Frontiers in Pharmacology
February 6, 2020
Shan Li, Xiaoxiao Luo, Dongyu Hua et al.
Postoperative depression (POD) is a poorly understood complication of anesthesia and surgery. This study investigated the role of BDNF-TrkB signaling in a POD model. The authors report that BDNF-TrkB signaling was altered in brain regions (medial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus) and peripheral tissues (liver, muscle) across control, POD-susceptible, and resilient groups. The TrkB agonist 7,8-dihydroxyflavone alleviated POD-like symptoms, and ketamine also showed antidepressant effects while improving BDNF-TrkB signaling. A TrkB antagonist fully blocked ketamine's benefits. The findings suggest that abnormal BDNF-TrkB signaling contributes to POD and that targeting this pathway, particularly with ketamine, may be therapeutic.
Frontiers in Pharmacology
January 1, 2019
Cristina Miliano, Matteo Marti, Nicholas Pintori et al.
25I-NBOMe (N-Bomb), a synthetic psychedelic often sold as fake LSD or as a substitute for MDMA, acts as a full agonist on serotonin 5-HT2A receptors. In rats, the drug alters dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens shell differently in males and females, impairs visual responses in both sexes, heavily affects core temperature in females, and at the highest dose tested produces an analgesic effect prominent in males. It also impairs startle amplitude and prepulse inhibition in both sexes. These findings highlight sex-specific risks of intoxication and overdose.
Frontiers in Pharmacology
January 17, 2018
S. Gruber, Kelly A. Sagar, M. Dahlgren et al.
After 3 months of medical marijuana (MMJ) treatment, patients showed improved performance on a cognitive interference task and changes in brain activation patterns in the cingulate cortex and frontal regions, with activation patterns becoming more similar to those of healthy controls, suggesting a potential normalization of brain function. Patients also reported improvements in clinical state and health-related measures, along with notable decreases in prescription medication use, particularly opioids and benzodiazepines. These findings indicate that MMJ use may have different effects than recreational marijuana use, which has been linked to decrements in task performance and altered brain activation.
Frontiers in Pharmacology
January 15, 2018
K. D. Du Jardin, N. Liebenberg, M. Cajina et al.
Depleting serotonin in a rat model of depression eliminates the antidepressant-like effects of S-ketamine in the forced swim test. Combining S-ketamine with a low dose of a drug that activates serotonin 1B receptors restores those effects, suggesting that activation of these receptors during testing is critical for S-ketamine's antidepressant-like activity.
Frontiers in Pharmacology
January 1, 2015
Hadley C Bergstrom, Altaf S Darvesh, S P Berger
Inhibiting inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) with aminoguanidine (AG) or (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) reduces the motor and glutamate-releasing effects of NMDA-antagonist stimulants like dizocilpine (MK-801) and phencyclidine (PCP) in adult male rats. AG and EGCG dose-dependently attenuated the locomotor and ataxic properties of MK-801 and PCP, but not those of cocaine, indicating specificity to NMDA antagonism. Both agents also normalized MK-801-stimulated glutamate efflux in the medial prefrontal cortex. These results suggest that EGCG-like polyphenols found in green tea and chocolate may protect against the adverse behavioral and cortical glutamate effects of NMDA antagonists, which have been proposed as treatments for schizophrenia.