Frontiers in psychiatry
January 1, 2021
Anya Ragnhildstveit, Laura Kate Jackson, Sarah Cunningham et al.
Repeated sessions of ketamine assisted psychotherapy (KAP) led to complete and sustained remission in a 21-year-old woman with extreme and enduring bulimia nervosa, a rare outcome for such severe cases. The patient had 40 binge-eating and purging episodes per day that had not responded to prior pharmacological and behavioral treatments. She underwent three courses of KAP over 3 months, each with six sessions twice weekly. Binge-eating and purging reduced dramatically after the first course, with complete cessation of symptoms achieved 3 months post-treatment, and remission sustained for over 1 year. This first report suggests repeated KAP is a promising intervention for bulimia nervosa.
Frontiers in psychiatry
January 1, 2020
Wei Liu, Qian Li, Binglu Ye et al.
Repeated exposure to nitrous oxide (N2O) produces antidepressant-like effects in mice by activating the neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS)/nitric oxide (NO) pathway in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). This activation increases burst firing activity and BDNF expression in an nNOS-dependent manner. Blocking nNOS in the mPFC prevented these antidepressant-like effects, suggesting that the nNOS/NO pathway is a key mechanism underlying N2O's antidepressant action.
Frontiers in psychiatry
January 1, 2015
Charles F Zorumski, Peter Nagele, Steven Mennerick et al.
Treatment-resistant major depression (TRMD) affects 15-30% of people with major depressive disorder. N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) have become targets for treating depression, with most research focusing on ketamine, though its psychotomimetic and other side effects may limit its use. A recent pilot clinical trial tested nitrous oxide, an NMDAR antagonist that works through a different mechanism than ketamine, in patients with severe TRMD. This paper reviews TRMD as a subtype of MDD, the development of ketamine as a fast-acting antidepressant, and clinical and basic science studies supporting the possible use of nitrous oxide as a rapid antidepressant.
Frontiers in psychiatry
January 1, 2014
Else-Marie Løberg, Siri Helle, Merethe Nygård et al.
Cannabis use is common in people with non-affective psychosis and is considered a risk factor for the condition. This review of recent literature examines variables such as age of onset, cognition, brain functioning, family history, genetics, and neurological soft signs (NSS) to better understand the relationship. Compared to non-using patients, those who use cannabis appear to have fewer stable cognitive deficits, fewer NSS, and possibly more normalized brain functioning, suggesting less neurobiological vulnerability. However, familial and genetic vulnerabilities are present in the cannabis-using group, which may increase sensitivity to cannabis. An earlier age of onset in these patients indicates a different pathway to psychosis. Two vulnerability models are proposed to integrate these findings.
Frontiers in psychiatry
January 1, 2011
Tamás Kiss, William E Hoffmann, Liam Scott et al.
NMDA receptor antagonists like MK-801, used to model schizophrenia symptoms, alter brain activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) of anesthetized rats, but the primary site of action is not the cortex itself. Systemic MK-801 (0.05 mg/kg, i.v.) decreased overall multi-unit activity, had mixed effects on single-unit firing, shifted delta-frequency power in local field potentials, and disrupted paired-pulse facilitation. Local microinjection of MK-801 into the mediodorsal thalamus, but not into the mPFC, reproduced these effects, suggesting that thalamic networks, not cortical ones, mediate the drug's impact on brain circuits and cognition.