an important anesthetic with many uses. More recently, ketamine has been studied and used for several new indications, ranging from chronic pain to drug addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder. The discovery of the rapid-acting antidepressant effects of ketamine has resulted in a surge of interest towards understanding the precise mechanisms driving its effects. Indeed, ketamine may have had the largest impact for advancements in the research and treatment of psychiatric disorders in the past few decades. While intense research efforts have been aimed towards uncovering the molecular targets underlying ketamine's effects in treating depression, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain elusive. These efforts are made more difficult by ketamine's complex dose-dependent effects on molecular mechanisms, multiple pharmacologically active metabolites, and a mechanism of action associated with the facilitation of synaptic plasticity. This review aims to provide a brief overview of the different uses of ketamine, with an emphasis on examining ketamine's rapid antidepressant effects spanning molecular, cellular, and network levels. Another focus of the review is to offer a perspective on studies related to the different doses of ketamine used in antidepressant research. Finally, the review discusses some of the latest hypotheses concerning ketamine's action.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel Kohtala
- Laboratory of Neurotherapeutics, Drug Research Program, Division of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, P. O. Box 56, 00014, Helsinki, Finland.
- SleepWell Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute, Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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Intra-prefrontal cyclosporine potentiates ketamine-induced fear extinction in rats. Exp Brain Res 2021; 239:1401-1415. [PMID: 33666692 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-021-06050-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Several brain regions, including the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), are important in the process of fear extinction learning. Ketamine is a glutamate N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, which is shown to play a role in extinction modulation. Ketamine and calcineurin (CN), an intracellular protein phosphatase, have several common targets in the cells. Therefore, in the present study, our aim is to investigate the possible role of calcineurin in the mPFC on the enhancing effects of ketamine in fear extinction. First, different doses of a CN inhibitor, cyclosporine-A (CsA), were micro-injected into the infralimbic (IL) region of the mPFC prior to extinction training in a classical conditioning model in rats. Next, sub-effective doses of CsA (Intra-mPFC) and ketamine (i.p.) were co-administered in another cohort of rats to find their possible interactions. Enzymatic activity of calcineurin was measured in the IL-mPFC following drug administration. We used the elevated plus-maze (EPM) and open field (OF) test for further behavioral assessments. The results showed that CsA can enhance the extinction of conditioned fear and inhibit the enzyme CN at a dose of 20 nM. The combination of sub-effective doses of CsA (5 nM) and ketamine (10 mg/kg) could again enhance the extinction of fear and reduce CN activity in the region. Our results propose that inhibition of CN in the IL-mPFC is involved in the extinction of fear and ketamine enhancement of extinction is probably mediated by reducing CN activity in this part of the brain.
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Robinson B, Gu Q, Kanungo J. Antidepressant Actions of Ketamine: Potential Role of L-Type Calcium Channels. Chem Res Toxicol 2021; 34:1198-1207. [PMID: 33566591 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.0c00411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Recently, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved esketamine, the S-enantiomer of ketamine, as a fast-acting therapeutic drug for treatment-resistant depression. Although ketamine is known as an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, the underlying mechanisms of how it elicits an antidepressant effect, specifically at subanesthetic doses, are not clear and remain an advancing field of research interest. On the other hand, high-dose (more than the anesthetic dose) ketamine-induced neurotoxicity in animal models has been reported. There has been progress in understanding the potential pathways involved in ketamine-induced antidepressant effects, some of which include NMDA-receptor antagonism, modulation of voltage-gated calcium channels, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling. Often these pathways have been shown to be linked. Voltage-gated L-type calcium channels have been shown to mediate the rapid-acting antidepressant effects of ketamine, especially involving induction of BDNF synthesis downstream, while BDNF deficiency decreases the expression of L-type calcium channels. This review focuses on the reported studies linking ketamine's rapid-acting antidepressant actions to L-type calcium channels with an objective to present a perspective on the importance of the modulation of intracellular calcium in mediating the effects of subanesthetic (antidepressant) versus high-dose ketamine (anesthetic and potential neurotoxicant), the latter having the ability to reduce intracellular calcium by blocking the calcium-permeable NMDA receptors, which is implicated in potential neurotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bonnie Robinson
- Division of Neurotoxicology, United States Food and Drug Administration, 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, Arkansas 72079, United States
| | - Qiang Gu
- Division of Neurotoxicology, United States Food and Drug Administration, 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, Arkansas 72079, United States
| | - Jyotshna Kanungo
- Division of Neurotoxicology, United States Food and Drug Administration, 3900 NCTR Road, Jefferson, Arkansas 72079, United States
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Moya NA, Tanner MK, Smith AM, Balolia A, Davis JKP, Bonar K, Jaime J, Hubert T, Silva J, Whitworth W, Loetz EC, Bland ST, Greenwood BN. Acute exercise enhances fear extinction through a mechanism involving central mTOR signaling. Neurobiol Learn Mem 2020; 176:107328. [PMID: 33075479 PMCID: PMC7718627 DOI: 10.1016/j.nlm.2020.107328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2020] [Revised: 09/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Impaired fear extinction, combined with the likelihood of fear relapse after exposure therapy, contributes to the persistence of many trauma-related disorders such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Identifying mechanisms to aid fear extinction and reduce relapse could provide novel strategies for augmentation of exposure therapy. Exercise can enhance learning and memory and augment fear extinction of traumatic memories in humans and rodents. One factor that could contribute to enhanced fear extinction following exercise is the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). mTOR is a translation regulator involved in synaptic plasticity and is sensitive to many exercise signals such as monoamines, growth factors, and cellular metabolism. Further, mTOR signaling is increased after chronic exercise in brain regions involved in learning and emotional behavior. Therefore, mTOR is a compelling potential facilitator of the memory-enhancing and overall beneficial effects of exercise on mental health.The goal of the current study is to test the hypothesis that mTOR signaling is necessary for the enhancement of fear extinction produced by acute, voluntary exercise. We observed that intracerebral-ventricular administration of the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin reduced immunoreactivity of phosphorylated S6, a downstream target of mTOR, in brain regions involved in fear extinction and eliminated the enhancement of fear extinction memory produced by acute exercise, without reducing voluntary exercise behavior or altering fear extinction in sedentary rats. These results suggest that mTOR signaling contributes to exercise-augmentation of fear extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolette A Moya
