Publications by authors named "Mark Niciu"
Article Synopsis
- - Human brain organoid models are valuable for researching brain development and function due to their ability to mimic human genetics and facilitate lab manipulation.
- - There are ongoing concerns about the accuracy and reliability of these models, which need to be addressed to maximize their potential in science and medicine.
- - The article reviews current techniques for analyzing these organoids, discusses existing challenges, and offers suggestions for improving consistency and precision in future research.
Social interaction is a core component of motivational behavior that is perturbed across multiple neuropsychiatric disorders, including alcohol use disorder (AUD). Positive social bonds are neuroprotective and enhance recovery from stress, so reduced social interaction in AUD may delay recovery and lead to alcohol relapse. We report that chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) induces social avoidance in a sex-dependent manner and is associated with hyperactivity of serotonin (5-HT) neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSocial interaction is a core component of motivational behavior that is perturbed across multiple neuropsychiatric disorders, including alcohol use disorder (AUD). Positive social bonds are neuroprotective and enhance recovery from stress, so reduced social interaction in AUD may delay recovery and lead to alcohol relapse. We report that chronic intermittent ethanol (CIE) induces social avoidance in a sex-dependent manner and is associated with hyperactivity of serotonin (5-HT) neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeurophysiological Correlates and Differential Drug Response in Subjects With a Family History of an Alcohol Use Disorder.
Chronic Stress (Thousand Oaks)
August 2019
A family history of an alcohol use disorder (AUD) has been shown to increase one's risk of developing an AUD. Additionally, a positive family history of AUD (family history positive (FHP)) has neurobiological and neuropsychopharmacological consequences, and this review summarizes differential drug response as well as neuroanatomical and neurocognitive correlates. FHP status is related to altered responses to a number of drugs, including substances with abuse liability like alcohol, opioids, amphetamines, and ketamine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study investigates the role of the translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) as a potential biomarker for neuroinflammation in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) using PET imaging to compare TSPO binding in MDD subjects versus healthy controls (HC).* -
- Results indicated higher TSPO binding in MDD subjects, particularly those who were unmedicated, compared to HC, although these statistically significant findings were just below the set threshold for strong significance.* -
- Additionally, TSPO binding showed a correlation with interleukin-5 levels in cerebrospinal fluid, suggesting a possible link between neuroinflammation and depression, but other central inflammatory markers did not demonstrate similar relationships.*
Rationale: Preliminary evidence suggests that cannabidiol (CBD) may be effective in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders; however, CBD has never been evaluated for the treatment of cognitive impairments associated with schizophrenia (CIAS).
Objective: This study compared the cognitive, symptomatic, and side effects of CBD versus placebo in a clinical trial.
Methods: This study was a 6-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group, fixed-dose study of oral CBD (600 mg/day) or placebo augmentation in 36 stable antipsychotic-treated patients diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia.
Background: Some glutamatergic modulators have demonstrated rapid and relatively sustained antidepressant properties in patients with major depressive disorder. Because the potassium channel activator diazoxide increases glutamate uptake via potassium channel activation, we hypothesized that it might exert antidepressant effects by increasing the removal of glutamate from the synaptic cleft, thereby reducing excessive glutamate transmission.
Methods: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover, single-site inpatient clinical study was conducted at the National Institute of Mental Health to assess the efficacy and safety of a 3-week course of diazoxide (200-400 mg daily, twice a day) versus a 3-week course of placebo in 6 participants with treatment-refractory major depressive disorder.
Background: Ketamine induces rapid and robust antidepressant effects, and many patients also describe dissociation, which is associated with antidepressant response. This follow-up study investigated whether antidepressant efficacy is uniquely related to dissociative symptom clusters.
Methods: Treatment-resistant patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar disorder (BD) (n = 126) drawn from three studies received a single subanesthetic (0.
Article Synopsis
- The study analyzed various depression rating scales to identify unique factors related to depressive symptoms, with a focus on patients undergoing treatment with the rapid-acting antidepressant ketamine.
- Through exploratory factor analysis, eight key factors were identified: Depressed Mood, Tension, Negative Cognition, Impaired Sleep, Suicidal Thoughts, Reduced Appetite, Anhedonia, and Amotivation.
- Limitations of the study include a small sample size, lack of an independent confirmation sample, and the specific treatment-resistant characteristics of the participants, which may affect the generalizability of the findings.
Article Synopsis
- This study aimed to confirm previous findings that smaller hippocampal volumes are linked to better antidepressant effects of ketamine in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).
- The research involved 55 unmedicated participants, who underwent MRI scans and received a ketamine infusion, with their results tracked over time.
- Ultimately, the study found that baseline brain volumes did not predict the antidepressant response to ketamine, but noted potential correlations between thalamic volume and response based on genetic factors.
Background: Antidepressant response to a single subanesthetic dose infusion of the glutamatergic modulator ketamine is transient in most depressed patients; however, a minority continue to experience an extended response. This study examined depressive symptoms and potential clinical predictors of extended response to ketamine in subjects with mood disorders.
Methods: Subjects were diagnosed with either major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar depression.
Article Synopsis
- In patients with major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder, issues with neurotransmission and neural plasticity can disrupt brain network connectivity.
- Research indicates that altered levels of glutamate and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) are linked to depression in both animal and human studies.
- Ketamine, in low doses, shows promise as an antidepressant by potentially correcting these neurochemical imbalances, leading to a need for future studies that use neuroimaging to better classify depression subtypes and identify treatment response markers.
Therapeutic Modulation of Glutamate Receptors in Major Depressive Disorder.
Curr Neuropharmacol
February 2017
Current pharmacotherapies for major depressive disorder (MDD) have a distinct lag of onset that can prolong distress and impairment for patients, and realworld effectiveness trials further suggest that antidepressant efficacy is limited in many patients. All currently approved antidepressant medications for MDD act primarily through monoaminergic mechanisms, e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Current antidepressants mainly target the monoaminergic system but are only effective for about two-thirds of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) or bipolar disorder.
- The glutamatergic system, particularly glutamate receptor subtypes like NMDA and mGluRs, is being explored for newer, more effective treatments for MDD.
- Ketamine shows promising rapid antidepressant effects, while other agents like GLYX-13 and mGluR5 modulators are being researched with various degrees of success.
Rationale: Patients with anxious major depressive disorder (AMDD) have more severe symptoms and poorer treatment response than patients with non-AMDD. Increasing evidence implicates the endogenous opioid system in the pathophysiology of depression. AZD2327 is a selective delta opioid receptor (DOR) agonist with anxiolytic and antidepressant activity in animal models.
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