CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets - CNS & Neurological Disorders) - Volume 12, Issue 2, 2013

Despite advances in the diagnosis and treatment of acute ischaemic stroke in the past two decades, stroke has remained the third cause of mortality and the single leading cause of disability worldwide. The immediate goal of acute ischaemic stroke therapy is to salvage the ischaemic penumbra through recanalisation of the occluded cerebral blood vessel. This is currently achieved through thrombolytics, which are pha Read More

Intravenous recombinant human tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA, formulated as alteplase) is the primary therapy for acute ischaemic stroke by breaking down a clot of an occluded vessel. There are several randomised controlled trials and observational studies that support the use of rtPA to improve functional outcome following acute ischaemic stroke. However, thrombolytic therapy with rtPA can be associated with a numbe Read More

The only effective treatment licensed for acute ischaemic stroke is intravenous thrombolysis within 4.5 hours from stroke onset. An alternative method of restoring blood flow is mechanical thrombectomy (MT). Although this is highly effective at recanalization, it remains unclear whether it is more effective than thrombolysis in improving clinical outcomes. This review examines key clinical outcomes from published studies and Read More

Neuroprotection as approach to stroke therapy has recently seen a revival of sorts, fueled in part by the continuing necessity to improve acute stroke care, and in part by the identification of novel drug targets. 12/15- Lipoxygenase (12/15-LOX), one of the key enzymes of the arachidonic acid cascade, contributes to both neuronal cell death and vascular injury. Inhibition of 12/15-LOX may thus provide multifactorial protecti Read More

Neurorestorative therapies for stroke aim to reverse disability by reparative mechanisms (rather than to thrombolyse or to neuroprotect). A substantial and persuasive body of pre-clinical evidence has come from the evaluation of antibodies against Nogo-A (a myelin-associated inhibitor of plasticity) in rat models of stroke. Particularly impressive is the benefit of this therapy in models of permanent middle cerebral artery Read More

No pharmacological intervention has been shown convincingly to improve neurological outcome in stroke patients after the brain tissue is infarcted. While conventional therapeutic strategies focus on preventing brain damage, stem cell treatment has the potential to repair the injured brain tissue. Stem cells not only produce a source of trophic molecules to minimize brain damage caused by ischaemia/reperfusion and prom Read More

The objective of this study was to characterize the effect of albumin therapy on the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR 4), anti-inflammation cytokines and CD4+CD25+forkhead box P3 (Foxp3)+ regulatory T lymphocytes (Treg cells) in the ischemic brain and peripheral immune system after Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion (MCAO). Adult male Kunming mice were subjected to MCAO, the suture was withdrawn 2 h later f Read More

Background: Most studies evaluating long-term efficacy after coil embolisation of intracranial aneurysms have not differentiated between ruptured and unruptured aneurysms. Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyse factors that influence recanalisation in ruptured and unruptured aneurysms. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 182 (98 ruptured, 84 unruptured) aneurysms, treated with coil embolisa Read More

Cerebral vasospasm is a common and serious complication of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage. Despite the improvements in treatment of aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH), cerebral vasospasm complicating aSAH has remained the main cause of morbidity and mortality. Subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH)-induced vasospasm is a complex entity caused by vasculopathy, impaired autoregulation, and hypov Read More

Atrial fibrillation is a major risk factor for first and recurrent ischaemic stroke, and anticoagulation, mainly by use of coumarin medications, is an effective strategy for reducing ischaemic stroke occurrence in these patients. However, the coumarin medications have disadvantages. Over the past decade, important strides have been made towards developing improved anticoagulant medications. This review discusses these n Read More

Oxytocin is a nonapeptide mammalian hormone, best known for its role in childbirth, parturition and lactation. It has been implicated in the control of social behaviors and relationships, such as monogamy or promiscuous behaviors. The putative involvement of oxytocin in schizophrenia was first postulated following several pioneer reports of oxytocin use in schizophrenia and observations of increased oxytocin levels in the cerebr Read More

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system. Although PD is commonly characterized by well-known clinical manifestations, it also involves imbalances in the cortico-subcortical excitation and inhibition processes. Functional electrical stimulation can improve the motor condition of PD patients as a supplement to levodopa therapy. In this study, clinical (using specific tests) and paraclini Read More

More than 30 different Transient Receptor Potential channels (TRP) have been identified in mammals and are grouped in 6 families. Members of these subunit families, specifically of the vanilloid TRP (TRPV), melastatin TRP (TRPM), ankyrin TRP (TRPA), polycystin TRP (TRPP) and canonical or classical TRP (TRPC) family, are considered relevant in central nervous system neurodegenerative diseases. In fact, TRP channels have r Read More