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Drug Deletes PTSD! š±š
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Anthony Ao
August 04, 2025
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š¬ AstrocyteāTargeted Drug Shows Promise in Erasing PTSDās āStuckā Fear Memories
Researchers from the Institute for Basic Science (SouthāÆKorea) combined braināimaging studies of more than 370 people, postāmortem tissue analysis and PTSDālike mouse experiments. They discovered the followings.
People with ongoing PTSD had unusually high levels of the calming neurotransmitter GABA in the medial prefrontal cortexābut the surplus came from support cells called astrocytes, not neurons.
The excess GABA shut down neural activity needed to extinguish (forget) traumatic memories and was tied to reduced blood flow and worse symptoms.
In mice, the team blocked the enzyme monoamine oxidaseāB (MAOāB)āthe source of astrocytic GABAāusing a selective, braināpenetrant inhibitor called KDS2010. One course of the drug normalized GABA levels, restored prefrontal blood flow and allowed the animals to relearn that previously frightening cues were now safe.
KDS2010 has already cleared PhaseāÆ1 safety trials in healthy volunteers and is moving into PhaseāÆ2 trials for PTSD.
Why it matters:
Current PTSD medications mostly tweak serotonin and help only about a third of patients. By pinpointing a previously overlooked astrocyteādriven mechanism, this study opens an entirely new treatment avenueāone that aims to switch off the biochemical brake that prevents traumatic memories from fading, rather than just dampening anxiety after those memories surface. If the human trials succeed, KDS2010 could become the first drug to directly restore the brainās natural fearāextinction circuitry.
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Anthony Ao
The PhDLevel Team
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