Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Aug 2013
An integrated pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study of a new drug of abuse, methylone, a synthetic cathinone sold as "bath salts".
Methylone (3,4-methylenedioxymethcathinone) is a new psychoactive substance and an active ingredient of "legal highs" or "bath salts". We studied the pharmacokinetics and locomotor activity of methylone in rats at doses equivalent to those used in humans. ⋯ Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analysis of methylone showed a correlation between plasma concentrations and enhancement of the locomotor activity. A contribution of metabolites in the activity of methylone after oral administration is suggested. Present results will be helpful to understand the time course of the effects of this drug of abuse in humans.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Jul 2013
Abnormal resting-state cerebellar-cerebral functional connectivity in treatment-resistant depression and treatment sensitive depression.
Previous studies have commonly shown that patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and treatment-sensitive depression (TSD) demonstrate a different cerebellar activity. No study has yet explored resting-state cerebellar-cerebral functional connectivity (FC) in these two groups. Here, seed-based FC approach was employed to test the hypothesis that patients with TRD and TSD had a different cerebellar-cerebral FC. The identified FC might be used to differentiate TRD from TSD. ⋯ Both patient groups demonstrate similar pattern of abnormal cerebellar-cerebral FC. Decreased FC between the cerebellum and regions within DMN might be used to separate the two patient groups.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Jul 2013
The persistent effects of maternal infection on the offspring's cognitive performance and rates of hippocampal neurogenesis.
Accumulating evidence indicates that perinatal infection is a major cause of neonatal neurologic morbidity. Here we explored the effects of maternal infection on the offspring's cognitive performance and hippocampal neurogenesis. Pregnant rats were treated with Escherichia coli suspension and allowed to deliver. ⋯ On postnatal 28 days, maternal infection did not significantly affect the neuronal and glial differentiation, nor any significant changes in the expression levels of BDNF and TrkB in the hippocampus. Our result suggests that the hippocampal neurogenesis level may increase during early postnatal period after maternal infection. Increase of BDNF/TrkB expression and Akt activity may be the contributing molecular mechanism.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Jul 2013
The antinociceptive effect of reversible monoamine oxidase-A inhibitors in a mouse neuropathic pain model.
Neuropathic pain is a debilitating condition that is often resistant to common analgesics, such as opioids, but is sensitive to some antidepressants, an effect that seems to be mediated by spinal cord 5-HT3 receptors. Because the analgesic potential of monoamine oxidase-A (MAO-A) inhibitors is understudied, we evaluated the potential antinociceptive effect of the reversible MAO-A inhibitors moclobemide and 2-(3,4-dimethoxy-phenyl)-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazole (2-DMPI) in a mouse neuropathic pain model induced by chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve. Neuropathic mice showed a decreased mechanical paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) 7 days after lesion compared with the baseline PWT, characterizing the development of hyperalgesia. ⋯ In addition, we observed a significant increase in the MAO-A activity in the lumbar spinal cord of CCI-submitted mice compared with sham-operated animals. Furthermore, the antihyperalgesic effects of both 2-DMPI and moclobemide were largely reversed by intrathecal injection of the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist ondansetron (10 μg/site). These results suggest a possible involvement of MAO-A in the mechanisms of neuropathic pain and a potential utility of the reversible inhibitors of MAO-A in the development of new therapeutic approaches to treat it.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Jun 2013
ReviewPerioperative delirium and its relationship to dementia.
A number of serious clinical cognitive syndromes occur following surgery and anesthesia. Postoperative delirium is a behavioral syndrome that occurs in the perioperative period. ⋯ There are serious concerns as to whether either postoperative delirium or postoperative cognitive dysfunction leads to dementia. These concerns are reviewed in this article.