Synaptic Loss and the Pathophysiology of PTSD: Implications for Ketamine as a Prototype Novel Therapeutic

Purpose of Review Studies of the neurobiology and treatment of PTSD have highlighted many aspects of the pathophysiology of this disorder that might be relevant to treatment. The purpose of this review is to highlight the potential clinical importance of an often-neglected consequence of stress mode...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current psychiatry reports 2017-10, Vol.19 (10), p.74-74, Article 74
Main Authors: Krystal, John H., Abdallah, Chadi G., Averill, Lynette A., Kelmendi, Benjamin, Harpaz-Rotem, Ilan, Sanacora, Gerard, Southwick, Steven M., Duman, Ronald S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Disaster Psychiatry: Trauma
Disease Models, Animal
Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists - pharmacology
Humans
Ketamine
Ketamine - pharmacology
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Neurobiology - methods
Neurosciences
Pathophysiology
Post traumatic stress disorder
Psychiatry
PTSD
Related Disorders
Related Disorders (MJ Friedman
Section Editor
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - drug therapy
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - metabolism
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - physiopathology
Synaptic Transmission - drug effects
Synaptic Transmission - physiology
Topical Collection on Disaster Psychiatry: Trauma
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Summary:Purpose of Review Studies of the neurobiology and treatment of PTSD have highlighted many aspects of the pathophysiology of this disorder that might be relevant to treatment. The purpose of this review is to highlight the potential clinical importance of an often-neglected consequence of stress models in animals that may be relevant to PTSD: the stress-related loss of synaptic connectivity. Recent Findings Here, we will briefly review evidence that PTSD might be a “synaptic disconnection syndrome” and highlight the importance of this perspective for the emerging therapeutic application of ketamine as a potential rapid-acting treatment for this disorder that may work, in part, by restoring synaptic connectivity. Summary Synaptic disconnection may contribute to the profile of PTSD symptoms that may be targeted by novel pharmacotherapeutics.
ISSN:1523-3812
1535-1645
DOI:10.1007/s11920-017-0829-z