Article
Neurosciences
Tom Salomon, Adi Cohen, Daniel Barazany, Gal Ben-Zvi, Rotem Botvinik-Nezer, Rani Gera, Shiran Oren, Dana Roll, Gal Rozic, Anastasia Saliy, Niv Tik, Galia Tsarfati, Ido Tavor, Tom Schonberg, Yaniv Assaf
Summary: The study suggests that the brains of healthy individuals may undergo transient volumetric changes related to stress and anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes decrease over time following the lifting of lockdown measures, indicating that intense experiences associated with the pandemic play a role.
Review
Neurosciences
Claire Emily Young, Qingchun Tong
Summary: The bed nuclei of the stria terminalis (BST) is a crucial brain region involved in anxiety processing and HPA axis activation. Research has found that BST CRH neurons in rodents can induce both anxiogenic and anxiolytic effects, interacting with other neurons to influence anxiety responses and substance-seeking behavior. Further studies into BST CRH signaling pathways are essential for addressing the societal and economic burdens of anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Edvin Vestin, Oona Lagstrom, Ana Domi, Mia Ericson, Bo Soderpalm, Louise Adermark
Summary: Amphetamine addiction is associated with neuroadaptations in the amygdala, which may contribute to compulsive drug taking and increase the risk for relapse. This study found that brief exposure to amphetamine induced long-lasting synaptic changes in different subregions of the amygdala, highlighting their relevance to relapse risk.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Nana Baidoo, Francesco Leri
Summary: This review discusses the hypothesis that opioid withdrawal can lead to conditioned responses through classical conditioning, potentially perpetuating addiction by promoting memory consolidation. Evidence suggests that the extended amygdala may play a key role in facilitating memory consolidation during conditioned withdrawal, making drug-seeking behavior more likely to become habitual and persistent.
PROGRESS IN NEURO-PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY & BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Gary B. Kaplan, Benjamin L. Thompson
Summary: Opioid use disorder is characterized by excessive use of opioids, inability to control use, withdrawal syndrome, and likelihood of relapse. The opponent process view of motivation suggests that opioid addiction involves positive affective experiences during active involvement and negative affective experiences during abstinence. These negative experiences are hypothesized to be caused by neuroadaptations in the extended amygdala, which includes the CeA, BNST, and NAc shell, as well as input from the BLA. Animal models of opioid withdrawal demonstrate the somatic, motivational, affective, and learning related aspects of withdrawal. Neuroadaptations in the extended amygdala lead to aversive and fear-related effects, hypodopaminergia, and increased vulnerability to relapse. Understanding and reversing these neuroadaptations could lead to new interventions for opioid use disorder.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Elizabeth M. Avegno, Nicholas W. Gilpin
Summary: Alcohol dependence is characterized by a shift in motivation from positive reinforcement to negative reinforcement, involving neural adaptations in VTA and extended amygdala, particularly in chronic alcohol responses. The exact mechanisms of this transition are not fully understood, but preclinical models play a significant role in studying this phenomenon.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tomohiro Tokutake, Takashi Asano, Hajime Miyanishi, Shigetoshi Nakaya, Naotaka Izuo, Atsumi Nitta
Summary: The number of cannabis users is increasing globally, but the mechanisms behind the psychiatric effects and addiction formation are still unclear. This study found that the main active substance in cannabis, THC, affects CB1 receptors in the brain, specifically in the BLA region, which is involved in anxiety and reward behavior. The results suggest that CB1 receptors in the BLA contribute to the behavior disorders caused by acute or chronic cannabis use.
