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Synaptic Pruning in Schizophrenia: Does Minocycline Modulate Psychosocial Brain Development?

Michael C Jones1, Jin Ming Koh2, Kang Hao Cheong1,3

  • 1Science, Mathematics & Technology Cluster, Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), 8 Somapah Road, S487372, Singapore.

Bioessays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
|January 15, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Minocycline may treat affective and psychotic disorders by modulating microglia-mediated synaptic pruning in the adolescent brain. This antibiotic may also influence the social brain system, impacting behavior and personality.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychiatry
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Minocycline, a tetracycline antibiotic, shows therapeutic potential for affective and psychotic disorders.
  • This potential is linked to its effect on microglia-mediated frontocortical synaptic pruning (FSP) during adolescence.
  • Genetic factors, particularly risk alleles in the complement cascade, may influence susceptibility.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the therapeutic potential of minocycline for psychiatric disorders.
  • To explore the role of microglia-mediated FSP in CNS circuit refinement.
  • To investigate the broader impact of minocycline on the neurobiological systems underlying social behavior and personality.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of recent studies on minocycline and psychiatric disorders.
  • Analysis of the proposed mechanism involving microglia-mediated FSP.
  • Discussion of the interplay between psychosocial stimuli and brain circuitry.

Main Results:

  • Minocycline may modulate microglia-mediated FSP, a critical process in adolescent brain development.
  • The drug's effects extend to a complex system where psychosocial stimuli shape the "social brain."
  • This system's dysregulation can lead to psychiatric morbidity independent of genetic variation.

Conclusions:

  • Minocycline's therapeutic potential may stem from its modulation of synaptic pruning and the social brain system.
  • Understanding this system offers insights into pathologies of social behavior and cognition.
  • This research provides potential mechanistic links between social experience and disease susceptibility.
Keywords:
drugs and controlledelectronic health recordsmental healthmicrogliaminocyclineschizophreniasubstances

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