Scientific Reports
August 5, 2025
S. Moser, Hans Knoblauch, B. Müller-Myhsok et al.
Survival mechanisms are evolutionary grown behaviors in life-threatening situations. They are thought to be determined by genetic patterns involved in stress systems, such as the control of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. FK506 binding protein 5 (FKBP5) is a co-chaperone that is involved in modulating glucocorticoid receptor (GR) sensitivity in response to stress. Dissociation is...
Sleep
May 1, 2025
Anthony N Reffi, Lily Jankowiak, David Moore et al.
Fear of sleep engenders arousal at bedtime that can promote nightmares. Living in disadvantaged neighborhoods with high rates of community violence may exacerbate fear of sleep and in turn increase nightmare risk. We tested fear of sleep among acute trauma patients as a prospective predictor of nightmares, and whether exposure to community violence moderated this relationship. Patients...
Brain Connectivity
August 1, 2024
Clara G. Zundel, Samantha L Ely, Cole Brokamp et al.
Background: Air pollution exposure has been associated with adverse cognitive and mental health outcomes in children, adolescents, and adults, although youth may be particularly susceptible given ongoing brain development. However, the neurodevelopmental mechanisms underlying the associations among air pollution, cognition, and mental health remain unclear. We examined the impact of particulate...
American Journal of Psychiatry
June 22, 2022
Lauren A M Lebois, N. Harnett, S. V. van Rooij et al.
Objective: Dissociation, a disruption or discontinuity in psychological functioning, is often linked with worse psychiatric symptoms; however, the prognostic value of dissociation after trauma is inconsistent. Determining whether trauma-related dissociation is uniquely predictive of later outcomes would enable early identification of at-risk trauma populations. We completed the largest...
Journal of Psychopharmacology
February 15, 2022
Jessica L Maples-Keller, Seth D. Norrholm, Mark Burton et al.
53 citations
Background: Fear conditioning and extinction are well-characterized cross-species models of fear-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and recent animal data suggest that 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) enhances fear extinction retention. Aims: This study investigated the effect of MDMA on fear learning, extinction training, and retention in healthy humans. Methods:...
Psychopharmacology
July 24, 2017
Matthew B Young, Seth D. Norrholm, Lara M. Khoury et al.
103 citations
We validate enhancement of fear memory extinction by MDMA in a translational behavioral model, and reveal the importance of 5-HTT and 5-HT2A receptors to this effect. These observations support future clinical research of MDMA as an adjunct to exposure therapy, and provide important pharmacological considerations for clinical use in a population frequently treated with 5-HTT inhibitors.