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Kargbo RB. Microbiome: The Next Frontier in Psychedelic Renaissance. J Xenobiot 2023; 13:386-401. [PMID: 37606422 PMCID: PMC10443327 DOI: 10.3390/jox13030025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The psychedelic renaissance has reignited interest in the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for mental health and well-being. An emerging area of interest is the potential modulation of psychedelic effects by the gut microbiome-the ecosystem of microorganisms in our digestive tract. This review explores the intersection of the gut microbiome and psychedelic therapy, underlining potential implications for personalized medicine and mental health. We delve into the current understanding of the gut-brain axis, its influence on mood, cognition, and behavior, and how the microbiome may affect the metabolism and bioavailability of psychedelic substances. We also discuss the role of microbiome variations in shaping individual responses to psychedelics, along with potential risks and benefits. Moreover, we consider the prospect of microbiome-targeted interventions as a fresh approach to boost or modulate psychedelic therapy's effectiveness. By integrating insights from the fields of psychopharmacology, microbiology, and neuroscience, our objective is to advance knowledge about the intricate relationship between the microbiome and psychedelic substances, thereby paving the way for novel strategies to optimize mental health outcomes amid the ongoing psychedelic renaissance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert B Kargbo
- Usona Institute, 2800 Woods Hollow Rd., Madison, WI 53711-5300, USA
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Katner SN, Sentir AM, Steagall KB, Ding ZM, Wetherill L, Hopf FW, Engleman EA. Modeling Aversion Resistant Alcohol Intake in Indiana Alcohol-Preferring (P) Rats. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12081042. [PMID: 36009105 PMCID: PMC9406111 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12081042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
With the substantial social and medical burden of addiction, there is considerable interest in understanding risk factors that increase the development of addiction. A key feature of alcohol use disorder (AUD) is compulsive alcohol (EtOH) drinking, where EtOH drinking becomes “inflexible” after chronic intake, and animals, such as humans with AUD, continue drinking despite aversive consequences. Further, since there is a heritable component to AUD risk, some work has focused on genetically-selected, EtOH-preferring rodents, which could help uncover critical mechanisms driving pathological intake. In this regard, aversion-resistant drinking (ARD) takes >1 month to develop in outbred Wistar rats (and perhaps Sardinian-P EtOH-preferring rats). However, ARD has received limited study in Indiana P-rats, which were selected for high EtOH preference and exhibit factors that could parallel human AUD (including front-loading and impulsivity). Here, we show that P-rats rapidly developed compulsion-like responses for EtOH; 0.4 g/L quinine in EtOH significantly reduced female and male intake on the first day of exposure but had no effect after one week of EtOH drinking (15% EtOH, 24 h free-choice paradigm). Further, after 4−5 weeks of EtOH drinking, males but not females showed resistance to even higher quinine (0.5 g/L). Thus, P-rats rapidly developed ARD for EtOH, but only males developed even stronger ARD with further intake. Finally, rats strongly reduced intake of quinine-adulterated water after 1 or 5 weeks of EtOH drinking, suggesting no changes in basic quinine sensitivity. Thus, modeling ARD in P-rats may provide insight into mechanisms underlying genetic predispositions for compulsive drinking and lead to new treatments for AUDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon N. Katner
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
- Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Alena M. Sentir
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
- Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Kevin B. Steagall
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
- Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Zheng-Ming Ding
- Departments of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine and Pharmacology, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, 700 HMC Crescent Road, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
| | - Leah Wetherill
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Frederic W. Hopf
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
- Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
| | - Eric A. Engleman
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
- Stark Neuroscience Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA
- Correspondence:
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Vandenberg A, Lin WC, Tai LH, Ron D, Wilbrecht L. Mice engineered to mimic a common Val66Met polymorphism in the BDNF gene show greater sensitivity to reversal in environmental contingencies. Dev Cogn Neurosci 2018; 34:34-41. [PMID: 29909248 PMCID: PMC6596311 DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2018.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2017] [Revised: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 05/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A new line of mice,Val68Met, mimic human BDNF Val66Met polymorphism. New knock-in BDNF Met mice reverse more efficiently than Val in two separate tasks. Supports theory that BDNF Met allele confers greater sensitivity to the environment. Reversal performance can be dissociated from go/no-go and extinction performance. Phenotypes differ between newer and older BDNF Val66Met mouse models.
A common human polymorphism in the gene that encodes brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), Val66Met, is considered a marker of vulnerability for mental health issues and has been associated with cognitive impairment. An alternate framework has been proposed in which “risk alleles” are reinterpreted as “plasticity alleles” that confer vulnerability in adverse environments and positive effects in neutral or positive environments (Belsky et al., 2009). These frameworks produce divergent predictions for tests of learning and cognitive flexibility. Here, we examined multiple aspects of learning and cognitive flexibility in a relatively new BDNF Val66Met mouse model (BDNF Val68Met, Warnault et al., 2016), including multiple choice discrimination and reversal, go/no-go learning and reversal, and appetitive extinction learning. We found that mice homozygous for the Met allele show more efficient reversal learning in two different paradigms, but learn at rates comparable to Val homozygotes on the multiple choice discrimination task, a go/no-go task, and in appetitive extinction. Our results dissociate reversal performance from go/no-go learning and appetitive extinction and support the plasticity allele framework that suggests BDNF Met carriers are potentially more sensitive to changes in the environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Vandenberg
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Wan Chen Lin
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Lung-Hao Tai
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Dorit Ron
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Linda Wilbrecht
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720 USA.
