Neuropharmacology News and Research

RSS

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

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