Psychopharmacology
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Does mutual compensation of the cognitive effects induced by pain and opioids exist? An experimental study.
Studies have demonstrated that both pain and opioids have actions on the central nervous system that may interfere with cognitive function, but their effects have mainly been analysed separately and not as an integrated process. ⋯ Pain and remifentanil seemed to have additive deleterious cognitive effects. This study represents an initial step to enhance our basic understanding of some of the cognitive effects following a painful stimulus and an opioid infusion separately and combined in a sequence comparable to clinical settings.
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Several studies provide evidence that nicotine alleviates the detrimental effects of distracting sensory stimuli. It is been suggested that nicotine may either act as a stimulus filter that prevents irrelevant stimuli entering awareness or by enhancing the attentional focus to relevant stimuli via a boost in processing capacity. ⋯ The findings suggest that nicotine acts primarily as a stimulus filter that prevents irrelevant stimuli from entering awareness in situations of high distractor interference.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Can Valeriana officinalis root extract prevent early postoperative cognitive dysfunction after CABG surgery? A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
We hypothesized that valerian root might prevent cognitive dysfunction in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery patients through stimulating serotonin receptors and anti-inflammatory activity. ⋯ We concluded that, based on this study, the cognitive state of patients in the valerian group was better than that in the placebo group after CABG; therefore, it seems that the use of V. officinalis root extract may prevent early postoperative cognitive dysfunction after on-pump CABG surgery.
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Glucocorticoids facilitate coping with stress, but their high levels have been also implicated in mood disorders. Due to this duality, the role of glucocorticoid signaling in the development of the first episodes of stress-induced depression remains unclear. ⋯ The data suggest that the increase in glucocorticoid levels under swim stress during pretest directly contributes to the development of the immobility response. Transition of DEX effect from prodepressant in the pretest to an antidepressant in the test was associated with the elevation in the PFC GR expression.
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Low-efficacy mu opioid receptor agonists may be useful for some clinical indications, but clinically available low-efficacy mu agonists also have low selectivity for mu vs. kappa opioid receptors. NAQ (17-cyclopropylmethyl-3,14ß-dihydroxy-4,5α-epoxy-6α-[(3'-isoquinolyl)acetamido]morphinan) is a novel opioid receptor ligand with low-efficacy at mu receptors and greater mu-receptor selectivity than existing low-efficacy agonists. ⋯ These results agree with the in vitro characterization of NAQ as a low-efficacy mu agonist. Opioid exposure may enhance abuse-related effects of NAQ, but NAQ may also serve as a low-efficacy and relatively safe option for treatment of opioid withdrawal or dependence.