Article
Neurosciences
Rajas P. Kale, Thanh Thanh L. Nguyen, J. Blair Price, Nathanael J. Yates, Ken Walder, Michael Berk, Roy V. Sillitoe, Abbas Z. Kouzani, Susannah J. Tye
Summary: The study found that in rats resistant to antidepressants, early response to NAc DBS or sham electrode placement has antidepressant effects, which are associated with increased levels of phospho-GSK3 beta and phospho-mTOR in the IL and vHIP regions.
FRONTIERS IN HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Hong Zhou, Jiayu Zhu, Jie Jia, Wei Xiang, Hualing Peng, Yuejin Zhang, Bo Liu, Yangling Mu, Yisheng Lu
Summary: The nucleus accumbens (NAc) plays a crucial role in the treatment of depression, and deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an effective method. This study found that NAc-DBS can reverse depression-like behaviors and restore high gamma oscillation and neurogenesis in the dorsal dentate gyrus. The parvalbumin-positive interneurons (PVI) in the dorsal DG are identified as essential targets in depression and NAc-DBS antidepressant mechanisms.
NEUROBIOLOGY OF STRESS
(2022)
Review
Psychiatry
Michal Sobstyl, Marek Prokopienko, Tadeusz Pietras
Summary: Deep brain stimulation is an experimental treatment for psychiatric disorders. Stimulating structures in the brain's reward circuit, such as the ventral striatum, may have antidepressant effects. Current studies suggest that the ventral striatum and visual cortex are promising targets for deep brain stimulation.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Ana Carolina P. Campos, Rosana L. Pagano, Nir Lipsman, Clement Hamani
Summary: Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) affects millions of individuals worldwide and deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been proposed as an adjuvant therapy for TRD. The antidepressant efficacy of DBS is still controversial, and its mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. Astrocytes, which play a major role in brain homeostasis, neuroinflammation, and neuroplasticity, may be pivotal in understanding the effects of DBS on TRD.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Thilo Rusche, Joern Kaufmann, Juergen Voges
Summary: This study aimed to visualize the afferent and efferent connections of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and validate the methodology for clinical applications. The results show good concordance with existing data, suggesting potential for selective electrical stimulation of NAc projections using deep brain stimulation with directional lead technology.
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Iluminada Corripio, Alexandra Roldan, Peter McKenna, Salvador Sarro, Anna Alonso-Solis, Laura Salgado, Enric Alvarez, Joan Molet, Edith Pomarol-Clotet, Maria Portella
Summary: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treatment resistant schizophrenia is of interest, with potential electrode placement sites including the nucleus accumbens and the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex. Other proposed sites include the ventral tegmental area, the substantia nigra pars reticulata, and the habenula. The nucleus accumbens appears to be the strongest candidate for DBS electrode placement in schizophrenia.
PROGRESS IN NEURO-PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY & BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Ege Kingir, Cem Sevinc, Gunes Unal
Summary: Chronic oral ketamine prevents the reduction of daily activity and loss of desire caused by chronic unpredictable mild stress. This preventive effect is achieved by altering neuronal activation in the lateral habenula and nucleus accumbens shell.
Article
Psychiatry
Juan Angel Aibar-Duran, Iluminada Corripio Collado, Alexandra Roldan Bejarano, Raquel Sanchez Nevado, Ignacio Aracil Bolanos, Julia Garcia-Cornet, Anna Alonso-Solis, Eva M. Grasa Bello, Cristian de Quintana Schmidt, Fernando Munoz Hernandez, Joan Molet Teixido, Rodrigo Rodriguez Rodriguez
Summary: This study summarizes the outcomes after three years of follow-up of patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) and discusses surgical, clinical, and imaging analysis. The results showed a trend toward improvement in positive and general symptoms in TRS patients treated with DBS. Connectomic analysis will help in understanding the interaction of this treatment with the disease and in designing future trials.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hemmings Wu, Bina Kakusa, Sophie Neuner, Daniel J. Christoffel, Boris D. Heifets, Robert C. Malenka, Casey H. Halpern
Summary: This study used in vivo imaging to examine the activity of D1 and D2 neurons in the nucleus accumbens during hedonic feeding and investigated the effects of continuous DBS and responsive DBS. The results suggest that D1 neuron activity is increased prior to high-fat food approach and responsive DBS can durably reduce high-fat intake, while continuous DBS does not have the same effect.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Giulia Cattarinussi, Hossein Sanjari Moghaddam, Mohammad Hadi Aarabi, Letizia Squarcina, Fabio Sambataro, Paolo Brambilla, Giuseppe Delvecchio
Summary: The use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting specific brain regions, including the subgenual cingulate cortex, forebrain bundle, cingulum bundle, rectus gyrus, anterior limb of the internal capsule, forceps minor, and uncinate fasciculus, appears to be effective in the treatment of treatment-resistant depression (TRD).
