Neuropharmacology News and Research

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New discovery may unlock development of next-generation sleeping pill

Insomnia is one of the major sleep problems with an estimated prevalence of 10% to 15% in the general population and 30% to 60% in the older population. Moreover, insomnia frequently co-occurs with a wide range of psychiatric disorders, including depression and anorexia.

26 Oct 2018

Scientists discover primary, direct target of alcohol in the brain

When alcohol enters the brain, it causes neurons in a specialized region called the ventral tegmental area, or VTA -- also known as the "pleasure center" -- to release dopamine, a neurotransmitter that produces those feel-good sensations, and tells the brain that whatever it just experienced is worth getting more of.

23 Oct 2018

Recategorization recommendations for drug in hallucinogenic mushrooms

In an evaluation of the safety and abuse research on the drug in hallucinogenic mushrooms, Johns Hopkins researchers suggest that if it clears phase III clinical trials, psilocybin should be re-categorized from a schedule I drug--one with no known medical potential--to a schedule IV drug such as prescription sleep aids, but with tighter control.

26 Sep 2018

Huntington's disease may take effect much earlier in life than previously believed, study suggests

A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that Huntington's disease may take effect much earlier in life than was previously believed, and that a new drug may be key in controlling the disease.

5 Sep 2018

DFG to honor two researchers with Ursula M. Händel Animal Welfare Prize

Prof. Dr. Ellen Fritsche, a toxicologist from the Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, and PD Dr. Dr. Hamid Reza Noori, a mathematician, physicist and medical scientist from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Tübingen, are to be presented with the Ursula M. Händel Animal Welfare Prize by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

27 Jul 2018

Exercise alters brain's dopamine system to help treat addiction, study finds

New research by the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions has identified a key mechanism in how aerobic exercise can help impact the brain in ways that may support treatment -; and even prevention strategies -; for addiction.

25 May 2018

Study reveals unexpected mechanism that induces thirst after alcohol or sugar exposure

Why does drinking alcohol or consuming sugar make us thirsty? An international study of mice in Texas and humans in Europe reveals an unexpected anti-dehydration mechanism.

12 Apr 2018

Hypercaloric food intake promotes major behavioral and cognitive changes

Mice fed on a high fat or chocolate-based diet show abnormal feeding behaviors such as snacking, bingeing and disrupted eating patterns, according to new research from scientists at the Centre for Genomic Regulation and the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain.

9 Apr 2018

Scientists decipher molecular structure of antipsychotic docked in its key receptor

Antipsychotic drugs - which transformed mental health care following their chance discovery in the mid-20th Century - may finally be poised for a long-overdue makeover incorporating structure-based design.

1 Feb 2018

Synergy between two neurotrophic factors exerts beneficial effect in early phase of Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson's disease is currently the second most widespread neurogenerative pathology. Current therapies are mainly of a replacement type and pose problems in the long term, so the challenge is to establish an early diagnosis and develop neuroprotective and neurorestorative therapies that will allow the symptoms of the disease to be slowed down or even reversed.

12 Jan 2018

Magic mushrooms substance Psilocybin on trial for treatment of depression

There are ongoing studies that look at the effect of hallucinogenic psychedelic substance Psilocybin or “magic mushrooms” in the treatment of depression.

9 Jan 2018

UT Southwestern researchers identify potential approach to suppress lethal parasitic infections

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified a chemical that suppresses the lethal form of a parasitic infection caused by roundworms that affects up to 100 million people and usually causes only mild symptoms.

5 Dec 2017

Measuring biological samples using SNAP

My group is interested in host pathogen interaction and we mainly focus on how bacteria enter cells. In essence, the idea is that if you can prevent bacteria from entering cells, then you will prevent illness.

From Bruker Nano Surfaces and Metrology 24 Oct 2017

University and pediatric hospital work together to improve lives of children with epilepsy

Since 2010, investigators and clinicians at Aston University and Birmingham Children's Hospital have worked together to try and improve the lives of children with difficult to treat forms of epilepsy.

5 Sep 2017

A blood test that can diagnose PTSD may be on the horizon

Doctors may soon be able to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) using a simple blood test, after scientists identified genetic changes in soldiers who experienced trauma after serving time in Afghanistan.

4 Sep 2017

PTSD screening using genetic markers could be a reality soon

A new study from researchers in the Netherlands, shows that persons who are affected with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) can show changes in microRNA (miRNA) molecules that are linked to genetic regulation.

3 Sep 2017

New approach to treating neonatal hypoxic ischemia improves outcomes in preclinical models

Hypothermia alone, the current standard of care, neuroprotects roughly 50 percent of newborns with moderate to severe hypoxic ischemia. Therefore, half of all affected newborns are left with developmental, cognitive and motor delays including cerebral palsy following injury.

1 Sep 2017

UC Irvine pharmacology researchers unearth potential roots of schizophrenia

An abundance of an amino acid called methionine, which is common in meat, cheese and beans, may provide new clues to the fetal brain development that can manifest in schizophrenia, University of California, Irvine pharmacology researchers report in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.

16 Aug 2017

Potential drug offers hope for therapy-resistant breast cancer patients

UT Southwestern Simmons Cancer Center researchers have shown that a first-in-class molecule can prevent breast cancer growth when traditional therapies stop working.

8 Aug 2017

Study opens new range of therapeutic options for patients with atypical Rett syndrome

A translational, multicenter study carried out by research groups of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, San Juan de Dios Hospital, the University of Barcelona, Clinic Hospital, the University of Vic, Santa Creu i Sant Pau Hospital and the thematic area of Rare Diseases, has unveiled the potential of D-serine -- a dietary supplement -- to improve the neuronal function of a patient with a mutation of the glutamate receptors associated to atypical Rett syndrome with severe encephalopathy.

4 Jul 2017