CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets - CNS & Neurological Disorders) - Volume 10, Issue 7, 2011

As with most areas of pharmacotherapeutics, a significant percentage of patients are not fully served by existing medicines in the area of major depressive disorder (MDD) [1, 2]. Only about one third of patients respond to current antidepressants and less than one third display symptom remission. Another third of the patients do not respond to multiple therapeutic interventions (treatment resistant depression or TRD) lea Read More

More the 100,000 papers have been published about nitric oxide (NO) since its discovery 24 years ago. NO is a distinct cell-to-cell signalling molecule which is found in nearly all the tissues of the body and central nervous system (CNS). Interest in NO grew when its release from endothelial cells lining blood vessels was shown to cause relaxation of the underlying smooth muscle, thereby affecting blood flow and p Read More

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by severe cognitive impairment due to neuronal death. Although the lost of cognitive function is the main problem for AD subjects, death occurs due to secondary issues such as concomitant infections, respiratory complications or multi-organ failure. Current drugs used in AD are acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and antagonists of the N-m Read More

Several recent studies have emphasized a crucial role for the nitrergic system in movement control and the pathophysiology of the basal ganglia (BG). These observations are supported by anatomical evidence demonstrating the presence of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in all the basal ganglia nuclei. In fact, nitrergic terminals have been reported to make synaptic contacts with both substantia nigra dopamine-containing neuron Read More

Schizophrenia is a devastating, chronic brain disorder afflicting about 1% percent of the population. The etiology, neuropathology, and pathophysiology of schizophrenia remain elusive. Intense research has been conducted in order to identify specific biological markers of schizophrenia. The gas nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule involved in many cellular events that take place in the cardio Read More

Nitric oxide (NO) plays a variety of physiological and pathological roles in mammalian cells. In the central nervous system NO may behave as a second messenger, neuromodulator, and neurotransmitter, which may suggest an essential role of this gaseous molecule in epilepsy and epileptogenesis. The aim of this review is to survey the current literature in terms of experimental and clinical evidence of anti- or proco Read More

Gliomas, defined as tumors of glial origin, represent between 2-5% of all adult cancer and comprise the majority of primary brain tumors. Infiltrating gliomas, with an incidence of more than 40% of brain tumors, are the most common and destructive primary brain tumors for which conventional therapies have not significantly improved patient outcome. In fact, patients suffering from malignant gliomas have poor pr Read More

Background and objectives: Cerebral vasospasm is an important cause of poor outcomes in subarachnoid haemorrhage patients. This study was designed to assess the effectiveness and safety of nimodipine in the prevention of cerebral vasospasm in aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage patients. Methods: We searched Pubmed, OVID, Embase, the Cochrane library, the stroke clinical trial registry, and the National Science Read More

This study describes the interaction between human acetylcholinesterase (AChE), a key regulator of central and peripheral cholinergic function, and the widely used nitrogen mustard alkylating agent, cyclophosphamide (CP). Modeling of the AChE sequence (NCBI Accession No: AAI05061.1) was performed using ‘Swiss Model Workspace’. The protein-model was submitted to the Protein Model Database and was assigned accession Read More

Neurodegenerative diseases are a group of chronic, progressive disorders characterized by the gradual loss of neurons in several areas of the central nervous system (CNS). Substantial evidence has documented a common inflammatory mechanism in neurodegeneration. It is known that classical anti-inflammatory agents, steroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, have not played a major role in the management Read More