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Tianqi Hu, Hutao Xie, Yu Diao, Houyou Fan, Delong Wu, Yifei Gan, Fangang Meng, Yutong Bai, Jianguo Zhang
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the effects of STN-DBS on PD patients with different levels of depression and identify predictors of these effects. The results showed that patients with moderate depression had better improvement, and gender (female) and preoperative HAMA scores were predictors of the effects of STN-DBS on PD depression.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Zhenzhen Chen, Zhenyu Tang, Ke Zou, Zhihong Huang, Liuer Liu, Yuanjian Yang, Wei Wang
Summary: d-Serine exerts antidepressant-like effects in mice by inhibiting the BDNF signaling pathway and modulating synaptic plasticity in the NAc.
MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Allen L. Ho, Austin Y. Feng, Daniel A. N. Barbosa, Hemmings Wu, Monique L. Smith, Robert C. Malenka, Peter A. Tass, Casey H. Halpern
Summary: The study found that CRS stimulation can reduce binge-like alcohol drinking behavior effectively, with CRS targeting NAc significantly decreasing binge drinking without interfering with social and locomotor activities.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Cristina Torres Diaz, Svenja Treu, Bryan Strange, Monica Lara, Marta Navas, Elena Ezquiaga, Elisa Seijo Zazo, Juncal Sevilla Vicente, Isabel Muniz, Fernando Seijo Fernandez
Summary: This study demonstrated that deep brain stimulation targeting the nucleus accumbens, internal capsule, and ventral striatum significantly improved symptoms in patients with medication-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder. Adjustment of the stimulation site based on individual response may optimize treatment outcomes.
WORLD NEUROSURGERY
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Jason Yuen, Abhinav Goyal, Aaron E. Rusheen, Abbas Z. Kouzani, Michael Berk, Jee Hyun Kim, Susannah J. Tye, Osama A. Abulseoud, Tyler S. Oesterle, Charles D. Blaha, Kevin E. Bennet, Kendall H. Lee, Yoonbae Oh, Hojin Shin
Summary: Opioids are the leading cause of overdose death in the United States, with nearly 70,000 deaths in 2020. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising treatment for substance use disorders. This study investigated the modulation of dopaminergic and respiratory effects of oxycodone by DBS of the ventral segmental area (VTA) in rodents. The results demonstrated that DBS reduced baseline dopamine levels and alleviated the increase in dopamine levels and respiratory depression induced by oxycodone.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Simone B. Sartori, Nicolas Singewald
PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cristina Lemos, Ahmad Salti, Ines M. Amaral, Veronica Fontebasso, Nicolas Singewald, Georg Dechant, Alex Hofer, Rana El Rawas
Summary: Social interaction can be beneficial in preventing drug abuse by reducing stress levels. The study found that social interaction decreased stress levels and reversed the preference for cocaine induced by stress. This suggests that social interaction could be an important component in the treatment of substance use disorders.
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Predrag Kalaba, Marija Ilic, Nilima Y. Aher, Vladimir Dragacevic, Marcus Wieder, Martin Zehl, Judith Wackerlig, Stanislav Beyl, Simone B. Sartori, Karl Ebner, Alexander Roller, Natalie Lukic, Tetyana Beryozkina, Eduardo Rene Perez Gonzalez, Philip Neill, Jawad Akbar Khan, Vasiliy Bakulev, Johann Jakob Leban, Steffen Hering, Christian Pifl, Nicolas Singewald, Jana Lubec, Ernst Urban, Harald H. Sitte, Thierry Langer, Gert Lubec
JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anouk Pierre, Andries Van Schuerbeek, Wissal Allaoui, Sven Van Laere, Nicolas Singewald, Ann Van Eeckhaut, Ilse Smolders, Dimitri De Bundel
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
(2020)
Article
Biology
Dennis Segebarth, Matthias Griebel, Nikolai Stein, Cora R. von Collenberg, Corinna Martin, Dominik Fiedler, Lucas B. Comeras, Anupam Sah, Victoria Schoeffler, Teresa Lueffe, Alexander Duerr, Rohini Gupta, Manju Sasi, Christina Lillesaar, Maren D. Lange, Ramon O. Tasan, Nicolas Singewald, Hans-Christian Pape, Christoph M. Flath, Robert Blum
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Luca Zangrandi, Claudia Schmuckermair, Hussein Ghareh, Federico Castaldi, Regine Heilbronn, Gerald Zernig, Francesco Ferraguti, Arnau Ramos-Prats
Summary: The study found that mGluR5(D1) cKO mice exhibited different coping mechanisms in response to escapable and inescapable stress, highlighting the functional integration of the dopaminergic and glutamatergic systems in controlling internal states upon stress exposure. The study directly implicates D1 neurons and mGluR5 as crucial mediators of behavioral stress responses.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
News Item
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jana Lubec, Predrag Kalaba, Ahmed M. Hussein, Daniel Daba Feyissa, Mohamed H. Kotob, Rasha R. Mahmmoud, Oliver Wieder, Arthur Garon, Claudia Sagheddu, Marija Ilic, Vladimir Dragacevic, Anita Cybulska-Klosowicz, Martin Zehl, Judith Wackerlig, Simone B. Sartori, Karl Ebner, Shima Kouhnavardi, Alexander Roller, Natalie Gajic, Marco Pistis, Nicolas Singewald, Johann Jakob Leban, Volker Korz, Jovana Malikovic, Roberto Plasenzotti, Harald H. Sitte, Francisco J. Monje, Thierry Langer, Ernst Urban, Christian Pifl, Gert Lubec
Summary: The study produced a highly selective dopamine transporter inhibitor, (S,S)-CE-158, which increases dopamine levels in brain regions associated with cognition. This leads to improved cognitive function in aging rodents at a synaptic level.
