Search results for " stimulants"
showing 10 items of 51 documents
Cross-reinstatement by cocaine and amphetamine of morphine-induced place preference in mice
2005
The cross-reinstatement by psychostimulants of a conditioned place preference (CPP) induced by morphine was evaluated in mice. In Experiment 1, we examined the effects of a single dose of cocaine and amphetamine on a previously extinguished morphine CPP. After acquisition of CPP induced by morphine (40 mg/kg), animals underwent daily extinction sessions of 15 min duration until the CPP was extinguished. Subsequently, animals received a non-contingent injection of cocaine (25 mg/kg) or amphetamine (4 mg/kg), which produced the reinstatement of the extinguished morphine-induced CPP. In Experiment 2, we evaluated the reinstating effects of several priming doses of cocaine (Experiment 2A) or am…
Assessment of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke in young adolescents following implementation of smoke-free policy in Italy.
2009
We investigated acute and chronic exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) in a cohort of young adolescents using urinary cotinine and hair nicotine testing after recent implementation of Italian smoke free legislation. Study subjects were 372 Italian young adolescents, between 10 and 16 years of age from the principal city of Sicily, Palermo. Urine and hair samples were collected between November 2005 and May 2006, when the legislation to ban smoking in all the enclosed places of employment (including bars, restaurants, pubs) was completely enforced. An exhaustive questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics and active and passive exposure to cigarette smoking was complete…
Comparative neuroscience of stimulant-induced memory dysfunction: role for neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus.
2010
The discovery that the addictive drugs impair neurogenesis in the adult hippocampus has prompted the elaboration of new biological hypotheses to explain addiction and drug-induced cognitive dysfunction. Considerable evidence now implicates the process of adult neurogenesis in at least some critical components of hippocampal-dependent memory function. In experimental models, psychomotor stimulant drugs produce alterations in the rate of birth, survival, maturation and functional integration of adult-born hippocampal neurons. Thus some of the deleterious consequences of drug abuse on memory could result from the neurotoxic actions of drugs on adult hippocampal neurogenesis. In this review, we…
Light smoking and dependence symptoms in high-school students.
2005
Summary In high-school students, prevalence of smoking is high but few studies analyzed smoking in the student population according to nicotine content of smoked cigarettes and gender. We analyzed the responses to a questionnaire, including the modified Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire (FTQ), administered to 555 students (382 males, 173 females) of a professional high school in Palermo, Italy, to assess the prevalence in both genders of: (1) smoking “light” and high nicotine (HN) cigarettes; (2) signs of nicotine dependence and (3) respiratory symptoms. Nicotine content of habitually smoked cigarettes was considered as “light” if ⩽0.8 mg; as high if >0.8 mg. Forty-four percent of students…
Nutritional prevention of cognitive decline and dementia.
2018
Cognitive impairment results from a complex interplay of many factors. The most important independent predictor of cognitive decline is age but other contributing factors include demographic, genetic, socio-economic, and environmental parameters, including nutrition. The number of persons with cognitive decline and dementia will increase in the next decades in parallel with aging of the world population. Effective pharmaceutical treatments for age-related cognitive decline are lacking, emphasizing the importance of prevention strategies. There is extensive evidence supporting a relationship between diet and cognitive functions. Thus, nutritional approaches to prevent or slow cognitive decli…
A dynamic extraversion model. The brain's response to a single dose of a stimulant drug.
2008
The aim of this paper is to present a mathematical dynamic modelling of the effect a stimulant drug has on different people which, at the same time, can be a useful tool for future brain studies. To this end, a dynamic model of the evolution of extraversion (considering its tonic and phasic aspects) has been constructed taking into account the unique personality trait theory and the general modelling methodology. This model consists of a delayed differential equation which, on one hand, considers that the active stimulus, a consequence of a single intake, is not constant; on the other hand, it contemplates that the state variable representing the phasic extraversion also represents the brai…
Stimulant-induced adaptations in neostriatal matrix and striosome systems: Transiting from instrumental responding to habitual behavior in drug addic…
2005
Abstract Converging evidence indicates that repeated exposure to motor stimulants such as cocaine and amphetamine produces marked alterations in network responsiveness of striatal neurons to subsequent challenge with the same stimulant drug. Such alterations, which correlate with persistent patterns of repetitive behavior, associate with distinct compartmental changes in the neostriatum. Striatal matrix system neurons undergo “silencing” following repeated drug challenges, allowing striosome system neurons to exhibit preferential activation. Matrix neurons are innervated by sensory and motor areas of neocortex and are activated in the course of on-going, adaptive behavior. Inactivation of m…
Prediction of properties of chiral compounds by molecular topology
1998
Abstract A common assumption in chemistry is that chiral behavior is associated with 3-D geometry. However, chiral information is related to symmetry, which allows the topological handling of chiral atoms by weighted graphs and the calculation of new descriptors that give a weight to the corresponding entry in the main diagonal of the topological matrix. In this study, it is demonstrated that, operating in this way, chiral topological indices are obtained that can differentiate the pharmacological activity between pairs of enantiomers. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of the D2 dopamine receptor and the σ receptor for a group of 3-hydroxy phenyl piperidines are specifically pr…
The impact of coffee on health
2013
Abstract Objective Coffee is a beverage used worldwide. It includes a wide array of components that can have potential implication on health. We have reviewed publications on the impact of coffee on a series of health outcomes. Methods Articles published between January 1990 and December 2012 were selected after crossing coffee or caffeine with a list of keywords representative of the most relevant health areas potentially affected by coffee intake. Results Caffeine, chlorogenic acids and diterpenes are important components of coffee. Tolerance often acts as a modulator of the biological actions of coffee. There is a significant impact of coffee on the cardiovascular system, and on the meta…
Enantioselective determination of plasma protein binding of common amphetamine-type stimulants.
2021
Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) like amphetamine ('speed'), methamphetamine ('crystal meth') and 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA, 'ecstasy') represent some of the most frequently abused drugs worldwide. Another less frequently abused ATS is 4-fluoroamphetamine (4-FA). The enantiomers of these four compounds exhibit different pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties. According to the free drug theory, the pharmacological properties of a substance are dependent on its plasma protein binding (PPB). However, data on PPB of stimulant enantiomers in humans are rare or non-existent. Human plasma samples were spiked with racemic mixtures of the stimulants and subjected to ultra…