The (Poly)Pharmacology of Cannabidiol in Neurological and Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Molecular Mechanisms and Targets

Cannabidiol (CBD), the major nonpsychoactive Cannabis constituent, has been proposed for the treatment of a wide panel of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, including anxiety, schizophrenia, epilepsy and drug addiction due to the ability of its versatile scaffold to interact with diverse molecular targets that are not restricted to the endocannabinoid system. Albeit the molecular mechanisms responsible for the therapeutic effects of CBD have yet to be fully elucidated, many efforts have been devoted in the last decades to shed light on its complex pharmacological profile. In particular, an ever-increasing number of molecular targets linked to those disorders have been identified for this phytocannabinoid, along with the modulatory effects of CBD on their cascade signaling. In this view, here we will try to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the molecular basis underlying the therapeutic effects of CBD involved in the treatment of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.     

神经精神性系统性红斑狼疮相关自身抗体的研究进展

神经精神性系统性红斑狼疮(NPSLE)的发病机制目前普遍认为是直接或间接的多种免疫机制作用的结果。NPSLE发病的不同表现形式与多种自身抗体相关,可能存在以下几种相关自身抗体:抗神经元抗体、抗磷脂抗体、抗NR2抗体、抗核糖体P蛋白抗体、抗微管相关蛋白2抗体、抗内皮细胞抗体、抗胶质原纤维酸性蛋白抗体。这些自身抗体可能成为提示或预测NPSLE的特异标记物,值得进一步探讨和证实。     

Prenatal THC Does Not Affect Female Mesolimbic Dopaminergic System in Preadolescent Rats

Cannabis use among pregnant women is increasing worldwide along with permissive sociocultural attitudes toward it. Prenatal cannabis exposure (PCE), however, is associated with adverse outcome among offspring, ranging from reduced birth weight to child psychopathology. We have previously shown that male rat offspring prenatally exposed to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a rat model of PCE, exhibit extensive molecular, cellular, and synaptic changes in dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), resulting in a susceptible mesolimbic dopamine system associated with a psychotic-like endophenotype. This phenotype only reveals itself upon a single exposure to THC in males but not females. Here, we characterized the impact of PCE on female behaviors and mesolimbic dopamine system function by combining in vivo single-unit extracellular recordings in anesthetized animals and ex vivo patch clamp recordings, along with neurochemical and behavioral analyses. We find that PCE female offspring do not show any spontaneous or THC-induced behavioral disease-relevant phenotypes. The THC-induced increase in dopamine levels in nucleus accumbens was reduced in PCE female offspring, even when VTA dopamine activity in vivo and ex vivo did not differ compared to control. These findings indicate that PCE impacts mesolimbic dopamine function and its related behavioral domains in a sex-dependent manner and warrant further investigations to decipher the mechanisms determining this sex-related protective effect from intrauterine THC exposure.     

中枢σ-2受体对神经精神疾病影响和治疗的研究进展

中枢σ-2 受体可能在神经精神疾病的发病和治疗中起重要作用。近年来,随着新型σ-2受体选择性配体的问世,其神经生物学相关研究取得了长足进展。最新研究发现,孕激素受体膜组分1（progesterone receptor membrane component 1,PGRMC1）可能是σ-2受体的一部分,这为σ-2受体的功能研究提供了新方向。因此,本文就σ-2受体在神经系统中的生理功能,以及σ-2受体对神经精神疾病的影响和治疗的相关研究进展作一综述。     

Running from Stress: Neurobiological Mechanisms of Exercise-Induced Stress Resilience

Chronic stress, even stress of a moderate intensity related to daily life, is widely acknowledged to be a predisposing or precipitating factor in neuropsychiatric diseases. There is a clear relationship between disturbances induced by stressful stimuli, especially long-lasting stimuli, and cognitive deficits in rodent models of affective disorders. Regular physical activity has a positive effect on the central nervous system (CNS) functions, contributes to an improvement in mood and of cognitive abilities (including memory and learning), and is correlated with an increase in the expression of the neurotrophic factors and markers of synaptic plasticity as well as a reduction in the inflammatory factors. Studies published so far show that the energy challenge caused by physical exercise can affect the CNS by improving cellular bioenergetics, stimulating the processes responsible for the removal of damaged organelles and molecules, and attenuating inflammation processes. Regular physical activity brings another important benefit: increased stress robustness. The evidence from animal studies is that a sedentary lifestyle is associated with stress vulnerability, whereas a physically active lifestyle is associated with stress resilience. Here, we have performed a comprehensive PubMed Search Strategy for accomplishing an exhaustive literature review. In this review, we discuss the findings from experimental studies on the molecular and neurobiological mechanisms underlying the impact of exercise on brain resilience. A thorough understanding of the mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective potential of preconditioning exercise and of the role of exercise in stress resilience, among other things, may open further options for prevention and therapy in the treatment of CNS diseases.     

