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Topic Review
Chinese Herbal Medicine for Depression
Depression is a mood disorder that causes a loss of interest and constant sadness. Central nervous system (CNS)-targeted medications alone are insufficient for the treatment of depression. Multidrug and multitarget Chinese Herbal Medicine (CHM) has great potential to assist in the development of novel medications for the systematic and effective pharmacotherapy of depression.
  • 937
  • 02 Feb 2021
Topic Review
Sterol Regulatory Element-binding Proteins
Sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) is a key modulatory molecule involved in lipid homeostasis in the central nervous system. However, little is known about the biological effects of SREBP-1c in the brain. Our previous study uncovered that mice deficient in SREBP-1c exhibit schizophrenia-like behaviors. We analyzed the transcriptomes of the hippocampus of SREBP-1c knockout (KO) mice and wild-type mice in order to investigate whether there are novel molecular mechanisms involved in the neurological aberrations caused by SREBP-1c deficiency. This study found seven differentially expressed genes (three up-regulated and four down-regulated genes) in the hippocampus of SREBP-1c KO mice. For further verification, we selected the three most significantly changed genes: glucagon-like peptide 2 receptors (GLP2R) involved in hippocampal neurogenesis and neuroplasticity as well as in cognitive impairments; necdin (NDN) which is related to neuronal death and neurodevelopmental disorders; and Erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase 4 (ERBB4) which is a receptor for schizophrenia-linked protein, neuregulin-1. The protein levels of GLP2R and NDN were considerably decreased, but the level of ERBB4 was significantly increased in the hippocampus of SREBP-1c KO mice. We suggest that these data provide novel molecular evidence for the modulatory role of SREBP-1c in the mouse hippocampus.
  • 936
  • 03 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Fyn
Fyn is a non-receptor or cytoplasmatic tyrosine kinase (TK) belonging to the Src family kinases (SFKs) involved in multiple transduction pathways in the central nervous system (CNS) including synaptic transmission, myelination, axon guidance, and oligodendrocyte formation. Almost one hundred years after the original description of Fyn, this protein continues to attract extreme interest because of its multiplicity of actions in the molecular signaling pathways underlying neurodevelopmental as well as neuropathologic events. Fyn is a common factor in healthy and diseased brains that targets different proteins and shapes different transduction signals according to the neurological conditions. In particular, Fyn mediates signaling pathways involved in neuronal differentiation and plasticity that have been subjected to considerable attention lately, opening the fascinating scenario to target Fyn TK for the development of potential therapeutic interventions for the treatment of CNS injuries and certain neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease.
  • 885
  • 05 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Modulation of Brain Hyperexcitability
People with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have significantly higher rates of subclinical and overt epileptiform activity. In animal models, oligomeric Aβ amyloid is able to induce neuronal hyperexcitability even in the early phases of the disease. Such aberrant activity subsequently leads to downstream accumulation of toxic proteins, and ultimately to further neurodegeneration and neuronal silencing mediated by concomitant tau accumulation. Several neurotransmitters participate in the initial hyperexcitable state, with increased synaptic glutamatergic tone and decreased GABAergic inhibition. These changes appear to activate excitotoxic pathways and, ultimately, cause reduced long-term potentiation, increased long-term depression, and increased GABAergic inhibitory remodelling at the network level. Brain hyperexcitability has therefore been identified as a potential target for therapeutic interventions aimed at enhancing cognition, and, possibly, disease modification in the longer term. Clinical trials are ongoing to evaluate the potential efficacy in targeting hyperexcitability in AD, with levetiracetam showing some encouraging effects. Newer compounds and techniques, such as gene editing via viral vectors or brain stimulation, also show promise. Diagnostic challenges include identifying best biomarkers for measuring sub-clinical epileptiform discharges. Determining the timing of any intervention is critical and future trials will need to carefully stratify participants with respect to the phase of disease pathology.
  • 876
  • 24 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Situational Factors Affecting Tic Severity
Much of the research regarding Tourette’s syndrome (TS) has focused on why certain individuals develop tics while others do not. However, a separate line of research focuses on the momentary influences that cause tics to increase or decrease in patients who are already known to have TS or another chronic tic disorder (CTD). Environmental and internal variables such as fatigue, anxiety, and certain types of thoughts all have been shown to worsen tic severity and may even overcome the positive effects of treatment. Other influences such as stress, distraction, and being observed have had mixed effects in the various studies that have examined them. Still, other variables such as social media exposure and dietary habits have received only minimal research attention and would benefit from additional study. Understanding the impact of these environmental and internal influences provides an opportunity to improve behavioral treatments for TS/CTD and to improve the lives of those living with these conditions. 
  • 795
  • 12 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Noninvasive Vagal Nerve Stimulation
Neuromodulation is a promising new area with treatment applications for psychiatry. Electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve is associated with a reduction in peripheral sympathetic and inflammatory function and modulation of brain areas mediating fear and the stress response, and thus has potential applications to patients with stress-related psychiatric disorders, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Non-invasive Vagal Nerve Stimulation (nVNS) can be applied to vagus nerve locations at the neck (transcutaneous cervical, or tcVNS) or ear (transcutaneous auricular, or taVNS), intervening at the level of the underlying psychobiology with potential beneficial treatment effects.   
  • 771
  • 18 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Personality Neuroscience
It has long been understood that a multitude of biological systems, from genetics, to brain networks, to psychological factors, all play a role in personality. Understanding how these systems interact with each other to form both relatively stable patterns of behaviour, cognition and emotion, but also vast individual differences and psychiatric disorders, however, requires new methodological insight. Novel data-driven approaches, such as multilayer networks, may prove to be viable methods for explaining and predicting individual difference with greater veracity through incorporating data at more than one scale. 
  • 767
  • 15 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Maternal-Autoantibody-Related Autism
Recent studies indicate the existence of a maternal-autoantibody-related subtype of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To date, a large number of studies have focused on describing patterns of brain-reactive serum antibodies in maternal-autoantibody-related (MAR) autism and some have described attempts to define the antigenic targets. This entry describes evidence on MAR autism and the various autoantibodies that have been implicated. Among other possibilities, antibodies to neuronal surface protein Contactin Associated Protein 2 (CASPR2) have been found more frequently in mothers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders or autism, and two independent experimental studies have shown pathogenicity in mice. The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) is another possible target for maternal antibodies as demonstrated in mice. Here, we discuss the growing evidence, discuss issues regarding biomarker definition, and summarise the therapeutic approaches that might be used to reduce or prevent the transfer of pathogenic maternal antibodies.
  • 765
  • 03 Sep 2020
Topic Review
Crisis-focused Psychological Interventions
Public safety personnel (PSP) and frontline healthcare professionals (FHP) are frequently exposed to potentially psychologically traumatic events (PPTEs), and report increased rates of post-traumatic stress injuries (PTSIs). Despite widespread implementation and repeated calls for research, effectiveness evidence for organizational post-exposure PTSI mitigation services remains lacking.
  • 722
  • 10 Dec 2020
Topic Review
Journal Efficiency
Journal efficiency is determined by measuring the timelag in the acceptance and publication of scientific findings by a journal on behalf of the authors upon submission.
  • 676
  • 29 Oct 2020
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