Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
September 17, 2024
Jia-Wei Zhang, Hai-Qian Zhou, Zhen Zhu et al.
7 citations
Adolescent ketamine abuse causes lasting deficits in cognition and social behavior by reducing excitatory synapses on parvalbumin (PV) inhibitory neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), while sparing excitatory pyramidal neurons. In rats given sub-chronic ketamine during early adolescence, the density of these synapses remained lower into adulthood, leading to hyperexcitability, impaired working memory, and reduced social interaction compared to controls. Bioinformatic analysis revealed decreased expression of a gene co-expression module (M1) critical for inhibitory neuron synapse development. The findings suggest that adolescent ketamine exposure irreversibly disrupts synaptic development, pointing to potential therapeutic targets.
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
July 8, 2025
Jiaxin Tian, Yanhong Xie, Sen Ye et al.
6 citations
A single acute dose of S-ketamine (10 mg/kg) given to mice with post-stroke depression (PSD) alleviated depressive-like behaviors for at least five days. The treatment reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines in the medial prefrontal cortex, increased dendritic spine density and synaptic proteins (SYP, PSD-95), and upregulated brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) along with related signaling molecules (TrkB, p-Akt, p-Erk, p-CaMKII, p-CREB). These findings suggest S-ketamine acts through anti-inflammatory, synaptic enhancing, and BDNF pathway modulating effects, offering promise for PSD treatment.
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
October 20, 2023
Lucas Pinheiro Coutinho, Sérgio Ruschi Bergamachi Silva, Pedro de Lima-Neto et al.
3 citations
The biosynthetic pathway of the psychoactive compound N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) involves two methylation steps of tryptamine, but the molecular details of the double methylation were previously unknown. Using computational modeling—molecular dynamics, density functional theory, and ONIOM QM:MM calculations—the authors show that the reaction follows an SN2 mechanism. The second methylation is the rate-limiting step, with an energy barrier 60 kJ·mol⁻¹ higher than the first, due to more repulsive non-covalent interactions in the second transition state. The findings provide geometric details about each reaction step and clarify the energetics of DMT biosynthesis.
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
November 12, 2024
Geonho Cheon, Dahyun Hwang, Truc Chi Le et al.
2 citations
Antibodies that detect MDMA (ecstasy) often also recognize its chemical analogue methamphetamine (METH), but two antibodies, 1bB11 and 1bF12, were identified that bind MDMA specifically without binding METH. The crystal structure of 1bB11 bound to MDMA, solved at 3.2 Å resolution, shows that key interactions involve the epoxide moiety of MDMA with residues S34 and Y36 of the antibody's light chain, and an additional interaction with E33 of the heavy chain. Mutagenesis confirmed these residues are important for binding. Comparing this structure to another antibody that binds both drugs revealed opposite binding orientations, providing a structural basis for developing a highly specific antibody for MDMA diagnosis.
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
July 30, 2021
Paco Calvo, František Baluška, Anthony Trewavas
Plants may possess a minimal form of consciousness, according to an analysis using Integrated Information Theory (IIT) and a bottom-up evolutionary perspective. Rather than applying human or animal criteria—which would dismiss plant consciousness—the authors argue that plant meristems (growth regions) exhibit features consistent with minimal consciousness. Because many plants have multiple meristems, this suggests a fundamentally different evolutionary path for consciousness in biological organisms compared to animals.
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
July 30, 2021
Jon Mallatt, Lincoln Taiz, Andreas Draguhn et al.
Some plant scientists propose that plants are cognitive and conscious, but this remains a minority view. The authors summarize arguments against plant consciousness and critique a 2020 article by Calvo, Baluska, and Trewavas that cites Integrated Information Theory (IIT) as supporting plant consciousness. The critique argues that IIT does not restrict consciousness to living organisms and can apply to nonliving systems, undermining the claim. The authors conclude that IIT cannot prove plant consciousness, for which there is no empirical evidence or support from neuron-based theories of consciousness.