MOLECULAR PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Anna Seewald, Sabine Schonherr, Heide Hortnagl, Ingrid Ehrlich, Claudia Schmuckermair, Francesco Ferraguti
Summary: This study investigates the molecular mechanisms underlying the fear-mediated reduction in the AMPA/NMDA ratio within the intercalated cell masses (ITC) neurons, and specifically, whether changes in synaptic density of AMPA receptors contribute to this reduction. Using sophisticated techniques, the researchers found that fear memory retrieval is associated with a significant decrease in the density of AMPA receptors, particularly at spine synapses formed by inputs from specific thalamic nuclei onto identified ITC neurons in mice. This study is significant as it directly links the regulation of AMPA receptor trafficking to memory processes in identified neuronal networks.
FRONTIERS IN SYNAPTIC NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Karl Ebner, Simone B. Sartori, Rita Murau, Fabian Kopel, Predrag Kalaba, Vladimir Dragacevic, Johann J. Leban, Nicolas Singewald, Mario Engelmann, Gert Lubec
Summary: The novel dopamine-transporter inhibitor CE-158 has been found to enhance memory in a social recognition memory task. This effect may be mediated by increased dopamine neurotransmission in the nucleus accumbens. Therefore, CE-158 may represent an interesting drug candidate for the treatment of memory complaints in individuals with cognitive impairments and dementia.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anupam Sah, Sinead Rooney, Maria Kharitonova, Simone B. Sartori, Susanne A. Wolf, Nicolas Singewald
Summary: Neuroinflammation is believed to contribute to specific subgroups of psychiatric disorders, including anxiety disorders. Positive environmental stimuli, such as environmental enrichment (EE), could attenuate enhanced trait anxiety by modulating neuroinflammation. Results suggest that targeting microglial anti-inflammatory effects may be a promising approach for treating trait anxiety.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Nicolas Singewald, Simone B. Sartori, Andreas Reif, Andrew Holmes
Summary: Psychiatric disorders associated with trauma, stress, and anxiety are increasing worldwide, leading to significant morbidity. Current medication-based therapeutic approaches for anxiety disorders and PTSD are effective but have unwanted side effects and do not address underlying pathophysiology. There is renewed interest in designing novel drug treatments in this field, targeting various neurochemical systems. This article provides an overview of the current state of drug development, highlighting the importance of neurobiology and neuroplasticity in achieving lasting therapeutic effects.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Nadine J. Ortner, Anupam Sah, Enrica Paradiso, Josef Shin, Strahinja Stojanovic, Niklas Hammer, Maria Haritonova, Nadja T. Hofer, Andrea Marcantoni, Laura Guarina, Petronel Tuluc, Tamara Theiner, Florian Pitterl, Karl Ebner, Herbert Oberacher, Emilio Carbone, Nadia Stefanova, Francesco Ferraguti, Nicolas Singewald, Jochen Roeper, Joerg Striessnig
Summary: Germline de novo missense variants of CACNA1D gene have been found to be associated with neurodevelopmental and endocrine dysfunction, demonstrating their disease-causing potential. In this study, mice carrying a specific CACNA1D variant were used to confirm its pathogenicity and provide insights into the underlying mechanism.
Article
Psychiatry
Sinead Rooney, Anupam Sah, Michael S. Unger, Maria Kharitonova, Simone B. Sartori, Christoph Schwarzer, Ludwig Aigner, Helmut Kettenmann, Susanne A. Wolf, Nicolas Singewald
TRANSLATIONAL PSYCHIATRY
(2020)