Clinical studies have demonstrated that exposure to the inhalational general anesthetic nitrous oxide (N2O) produces antidepressant effects in depressed patients. However, the mechanisms underlying the antidepressant effects of N2O remain largely unknown. Neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)-mediated nitric oxide (NO) synthesis is essential for brain function and underlies the molecular...
The lifetime prevalence of addiction to cannabis (marijuana or cannabinoids) is among the highest of that of all illicit drugs in developed countries, and no effective treatment for cannabis addiction is currently available. Previous studies in our research group suggested that astrocyte-mediated long-term depression (LTD) in ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons plays a pivotal role in...