The role of neurotrophic factors in novel, rapid psychiatric treatments.

Neurotrophic factors help neurons grow, survive, and connect. For decades, scientists thought that too little neurotrophic support caused the loss of synapses and cells seen in psychiatric disorders. Traditional antidepressants raise neurotrophic levels over weeks, matching when they start working. Newer treatments like ketamine and psychedelics work within hours and quickly release neurotrophins into synapses. This has changed how researchers understand neurotrophins and their receptors. This review discusses these new insights into receptor signaling and their clinical importance, building on what is already known about neurotrophic factors in psychiatric disorders and treatments.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Neurotrophic factors are a family of growth factors that modulate cellular growth, survival, and differentiation. For many decades, it has been generally believed that a lack of neurotrophic support led to the decreased neuronal synaptic plasticity, death, and loss of non-neuronal supportive cells seen in neuropsychiatric disorders. Traditional psychiatric medications that lead to immediate increases in neurotransmitter levels at the synapse have been shown also to elevate synaptic neurotrophic levels over weeks, correlating with the time course of the therapeutic effects of these drugs. Recent advances in psychiatric treatments, such as ketamine and psychedelics, have shown a much faster onset of therapeutic effects (within minutes to hours). They have also been shown to lead to a rapid release of neurotrophins into the synapse. This has spurred a significant shift in understanding the role of neurotrophins and how the receptor tyrosine kinases that bind neurotrophins may work in concert with other signaling systems. In this review, this renewed understanding of synaptic receptor signaling interactions and the clinical implications of this mechanistic insight will be discussed within the larger context of the well-established roles of neurotrophic factors in psychiatric disorders and treatments.