Current Neuropharmacology - Volume 15, Issue 8, 2017

Background: The eukaryotic voltage-gated sodium channel(e-Nav) is a large asymmetric transmembrane protein with important functions concerning neurological function. No structure has been resolved at high resolution for this protein. Methods: A homology model of the transmembrane and extracellular regions of an Anopheles gambiae para-like channel with emphasis on the pore entrance has been con Read More

Objective: To compare the short term anti-schizophrenic efficacy and side effect profile of aripiprazole with risperidone. Methodology: The study was a non-randomized, naturalistic, rater blinded, prospective, 8-12 weeks, comparative trial between the risperidone and aripiprazole in patients with schizophrenia. Patients already getting treatment with aripiprazole (10 to 30 mg/day) or risperidone (3 to 8mg/day) were recruited. Read More

Background: Alterations in GABAnergic system are implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Available antipsychotics that target GABA receptor form a desirable therapeutic strategy in the treatment regimen of schizophrenia, unfortunately, suffer serious setback due to their prolonged side effects. The present investigation focuses on developing QSAR models from the biological activity of herbal compounds a Read More

Background: Deficits in cholinergic neurotransmission due to the degeneration of cholinergic neurons in the brain are believed to be one of the major causes of the memory impairments associated with AD. Targeting acetyl cholinesterase (AChE) surfaced as a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. The present study is pursued to develop quantitative structure activity relationship (QSAR) models Read More

Background: Ursolic acid, a bioactive pentacyclic triterpenoid had been evaluated for its interaction with the neurological targets associated with antidepressant drugs. Current study was to mechanistically analyze the probable site of action for ursolic acid on the target proteins. Methods: Ursolic acid has been docked with monoamine oxidase isoforms: MAO-A and MAO-B, LeuT (homologue of SERT, NET, DAT) and Human C Read More

Background: Virtual methodologies have become essential components of the drug discovery pipeline. Specifically, structure-based drug design methodologies exploit the 3D structure of molecular targets to discover new drug candidates through molecular docking. Recently, dual target ligands of the Adenosine A2A Receptor and Monoamine Oxidase B enzyme have been proposed as effective therapies for the treatment Read More

Background: In the context of the current drug discovery efforts to find disease modifying therapies for Parkinson's disease (PD) the current single target strategy has proved inefficient. Consequently, the search for multi-potent agents is attracting more and more attention due to the multiple pathogenetic factors implicated in PD. Multiple evidences points to the dual inhibition of the monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B), as well as a Read More

Objective: The purpose of the review is to portray the theoretical concept on neurological disorders from research data. Background: The freak changes in chemical response of nerve impulse causes neurological disorders. The research evidence of the effort done in the older history suggests that the biological drug targets and their effective feature with responsive drugs could be valuable in promoting the future dev Read More

Background: Opioids are widely used in pain management, acting via opioid receptors and/or Toll-like receptors (TLR) present at the central nervous system (CNS). At the blood-brain barrier (BBB), several influx and efflux transporters, such as the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1), Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP, ABCG2) and multidrug resistance-associated proteins (MRP, ABCC) transporters, and s Read More

Background: Neurosteroids form the unique group because of their dual mechanism of action. Classically, they bind to specific intracellular and/or nuclear receptors, and next modify genes transcription. Another mode of action is linked with the rapid effects induced at the plasma membrane level within seconds or milliseconds. The key molecules in neurotransmission are calcium ions, thereby we focus on the recent advances Read More

Background: The treatment of schizophrenia is challenging due to the wide range of symptoms (positive, negative, cognitive) associated with the disease. Typical antipsychotics that antagonize D2 receptors are effective in treating positive symptoms, but extrapyramidal side-effects (EPS) are a common occurrence. Atypical antipsychotics targeting 5-HT2A and D2 receptors are more effective at treating cognitive and negative s Read More

Background: Memory is a vital function which declines in different physiological and pathological conditions such as aging and neurodegenerative diseases. Research in the past has reported that memory formation and consolidation require the precise expression of synaptic plasticity genes. However, little is known about the regulation of these genes. Epigenetic modification is now a well established mechanism that regulates Read More