Modeling Neurodevelopmental and Neuropsychiatric Diseases with Astrocytes Derived from Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Accumulating studies demonstrate the morphological and functional diversity of astrocytes, a subtype of glial cells in the central nervous system. Animal models are instrumental in advancing our understanding of the role of astrocytes in brain development and their contribution to neurological disease; however, substantial interspecies differences exist between rodent and human astrocytes, underscoring the importance of studying human astrocytes. Human pluripotent stem cell differentiation approaches allow the study of patient-specific astrocytes in the etiology of neurological disorders. In this review, we summarize the structural and functional properties of astrocytes, including the unique features of human astrocytes; demonstrate the necessity of the stem cell platform; and discuss how this platform has been applied to the research of neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric diseases.     

Colors and mood-tones.

"Neuropsychiatric patients… nursing assistants… and students… were presented with eight stimulus colors and a list of eleven moods and asked to pick a color to go with each of the moods… . For nine… mood-tones,… significant differences (were found)… socioeconomic differences appeared to be more important… than… either mental health… or… geographical… (differences)… . Certain colors were found to have about the same affective meaning for all groups. In other instances there were sharp group differences in the extent to which they associated a given color with a certain mood-tone." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Melatonin Stimulates Dendrite Formation and Complexity in the Hilar Zone of the Rat Hippocampus: Participation of the Ca++/Calmodulin Complex

Melatonin (MEL), the main product synthesized by the pineal gland, stimulates early and late stages of neurodevelopment in the adult brain. MEL increases dendrite length, thickness and complexity in the hilar and mossy neurons of hippocampus. Dendrite formation involves activation of Ca²⁺/Calmodulin (CaM)-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) by CaM. Previous work showed that MEL increased the synthesis and translocation of CaM, suggesting that MEL activates CaM-dependent enzymes by this pathway. In this work we investigated whether MEL stimulates dendrite formation by CaMKII activation in organotypic cultures from adult rat hippocampus. We found that the CaMKII inhibitor, KN-62, abolished the MEL stimulatory effects on dendritogenesis and that MEL increased the relative amount of CaM in the soluble fraction of hippocampal slices. Also, PKC inhibition abolished dendritogenesis, while luzindole, an antagonist of MEL receptors (MT1/2), partially blocked the effects of MEL. Moreover, autophosphorylation of CaMKII and PKC was increased in presence of MEL, as well as phosphorylation of ERK1/2. Our results indicate that MEL stimulates dendrite formation through CaMKII and the translocation of CaM to the soluble fraction. Dendritogenesis elicited by MEL also required PKC activation, and signaling through MT1/2 receptors was partially involved. Data strongly suggest that MEL could repair the loss of hippocampal dendrites that occur in neuropsychiatric disorders by increasing CaM levels and activation of CaMKII.     

机器学习在神经精神疾病诊断及预测中的应用

多模态磁共振神经影像技术的发展为大脑工作原理研究及脑部疾病早期诊断提供了新的手段。当前多数神经精神性疾病的诊断仅依据其临床症状,缺少客观的神经影像生物学标志物。传统的基于组间比较的单变量分析仅能在组间水平进行推断,无法提供个体水平的诊断和预测,临床应用价值非常有限。机器学习技术可在不同水平对神经影像进行计算分析和研究,发现其中规律从而有效预测和分类未知数据,找出与脑疾病高度相关的脑区特征,提供个体水平的诊断并探测脑疾病的病理生理机制。本文对基于机器学习的神经影像分析步骤及机器学习在神经精神疾病智能诊断及预测研究中的应用进行综述,并对未来研究发展进行展望。     

Stress and the Role of the Gut–Brain Axis in the Pathogenesis of Schizophrenia: A Literature Review

Schizophrenia is a severe neuropsychiatric disorder, and its etiology remains largely unknown. Environmental factors have been reported to play roles in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, and one of the major environmental factors identified for this disorder is psychosocial stress. Several studies have suggested that stressful life events, as well as the chronic social stress associated with city life, may lead to the development of schizophrenia. The other factor is the gut–brain axis. The composition of the gut microbiome and alterations thereof may affect the brain and may lead to schizophrenia. The main interest of this review article is in overviewing the major recent findings on the effects of stress and the gut–brain axis, as well as their possible bidirectional effects, in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.