Exploring the influence of synaptic density and anxiety on pain perception: evidence from a [11C]UCB-J positron emission tomography imaging study.

Background: Structural and functional brain alterations may be associated with pain and anxiety. We hypothesized that synaptic density (measured in vivo with [11C]UCB-J and positron emission tomography quantification of synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A, SV2A) alterations may play a role in higher pain sensitivity and that this relationship may be mediated by anxiety symptoms.

Methods: Twenty-one mentally and medically healthy subjects (11 males, 10 females; age 45.

Acceptability and Feasibility of a Taekwondo Mindful Movement Intervention in Dialectical Behavior Therapy.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is often comorbid with disordered eating behaviors. Effective treatments are critically needed for this complex population. Mindful movement interventions may represent a promising, adjunctive treatment option for individuals with BPD symptoms, especially those with co-occurring disordered eating.

Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5 as a Potential Biomarker of the Intersection of Trauma and Cannabis Use.

Background: Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGlu5) dysregulation has been implicated in the pathophysiology of trauma-related psychopathology, and there are direct interactions between the endocannabinoid and glutamatergic systems. However, relationships between cannabis use (CU) and mGlu5 have not been directly investigated in trauma-related psychopathology.

Methods: Using positron emission tomography with [18F]FPEB, we examined relationships between CU status and mGlu5 availability in vivo in a cross-diagnostic sample of individuals with trauma-related psychopathology (n = 55).

Microglia-mediated neuroimmune suppression in PTSD is associated with anhedonia.

Dynamic brain immune function in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder is rarely studied, despite evidence of peripheral immune dysfunction. Positron emission tomography brain imaging using the radiotracer [C]PBR28 was used to measure the 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO), a microglial marker, at baseline and 3 h after administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a potent immune activator. Data were acquired in 15 individuals with PTSD and 15 age-matched controls.

Deficits in prefrontal metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 are associated with functional alterations during emotional processing in bipolar disorder.

Background: Elucidating biological mechanisms contributing to bipolar disorder (BD) is key to improved diagnosis and treatment development. With converging evidence implicating the metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGlu5) in the pathology of BD, here, we therefore test the hypothesis that recently identified deficits in mGlu5 are associated with functional brain differences during emotion processing in BD.

Methods: Positron emission tomography (PET) with [F]FPEB was used to measure mGlu5 receptor availability and functional imaging (fMRI) was performed while participants completed an emotion processing task.

Post-traumatic change and resilience after childhood maltreatment: Impacts on maternal mental health over the postpartum period.

Background: Mothers with a history of childhood maltreatment (CM) are particularly vulnerable to postpartum mental health changes. Variability in mental health trajectories is present over the first 18-months postpartum. Little is known about the potentially unique impacts of post-traumatic change or resilience on later postpartum mental health.

Preliminary Study of White Matter Abnormalities and Associations With the Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5 to Distinguish Bipolar and Major Depressive Disorders.

Background: Understanding distinct neurobiological mechanisms underlying bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) is crucial for accurate diagnosis and the discovery of novel and more effective targeted treatments. Previous diffusion-weighted MRI studies have suggested some common frontotemporal corticolimbic system white matter (WM) abnormalities across the disorders. However, critical to the development of more precise diagnosis and treatment is identifying distinguishing abnormalities.

Differences in diagnostic rules used to determine borderline personality disorder impact prevalence and associations with clinically relevant variables: Findings from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is a serious and understudied mental health condition associated with profound personal and public health consequences. Methodological differences in characterizing BPD may limit understanding the scope of the disorder's prevalence and effect. For example, using different diagnostic rules for BPD can affect apparent prevalence, comorbidity, and clinical presentation.

Nicotine Use and Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5 in Individuals With Major Depressive and Posttraumatic Stress Disorders.

Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) dysregulation has been implicated in the pathophysiology of many psychiatric disorders, as well as nicotine use and dependence. We used positron emission tomography with [F]FPEB to measure mGluR5 availability in vivo in 6 groups: (1) nicotine users (NUs) without other psychiatric comorbidities (=23); (2) comparison controls (CCs) without nicotine use or psychiatric comorbidities (=38); (3) major depressive disorder subjects with concurrent nicotine use (MDD-NU; =19); (4) MDD subjects without concurrent nicotine use (MDD-CC; =20); (5) posttraumatic stress disorder subjects with concurrent nicotine use (PTSD-NU; =17); and (6) PTSD subjects without concurrent nicotine use (PTSD-CC; =16). The goal of the study was to test the hypothesis that mGluR5 availability in key corticolimbic regions of interest (ROIs) is different in NU with versus without comorbid psychiatric disorders (ROI: dorsolateral prefrontal cortex [dlPFC], orbitofrontal cortex [OFC], ventromedial prefrontal cortex [vmPFC], anterior cingulate cortex [ACC], amygdala, hippocampus).

Differences in Quantification of the Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor 5 Across Bipolar Disorder and Major Depressive Disorder.

