CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets - CNS & Neurological Disorders) - Volume 12, Issue 4, 2013

A growing literature suggests the association of low tissue levels and/or dietary intake of n-polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) with depressive illnesses. Animal studies show that low tissue and/or dietary n-3 PUFAs can lead to behaviors and neurobiological effects associated with depression and can potentiate the consequences of stress, whereas higher levels have the opposite effect. These data support the involvement of n Read More

The mammalian brain and central nervous system are especially dependent on the omega-3 (n-3) fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) for normative signaling and function, and research suggests that n-3 fatty acid deficiencies are one contributing factor in the increasing prevalence of depressive disorders. However, the reasons for which n-3 fatty acids and mood are connected remain unknown. Atrophy in the hippoca Read More

Dietary fish oil, a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA), has become increasingly popular for antidepressant therapy, in part because about half of patients treated with conventional antidepressants either fail to remit or discontinue therapy due to side effects. The inception of n-3 PUFA as a putative depression therapeutic may have stemmed from reports suggesting that dietary n-3 PUFA deficiency is linked to both Read More

Extracts of Hypericum perforatum (St. John's wort) have gained popularity as an alternative to synthetic antidepressants or behavioural therapy in the treatment of mild to moderate forms of depressive disorders. The present article reviews and discusses the available preclinical data that are in favour of or against the use of Hypericum perforatum as an antidepressant. Multiple chemical entities constitute extracts from Hypericu Read More

The root extract, curcumin (diferuloylmethane), is a constituent of the ancient herbal medicine Jiawei-Xiaoyaosan that has been used for dyspepsia, stress, and mood disorders. Curcumin engenders a diverse profile of biological actions that result in changes in oxidative stress, inflammation, and cell-death pathways. Combined with its historical use in medical practice and its safety profile, curcumin has been studied for its potenti Read More

Curcumin, the major constituent of the spice tumeric produces a plethora of biological actions that have translated in vivo into behavioral and neurochemical effects in rodents that are also produced by clinically-used antidepressants. The present study was designed to provide a systematic replication of prior behavioral, pharmacological, and neurochemical experiments. In particular, the ability of curcumin to engender anti-i Read More

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is strictly connected with aging and frailty. Although dementia contributes to frailty, it is not well established whether AD patients could be per se defined “frail”. At the same time, it is not known whether among AD patients, which are a heterogeneous group of patients, it is possible to identify a subgroup of frail individuals. In this work we sought indices useful to identify “the frail AD”. To do this Read More

While many studies have investigated electroencephalographic (EEG) features of dementia, few have analysed the relationship between EEG and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in cognitive impairment. Seizures are frequently observed at the end stage of Alzheimer disease, and experimental animal studies support the view that epileptiform activity may contribute to the cognitive decline. In this paper, after reviewing literature Read More

A frail patient is one who carries a sum of poly-pathologies, whose co-existence may shorten his life expectation. Diabetes mellitus type 2 and metabolic syndrome play a substantial role in it, but dementia has increasingly risen in importance. Interestingly, the insulin pathway was suggested to be responsible for the metabolic cascade that leads to amyloid-beta deposit and pathology. Nevertheless, a clear relationship betwee Read More

The term “sundowning” describes a clinical phenomenon characterized by late afternoon exacerbation of behavioural symptoms in dementia. Beyond this clinical definition, the debate around this concept is not properly solved, because many authors define it in different ways, mentioning various hypothetical etiological explanations. It represents a concrete problem, which is difficult to manage for physicians and caregiver Read More

Frailty is an evolving concept that is generally defined in biomedical or psychosocial terms. It is not necessarily related to a specific single disease process. Passing by the theories of Selye (1936) on the exhaustion of the General Adaptation Syndrome,until reaching to the studies of Fried (2001) who, firstly, proposed diagnostic criteria for frailty, in this paper are explored different ways to understand this concept, until endeavour Read More

Different courses of Alzheimer disease are observed in clinical practice. The rapidly progressive form could be associated with the presence of a major microcirculatory involvement and hemodynamic insufficiency. This short review aims to provide an overview of the current knowledge of cerebrovascular contribution to Alzheimer disease presentation and progression, hypothesizing the possible vascular markers of rapidly Read More

With the increase of human lifespan and refinement of diagnostic techniques dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in particular, have become a multi-decade process with a complex pathogenesis. The prognosis of AD patients, especially in late stages, may be strongly influenced by factors that go far beyond the well-recognized cascades (tau deposition, amyloid plaques). In this context, AD and Frailty, a multidimensional pr Read More