Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Jun 2014
Gene×gene×gender interaction of BDNF and COMT genotypes associated with panic disorder.
Genetic and gender differences are among the factors that have a role in the etiology of panic disorder (PD). It is thought that PD is related to neurotransmitter pathways, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), both of which are involved in the regulation of the monoamine mechanism. We examined the interactions of BDNF, COMT and gender differences in terms of personality characteristics in PD. ⋯ The anxiety sensitivity of the COMT Met+BDNF Val/Val carriers was higher than that of the COMT Val/Val+BDNF Val/Val carriers by post hoc MANCOVA. A significant BDNF × COMT × gender interaction was observed in the PD patients but not in the controls. Our findings partly demonstrated the involvement of a gene × gene × gender interaction in the pathogenesis of PD.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Apr 2014
Comparative StudyMinocycline improves recognition memory and attenuates microglial activation in Gunn rat: a possible hyperbilirubinemia-induced animal model of schizophrenia.
Accumulating evidence indicates that neuroinflammation plays a significant role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. We previously reported evidence of schizophrenia-like behaviors and microglial activation in Gunn rats. We concluded that the Gunn rat, which exhibits a high concentration of unconjugated bilirubin, may be useful as an animal model of schizophrenia. On the other hand, there have been numerous reports that minocycline is effective in treating schizophrenia. ⋯ Our findings suggest that minocycline improves recognition memory and attenuates microglial activation in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of Gunn rats. Therefore, minocycline may be a potential therapeutic drug for schizophrenia.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Apr 2014
Changes in endocannabinoid and N-acylethanolamine levels in rat brain structures following cocaine self-administration and extinction training.
Preclinical investigations have demonstrated that drugs of abuse alter the levels of lipid-based signalling molecules, including endocannabinoids (eCBs) and N-acylethanolamines (NAEs), in the rodent brain. In addition, several drugs targeting eCBs and/or NAEs are implicated in reward and/or seeking behaviours related to the stimulation of dopamine systems in the brain. In our study, the brain levels of eCBs (anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG)) and NAEs (oleoylethanolamide (OEA) and palmitoylethanolamide (PEA)) were analyzed via an LC-MS/MS method in selected brain structures of rats during cocaine self-administration and after extinction training according to the "yoked" control procedure. ⋯ The decreases in the limbic and subcortical areas were more apparent for rats that self-administered cocaine. Following extinction, there was a region-specific change in the levels of NAEs in rats previously injected with cocaine; a potent increase (ca. 100%) in the levels of OEA and PEA was detected in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus, whilst a drop was noted in the striatal areas versus yoked saline yoked animals. Our findings support the previous pharmacological evidence that the eCB system and NAEs are involved in reinforcement and extinction of positively reinforced behaviours and that these lipid-derived molecules may represent promising targets for the development of new treatments for drug addiction.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Mar 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialRepetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation reduces cigarette consumption in schizophrenia patients.
High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) seemed to decrease tobacco consumption and craving in nicotine-dependent people without psychiatric disorder or otherwise healthy people. Even if the prevalence of cigarette smoking in schizophrenia patients is high and estimated to be between 45% and 88%, this technique has not been systematically studied in this indication in schizophrenia yet. ⋯ High-frequency rTMS over the left DLPFC has the ability to decrease the number of cigarettes smoked in schizophrenia patients.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Mar 2014
Abnormal default-mode network homogeneity in first-episode, drug-naive schizophrenia at rest.
Dysconnectivity hypothesis posits that schizophrenia relates to abnormal resting-state connectivity within the default-mode network (DMN) and this aberrant connectivity is considered as contribution of difficulties in self-referential and introspective processing. However, little is known about the alterations of the network homogeneity (NH) of the DMN in schizophrenia. In the present study, we used an automatic NH method to investigate the NH of the DMN in schizophrenia patients at rest. ⋯ Our findings suggest that abnormal NH of the DMN exists in first-episode, drug-naive schizophrenia and further highlight the importance of the DMN in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.