Application of functional MRI on evaluation of cholinergic drugs and other neurotransmitter drugs and its prospect in traditional Chinese medicine evaluation / 中国中药杂志

This article summarizes the progress of the application of functional magnetic resonance image (fMRI) on neuropharmacology. Cholinergic drugs are types of neurotransmitters which are usually used to treat neurological disorders. fMRI is widely used in the research of evaluation of cholinergic drugs. This article systematically summerizes the research of drug evaluation on memory, attention, emotion and vision by fMRI using the cholinergic drugs for example. Combined with the charactors and disciplines of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), this article also makes a prospect of the application of fMRI on traditional Chinese medicine evaluation, especially the drugs on brain disease and emotional modulation.

Progress in research of Baicalein affecting Alzheimer's disease and improving learning and memory of brain / 中国药理学通报

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive, degenerative disease of the brain, which causes learning and memory to become seriously impaired. AD not only influences the patient's quality of life, but also places a great burden on caregivers. With the increasing of aging population, the pressures can be wide-ranging, involving social, psychological, physical, and economic elements of the caregivers' life.The cause and progression of Alzheimer's disease are not well understood. Currently used treatments include pharmaceutical and psychosocial ones, each offering a small symptomatic benefit. Actually, there are still no available medicines and treatments to delay the progression of the disease. Therefore, the development of a new ideal medicine to treat AD patients becomes the first priority. In recent years, most researchers have turned to natural products, hoping to find a drug candidate to cure AD patient. Baicalein, a traditional Chinese medicine extracted from Scutellaria Baicalensis (Chinese herb), has been demonstrated holding the properties of anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptosis, anti-oxidant, and improving learning and memory of human brain. Baicalein is becoming a potential ideal medicine for treating AD patient.