Current Psychopharmacology - Volume 6, Issue 2, 2017

Background: Tianeptine is an atypical antidepressant marketed as Stablon since the late 1980's. While chemically very similar to tricyclic antidepressants, tianeptine was thought to have the apparently paradoxical mechanism of action of enhancing serotonin reuptake. However, recent data highlight a multimodal pharmacology for tianeptine including actions at glutamatergic synapses (inhibiting NMDA receptors Read More

Background: Opioid dependence and death in America have reached epidemic proportions. Since 2000, we have seen an increase of over 3,000 percent in patients seeking treatment for substance use disorders. The “gold standard” for medically –assisted treatment, that is, Buprenorphine (a partial opioid agonist), combined with Naloxone, an opioid antagonist. Unfortunately, the relapse rates for Buprenorphine programs are Read More

Bipolar disorder is characterized by a host of sleep-wake abnormalities that suggests that the reticular activating system (RAS) is involved in these symptoms. One of the signs of the disease is a decrease in high frequency gamma band activity, which accounts for a number of additional deficits. Bipolar disorder has also been found to overexpress neuronal calcium sensor protein 1 (NCS-1). Recent studies showed that elements in Read More

Background: Recently, it was demonstrated in a series of experiments that a specifically designed odor inhaler outperformed well-known and popular stress relieving techniques. In another study it was shown that odor inhalers increased attention and concentration in a demanding cognitive task. Objective: This paper follows up on these experiments and investigates whether such effects can also be found for an inh Read More

Background: While negative symptoms are a significant barrier to successful recovery in patients with schizophrenia, their pharmacotherapy by adjunctive antidepressants has produced unpredictable results. Objective: In the present study, some of the native methodical published studies have been the subject of a new meta-analysis to evaluate the usefulness of add-on antidepressants on negative symptoms of schizophr Read More

Background: Elevated levels of testosterone have been mentioned to affect sleep quality and increase the risk on developing insomnia. The second (index finger, 2D) to fourth (ring finger, 4D) digit ratio (2D:4D) is a biological correlate for prenatal testosterone and estrogen exposure. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between the 2D:4D digit ratio and insomnia, sleep quality, and tot Read More

Objective: The present study provides the first published data documenting associations between self-reported executive functioning competencies and retrospective accounts of psychiatric medication usage. Background: Executive functioning competencies in planning, organizational skills, inhibitory control, selective attention, and optimal cognitive-set maintenance are essential to attain and sustain optimal problem-solving Read More

Background: Methamphetamine (MA) is an anxiogenic drug that is abused by adolescents for whom there is a risk of later developing high anxiety. This risk may be reduced by concomitant environmental enrichment which can reduce anxiety in laboratory rodents. Objective: As enrichment can attenuate anxiogenic effects of other drugs such as amphetamine sulfate and scopolamine, the present study aimed to determine if MA Read More