Recent advances in the role of miRNAs in post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is usually considered a psychiatric disorder upon emotional trauma. However, with the rising number of conflicts and traffic accidents around the world, the incidence of PTSD has skyrocketed along with traumatic brain injury (TBI), a complex neuropathological disease due to external physical force and is also the most common concurrent disease of PTSD. Recently, the overlap between PTSD and TBI is increasingly attracting attention, as it has the potential to stimulate the emergence of novel treatments for both conditions. Of note, treatments exploiting the microRNAs (miRNAs), a well-known class of small non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), have rapidly gained momentum in many nervous system disorders, given the miRNAs’ multitudinous and key regulatory role in various biological processes, including neural development and normal functioning of the nervous system. Currently, a wealth of studies has elucidated the similarities of PTSD and TBI in pathophysiology and symptoms; however, there is a dearth of discussion with respect to miRNAs in both PTSD and TBI. In this review, we summarize the recent available studies of miRNAs in PTSD and TBI and discuss and highlight promising miRNAs therapeutics for both conditions in the future.

The Role of Microglial Exosomes and miR-124-3p in Neuroinflammation and Neuronal Repair after Traumatic Brain Injury

“…Huang et al also used animal models of rodents and repetitive TBI-like injuries to study neuronal inflammation modulation using microglial exosomes and miRNA activity against injured neurons [ 35 ]. In this way, the injured brains of the mice were collected during the acute and chronic phases of TBI, and an extract was used on in vitro-cultured microglia.…”

“…However, its main contribution remains neuronal inflammation and neurite outgrowth when transported into the neurons. In addition, several studies described their activity within the brain microvascular system by promoting mTOR signaling and subsequent autophagy, as well as improving the cerebral microvascular endothelial barrier [ 35 ].…”

“…In animal models of TBI, miR124-3p showed significant anti-inflammatory and neuroregenerative potential [ 34 ], thus proving a worthy candidate for treating the long-term effects of TBI. Moreover, Zhu et al [ 35 ] recently reported correlations between miR-124-3p and cognitive impairments associated with PTSD.…”