BMC Neuroscience
March 5, 2015
Ludmyla Kandratavicius, Priscila Alves Balista, Daniele C. Wolf et al.
40 citations
Nitric oxide donors, especially sodium nitroprusside (SNP), show promise for treating schizophrenia. In a rat model using ketamine to induce schizophrenia-like behaviors, SNP given either before or after ketamine consistently reduced hyperlocomotion. Glyceryl trinitrate and SNP given after ketamine improved long-term memory, while methylene blue given before ketamine also improved long-term memory. The effects depended on whether the drug was administered before or after ketamine, suggesting the timing of treatment matters. These findings indicate that nitric oxide modulation could be a new pharmacological approach for schizophrenia.
Frontiers in Pharmacology
June 21, 2017
Rafael Naime Ruggiero, Matheus Teixeira Rossignoli, Jana Batista de Ross et al.
37 citations
Research on the endocannabinoid system in schizophrenia has largely relied on rodent behavioral measures such as prepulse inhibition and open-field locomotion, often combined with neurochemical or drug challenge methods. These approaches help map sensorimotor gating, hyperlocomotion, social interaction, and underlying neurotransmitter disturbances. However, greater use of neurophysiological tools like electrophysiology and optogenetics is needed to clarify how exogenous cannabinoids—THC worsening symptoms and CBD ameliorating them—affect hallucinations, delusions, and cognitive deficits. Recent evidence also highlights a complex interplay between the endocannabinoid and endovanilloid systems, particularly anandamide's influence on cognitive variables like aversive memory extinction, with TRPV1 receptors emerging as promising therapeutic targets.
Psychopharmacology
March 7, 2022
Yasmim A. Serra, Thaísa Barros-Santos, Alexia Anjos-Santos et al.
28 citations
In mice undergoing alcohol abstinence, treatment with ayahuasca blocked the return of alcohol self-administration. The effects depended on activation of the 5-HT2A receptor. The findings suggest that ayahuasca and other 5-HT2A receptor agonists could serve as adjunctive pharmacotherapies for alcohol use disorder.
Biological psychiatry
February 1, 2025
Cassiano Ricardo Alves Faria Diniz, Ana Paula Crestani, Plinio Cabrera Casarotto et al.
15 citations
Antidepressants such as fluoxetine and ketamine bind to the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) and trigger its proteolysis by α- and γ-secretase, leading to p75NTR nuclear localization. These drugs also enhance brain plasticity and extinction memory in mice and rats, and these effects depend on p75NTR signaling. The authors propose that antidepressants co-opt both the BDNF/TrkB and proBDNF/p75NTR systems to promote activity-dependent synaptic competition and brain remodeling.