Cotinine: A Therapy for Memory Extinction in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Cristhian Mendoza, George E. Barreto, Alexandre Iarkov, Vadim V. Tarasov, Gjumrakch Aliev, Valentina Echeverria

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that may develop after exposure to exceptionally threatening or unescapable horrifying events. Actual therapies fail to alleviate the emotional suffering and cognitive impairment associated with this disorder, mostly because they are ineffective in treating the failure to extinguish trauma memories in a great percentage of those affected. In this review, current behavioral, cellular, and molecular evidence supporting the use of cotinine for treating PTSD are reviewed. The role of the positive modulation by cotinine of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and their downstream effectors, the protection of astroglia, and the inhibition of microglia in the PTSD brain are also discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)6700-6711
Number of pages12
JournalMolecular Neurobiology
Volume55
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2018
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Cotinine
  • Extinction
  • Fear
  • Inflammation
  • Nicotinic receptor
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder

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