Interaction between perineuronal nets and ketamine in antidepressant action
bioRxiv Preprint Server May 30, 2021 Calvin K. Young, Kachina G. Kinley, Neil McNaughton preprint
Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, yet its biological mechanisms remain poorly understood. This study investigated whether scaffolding proteins in the medial frontal cortex contribute to antidepressant effects. The researchers injected chABC into the infralimbic cortex of animals to remove perineuronal nets and then tested for antidepressant effects using the forced swim test. They also tested whether systemic ketamine injections added to the effect. Preliminary data indicate that neither removing the scaffolding proteins nor ketamine alone decreased depression-like behavior, but the two treatments may interact synergistically to decrease immobility time in the forced swim test.