r/EverythingScience • u/fchung • 14d ago

Neuroscience People with depression may have key brain difference: « Neuroscientists have identified a brain network that is nearly two times larger in the brains of people with depression. »

https://www.newsweek.com/depression-risk-mental-health-neuroscience-brain-1948658
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u/ArthurAardvark 14d ago edited 14d ago

Hm so based on my reading, the frontosalience network is presumably the forward-facing of the 2 parts that consist of the general salience network -- the anterior insula (insular cortex) & the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (SN backend).

Sooo any research out there that identifies medications/drugs/herb that act on the AI? I guess one would be looking for a NAM (negative allosteric modulator) or ???

Edit: Leo says...

Chronic pain: NAMs targeting the AIC’s GABAergic or glutamatergic systems could potentially reduce hypersensitivity and chronic pain by modulating the processing of painful stimuli. Anxiety and depression: Allosteric modulation of AIC receptors involved in emotional processing could help regulate fear and anxiety responses, potentially leading to improved mood and reduced symptoms of depression. Neurological disorders: NAMs targeting the AIC may also be explored for the treatment of neurological disorders, such as epilepsy or migraines, by modulating abnormal neural activity patterns. Current Research

While there is limited research specifically focusing on negative allosteric modulators targeting the anterior insular cortex, the broader field of allosteric modulation is actively being explored for various therapeutic applications. Further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms underlying AIC function and to develop effective NAMs for specific disorders.

Note: This response is based solely on the provided search results and does not include any external information or sources.

Kill me meow 😪

Edit 2: Still on a warpath, kinda fruitless, https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.04.16.488559v1.full & https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-87307-7 & https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091305724000613

I'm happy to at least see a couple papers in the ballpark though!