Curr Neuropharmacol
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Curr Neuropharmacol · Jan 2018
ReviewImaging the Role of Inflammation in Mood and Anxiety-related Disorders.
Studies investigating the impact of a variety of inflammatory stimuli on the brain and behavior have reported evidence that inflammation and release of inflammatory cytokines affect circuitry relevant to both reward and threat sensitivity to contribute to behavioral change. Of relevance to mood and anxiety-related disorders, biomarkers of inflammation such as inflammatory cytokines and acute-phase proteins are reliably elevated in a significant proportion of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). ⋯ Neuroimaging effects of inflammation on reward and threat circuitry may be used as biomarkers of inflammation for future development of novel therapeutic strategies to better treat mood and anxiety-related disorders in patients with high inflammation.
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Neurological diseases have always been one of the leading cause of mobility and mortality world-widely. However, it is still lacking efficient agents. Agmatine, an endogenous polyamine, exerts its diverse biological characteristics and therapeutic potential in varied aspects. ⋯ The safety and low incidence of adverse effects indicate the vast potential therapeutic value of agmatine in the treatment of neurological diseases. However, most of the available studies relate to the agmatine are conducted in experimental models, more clinical trials are needed before the agmatine could be extensively clinically used.
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Curr Neuropharmacol · Jan 2018
ReviewE-cigarettes: Impact of E-Liquid Components and Device Characteristics on Nicotine Exposure.
Electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use has increased substantially in recent years. While e-cigarettes have been proposed as a potentially effective smoking cessation tool, dualuse in smokers is common and e-cigarettes are widely used by non-smokers, including youth and young-adult non-smokers. Nicotine, the primary addictive component in cigarettes, is present at varying levels in many e-liquids. E-cigarettes may lead to initiation of nicotine use in adult and youth non-smokers, re-initiation of nicotine dependence in ex-smokers or increased severity of nicotine dependence in dual-users of cigarettes and e-cigarettes. As such, there are important clinical and policy implications to understanding factors impacting nicotine exposure from e-cigarettes. However, the broad and rapidly changing range of e-liquid constituents and e-cigarette hardware which could impact nicotine exposure presents a challenge. Recent changes in regulatory oversight of e-cigarettes underscore the importance of synthesizing current knowledge on common factors which may impact nicotine exposure. ⋯ E-liquid characteristics and components, e-cigarette hardware and settings, and user behavior can all contribute substantially to nicotine exposure from e-cigarettes.
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Curr Neuropharmacol · Jan 2018
The Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis in Neuropsychiatric Disorders: Pathophysiological Mechanisms and Novel Treatments.
The human gut microbiome comprise a huge number of microorganisms with co-evolutionary associations with humans. It has been repeatedly revealed that bidirectional communication exists between the brain and the gut and involves neural, hormonal, and immunological pathways. Evidences from neuroscience researches over the past few years suggest that microbiota is essential for the development and maturation of brain systems that are associated to stress responses. ⋯ The microbiota-gut-brain axis might provide novel targets for prevention and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. However, further studies are required to substantiate the clinical use of probiotics, prebiotics and FMT.