Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 11, Issue 2, 2005

The birth of new neurons, or neurogenesis, in the hippocampal formation has been demonstrated throughout the lifetime of multiple species including humans. A major finding in the field of depression is that treatment with antidepressant drugs increases hippocampal neurogenesis. This review presents a current summary of this field of study and presents the hypothesis that increasing adult hippocampal neurogenesis m Read More

Over the past several years, research has indicated that an individual's genetic makeup strongly influences not only their likelihood of developing depression, but also whether or not they will respond well to a particular antidepressant treatment. Identifying those genes regulating susceptibility to depression will increase our understanding of disease pathophysiology and direct the development of treatments that correct underly Read More

A wide diversity of animal models has been used to examine antidepressant activity. These range from relatively simple models sensitive to acute treatment, to highly sophisticated models that reputedly model some aspect of depressive illness and which yield a positive response to prolonged, chronic, drug treatment. In recent years antidepressant drug research has focused on the search for antidepressant therapy that has a Read More

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a cyclic nonapeptide synthesized exclusively by neurosecretory cells of the central nervous system (CNS). Two functionally distinct vasopressinergic systems can be defined based on differences in the sites of action and release of AVP. The peripheral vasopressinergic system encompasses the sites of action for AVP released into peripheral circulation (e.g. vascular smooth muscle, liver Read More

Improving our knowledge of the development, course and treatment of major depression is among the most pressing public health concerns in medicine. It is therefore satisfying to observe that critical advances have been made in our fundamental understanding of this illness and related conditions in the past several years. Among the areas of major change have been advances in nosology and disease classification, an i Read More

Hypericin is a naturally occurring substance found in the common St. Johns Wort (Hypericum species) and can also be synthesized from the anthraquinone derivative emodin. As the main component of Hypericum perforatum, it has traditionally been used throughout the history of folk medicine. In the last three decades, hypericin has also become the subject of intensive biochemical research and is proving to be a mult Read More

The original treatment indicated for those suffering from neurotic anxiety was to employ psychotherapy to facilitate changes in behavior and coping with stressful events. A spectrum of somatic treatments “from cathartics and emetics to opium and “strengthening tonics”, from atropine and digitalis to potassium bromide and chloral hydrate, from barbiturates to benzodiazepines”, to serotonergics, came to be used as wel Read More

Recent advances in molecular biology have identified numerous steps and proteins involved in malignant transformation as targets of anticancer therapy. Many molecular targeted agents are now undergoing clinical development. Successful developments of trastuzumab in treating breast cancer, imatinib in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), and bevacizumab in colorectal cancer, h Read More

Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder that affects approximately 2% of the US and European population. Over the last several years, one of the major focuses in psoriasis research has been the development of biologic therapies for this disease. The aim of these therapies is to provide selective, immunologically directed intervention with fewer side effects than traditional therapies. The goal of this article is to review the progress Read More