Unit 1 - Mood Disorders: Anxiety
What are 4 psychedelics being used as novel treatment for anxiety?
LSD, ketamine, psilocybin, MDMA
What are the 2 effects of psychedelics on synaptic neuroplasticity?
LTP and LTD
What do tricyclic antidepressants target?
Serotonin and norepinephrine
What does buspirone target?
Serotonin and norepinephrine
SCFA can affect what?
Serotonin production and the vagus nerve
Monoamines include what 3 NTMs?
Serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine,
What does SCFA stand for?
Short chain fatty acids
What is the ratio of female to males with anxiety?
2:1
What are the 4 types of epigenetic changes?
Acetylation, deacetylation, methylation, and microRNAs
Levels of Lactobacillus have been found to correlate with what in the brain?
Amount of GABA receptors
What are the groups of neurons in the amygdala known as?
Amygdala nuclei
The gene expression of what can range from depression to an active state, depending on low or high expression?
BDNF
The genes of what 2 things are affected by epigenetics in anxiety?
BDNF and SERT
What drug serves as a GABA agonist?
Benzodiazepines
Besides Lactobacillus, what other bacteria is associated with GABA levels?
Bifidobacterium
What are the microbes involved in anxiety?
Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus
What did the microbiome UCLA study find?
Brain response to negative stimuli was different in those that were given probiotics vs. those that were not
What regulates the release of cortisol?
CRHR1
Current psychotherapy for anxiety includes what?
Cognitive behavioral therapy
What are the 3 types of symptoms of anxiety?
Cognitive, physiological, behavioral
What is CRHR1?
Corticotropin releasing hormone receptor 1
The stress circuit is associated with what 2 hormones?
Cortisol and CRH
Benzodiazepines can do what in the presence of a negative emotional stimuli?
Decrease activation of the amygdala
Infusion of GABA or GABA receptor agonists resulted in what?
Decreased fear and anxiety
What is DALY?
Disability adjusted life year
MDMA targets what?
Dopamine pathways
What is the gut-brain connection?
Enteric nervous system talking to central nervous system, influenced by microbes and the molecules they produce
SCFA modify serotonin production in what type of cells?
Enterochromaffin
Where is most of our serotonin made?
Enterochromaffin cells
What are 2 novel treatments for anxiety?
Fecal transplant and use of psychedelics
When the amygdala communicates with the hypothalamus, what 2 pathways can be initiated?
Fight or flight or stress circuit
The communication between the PFC and limbic system via the ACC is known as what?
Fronto-limbic communciation
Current pharmacotherapy for anxiety targets what?
Fronto-limbic system
The PFC and OFC can be a brake pedal for the amygdala via what NTM?
GABA
What do benzodiazepines work as?
GABA agonists
Benzodiazepines do not work if what is removed?
GABA synthetic enzyme
What is the most common type of anxiety?
Generalized anxiety disorder
What are the amygdala nuclei?
Groups of neurons in the amygdala
The amygdala speaks to what 2 parts of the brain?
Hypothalamus and brain stem
Infusion of GABA receptor antagonists resulted in what?
Increased anxiety
What are 3 parts of the sympathetic response that can be triggered by the hypothalamus?
Increased blood pressure, increased heart rate, pupil dilation
What is a fecal transplant?
Ingestion of microbial community from someone who is not afflicted with a disorder (i.e. anxiety)
What does LTD stand for?
Long term depression
What does LTP stand for?
Long term potentiation
What does does DALY measure?
Lost work days and money
What are the 2 branches of current treatment for anxiety?
Pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy
What should we think of when we hear about the amygdaloid complex?
Many boxes, some of which of to the hypothalamus and brain stem
SCFA do what in enterochromaffin cells?
Modify serotonin production
Treatments that alter neuroplasticity have effects on what 2 levels?
Molecular and cellular
The affect of drugs on neuroplasticity on the cellular level fall into what 3 categories?
Neuronal, dendritic, synaptic
What are 4 techniques used to study the pathology of anxiety?
Optogenetics/nerve manipulation, pharmacology, fear/anxiety behavior rodent studies, MRI
What does OFC stand for?
Orbital frontal cortex
What serves as the brake pedal for the amygdala?
PFC and OFC
DON'T STUDY: Epigenetic changes in what 3 areas of the brain are associated with anxiety?
PFC, ACC, amygdala
What are 6 things that give input to the amygdala?
PFC, OFC, ACC, thalamus, hippocampus, and sensory cortices
What is Gaba involved in for anxiety?
PFC/OFC break pedal on the amygdala
What is fronto-limbic communication?
The communication between the PFC and limbic system via the ACC
What does the CRHR1 gene do?
Regulates release of cortisol
What are 3 genes associated with GAD?
SERT, CRHR1, and BDNF
What are the 6 types of drugs currently used for anxiety?
SSRIs, SNRIs, tricyclic antidepressants, benzodiazepines, beta blockers, buspirone
The fight or flight response is also known as what 2 responses?
Sympathetic and visceral autonomic
What is LTP?
Synapses get stronger
What is LTD?
Synapses get weaker
