Mineralocorticoid Receptor, NMDA Receptor and Cognitive Function in Depression

Summary

The steroid hormone cortisol is released in response to stress and acts in the central nervous system upon glucocorticoid (GR) and mineralocorticoid receptors (MR). GR are widely distributed across the brain while MR are predominantly expressed in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex - two brain areas closely related to memory and executive function. Stimulation of MR leads to an increase of glutamate that act on glutamatergic NMDA receptors in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. In previous studies, the investigators have shown that fludrocortisone, a mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) agonist, improves memory and executive function in depressed patients and healthy controls. However, depressed patients not only exhibit cognitive deficits in traditional neuropsychological domains such as memory or executive function. In addition, there are depression-specific alterations such as cognitive bias and deficits in social cognition, two clinically highly relevant areas. Therefore, the specific aims of this renewal proposal are two-fold: * To examine whether beneficial effects of fludrocortisone in depressed patients can be extended to depression-specific cognitive bias and to social cognition * To determine whether beneficial effects of fludrocortisone depend on NMDA-receptor function and whether these beneficial effects can be enhanced by NMDA receptor stimulation. The investigators hypothesize that fludrocortisone will improve cognitive bias and social cognition in depressed patients and that its beneficial effects depend on the NMDA receptor. Therefore, the investigators further hypothesize that the effects of fludrocortisone can be enhanced by co-administration of the partial NMDA receptor agonist D-cycloserine. The study not only advances current knowledge by further examining the mechanism of action by which MR stimulation exerts beneficial effects on cognition but extends these effects to depression-specific cognitive bias and alterations in social cognition. Furthermore, a potential interaction between MR and NMDA receptors is highly clinically relevant given the promising results with NMDA receptor antagonists in the treatment of major depression.

Timeline

Start

2016-09-27

Primary completion

2019-02-11

Completion

2019-02-11

Publications

• Background Otte C, Wingenfeld K, Kuehl LK, Kaczmarczyk M, Richter S, Quante A, Regen F, Bajbouj M, Zimmermann-Viehoff F, Wiedemann K, Hinkelmann K. Mineralocorticoid receptor stimulation improves cognitive function and decreases cortisol secretion in depressed patients and healthy individuals. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2015 Jan;40(2):386-93. doi: 10.1038/npp.2014.181. Epub 2014 Jul 18.
• Background Hinkelmann K, Wingenfeld K, Kuehl LK, Fleischer J, Heuser I, Wiedemann K, Otte C. Stimulation of the mineralocorticoid receptor improves memory in young and elderly healthy individuals. Neurobiol Aging. 2015 Feb;36(2):919-24. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2014.09.008. Epub 2014 Sep 16.
• Background Otte C, Wingenfeld K, Kuehl LK, Richter S, Regen F, Piber D, Hinkelmann K. Cognitive function in older adults with major depression: Effects of mineralocorticoid receptor stimulation. J Psychiatr Res. 2015 Oct;69:120-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2015.08.001. Epub 2015 Aug 4.
• Nowacki J, Wingenfeld K, Kaczmarczyk M, Chae WR, Abu-Tir I, Deuter CE, Piber D, Hellmann-Regen J, Otte C. Cognitive and emotional empathy after stimulation of brain mineralocorticoid and NMDA receptors in patients with major depression and healthy controls. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2020 Dec;45(13):2155-2161. doi: 10.1038/s41386-020-0777-x. Epub 2020 Jul 28.

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