A commentary on Effective Connectivity Between the Orbitofrontal Cortex and the Precuneus Differentiates Major Psychiatric Disorders: Results from a Transdiagnostic Spectral DCM Study

Translational psychiatry has been a hot topic in Neurosciences research. The authors present a commentary on the relevant findings from a transdiagnostic study applicable to clinic practice. Additional discussion on conceptual and clinical insight into this current broad line of research is explored in the integration of multi-level paradigm in Psychiatry research.

Psychedelics and Hallucinogens in Psychiatry: Finding New Pharmacological Targets.

BACKGROUND: The therapeutic options for neurobehavioral disorders are still limited, and in many cases, they lack a satisfactory balance between efficacy and side effects. OBJECTIVES: This work aims to review current evidence regarding the potential contribution of psychedelics and hallucinogens to the discovery of new drugs for treating different psychiatric disorders. DISCUSSION: Ayahuasca/N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), and psilocybin have evidence supporting their use in depression, and psilocybin and ayahuasca have also shown good results in treatment-resistant depression. In randomized controlled trials (RCTs) conducted with anxious patients, there were symptomatic improvements with psilocybin and LSD. Psilocybin diminished Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) scores in a small obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD) sample. The evidence is less robust regarding substance use disorders, but it suggests a possible role for LSD and psilocybin in alcohol use disorders and for psilocybin in tobacco addiction. In a clinical setting, these substances seem to be safe and well-tolerated. Their mechanisms of action are not fully elucidated, but there seems to be a preponderant role of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT) 2A agonism, as well as connectivity changes within the default mode network (DMN) and amygdala and some other molecular modifications. CONCLUSION: The studies underlying the conclusions have small samples and are heterogeneous in their methods. However, the results suggest that the use of psychedelics and hallucinogens could be considered in some disorders. More studies are needed to reinforce their evidence as potential new drugs.

Precision Psychiatry: Machine Learning as a Tool to Find New Pharmacological Targets.

OBJECTIVES: The present work reviews current evidence regarding the contribution of machine learning to the discovery of new drug targets. METHODS: Scientific articles from PubMed, SCOPUS, EMBASE, and Web of Science Core Collection published until May 2021 were included in this review. RESULTS: The most significant areas of research are schizophrenia, depression and anxiety, Alzheimer´s disease, and substance use disorders. ML techniques have pinpointed target gene candidates and pathways, new molecular substances, and several biomarkers regarding psychiatric disorders. Drug repositioning studies using ML have identified multiple drug candidates as promising therapeutic agents. CONCLUSION: Next-generation ML techniques and subsequent deep learning may power new findings regarding the discovery of new pharmacological agents by bridging the gap between biological data and chemical drug information.