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, USA; Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver, USA
| | - Margaret K Tanner
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, USA; Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver, USA
| | - Abigail M Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, USA
| | - Aleezah Balolia
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, USA; Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver, USA
| | | | - Kelsey Bonar
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, USA
| | - Jennifer Jaime
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, USA
| | - Troy Hubert
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, USA
| | - Jorge Silva
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, USA
| | | | - Esteban C Loetz
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, USA
| | - Sondra T Bland
- Department of Psychology, University of Colorado Denver, USA
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Choi KH, Berman RY, Zhang M, Spencer HF, Radford KD. Effects of Ketamine on Rodent Fear Memory. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21197173. [PMID: 32998470 PMCID: PMC7582895 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21197173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 09/23/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Ketamine, a multimodal anesthetic drug, has become increasingly popular in the treatment of pain following traumatic injury as well as treatment-resistant major depressive disorders. However, the psychological impact of this dissociative medication on the development of stress-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains controversial. To address these concerns, preclinical studies have investigated the effects of ketamine administration on fear memory and stress-related behaviors in laboratory animals. Despite a well-documented line of research examining the effects of ketamine on fear memory, there is a lack of literature reviews on this important topic. Therefore, this review article summarizes the current preclinical literature on ketamine and fear memory with a particular emphasis on the route, dose, and timing of ketamine administration in rodent fear conditioning studies. Additionally, this review describes the molecular mechanisms by which ketamine may impact fear memory and stress-related behaviors. Overall, findings from previous studies are inconsistent in that fear memory may be increased, decreased, or unaltered following ketamine administration in rodents. These conflicting results can be explained by factors such as the route, dose, and timing of ketamine administration; the interaction between ketamine and stress; and individual variability in the rodent response to ketamine. This review also recommends that future preclinical studies utilize a clinically relevant route of administration and account for biological sex differences to improve translation between preclinical and clinical investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwang H. Choi
- Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; (K.H.C.); (R.Y.B.); (M.Z.)
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA;
- Daniel K. Inouye Graduate School of Nursing, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Rina Y. Berman
- Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; (K.H.C.); (R.Y.B.); (M.Z.)
| | - Michael Zhang
- Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; (K.H.C.); (R.Y.B.); (M.Z.)
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - Haley F. Spencer
- Program in Neuroscience, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA;
| | - Kennett D. Radford
- Daniel K. Inouye Graduate School of Nursing, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
- Correspondence:
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Poon CH, Heng BC, Lim LW. New insights on brain-derived neurotrophic factor epigenetics: from depression to memory extinction. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2020; 1484:9-31. [PMID: 32808327 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.14458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Advances in characterizing molecular profiles provide valuable insights and opportunities for deciphering the neuropathology of depression. Although abnormal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in depression has gained much support from preclinical and clinical research, how it mediates behavioral alterations in the depressed state remains largely obscure. Environmental factors contribute significantly to the onset of depression and produce robust epigenetic changes. Epigenetic regulation of BDNF, as one of the most characterized gene loci in epigenetics, has recently emerged as a target in research on memory and psychiatric disorders. Specifically, epigenetic alterations of BDNF exons are heavily involved in mediating memory functions and antidepressant effects. In this review, we discuss key research on stress-induced depression from both preclinical and clinical studies, which revealed that differential epigenetic regulation of specific BDNF exons is associated with depression pathophysiology. Considering that BDNF has a central role in depression, we argue that memory extinction, an adaptive response to fear exposure, is dependent on BDNF modulation and holds promise as a prospective target for alleviating or treating depression and anxiety disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi Him Poon
- Neuromodulation Laboratory, School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Boon Chin Heng
- Peking University School of Stomatology, Beijing, China.,Department of Biological Sciences, Sunway University, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Lee Wei Lim
- Neuromodulation Laboratory, School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.,Department of Biological Sciences, Sunway University, Selangor, Malaysia
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Fallon IP, Tanner MK, Greenwood BN, Baratta MV. Sex differences in resilience: Experiential factors and their mechanisms. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 52:2530-2547. [PMID: 31800125 PMCID: PMC7269860 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.14639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2019] [Revised: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Adverse life events can lead to stable changes in brain structure and function and are considered primary sources of risk for post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and other neuropsychiatric disorders. However, most individuals do not develop these conditions following exposure to traumatic experiences, and research efforts have identified a number of experiential factors associated with an individual's ability to withstand, adapt to and facilitate recovery from adversity. While multiple animal models of stress resilience exist, so that the detailed biological mechanisms can be explored, studies have been disproportionately conducted in male subjects even though the prevalence and presentation of stress-linked disorders differ between sexes. This review focuses on (a) the mechanisms by which experiential factors (behavioral control over a stressor, exercise) reduce the impact of adverse events as studied in males; (b) whether other manipulations (ketamine) that buffer against stress-induced sequelae engage the same circuit features; and (c) whether these processes operate similarly in females. We argue that investigation of experiential factors that produce resistance/resilience rather than vulnerability to adversity will generate a unique set of biological mechanisms that potentially underlie sex differences in mood disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella P. Fallon
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
| | - Margaret K. Tanner
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, 80217, USA
| | | | - Michael V. Baratta
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, 80301, USA
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