The good and bad news about glutamate in drug addiction
In 1998 we published a perspective review describing how drug-induced neuroadaptations might serve towards understanding drug craving. We proposed experimental perspectives to help discern data relevant to long-lasting brain changes, and to distinguish dopamine-related changes that were largely pharmacological from glutamatergic changes that were based on drug–environment associations. These perspectives are embedded in drug abuse research, and the last 18 years has witnessed marked development in understanding addiction-associated corticostriatal glutamate plasticity. Here we propose three new perspectives on how th...
Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology - November 9, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Spencer, S., Scofield, M., Kalivas, P. W. Tags: Commentary Source Type: research
Neuropsychological and neuroimaging evidence for the involvement of the frontal lobes in depression: 20 years on
In 1997, neuropsychological and neuroimaging evidence supported the involvement of the frontal lobes and indeed the brain in depression. This was a challenge to conventional phenomenology and linked with the imperative to use neuroscience to understand major mental illness. Since that time, we are seeing ever more convincing evidence for the genetic basis of mental illness (including depression), relevant abnormality in grey and white matter and neuropsychological analysis of brain function. It has proved more difficult to pin down structural abnormality in major depression at the cellular level, but a focus on glial cells...
Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology - November 9, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Goodwin, G. M. Tags: Commentary Source Type: research
Neurobehavioural sequelae of social deprivation in rodents revisited: Modelling social adversity for developmental neuropsychiatric disorders
The significance of investigating effects of deprivation of social experience in rodents is reviewed in the context of the review by Robbins et al. (1996) in the Journal of Psychopharmacology (10: 39-47). The early development of the paradigm by which rats were reared post-weaning in social isolation is described and compared with other early experience manipulations. The specification of the neural and behavioural phenotype of the isolate is brought up-to-date, focusing on changes in motivation and cognitive function, as well as on contrasting changes in the dopamine and serotonin systems, and in cortical (including hippo...
Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology - November 9, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Robbins, T. Tags: Commentary Source Type: research
Sensorimotor gating of the startle reflex: what we said 25 years ago, what has happened since then, and what comes next
Our 1992 paper, ‘The neural substrates of sensorimotor gating of the startle reflex: a review of recent findings and their implications’, reviewed a series of (then) new and preliminary findings from cross-species studies of prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex, and commented on their implications. At the time that the report was composed, PubMed listed about 40 citations for studies using the search term ‘prepulse inhibition’. In the ensuing 25 years, the field has added about 2700 such reports, reflecting the substantial growth in interest in prepulse inhibition and its utility across a numbe...
Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology - November 9, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Swerdlow, N. R., Braff, D. L., Geyer, M. A. Tags: Commentary Source Type: research
Thirty years of Journal of Psychopharmacology
(Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology)
Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology - November 9, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Nutt, D. J. Tags: Editorial Source Type: research
Short term, low dose fluoxetine blocks estrous cycle-linked changes in responsiveness to diazepam in female rats
Anxiety behavior in female Wistar rats was assessed at different stages of the estrous cycle using the elevated plus maze (EPM). No differences were observed at any cycle stage. Pretreatment with diazepam (1 mg kg–1 intraperitoneal (i.p.)) 30 min before testing produced an anxiolytic effect (significant increase in percentage of time in the open arms compared to control group in the same cycle phase) in animals in proestrus, estrus, and early diestrus but had no effect in rats in late diestrus. Locomotor activity (total arm entries) was unchanged at any cycle phase. When rats in the late diestrus phase were pretreate...
Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology - September 22, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Soares-Rachetti, V. d. P., de Sousa Pinto, I. A., Santos, R. O., Andre, E., Gavioli, E. C., Lovick, T. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
Mineralocorticoid receptor haplotype moderates the effects of oral contraceptives and menstrual cycle on emotional information processing
Conclusion:
MR-haplotype 1/3 carriers may be more sensitive to the influence of their female hormonal status. MR-haplotype 2 carriers showed more risky decision-making. As this may reflect optimistic expectations, this finding may support previous observations in female carriers of MR-haplotype 2 in a naturalistic cohort study. (Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology)
Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology - September 22, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Hamstra, D. A., de Kloet, E. R., Tollenaar, M., Verkuil, B., Manai, M., Putman, P., Van der Does, W. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
Slow subcutaneous infusion of flumazenil for the treatment of long-term, high-dose benzodiazepine users: a review of 214 cases
Despite the first reports concerning benzodiazepine dependence being published in the early 1960s literature, the risk of benzodiazepine addiction is still greatly debated. The severe discomfort and life threatening complications usually experienced by long-term benzodiazepine users who suddenly interrupt benzodiazepine intake have led to the development of several detoxification protocols. A successful strategy used by our Addiction Unit is abrupt benzodiazepine cessation by administering flumazenil slow subcutaneous infusion (FLU-SSI) with an elastomeric pump. Although some studies proved the efficacy of flumazenil infus...
Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology - September 22, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Faccini, M., Leone, R., Opri, S., Casari, R., Resentera, C., Morbioli, L., Conforti, A., Lugoboni, F. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
Acute anxiety and social inference: An experimental manipulation with 7.5% carbon dioxide inhalation
Conclusions:
Positive self-bias (i.e. fewer errors learning self-like than self-dislike) seemed robust to changes in state anxiety. In contrast, learning other-referential evaluation was impaired as state anxiety increased. This suggested that the previously observed variations in self-bias arise due to trait, rather than state, characteristics. (Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology)
Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology - September 22, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Button, K. S., Karwatowska, L., Kounali, D., Munafo, M. R., Attwood, A. S. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
Serotonin synthesis rate and the tryptophan hydroxylase-2: G-703T polymorphism in social anxiety disorder
It is disputed whether anxiety disorders, like social anxiety disorder, are characterized by serotonin over- or underactivity. Here, we evaluated whether our recent finding of elevated neural serotonin synthesis rate in patients with social anxiety disorder could be reproduced in a separate cohort, and whether allelic variation in the tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (TPH2) G-703T polymorphism relates to differences in serotonin synthesis assessed with positron emission tomography. Eighteen social anxiety disorder patients and six healthy controls were scanned during 60 minutes in a resting state using positron emission tomography...
Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology - September 22, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Furmark, T., Marteinsdottir, I., Frick, A., Heurling, K., Tillfors, M., Appel, L., Antoni, G., Hartvig, P., Fischer, H., Langström, B., Eriksson, E., Fredrikson, M. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
Neural signals of 'intensity but not 'wanting or 'liking of rewards may be trait markers for depression
We have shown previously that participants ‘at risk’ of depression have decreased neural processing of reward suggesting this might be a neural biomarker for depression. However, how the neural signal related to subjective experiences of reward (wanting, liking, intensity) might differ as trait markers for depression is as yet unknown. Using SPM8 parametric modulation analysis the neural signal related to the subjective report of wanting, liking and intensity was compared between 25 young people with a biological parent with depression (FH) and 25 age/gender matched controls. In a second study the neural signal...
Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology - September 22, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: McCabe, C. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
Lithium intoxication: Incidence, clinical course and renal function - a population-based retrospective cohort study
In this study, we examined a cohort of patients exposed to lithium between 1997 and 2013. The aims of this study were to determine the frequency of lithium intoxication and to evaluate the clinical course and changes in renal function. Of 1340 patients, 96 had experienced at least one episode of lithium levels >=1.5 mmol/L, yielding an incidence of 0.01 per patient-year. Seventy-seven patients available for review had experienced 91 episodes, of whom 34% required intensive care and 13% were treated with haemodialysis. There were no fatalities. Acute kidney injury occurred, but renal function at baseline was not differen...
Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology - September 22, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Ott, M., Stegmayr, B., Salander Renberg, E., Werneke, U. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
Comparing episodes of antidepressants use with intermittent episodes of no use: A higher relative risk of suicide attempts but not of suicide at young age
The Food and Drug Administration has issued a number of advisories regarding a possible causal link between antidepressants and suicide behaviour among young persons. We investigated the age dependency of (fatal) suicide attempts associated with antidepressants (N=232,561). By linking insurance claims with the death register of Statistics Netherlands (2002–2011), rates of (fatal) suicide attempts were estimated during antidepressant use and intermittent episodes without use. The age dependency of the relative risk of attempts and of suicide during episodes with compared with episodes without antidepressants was inves...
Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology - September 22, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Termorshuizen, F., Smeets, H. M., Boks, M. P., Heerdink, E. R. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
The NMDA receptor partial agonist d-cycloserine does not enhance motor learning
Conclusion:
The results suggest that d-cycloserine does not exert beneficial effects on psychological treatments via mechanisms involved in motor learning. Further studies are needed to clarify the influence on other cognitive mechanisms. (Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology)
Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology - September 22, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Günthner, J., Scholl, J., Favaron, E., Harmer, C. J., Johansen-Berg, H., Reinecke, A. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and safety of CEP-26401, a high-affinity histamine-3 receptor antagonist, following single and multiple dosing in healthy subjects
CEP-26401 is a novel orally active, brain-penetrant, high-affinity histamine H3 receptor (H3R) antagonist, with potential therapeutic utility in cognition enhancement. Two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled dose escalation studies with single (0.02 to 5 mg) or multiple administration (0.02 to 0.5 mg once daily) of CEP-26401 were conducted in healthy subjects. Plasma and urine samples were collected to investigate CEP-26401 pharmacokinetics. Pharmacodynamic endpoints included a subset of tasks from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) and nocturnal polysomnography. Population pharmacoki...
Source: Journal of Psychopharmacology - September 22, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Spiegelstein, O., Stevens, J., Van Gerven, J., Nathan, P. J., Maynard, J. P., Mayleben, D. W., Hellriegel, E., Yang, R. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
