Nihon shinkei seishin yakurigaku zasshi = Japanese journal of psychopharmacology
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In the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), the inhibitory GABAergic system is composed of different signaling molecules such as glutamate decaroxylase, vesicular GABA transporters, GABA receptors, GABA transporters and GABA transaminase. A prevailing view is that the balance between excitatory signaling mediated by glutamate and inhibitory signaling mediated by GABA plays a pivotal role in mechanisms underlying the modulation and maintenance of a variety of neural functions. ⋯ In this review article, we will summarize recent studies on the relationship between the malfunction of GABAergic signaling molecules and the etiology of these neuropsychiatric disorders. We will also refer to novel strategies on GABAergic signaling molecules other than GABA receptors for therapeutic usefulness in the future.
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Nihon Shinkei Seishin Yakurigaku Zasshi · Aug 2004
Review[Microglial cell death induced by polyamines].
Pathological activation of microglia, which quiescently reside in physiological CNS, causes various neurodegenerative diseases. Endogenous polyamines, spermidine (SPD) and spermine (SPM) are known to be activators of cell proliferation and differentiation. We examined the effect of polyamines on microglial activation in culture. ⋯ Semiquantitative analysis of fragmented DNA with the ELISA technique revealed that a large amount of fragmented DNA appeared in cytosol prior to disruption of the cell membrane, suggesting that polyamines induced apoptosis. Fragmented DNA in cytosol increased dose dependently with SPM. These results suggest that particular polyamines induce cell death through apoptosis at low concentrations in cultured microglia
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Nihon Shinkei Seishin Yakurigaku Zasshi · Jun 2003
Review[New aspects of neuroprotective effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs].
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) exert anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activities and are involved in the suppression of prostaglandin synthesis by inhibiting cyclooxygenase (COX), a prostaglandin synthesizing enzyme. It has been recently revealed that NSAIDs also possess inhibitory effects on the generating system of nitric oxide radicals and modulating effects on transcription factors and nuclear receptors which are related to inflammatory reactions. ⋯ It has been clarified that the drugs exert neuroprotective effects, which are not related to their COX-inhibiting property, on pathophysiology of various neurological disorders. In this article, new aspects of neuroprotective effects of NSAIDs have been reviewed, especially, in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, discussing various pharmacological effects of NSAIDs other than their inhibitory action on COX.
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Nihon Shinkei Seishin Yakurigaku Zasshi · Aug 1994
Comparative Study Clinical Trial[Effects of mianserin hydrochloride on delirium: comparison with the effects of oxypertine and haloperidol].
Mianserin (10-60 mg), haloperidol (2-6 mg) and oxypertine (20-60 mg) were administered once before bedtime in patients with delirium in Kurume University Hospital. The therapeutic effects of these drugs were investigated in the pre- and post-treatment using Delirium Rating Scale (DRS: Trzepacz et al., 1988). ⋯ The reduction of plasma free-MHPG was accompanied with improvement in the delirious state. The reason for the changes in plasma free-HVA was unclear.
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Nihon Shinkei Seishin Yakurigaku Zasshi · Apr 1994
Comparative Study[Rotational behavior induced by methamphetamine and cocaine in rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the nigrostriatal dopamine system].
The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of intravenously administered methamphetamine and cocaine to facilitate dopaminergic transmission, based on the ability of these drugs to induce rotational behavior in rats with unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the substantia nigra. The doses of methamphetamine and cocaine ranged from 0.25 mg/kg to 4 mg/kg which was equivalent to 50% of the minimum dose which caused convulsion. Methamphetamine induced more marked ipsilateral rotational behavior than did cocaine. The present results suggest that methamphetamine produces longer duration of the facilitation of dopaminergic transmission both in the nucleus accumbens and in the striatum than does cocaine.