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Warnault V, Darcq E, Morisot N, Phamluong K, Wilbrecht L, Massa SM, Longo FM, Ron D. The BDNF Valine 68 to Methionine Polymorphism Increases Compulsive Alcohol Drinking in Mice That Is Reversed by Tropomyosin Receptor Kinase B Activation. Biol Psychiatry 2016; 79:463-73. [PMID: 26204799 PMCID: PMC4676961 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2015.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2014] [Revised: 05/26/2015] [Accepted: 06/01/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The valine 66 to methionine (Met) polymorphism within the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) sequence reduces activity-dependent BDNF release and is associated with psychiatric disorders in humans. Alcoholism is one of the most prevalent psychiatric diseases. Here, we tested the hypothesis that this polymorphism increases the severity of alcohol abuse disorders. METHODS We generated transgenic mice carrying the mouse homolog of the human Met66BDNF allele (Met68BDNF) and used alcohol-drinking paradigms in combination with viral-mediated gene delivery and pharmacology. RESULTS We found that Met68BDNF mice consumed excessive amounts of alcohol and continued to drink despite negative consequences, a hallmark of addiction. Importantly, compulsive alcohol intake was reversed by overexpression of the wild-type valine68BDNF allele in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex of the Met68BDNF mice or by systemic administration of the tropomyosin receptor kinase B agonist, LM22A-4. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that carrying this BDNF allele increases the risk of developing uncontrolled and excessive alcohol drinking that can be reversed by directly activating the BDNF receptor, tropomyosin receptor kinase B. Importantly, this work identifies a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of compulsive alcohol drinking in humans carrying the Met66BDNF allele.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Warnault
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
| | - Emmanuel Darcq
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
| | - Nadege Morisot
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
| | - Khanhky Phamluong
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
| | - Linda Wilbrecht
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley
| | - Stephen M Massa
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco; Laboratory for Computational Neurochemistry and Drug Discovery and Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco
| | - Frank M Longo
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences (FML), Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California
| | - Dorit Ron
- Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco.
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Haerian BS. BDNF rs6265 polymorphism and drug addiction: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Pharmacogenomics 2013; 14:2055-65. [DOI: 10.2217/pgs.13.217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
A majority of studies have shown a link between the common functional rs6265 polymorphism of the BDNF gene and susceptibility to drug dependence. However, the pattern of results is inconsistent. To precisely evaluate this association, a systematic review and meta-analysis of previous case–control reports was conducted. Data from 20 studies containing 9419 participants (4665 cases and 4754 controls) conducted between 2004 and 2013 restricted to alcohol, nicotine, heroin, substance and methamphetamine dependency were meta-analyzed. Following quality control of the results, a significant association between C allele and methamphetamine dependence remained in south Asian subjects (p = 0.004). Similar results were detected in south Asian subjects for methamphetamine dependence and in Chinese subjects for heroin dependence under an autosomal codominant genotype model (TT vs CC, p = 0.005 and p = 0.0004, respectively). In conclusion, the rs6265 polymorphism may be a risk factor for methamphetamine dependence in south Asian subjects or for heroin dependence in Chinese subjects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Batoul Sadat Haerian
- Department of Pharmacology & Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Suárez-Pinilla P, Roiz-Santiáñez R, de la Foz VOG, Mata I, Fañanas L, Brambilla P, Ruíz-Pérez E, Crespo-Facorro B. BDNF Val66Met variants and brain volume changes in non-affective psychosis patients and healthy controls: a 3 year follow-up study. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2013; 45:201-6. [PMID: 23748016 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2013.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2013] [Revised: 05/29/2013] [Accepted: 05/29/2013] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Functional gene polymorphisms modulating neuroplasticity might mediate brain longitudinal structural changes in schizophrenia. The present study aimed to explore possible effects of BDNF Val66Met polymorphism variations on progressive structural brain changes after 3 years from the first episode of psychosis. METHOD Patients were part of a large epidemiological and longitudinal intervention program of first-episode psychosis, carried out at the University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Cantabria, Spain. Eighty first-episode patients and 54 healthy controls were included in the final analyses. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (baseline and 3-year follow-up) and BDNF genotype, and clinical and functional outcome were investigated. RESULTS We did not detect significant association between brain changes and BDNF Val66Met polymorphism variations in patients and controls (all p>0.060). At baseline, there were no significant associations between brain anomalies and BDNF genotype. Functional deficits were similar in Met-carrier and Val homozygote patients after 3-year follow-up (X(2) = 0.66; p = 0.564); there was no relationship between significant volume change across time and functional outcome. Otherwise, Met-carrier controls had significant high rates of alcohol-consumption (p = 0.019) compared to Val homozygote controls. CONCLUSION Our findings do not support the notion that BDNF genotype variations may mediate brain macroscopic morphological changes across time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Suárez-Pinilla
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, School of Medicine, University of Cantabria, Santander, Spain.
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