Matrix metalloproteinase-9: A magic drug target in neuropsychiatry?

Neuropsychiatric conditions represent a major medical and societal challenge. The etiology of these conditions is very complex and combines genetic and environmental factors. The latter, for example, excessive maternal or early postnatal inflammation, as well as various forms of psychotrauma, often act as triggers leading to mental illness after a prolonged latent period (sometimes years). Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is an extracellularly and extrasynaptic operating protease that is markedly activated in response to the aforementioned environmental insults. MMP-9 has also been shown to play a pivotal role in the plasticity of excitatory synapses, which, in its aberrant form, has repeatedly been implicated in the etiology of mental illness. In this conceptual review, we evaluate the experimental and clinical evidence supporting the claim that MMP-9 is uniquely positioned to be considered a drug target for ameliorating the adverse effects of environmental insults on the development of a variety of neuropsychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, autism spectrum disorders, addiction, and epilepsy. We also identify specific challenges and bottlenecks hampering the translation of knowledge on MMP-9 into new clinical treatments for the conditions above and suggest ways to overcome these barriers.

Zeeman optical pumping of 87Rb atoms in a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber.

Preparation of an atomic ensemble in a particular Zeeman state is a critical step of many protocols for implementing quantum sensors and quantum memories. These devices can also benefit from optical fiber integration. In this work we describe experimental results supported by a theoretical model of single-beam optical pumping of 87Rb atoms within a hollow-core photonic crystal fiber. The observed 50% population increase in the pumped F = 2, mF = 2 Zeeman substate along with the depopulation of remaining Zeeman substates enabled us to achieve a threefold improvement in the relative population of the mF = 2 substate within the F = 2 manifold, with 60% of the F = 2 population residing in the mF = 2 dark sublevel. Based on theoretical model, we propose methods to further improve the pumping efficiency in alkali-filled hollow-core fibers.

Experimental Demonstration of Quantum Effects in the Operation of Microscopic Heat Engines.

The ability of the internal states of a working fluid to be in a coherent superposition is one of the basic properties of a quantum heat engine. It was recently predicted that in the regime of small engine action, this ability can enable a quantum heat engine to produce more power than any equivalent classical heat engine. It was also predicted that in the same regime, the presence of such internal coherence causes different types of quantum heat engines to become thermodynamically equivalent. Here, we use an ensemble of nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond for implementing two types of quantum heat engines, and experimentally observe both effects.

Absolute frequency references at 1529 and 1560 nm using modulation transfer spectroscopy.

We demonstrate a double optical frequency reference (1529 and 1560 nm) for the telecom C-band using 87Rb modulation transfer spectroscopy. The two reference frequencies are defined by the 5S(1/2)F=2→5P(3/2)F'=3 two-level and 5S(1/2)F=2→5P(3/2)F'=3→4D(5/2)F''=4 ladder transitions. We examine the sensitivity of the frequency stabilization to probe power and magnetic field fluctuations, calculate its frequency shift due to residual amplitude modulation, and estimate its shift due to gas collisions. The short-term Allan deviation was estimated from the error signal slope for the two transitions. Our scheme provides a simple and high performing system for references at these important wavelengths. We estimate that an absolute accuracy of ∼1 kHz is realistic.

Ultrahigh and persistent optical depths of cesium in Kagomé-type hollow-core photonic crystal fibers.

Alkali-filled hollow-core fibers are a promising medium for investigating light-matter interactions, especially at the single-photon level, due to the tight confinement of light and high optical depths achievable by light-induced atomic desorption (LIAD). However, until now these large optical depths could only be generated for seconds, at most once per day, severely limiting the practicality of the technology. Here we report the generation of the highest observed transient (>10(5) for up to a minute) and highest observed persistent (>2000 for hours) optical depths of alkali vapors in a light-guiding geometry to date, using a cesium-filled Kagomé-type hollow-core photonic crystal fiber (HC-PCF). Our results pave the way to light-matter interaction experiments in confined geometries requiring long operation times and large atomic number densities, such as generation of single-photon-level nonlinearities and development of single photon quantum memories.