Neuroplasticity and environment: A pharmacotherapeutic approach toward preclinical and clinical understanding

Nicotine on the developing brain

“…Thus, there is more work to be done. However, the available data show that developmental periods of regional heightened plasticity are vulnerable to the harmful effects of nicotine [ 105 , 196 , 197 ]. Despite marketed safety of noncombustible products and e-cigarettes, exposure to nicotine alone can drive these negative effects on the brain and behavior.…”

Decreased cortical gyrification in major depressive disorder

“…From this perspective, it has been proposed that MDD is formed through a combination of genetic and environmental factors during an individual's developmental process. Environmental factors have been shown to influence the morphology of brain circuits from the perspective of neuroplasticity (Bernardoni et al, 2018; Besteher et al, 2017; Hasan et al, 2011; Mishra, Patni, Hegde, Aleya, & Tewari, 2021; White et al, 2010). Therefore, our findings may imply genetic heritability, which interacts with psychosocial environmental factors, inducing early neurodevelopment in abnormal cortical folding patterns principally in the PFC, OFC, ACC, and insula, ultimately leading to a dysfunction in emotion regulation neural circuits as a predisposition to MDD.…”

Alleviating anxiety and taming trauma: Novel pharmacotherapeutics for anxiety disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder

“…This has led some authors to refer to the class as ‘psychoplastogens’ ( Vargas et al, 2021 ), and others to posit that these drugs produce beneficial effects in PTSD by modifying trauma-related memory ( Raut et al, 2022b ). More generally, the notion that therapeutically co-opting neuroplasticity for therapeutic gain, by targeting defined neurochemical, genetic and epigenetic mechanisms, is gaining traction ( Kraus et al, 2017 ; Luchkina and Bolshakov, 2018 ; Mishra et al, 2021 ).…”