Background: Understanding the neurobiology underlying bipolar disorder (BD) versus major depressive disorder (MDD) is crucial for accurate diagnosis and for driving the discovery of novel treatments. A promising target is the metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5), a modulator of glutamate transmission associated with synaptic plasticity. We measured mGluR5 availability in individuals with MDD and BD for the first time using positron emission tomography.

Differential Role of mGluR5 in Cognitive Processes in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Major Depression.

Background: A robust literature supports the role of the metabotropic glutamate receptor type 5 (mGluR5) in cognitive functioning. mGluR5 is also implicated in the pathophysiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD), which are characterized by cognitive alterations. However, the relationship between mGluR5 and cognition in MDD and PTSD has not yet been directly investigated.

Acute cognitive effects of single-dose intravenous ketamine in major depressive and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Intravenous (IV) subanesthetic doses of ketamine have been shown to reduce psychiatric distress in both major depressive (MDD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the effect of ketamine on cognitive function in these disorders is not well understood. To address this gap, we examined the effect of a single dose of IV ketamine on cognition in individuals with MDD and/or PTSD relative to healthy controls (HC).

Exploring the impact of trauma type and extent of exposure on posttraumatic alterations in 5-HT1A expression.

The long-term behavioral, psychological, and neurobiological effects of exposure to potentially traumatic events vary within the human population. Studies conducted on trauma-exposed human subjects suggest that differences in trauma type and extent of exposure combine to affect development, maintenance, and treatment of a variety of psychiatric syndromes. The serotonin 1-A receptor (5-HT1A) is an inhibitory G protein-coupled serotonin receptor encoded by the HTR1A gene that plays a role in regulating serotonin release, physiological stress responding, and emotional behavior.

PTSD is associated with neuroimmune suppression: evidence from PET imaging and postmortem transcriptomic studies.

Despite well-known peripheral immune activation in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there are no studies of brain immunologic regulation in individuals with PTSD. [C]PBR28 Positron Emission Tomography brain imaging of the 18-kDa translocator protein (TSPO), a microglial biomarker, was conducted in 23 individuals with PTSD and 26 healthy individuals-with or without trauma exposure. Prefrontal-limbic TSPO availability in the PTSD group was negatively associated with PTSD symptom severity and was significantly lower than in controls.

Measuring the effects of ketamine on mGluR5 using [F]FPEB and PET.

The metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) is a promising treatment target for psychiatric disorders due to its modulatory effects on glutamate transmission. Using [C]ABP688, we previously showed that the rapidly acting antidepressant ketamine decreases mGluR5 availability. The mGluR5 radioligand [F]FPEB offers key advantages over [C]ABP688; however, its suitability for drug challenge studies is unknown.

Lower synaptic density is associated with depression severity and network alterations.

Synaptic loss and deficits in functional connectivity are hypothesized to contribute to symptoms associated with major depressive disorder (MDD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) can be used to index the number of nerve terminals, an indirect estimate of synaptic density. Here, we used positron emission tomography (PET) with the SV2A radioligand [C]UCB-J to examine synaptic density in n = 26 unmedicated individuals with MDD, PTSD, or comorbid MDD/PTSD.

A factor analytic evaluation of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 among veterans presenting to a generalist mental health clinic.

The shift from a multiaxial system of diagnosis in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) brought forth the discontinuation of the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF). DSM-5 proposes the use of a more reliable method for assessing and describing disability, the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.

Cerebellar and prefrontal cortical alterations in PTSD: structural and functional evidence.

Background: Neuroimaging studies have revealed that disturbances in network organization of key brain regions may underlie cognitive and emotional dysfunction in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Examining both brain structure and function in the same population may further our understanding of network alterations in PTSD.

Methods: We used tensor-based morphometry (TBM) and intrinsic connectivity distribution (ICD) to identify regions of altered volume and functional connectivity in unmedicated individuals with PTSD (n=21) and healthy comparison (HC) participants (n=18).

A psychometric evaluation of the Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory with Veterans seeking treatment following military trauma exposure.

Trauma-related beliefs have salient relationships to the development and maintenance of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following stress exposure. The Posttraumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI) has the potential to be a standard assessment of this critical construct. However, some critical aspects of validity and reliability appear to vary by population.

Altered metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 markers in PTSD: In vivo and postmortem evidence.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a prevalent and highly disabling disorder, but there is currently no targeted pharmacological treatment for it. Dysfunction of the glutamate system has been implicated in trauma and stress psychopathology, resulting in a growing interest in modulation of the glutamate system for the treatment of PTSD. Specifically, the metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) represents a promising treatment target.

Mother-child interactions at six months postpartum are not predicted by maternal histories of abuse and neglect or maltreatment type.

Objective: A history of childhood maltreatment (CM) is associated with increased rates of maternal psychiatric symptoms and other adverse outcomes in adulthood among postpartum women. However, to date only a few studies have examined associations between CM and mother-child interactions among a nonclinical sample of postpartum women, and the specific potential influence of the type of abuse or neglect is poorly understood. This study was an aim to examine the relationships between CM types and observed parenting in a nonclinical group of recently postpartum mothers with maltreatment histories.