PLoS Computational Biology
August 24, 2017
Peter J. Hellyer, Claudia Clopath, Angie A. Kehagia et al.
21 citations
In recent years, there have been many computational simulations of spontaneous neural dynamics. Here, we describe a simple model of spontaneous neural dynamics that controls an agent moving in a simple virtual environment. These dynamics generate interesting brain-environment feedback interactions that rapidly destabilize neural and behavioral dynamics demonstrating the need for homeostatic...
TIPS - Trends in Pharmacological Sciences
June 2017
Shigeyuki Chaki
Based on the discovery of the robust antidepressant effects of ketamine in patients with depression, including those with treatment-resistant depression, agents acting on the glutamatergic system have drawn much attention as potential novel antidepressants. Among the agents acting on the glutamatergic system, preclinical data have indicated that the group II metabotropic glutamate (mGlu)...
European Journal of Neuroscience
June 1, 2017
Hector Vargas-Perez, Taryn E Grieder, Ryan Ting-A-Kee et al.
21 citations
Despite several studies suggesting the therapeutic use of 5-hydroxytryptamine receptors type 2A (5-HT2A ) agonists in the treatment of substance use disorders, the neurobiological basis accounting for such effects are still unknown. It has been observed that chronic exposure to drugs of abuse produces molecular and cellular adaptations in ventral tegmental area (VTA) neurons, mediated by...
Journal of Neuroscience Research
January 2, 2017
Tracey J. Shors, Emma M. Millon, Han Yan M Chang et al.
It is generally accepted that women tend to ruminate more than men do and these thought patterns are often associated with depressive symptoms (Nolen-Hoeksema et al., ). Based on these findings, we considered whether the relationship between rumination and depression is stronger in women than in men and if so, whether this might explain the higher prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD)...
PeerJ
December 6, 2016
Vanja Dakic, Renata de Moraes Maciel, Hannah Drummond et al.
86 citations
Harmine is the β -carboline alkaloid with the highest concentration in the psychotropic plant decoction Ayahuasca. In rodents, classical antidepressants reverse the symptoms of depression by stimulating neuronal proliferation. It has been shown that Ayahuasca presents antidepressant effects in patients with depressive disorder. In the present study, we investigated the effects of harmine in...
Molecular Neurobiology
December 2016
Sonia Abad, J Camarasa, David Pubill et al.
(±)3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) is a relatively selective dopaminergic neurotoxin in mice. This study was designed to evaluate whether MDMA exposure affects their recognition memory and hippocampal expression of plasticity markers. Mice were administered with increasing doses of MDMA once per week for 8 weeks (three times in 1 day, every 3 h) and killed 2 weeks (2w) or 3 months (3m)...
Hippocampus
November 2016
Maryam Ardalan, Gregers Wegener, Benedetta Polsinelli et al.
Glutamatergic system and the structural plasticity hypothesis are principal components for rapid and sustained antidepressant effects of novel antidepressant therapeutics. This study represents the first investigation of the structural plasticity of the hippocampus as one of the main contributed mechanisms to the sustained anti-depressive effect of ketamine. Flinders Sensitive Line (FSL) and...
Neurotoxicology
September 2016
Rubén García‐cabrerizo, M Julia García-Fuster
The aim of this study was to compare the effects of amphetamine-like psychostimulant drugs (i.e., MDMA, methamphetamine, D-amphetamine) on rat hippocampal cell genesis at different developmental ages (i.e., early adolescence vs. young adulthood) to determine if there were periods of vulnerability to drug-induced brain changes. Although adolescence is a period of great vulnerability to the...
Human Brain Mapping
May 6, 2016
Alexander V. Lebedev, Mendel Kaelen, Martin Lövdén et al.
333 citations
Personality is known to be relatively stable throughout adulthood. Nevertheless, it has been shown that major life events with high personal significance, including experiences engendered by psychedelic drugs, can have an enduring impact on some core facets of personality. In the present, balanced-order, placebo-controlled study, we investigated biological predictors of post-lysergic acid...
Biological Psychiatry
April 1, 2016
Hui-Chen Lu, Ken Mackie
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a widespread neuromodulatory system that plays important roles in central nervous system development, synaptic plasticity, and the response to endogenous and environmental insults. The ECS comprises cannabinoid receptors, endogenous cannabinoids (endocannabinoids), and the enzymes responsible for the synthesis and degradation of the endocannabinoids. The most...