CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets - CNS & Neurological Disorders) - Volume 16, Issue 7, 2017

Background: Generation of nascent functional neurons from neural stem cells in the adult brain has recently become largely accepted by the neuroscience community. In adult mammals including humans, the process of neurogenesis has been well documented in two brain regions; the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles and the subgranular zone in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Method: Some evidence Read More

Background & Objective: Epilepsy is one of the most complex neurological disorders and its study requires a broad knowledge of neurology and neuroscience. It comprises a diverse group of neurological disorders that share the central feature of spontaneous recurrent seizures, and are often accompanied by cognitive deficits and mood disorder. This condition is one of the most common neurological disorders. Until rece Read More

Background & Objective: Multiple classes of natural products, such as antiandrogens or steroids have been used as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory treatments in neurodegenerative diseases. This paper aims to review current knowledge on these substances and their possible relationship with free radicals as an alternative therapy and prevention of common neurological disorders. An exhaustive review of the Read More

Background: Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in humans, and the role of the cerebellum in its physiopathology remains the subject of study. The Purkinje cells (PC), whose axons target the dentate and interpositus nuclei, form the main cerebellar output to forebrain structures involved in epilepsy. Cerebellar atrophy related to loss of PC has been reported in chronic epilepsy although its mechanism re Read More

Background: Cerebral small vessel diseases (CSVDs) always coincide with endothelial dysfunction and blood-brain barrier (BBB) damage. However, the detailed mechanisms of CSVD are still unclear and the therapeutic efficacy is not so satisfaction. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) can play a neuroprotective role in many neurological diseases. We investigated whether G-CSF exerted positive effects on BBB protectio Read More

Introduction: There is an unmet need to develop better treatments for acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Desmoteplase is a vampire bat saliva-derived analogue of human tissue plasminogen activator. It has higher fibrin selectivity and a longer half-life, compared to alteplase. We performed this metaanalysis to investigate the safety and efficacy of desmoteplase in AIS. Method: A computer literature search (PubMed, EMBASE, CE Read More

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapy is based on several natural and synthetic compounds that act as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDA) ligands that have limited efficiency in relieving AD symptoms. Recent studies show that inhibitors isolated from Mentha spicata L. subsp. spicata are promising for AD therapy. Objective: We aimed to identify novel and more potent phytopharmaceut Read More

Background & Objective: Down syndrome, a genetic condition caused by triplication of chromosome 21, is characterized by widespread neurogenesis reduction and cognitive impairment. Unlike other brain functions, smell is not impaired at early life stages and olfactory deterioration begins to appear in adulthood. Similarly to individuals with Down syndrome, in the Ts65Dn mouse model of Down syndrome smell functio Read More

Background: Selective butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE)-inhibition, increases acetylcholine (ACh) levels. In rodents, this inhibition is known to boost cognition. Also, this occurs without the typical unwanted adverse effects of acetylcholinesterase-inhibitors or AChE-Is. The novel compound, fluorobenzylcymserine (FBC), is derived from our effort to design a selective BuChE-inhibitor. Also, we wanted to check whether butyrylc Read More

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a crucial role in promoting survival and differentiation of neurons and neural stem cells (NSCs), but the downstream regulating mechanisms remain poorly understood. Objective: We investigated whether BDNF exerts its effect by triggering the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B, PKB (AKT), glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) and β-catenin signali Read More

Background: Depressive disorders are associated with oxidative stress. Therefore, it is interesting if antidepressants can affect redox equilibrium and signaling. The first step of our study was to determine the influence of the adenosine system on the antidepressant-like activity of noncompetitive antagonist of the NMDA (N-methyl-d-aspartate) receptor complex – dizocilpine (MK- 801). To this aim, two behavioral tes Read More

Background & Objective: Ketamine, a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist, exhibits rapid antidepressant actions, but the underlying mechanism remains obscure. AMPA receptor and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) are involved in the antidepressant actions of Ketamine and imipramine, a traditional tricyclic antidepressant. However, ketamine exerts its therapeutic actions much faster than imip Read More