Symposium
Plenary Hall
Plenary Hall
Monday, June 16, 10:50 AM – 12:05 PM
Symposium 1: 5HT7 and 5HT4 Receptor Systems as Therapeutic Targets in Mood Disorders: What is New?
Overall Abstract: The 5HT7 and 5HT4 receptor systems show great promise as a potential therapeutic target in mood disorders but relatively few studies have investigated this. In this symposium, we will provide an exciting update about the latest advances in investigating the potential of targeting 5HT7 and 5HT4 systems for the treatment of mood disorders. Dr Paul Stokes (King’s College London) will provide an overview of the 5HT7 receptor system as a possible therapeutic target in mood disorders and discuss new data from his recently completed fMRI imaging study of the effects of a specific 5HT7 antagonist on cognition and mood related brain activations. Prof Lakshmi Yatham (University of British Columbia) will provide an overview of clinical trial methodology for targeting cognition in bipolar disorder (BD) and present the results of his recently completed and unpublished double blind RCT on the efficacy of lurasidone, a 5HT7 antagonist in improving cognitive impairment in BD. Finally, Dr Vibe G. Frokjaer (Copenhagen University) will present her work demonstrating that treatment with escitalopram reduces brain 5HT4 receptors and that the reduction in binding correlates with improvements in verbal memory in patients with Major depressive disorder (MDD). Overall, we hope that this symposium will provide a timely and exciting exploration of 5HT7 and 5HT4 receptor systems as potential therapeutic targets in mood disorders that will include the discussion of new data.
Significance: This symposium will present important and highly clinically relevant data for mood disorders. The 5HT7 systematic review data will provide a clinically meaningful overview of the potential of 5HT7 receptor as a therapeutic target for the treatment of cognitive and mood symptoms in mood disorders using both preclinical animal and human RCT studies and will be of great relevance to treating clinicians. The human neuroimaging data that Dr Stokes will present on 5HT7 antagonist effects on human cognition related brain activations may provide further proof of concept evidence for the 5HT7 receptor as a therapeutic target. If the ELICE-BD trial findings presented by Prof Yatham confirm the results of their pilot trial findings that lurasidone is effective in improving cognitive impairment in BD, this will have huge implications for clinical practice as this will be the first agent to have demonstrated efficacy for cognition in a double blind RCT. The data which Dr Frokjaer will present provide the first evidence in humans that brain 5HT4 receptors are a promising pharmacological target for improvement in verbal memory in patients with MDD. The findings from these studies likely will have transdiagnostic implications for mood disorders and provide a foundation for further testing of the clinical effects of 5HT7 and 5HT4 receptors targeted medications in RCTs.
Significance: This symposium will present important and highly clinically relevant data for mood disorders. The 5HT7 systematic review data will provide a clinically meaningful overview of the potential of 5HT7 receptor as a therapeutic target for the treatment of cognitive and mood symptoms in mood disorders using both preclinical animal and human RCT studies and will be of great relevance to treating clinicians. The human neuroimaging data that Dr Stokes will present on 5HT7 antagonist effects on human cognition related brain activations may provide further proof of concept evidence for the 5HT7 receptor as a therapeutic target. If the ELICE-BD trial findings presented by Prof Yatham confirm the results of their pilot trial findings that lurasidone is effective in improving cognitive impairment in BD, this will have huge implications for clinical practice as this will be the first agent to have demonstrated efficacy for cognition in a double blind RCT. The data which Dr Frokjaer will present provide the first evidence in humans that brain 5HT4 receptors are a promising pharmacological target for improvement in verbal memory in patients with MDD. The findings from these studies likely will have transdiagnostic implications for mood disorders and provide a foundation for further testing of the clinical effects of 5HT7 and 5HT4 receptors targeted medications in RCTs.