AUTHOR=Sethi Rickinder , Gómez-Coronado Nieves , Walker Adam J. , Robertson Oliver D’Arcy , Agustini Bruno , Berk Michael , Dodd Seetal 

TITLE=Neurobiology and Therapeutic Potential of Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) Inhibitors for Inflammation in Neuropsychiatric Disorders

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2019

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00605

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00605

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=Neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and neuropsychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorder, are associated with significant illness burden.  Accumulating evidence supports an association between neuropsychiatric illnesses and inflammatory processes. Consequently, potent anti-inflammatory agents, such as the cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors, represent a novel avenue to prevention and treatment of neuropsychiatric illness. In this paper, we first review the role of inflammation in psychiatric pathophysiology including inflammatory cytokines’ influence on neurotransmitters, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, and microglial mechanisms. Then we discuss how cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors influence these pathways with potential therapeutic benefit. A search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, PsychINFO, and trial registries, Clinicaltrials.gov and The Stanley Medical Research Institute. The results were presented as a narrative review format. Currently available outcomes for randomized controlled trials up to November 2017 are also reviewed. The evidence reviewed here suggests cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors may indeed help to treat the symptoms of neuropsychiatric disorders; however, further studies are required to assess appropriate illness stage-related indication.