NEUROCHEMICAL RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Courtney S. Wilkinson, Harrison L. Blount, Marek Schwendt, Lori A. Knackstedt
Summary: This study used a rat model of PTSD to investigate the effects of stress on monoamine concentrations in brain regions associated with PTSD in female rats. The findings indicate that stress exposure can lead to long-term alterations in monoamine function in female rats, suggesting potential interventions using MAOIs as a treatment for PTSD in women.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Chunmei Lan, Congcong Liu, Keshuang Li, Zhiying Zhao, Jiaxin Yang, Yina Ma, Dirk Scheele, Shuxia Yao, Keith M. Kendrick, Benjamin Becker
Summary: The present study provides the first evidence that the effects of oxytocin on stress-associated amygdala-hippocampal-midbrain pathways are critically mediated by the serotonin system in humans.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kouji Fukuyama, Tomosuke Nakano, Takashi Shiroyama, Motohiro Okada
Summary: This study demonstrates that the selective alpha 2A adrenoceptor agonist guanfacine has dual actions on catecholaminergic transmission, with acute attenuation of noradrenergic transmission and chronic enhancement of noradrenergic transmission and thalamocortical glutamatergic transmission. These dual actions likely contribute to the clinical effects of guanfacine against ADHD.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
A. A. Jaramillo, J. A. Brown, D. G. Winder
Summary: Advancements in technology have led to a better understanding of the role of the parabrachial nucleus (PBN), with its involvement in modulating behaviors in different contexts. The pathways of PBN -> CeA and PBN -> BNST modulate fear-like behavior through changes in neurotransmission in response to stress-inducing contexts.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nathan D. Winters, Farhana Yasmin, Veronika Kondev, Brad A. Grueter, Sachin Patel
Summary: CBD, a non-psychoactive component of cannabis plant, has potential therapeutic effects on various stress-related neuropsychiatric disorders. This study investigates the direct effects of CBD on synaptic and cellular function in the amygdala, a brain structure involved in emotional behavior regulation and associated with disorders like anxiety and PTSD. The results demonstrate that CBD reduces neurotransmitter release and cellular excitability in the amygdala, providing insights into the physiological mechanisms by which CBD modulates amygdala activity and influences emotional and stress-related behaviors.
ACS CHEMICAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
James Johnson, Zheng Li
Summary: Psychosocial stress can lead to mitochondrial impairment in mice, triggering the PINK1-PRKN/parkin mitophagy pathway in the amygdala and resulting in increased anxiety. Mitochondrial deficiency in the basolateral amygdalae can cause anxiety-like behaviors.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Guoxiang Fang, Ying Wang
Summary: Anxiety is a common mental disorder worldwide, with current anti-anxiety drugs having various side effects. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is considered a new approach for anxiety treatment, potentially working through the activation of the amygdala CB1R.
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Beatriz Moreno-Santos, Camila Marchi-Coelho, Willian Costa-Ferreira, Carlos C. Crestani
Summary: This study demonstrates the presence of different angiotensinergic mechanisms within the MeA controlling behavioral responses in the forced swimming test and elevated plus-maze.
BEHAVIOURAL BRAIN RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Alicia M. Hall, Benjamin T. Throesch, Susan C. Buckingham, Sean J. Markwardt, Yin Peng, Qin Wang, Dax A. Hoffman, Erik D. Roberson
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2015)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Yin Peng, Lanying Song, Ding Li, Robert Kesterson, Jianbo Wang, Lizhong Wang, Gregg Rokosh, Bingruo Wu, Qin Wang, Kai Jiao
CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH
(2016)
Article
Neurosciences
Mariangela Scarduzio, Chelsea N. Zimmerman, Karen L. Jaunarajs, Qin Wang, David G. Standaert, Lori L. McMahon
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2017)
Article
Neurosciences
B. A. S. Reyes, A. F. Carvalho, P. Szot, D. J. Kalamarides, Q. Wang, L. G. Kirby, E. J. Van Bockstaele
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2017)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fang Zhang, Mary Gannon, Yunjia Chen, Lufang Zhou, Kai Jiao, Qin Wang
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Yunjia Chen, Christopher Booth, Hongxia Wang, Raymond X. Wang, Dimitra Terzi, Venetia Zachariou, Kai Jiao, Jin Zhang, Qin Wang
MOLECULAR PHARMACOLOGY
(2017)
Article
Neurosciences
Christopher Cottingham, Pulin Che, Wei Zhang, Hongxia Wang, Raymond X. Wang, Stefanie Percival, Tana Birky, Lufang Zhou, Kai Jiao, Qin Wang
