Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
August 29, 2026
Briana K Chen, Brenna L Williams, Anna Darling et al.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) exon VI promoter is implicated in mediating activity-induced synthesis of hippocampal BDNF. BDNF is implicated in (R,S)-ketamine's antidepressant effects, but its role in (R,S)-ketamine-mediated prophylaxis is unknown. Using BDNF-e6 mice, in which promoter VI-driven BDNF production is disrupted, we tested its necessity for (R,S)-ketamine's prophylactic...
Alzheimer's research & therapy
July 15, 2025
Briana K Chen, Holly C Hunsberger, Alicia Whye et al.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia. There are limited approved medications that delay cognitive decline or lessen neuropsychiatric symptoms. Numerous clinical trials for AD using a single drug administration have failed to meet therapeutic endpoints, which is most likely due to the complexity of AD. A multimodal therapeutic intervention is more likely to improve symptoms...
Biological Psychiatry
July 7, 2025
Cory B Langreck, Briana K Chen, Victor M Luna et al.
9 citations
Contradictory evidence has emerged regarding the role of the mu opioid receptor (MOR) in the antidepressant actions of (R,S)-ketamine. Here, we used the long-acting MOR-selective antagonist methocinnamox (MCAM) to determine the contribution of MOR to the actions of (R,S)-ketamine and the more selective N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist fluoroethylnormemantine (FENM) against...
Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
April 22, 2025
Briana K Chen, Alicia Whye, Louise C Matthews et al.
2 citations
Serotonin (5-HT) receptors and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) have both been implicated in stress-induced psychiatric disorders. However, there is a paucity of studies evaluating the effectiveness of novel combinatorial pharmacological treatments to treat stress-related disorders. Here, we evaluated whether administration of combinatorial (R,S)-ketamine, an NMDAR antagonist and Food...