Molecular signatures of astrocytes and microglia maladaptive responses to acute stress are rescued by a single administration of ketamine in a rodent model of PTSD.
Translational psychiatry May 25, 2024 Marta Valenza, Roberta Facchinetti, Carola Torazza et al. 26 citations
Acute stress triggers a rapid response from glial cells—astrocytes and microglia—in the prefrontal cortex of rats, activating the NF-κB pathway and increasing inflammatory cytokines IL-18 and TNF-α. In vulnerable animals, this response persists alongside altered levels of glial proteins S100B, CD11b, and CX43, brain trophic factors BDNF and FGF2, and synaptic proteins MAP2 and PSD95. A single subanesthetic dose of ketamine given 24 hours after stress reversed many of these changes, suggesting it helps restore brain homeostasis. Reactive astrogliosis, changes in trophic factors, and neuronal damage appear to be key determinants of vulnerability to acute traumatic stress, and ketamine shows therapeutic potential against stress-related psychiatric disorders.