Article
Neurosciences
Mary Gannon, Qin Wang
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Huiying Wu, Christopher Cottingham, Liping Chen, Hongxia Wang, Pulin Che, Kexiang Liu, Qin Wang
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yun Young Yim, Katherine M. Betke, W. Hayes McDonald, Ralf Gilsbach, Yunjia Chen, Karren Hyde, Qin Wang, Lutz Hein, Heidi Hamm
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2019)
Article
Cell Biology
Fang Zhang, Mary Gannon, Yunjia Chen, Shun Yan, Sixue Zhang, Wendy Feng, Jiahui Tao, Bingdong Sha, Zhenghui Liu, Takashi Saito, Takaomi Saido, C. Dirk Keene, Kai Jiao, Erik D. Roberson, Huaxi Xu, Qin Wang
SCIENCE TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE
(2020)
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yun Young Yim, Katherine M. Betke, W. Hayes McDonald, Ralf Gilsbach, Yunjia Chen, Karren Hyde, Qin Wang, Lutz Hein, Heidi E. Hamm
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2020)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Yong Zhang, Lili Song, Huansheng Dong, Sung Kim, Zhen Sun, Heather Boger, Qin Wang, Hongjun Wang
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-ENDOCRINOLOGY AND METABOLISM
(2020)
Article
Immunology
Xiaoxiao Hao, Zhaofei Li, Wei Li, Jannet Katz, Suzanne M. Michalek, Scott R. Barnum, Lucas Pozzo-Miller, Takashi Saito, Takaomi C. Saido, Qin Wang, Erik D. Roberson, Ping Zhang
Summary: Periodontitis may worsen the development and severity of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the mechanism by which it does so remains unclear. Using a mouse model, this study found that oral infection worsened cognitive impairment and accelerated amyloid beta accumulation in AD mice. The study also revealed that periodontal infection complicates the neuroinflammatory status established by AD and amplifies microglial activation, neuroinflammation, and synaptic tagging through brain overactivation of complement C1q.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Shalini Saggu, Yunjia Chen, Liping Chen, Diana Pizarro, Sandipan Pati, Wen Jing Law, Lori McMahon, Kai Jiao, Qin Wang
Summary: The development of a new therapeutic approach targeting the neural A1R/neurabin/RGS4 complex in the brain shows promise in anticonvulsant and neuroprotective effects.
Article
Neurosciences
Yang He, Jun Tang, Meng Zhang, Junjie Ying, Dezhi Mu
Summary: This study investigated the protective effects and mechanisms of human placenta derived mesenchymal stem cells (hPMSCs) transplantation in a rat model of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). The results showed that hPMSCs transplantation reduced apoptosis and improved long-term neurological prognosis. Furthermore, the downregulation of Sema 3A/NRP-1 expression and activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway played a key role in the protective effects of hPMSCs.
Article
Neurosciences
Emily L. Isenstein, Edward G. Freedman, Jiayi Xu, Ian A. DeAndrea-Lazarus, John J. Foxe
Summary: This study evaluated electrophysiological discrimination of parametric somatosensory stimuli in healthy young adults to understand how the brain processes the duration of tactile information. The results showed that participants did not electrophysiologically discriminate between 100 and 115 ms, but they exhibited distinct electrophysiological responses when the deviant stimuli were 130, 145, and 160 ms. These findings contribute to a better understanding of tactile sensitivity in different clinical conditions.
Article
Neurosciences
Juliana R. Souza, Ludmila Lima-Silveira, Daniela Accorsi-Mendonca, Benedito H. Machado
Summary: This study demonstrates that A2A receptors play a crucial role in modulating synaptic transmission in the NTS neurons and are required for the enhancement of glutamatergic transmission observed under short-term sustained hypoxia conditions.
Article
Neurosciences
Miki Hashizume, Rina Ito, Rie Suge, Yasushi Hojo, Gen Murakami, Takayuki Murakoshi
Summary: The basolateral amygdaloid complex (BLA) is closely involved in the formation of emotional memories, including both aversive memory and contextual fear memory. Acute sleep deprivation (SD) disrupts the acquisition of tone-associated fear memory in juvenile rats, but has no significant effect on contextual fear memory. Slow network oscillation in the amygdala contributes to the formation of amygdala-dependent fear memory in relation to sleep.
Article
Neurosciences
Qunxian Wang, Shipeng Guo, Dongjie Hu, Xiangjun Dong, Zijun Meng, Yanshuang Jiang, Zijuan Feng, Weihui Zhou, Weihong Song
Summary: GSDME plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease by regulating the switch from apoptosis to pyroptosis and participating in neuroinflammatory response. Knockdown of GSDME has been shown to improve cognitive impairments, indicating that GSDME could be a therapeutic target for Alzheimer's disease.