Neuropharmacology News and Research

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New adjuvant helps induce long-lasting immunity against HIV

Researchers at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center and the Emory Vaccine Center (EVC) are first to show a new adjuvant, 3M-052, helps induce long-lasting immunity against HIV.

20 Jun 2020

Researchers find a key brain region for controlling binge drinking

A team of National Institutes of Health-funded researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina has found that deactivating a stress-signaling system in a brain area known for motivation and emotion-related behaviors decreases binge drinking.

17 Apr 2020

Paternal alcohol consumption before conception could affect child development

Scientists at the University of California, Riverside, have explored the relationship between parental alcohol consumption -- before conception in the case of fathers and during pregnancy in the case of mothers -- and offspring development.

30 Mar 2020

Experimental drug offers hope for improving movement symptoms of Parkinson's

Results from a study looking at an experimental drug to tackle the debilitating side effect of dyskinesia, have offered hope that it may have potential as a future treatment for people with Parkinson's.

2 Mar 2020

Researchers find the potential of opioid drug to help mask fear memory

Anxiety disorders such as phobias and PTSD are fairly common problems in society. One of the prime causes of anxiety disorders is the inability to overcome the fear for certain contexts when they no longer apply.

19 Feb 2020

Researchers identify involvement of certain cortical areas in the loss of control over food intake

Researchers at UPF, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Mainz (Germany), the Center for Genomic Regulation, Instituto Cajal, Johannes Gutenberg University (Germany), the Autonomous University Barcelona and Hospital del Mar have identified for the first time the involvement of certain cortical areas in the brain in the loss of control over food intake.

9 Feb 2020

Non-invasive electrostimulation of the vagus nerve improves memory in mice

Researchers at UPF are testing a new non-invasive method of stimulating the vagus nerve in mice that improves their memory.

28 Jan 2020

Researchers identify how certain areas of the brain respond to ADHD drug

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is a neurobiological disorder characterized by symptoms of hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity.

17 Jan 2020

Loss of stress hormone is a hallmark of pancreatitis, shows study

In work that could have clinical implications, UT Southwestern researchers find that humans and mice with pancreatitis are deficient in a stress hormone called FGF21.

9 Jan 2020

Combination of two antibiotics eradicates latent tuberculosis in macaques

A major goal of tuberculosis (TB) research is to find a way to treat people with the latent (or inactive) form of the disease to keep them from developing symptomatic TB.

17 Dec 2019

Discovery of protein function opens door to potential therapies for addiction, behavioral disorders

The human brain consists of several intricate networks or "circuits." One such complex circuit, called the "reward circuit," is involved in reward-associated learning, a process in which nerve cell activity changes in response to a "reward" stimulus (something that the brain perceives as a reward).

5 Dec 2019

Study discovers paradoxical proinflammatory effect of endocannabinoids in the brain

A new study led by the Neuropharmacology Laboratory -NeuroPhar at UPF shows that increasing endocannabinoids in the brain may cause inflammation in specific brain areas such as the cerebellum, which is associated with problems of fine motor coordination.

30 Jul 2019

Resveratrol shows promise for anxiety and depression

A new study has shown that the compound resveratrol found in red wine demonstrates stress relieving effects in anxiety and depression. This could be due to resveratrol’s ability to control an enzyme in the brain that is liked to stress say the researchers from the University at Buffalo in collaboration with Xuzhou Medical University in China.

29 Jul 2019

Plant compound found in red wine displays anti-stress effects

Like to unwind with a glass of red wine after a stressful day? Don't give alcohol all the credit.

26 Jul 2019

Targeted treatment offers symptom relief for patients with psychosis

Treatment for individuals who experience psychosis, such as hallucinations and delusions as a result of a psychiatric illness, can be targeted to a specific structural mutation, according to a study published by researchers from McLean Hospital and other institutions in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

3 Jul 2019

Dietary supplement improves neuronal function of a patient with atypical Rett syndrome

A multicentric translational research study carried out by groups of the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, Sant Joan de Déu Hospital, the University of Barcelona, Hospital Clínic, the University of Vic, Sant Pau i la Santa Creu Hospital, the Rare Diseases Networking Biomedical Research Centre and the Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique, has demonstrated the potential of the amino acid L-serine - administered as a dietary supplement - to improve the neuronal function of a patient with a mutation of glutamate receptors associated with atypical Rett syndrome with severe encephalopathy.

19 Jun 2019

Finnish researchers discover gene mutation that reduces fear, anxiety and increases social interaction

Finnish researchers at the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Oulu have discovered of a new type of gene mutation that reduces fear and anxiety, and increases social interaction.

3 May 2019

Researchers describe mathematical model as key to developing effective drugs for brain disorders

A collaboration between researchers from the UAB Institute of Neurosciences and the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, published in March in Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, describes a mathematical model to quantify the activity of biased G-protein-coupled receptors.

28 Mar 2019

Cannabinoid receptor type 1 appears to be potential target to treat Down syndrome

A study by the Neuropharmacology Laboratory-NeuroPhar of the Department of Experimental and Health Sciences at UPF reveals the involvement of the endocannabinoid system in cognitive disorders in mouse models of Down syndrome.

7 Feb 2019

Exposure to cannabis, stress during adolescence may lead to long-term anxiety disorders

A new study conducted on laboratory animals shows that exposure to cannabis and stress during adolescence may lead to long-term anxiety disorders characterized by the presence of pathological fear.

8 Jan 2019