Search results for "Nootropic Agents"
showing 10 items of 20 documents
Clearing Amyloid-β through PPARγ/ApoE Activation by Genistein is a Treatment of Experimental Alzheimer’s Disease
2016
Amyloid-b (Ab) clearance from brain, which is decreased in Alzheimer's disease, is facilitated by apolipoprotein E (ApoE). ApoE is upregulated by activation of the retinoid X receptor moiety of the RXR/PPAR dimeric receptor. As we have previously demonstrated, estrogenic compounds, such as genistein, have antioxidant activity, which can be evidenced by increased expression of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD). Furthermore, genistein is a non-toxic, well-tested, and inexpensive drug that activates PPARg receptor. We isolated and cultured cortical astrocytes from dissected cerebral cortices of neonatal mice (C57BL/6 J). Preincubation with genistein (5 mM) for 24 hours, prior to the addit…
Alzheimer's disease: Only prevention makes sense
2018
Alzheimer's disease therapeutics is one of the most important endeavours in today's clinical investigation. Over more than 30 years of research, no disease-modifying treatment has been approved by either the FDA or the EMA to treat Alzheimer's disease. Recently, the evidence of pathological alterations in the brain tissue has been gathered showing that the signs of brain damage appear more than 20 years before the onset of Alzheimer's dementia. The major aim of this review is to underpin the idea that in Alzheimer's therapeutics, only prevention makes sense. It is difficult to visualise that would-be patients may be treated with endovenous administration of antibodies for several years to d…
Use of illicit and prescription drugs for cognitive or mood enhancement among surgeons.
2012
Background Surgeons are usually exposed to high workloads leading to fatigue and stress. This not only increases the likelihood of mistakes during surgery but also puts pressure on surgeons to use drugs to counteract fatigue, distress, concentration deficits, burnout or symptoms of depression. The prevalence of surgeons taking pharmacological cognitive enhancement (CE) or mood enhancement (ME) drugs has not been systematically assessed so far. Methods Surgeons who attended five international conferences in 2011 were surveyed with an anonymous self-report questionnaire (AQ) regarding the use of prescription or illicit drugs for CE and ME and factors associated with their use. The Randomized …
Life context of pharmacological academic performance enhancement among university students – a qualitative approach
2014
Background Academic performance enhancement or cognitive enhancement (CE) via stimulant drug use has received increasing attention. The question remains, however, whether CE solely represents the use of drugs for achieving better academic or workplace results or whether CE also serves various other purposes. The aim of this study was to put the phenomenon of pharmacological academic performance enhancement via prescription and illicit (psycho-) stimulant use (Amphetamines, Methylphenidate) among university students into a broader context. Specifically, we wanted to further understand students’ experiences, the effects of use on students and other factors, such as pressure to perform in thei…
Randomized response estimates for the 12-month prevalence of cognitive-enhancing drug use in university students.
2013
STUDY OBJECTIVE: To estimate the 12-month prevalence of cognitive-enhancing drug use. DESIGN: Paper-and-pencil questionnaire that used the randomized response technique. SETTING: University in Mainz, Germany. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2569 university students who completed the questionnaire. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: An anonymous, specialized questionnaire that used the randomized response technique was distributed to students at the beginning of classes and was collected afterward. From the responses, we calculated the prevalence of students taking drugs only to improve their cognitive performance and not to treat underlying mental disorders such as attention-deficit-hyperactivity diso…
Choline is a Selective Agonist of α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors in the Rat Brain Neurons
1998
In the present study, we demonstrate that choline, a precursor of acetylcholine (ACh) and a product of acetylcholine hydrolysis by acetylcholinesterase (AChE), acts as an efficient and relatively selective agonist of alpha7-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) in neurons cultured from the rat hippocampus, olfactory bulb and thalamus as well as in PC12 cells. Choline was able to activate postsynaptic and presynaptic alpha7 nAChRs, with the latter action resulting in the release of other neurotransmitters. Although choline was approximately one order of magnitude less potent than ACh (EC50 of 1.6 mM for choline and 0.13 mM for ACh), it acted as a full agonist at alpha7 nAChRs.…
Modulatory effects of the novel TrkB receptor agonist 7,8-dihydroxyflavone on synaptic transmission and intrinsic neuronal excitability in mouse visu…
2013
7,8-Dihydroxyflavone (7,8 DHF) is a new recently identified TrkB receptor agonist, which possesses a potent neurotrophic activity and shares many physiological properties with the neurotrophin "Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor" (BDNF). However, its precise mechanism of action at the cellular level has not been clarified yet. In the present study we explored the effects of this agent on synaptic and intrinsic neuronal properties by performing whole-cell patch clamp recordings from layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons. Incubation of acute cortical slices with 7,8-DHF (20 µM) for 30 min caused a selective reduction in the strength of GABAergic inhibition. The amplitude of evoked inhibitory postsynapti…
Amnesia and the hippocampus
2006
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Long-term memory impairments have great medical significance and a considerable health and economic burden. Understanding their cognitive and neuroanatomical underpinnings is of crucial importance. Severe amnesia is usually observed following bilateral hippocampal pathology. This review addresses the precise role of the hippocampus and related medial temporal lobe structures in amnesia. RECENT FINDINGS: Disagreements exist over whether, following selective hippocampal damage: retrograde amnesia for episodic memories is temporally limited or extensive and ungraded; anterograde amnesia involves both recollective and familiarity processes. It is accepted that material specif…
Chemistry and functional properties in prevention of neurodegenerative disorders of five Cistus species essential oils.
2013
The chemical composition of Cistus creticus, Cistus salvifolius, Cistus libanotis, Cistus monspeliensis and Cistus villosus essential oils has been examined by GC and GC–MS analysis. Height-nine constituents were identified in C. salvifolius oil, sixty in C. creticus, fifty-six in C. libanotis, fifty-four in C. villosus, forty-five in C. monspeliensis. Although the five species belong to the same genus, the composition showed interesting differences. Essential oils were screened also for their potential antioxidant effects (by DPPH, ABTS, FRAP and b-carotene bleaching test) and their acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibitory activity, useful for prevention and …
The cognition‐enhancing activity of E1R , a novel positive allosteric modulator of sigma‐1 receptors
2013
Background and Purpose Here, we describe the in vitro and in vivo effects of (4R,5S)-2-(5-methyl-2-oxo-4-phenyl-pyrrolidin-1-yl)-acetamide (E1R), a novel positive allosteric modulator of sigma-1 receptors. Experimental Approach E1R was tested for sigma receptor binding activity in a [3H](+)-pentazocine assay, in bradykinin (BK)-induced intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) assays and in an electrically stimulated rat vas deferens model. E1R's effects on cognitive function were tested using passive avoidance (PA) and Y-maze tests in mice. A selective sigma-1 receptor antagonist (NE-100), was used to study the involvement of the sigma-1 receptor in the effects of E1R. The open-field test…