NeuroPerspective features comprehensive reviews of schizophrenia, spinal cord injury

NI Research (NIR) has released the March/April issue of NeuroPerspective, which features comprehensive reviews of two major areas: Schizophrenia and Spinal cord injury.

"Both of these disorders devastate individuals who are in, or approaching, the prime of adulthood, derailing them from living life to their full potential. Psychiatry has been able to treat the hallucinations and delusions of schizophrenia with some success, but has yet to effectively address the damage done to cognitive capability and motivational drive. There are now several programs squarely focused upon improving the cognitive functioning of those with schizophrenia, and some work aims to identify and address the underlying pathophysiological roots of the disease, with a particular focus upon the role of neuroinflammation," said NeuroPerspective publisher Harry Tracy, PhD.

"While SCI is much smaller scale in terms of population size, its salience is outsized due to the personal cost suffered by those experiencing spinal cord injury, and the enormous costs of care after-the-fact. It is only recently that electrical stimulation and rehabilitation programming has begun to provide some hint of functional benefit, now is the time that both protective and regenerative therapies are going to regain center stage in SCI research," he said.

This 55-page issue includes:

• An overview of the biology of Schizophrenia as it is currently conceptualized, and the many therapeutic strategies that have been employed, and the companies and programs that are in clinical, preclinical, and discovery stage. 61 programs are covered in the review, including work being done at Alkermes, Forum, Heptares/Sosei, Intra-Cellular Therapies, Minerva Neuroscience, Laboratoires Pierre Fabre, Promentis, and Tetra Discovery. Tardive Dyskinesia programs from Auspex and Neurocrine Biosciences are also assessed.
• An overview of Spinal Cord Injury, and the companies and programs that are in clinical, preclinical, and discovery stage. 40 programs are covered in the review, including work being done at Asterias, BioAxone, InVivo Therapeutics, NeuralStem, NeuroRecovery Technologies, and StemCells.

Other topics covered in NeuroPerspective for March/April:

• Our commentary on the current status of applied neuroscience: "Boom, Bubble, or Turnaround?"
• The welcome resurgence of neurotrophic factor programs, with delivery often provided via stem cells (BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, SanBio, Athersys, ReNeuron, Q Therapeutics, Asterias)
• Naurex's progress with NRX-1074 in depression.
• Commentary on progress made in the treatment of ischemic stroke,
• Commentary on the PR hyperbole deployed by some small companies, including Alcobra, Anavex, and Neurotrope Biosciences.
• The Company Spotlight Reviews cover BioAxone and Tetra Discovery Partners.