Co-treatment of piracetam with risperidone rescued extinction deficits in experimental paradigms of post-traumatic stress disorder by restoring the physiological alterations in cortex and hippocampus

Publication date: Available online 22 August 2019Source: Pharmacology Biochemistry and BehaviorAuthor(s): Ankit Uniyal, Raghunath Singh, Ansab Akhtar, Yashika Bansal, Anurag Kuhad, Sangeeta Pilkhwal SahAbstractPharmacotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, both fail to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a considerable number of populations. The persistence of traumatic memories and deficit in extinction contributes to the failure of exposure therapy in PTSD.With the objective to enhance the outcomes of exposure therapy by targeting the extinction window using pharmacological agents in PTSD, the present study was aimed to explore the effect of piracetam, risperidone and their combinations in experimentally-induced PTSD-like phenotype in rats. Male SD rats were exposed to single prolonged stress model (SPS) for induction of PTSD-like behavioral changes. Piracetam, risperidone and their combination were used as therapeutic interventions while sertraline was used as a standard treatment for 14 days along with extinction training. Induction of PTSD-like behaviors were assessed in behavioral tests such as fear conditioning, elevated plus maze, social interaction test, and the marble burying test. Neurotransmitters (dopamine and serotonin and their metabolites), BDNF, proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6), caspase-3, and markers for oxidative stress were assessed in the hippocampus and cortex while corticosterone and nitrite levels were estimated in plasma. Our r...
Source: Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior - Category: Biochemistry Source Type: research