Clinical trials on the use of psilocybin (PSL) to treat depression are promising, but still in preliminary stages. Additionally, they are confounded by the presence of hallucinations, which may not be necessary for its clinical effectiveness but create challenges when designing experiments. Results from our lab have also indicated potential antidepressant efficacy for a number […]
B32: A Role for Serotonin in Mediated Stress Enhanced Fear Learning Following Exposure to Early Life Stress
Rodents provide a useful translational model of fear- and anxiety-related behaviors. Previously stressed animals exhibit physiological and behavioral stress responses that parallel those observed in anxious humans. Patients diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) present with a spectrum of debilitating anxiety symptoms that result from exposure to one or more traumatic events, with women having […]
C44-P: The Effects of Early Life Stress and Serotonin Antagonist Injection in Rat Stress-Enhanced Fear Learning
Early-life stress (ELS) has been found to increase the risk of mental illness and physically alter brain structures and cognition. Research shows that exposure to acute ELS leads to enhanced fear learning later in life. There is some evidence that serotonin signalling mediates anxiety-induced increases in adult fear learning. Specifically, 5HT-2C serotonergic receptors appear to […]