Understanding anti-depressant like mechanism and depression related behaviors

On November 19^th, Dr. Lauren Shapiro, who is a professor and has a Ph.D. in Molecular and Pharmacology, presented her research on studying how Rho-kinase inhibition gives off antidepressant-like effects on the spine on adolescent mice. Dr. Shapiro expresses that her study focused on the of inhibition of Rho-kinase, in adolescent mice in which they exhibited depression. The results illustrated that the inhibition had an effect on the mice, and it manifested as an antidepressant. “ROCK” inhibitor fasudil was facilitated during dendritic pruning. Fausidil decreased the behavioral effects on adolescent mice.

In the article Ketamine treatment involves medial prefrontal cortex serotonin to induce a rapid antidepressant -like activity in BALB/cJ mice,” Expresses how the functions of serotonin exhibit antidepressant-like symptoms after a dose of ketamine in a mouse. The results inferred that ketamine was more efficient antidepressant when it was compared against Fluoxetine. Behavioral tests were performed to come to the conclusion that ketamine was more effective and efficient. Researchers stated that Ketamine blocks the NMDA-R receptor, which decreases GABAergic inhibition and increases excitatory synaptic signaling in the mPFC. The mPFC works differently when it comes to both drugs due to its neural adaption that modulates the serotonergic system.

This study relates to Dr. Shapiro’s findings because in her study fasudil was used to prune the cytoskeletal pathway. Fasudil enhances the dendritic pruning of VMPFC in adolescent mice as well. However, the study from the article differs from Dr. Shapiro’s because it focused on the effects of Ketamine compared to Fluoxetine on rodents. In Shapiro’s study, it had an emphasis on both Ketamine and Fluoxetine and comparing these anti-depressants as treatment options for adolescent depression.

Both studies foreshadow the chemical the emphasis of drugs and their effects on the brain when it comes to depression treatment options. It would be beneficial to further study the effects of these drugs in older adults especially older women as they reach the period of menopause.

Work Cited 

Pham, T H, et al. “Ketamine Treatment Involves Medial Prefrontal Cortex Serotonin to Induce a Rapid Antidepressant-like Activity in BALB/CJ Mice.” Neuropharmacology, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Jan. 2017, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27211253.

Shapiro, L.P., Kietzman, H.W., Guo, J., Rainnie, D.G., & Gourley, S.L. (2019) Rho-kinase inhibition has antidepressant-like efficacy and expedites dendritic spine pruning in adolescent mice. Neurobiology of disease, 124, 520-530.