At the intersection of sleep deficiency and opioid use: mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities.

Due to the ongoing opioid epidemic, innovative scientific perspectives and approaches are urgently needed to reduce the unprecedented personal and societal burdens of nonmedical and recreational opioid use. One promising opportunity is to focus on the relationship between sleep deficiency and opioid use. In this review, we examine empirical evidence: (1) at the interface of sleep deficiency and opioid use, including hypothesized bidirectional associations between sleep efficiency and opioid abstinence; (2) as to whether normalization of sleep deficiency might directly or indirectly improve opioid abstinence (and vice versa); and (3) regarding mechanisms that could link improvements in sleep to opioid abstinence. Based on available data, we identify candidate sleep-restorative therapeutic approaches that should be examined in rigorous clinical trials.

Monoamines and their Derivatives on GPCRs: Potential Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease.

Albeit cholinergic depletion remains the key event in Alzheimer's Disease (AD), recent information describes stronger links between monoamines (trace amines, catecholamines, histamine, serotonin, and melatonin) and AD than those known in the past century. Therefore, new drug design strategies focus efforts to translate the scope on these topics and to offer new drugs which can be applied as therapeutic tools in AD. In the present work, we reviewed the state-of-art regarding genetic, neuropathology and neurochemistry of AD involving monoamine systems. Then, we compiled the effects of monoamines found in the brain of mammals as well as the reported effects of their derivatives and some structure-activity relationships. Recent derivatives have triggered exciting effects and pharmacokinetic properties in both murine models and humans. In some cases, the mechanism of action is clear, essentially through the interaction on G-protein-coupled receptors as revised in this manuscript. Additional mechanisms are inhibition of enzymes for their biotransformation, regulation of free-radicals in the central nervous system and others for the effects on Tau phosphorylation or amyloid-beta accumulation. All these data make the monoamines and their derivatives attractive potential elements for AD therapy.

Alterations and adaptation of ventral tegmental area dopaminergic neurons in animal models of depression.

Depression is one of the most prevalent psychiatric diseases, affecting the quality of life of millions of people. Ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopaminergic (DA) neurons are notably involved in evaluating the emotional and motivational value of a stimulus, in detecting reward prediction errors, in motivated learning, or in the propensity to initiate or withhold an action. DA neurons are thus involved in psychopathologies associated with perturbations of emotional and motivational states, such as depression. In this review, we focus on adaptations/alterations of the VTA, particularly of the VTA DA neurons, in the three most frequently used animal models of depression: learned helplessness, chronic mild stress and chronic social defeat.

The molecular neurobiology of chronic pain-induced depression.

The increasing number of individuals with comorbidities poses an urgent need to improve the management of patients with multiple co-existing diseases. Among these comorbidities, chronic pain and mood disorders, two long-lasting disabling conditions that significantly reduce the quality of life, could be cited first. The recent development of animal models accelerated the studies focusing on the underlying mechanisms of the chronic pain and depression/anxiety comorbidity. This review provides an overview of clinical and pre-clinical studies performed over the past two decades addressing the molecular aspects of the comorbid relationship of chronic pain and depression. We thus focused on the studies that investigated the molecular characteristics of the comorbid relationship between chronic pain and mood disorders, especially major depressive disorders, from the genetic and epigenetic point of view to key neuromodulators which have been shown to play an important role in this comorbidity.

Executive (dys)function after stroke: special considerations for behavioral pharmacology.

Stroke is a worldwide leading cause of death and long-term disability with concurrent secondary consequences that are largely comprised of mood dysfunction, as well as sensory, motor, and cognitive deficits. This review focuses on the cognitive deficits associated with stroke specific to executive dysfunction (including decision making, working memory, and cognitive flexibility) in humans, nonhuman primates, and additional animal models. Further, we review some of the cellular and molecular underpinnings of the individual components of executive dysfunction and their neuroanatomical substrates after stroke, with an emphasis on the changes that occur during biogenic monoamine neurotransmission. We concentrate primarily on changes in the catecholaminergic (dopaminergic and noradrenergic) and serotonergic systems at the levels of neurotransmitter synthesis, distribution, reuptake, and degradation. We also discuss potential secondary stroke-related behavioral deficits (specifically, poststroke depression as well as drug-abuse potential and addiction) and their relationship with stroke-induced deficits in executive function, an especially important consideration given that the average age of the human stroke population is decreasing. In the final sections, we address pharmacological considerations for the treatment of ischemia and the subsequent functional impairment, as well as current limitations in the field of stroke and executive function research.

Executive (dys)function after traumatic brain injury: special considerations for behavioral pharmacology.

Executive function is an umbrella term that includes cognitive processes such as decision-making, impulse control, attention, behavioral flexibility, and working memory. Each of these processes depends largely upon monoaminergic (dopaminergic, serotonergic, and noradrenergic) neurotransmission in the frontal cortex, striatum, and hippocampus, among other brain areas. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) induces disruptions in monoaminergic signaling along several steps in the neurotransmission process - synthesis, distribution, and breakdown - and in turn, produces long-lasting deficits in several executive function domains. Understanding how TBI alters monoamingeric neurotransmission and executive function will advance basic knowledge of the underlying principles that govern executive function and potentially further treatment of cognitive deficits following such injury. In this review, we examine the influence of TBI on the following measures of executive function - impulsivity, behavioral flexibility, and working memory. We also describe monoaminergic-systems changes following TBI. Given that TBI patients experience alterations in monoaminergic signaling following injury, they may represent a unique population with regard to pharmacotherapy. We conclude this review by discussing some considerations for pharmacotherapy in the field of TBI.

A brief history of antidepressant drug development: from tricyclics to beyond ketamine.

OBJECTIVE: Although monoaminergic-targeted drugs have prompted great advances in the development of treatments for depression, the need for new options persists, since these drugs still have a delayed clinical effect and most patients do not respond properly to them. Recently, the observation of the antidepressant effects of ketamine brought on a new wave of studies regarding the comprehension of the neurobiology of depression and the development of new and more effective antidepressant drugs. METHODS: Thus, in this paper, we present a historical review of the development of monoaminergic antidepressant drugs and the role of ketamine as the introductory agent of a new era in the research of the neurobiology of depression. RESULTS: Firstly, we review how the pharmacological treatment for major depression started, and we point out the main drugs discovered, the researchers involved, and how the studies developed have contributed to the understanding of the neurobiology of depression. Secondly, the major problems regarding the clinical efficacy and acceptance of these drugs are discussed, and the introduction of the glutamatergic system as a target for antidepressant drugs is presented. Finally, we review how ketamine revealed itself as an exciting option towards obtaining pharmacological agents to treat depression, through the understanding of biological markers.DiscussionKetamine contributed to confirm that different targets of the glutamatergic system and neurotrophic pathways are strictly related to the neurobiology of depression. There are several antidepressant drugs based on ketamine's mechanism of action already in the pipeline, and glutamatergic-targeted antidepressants may be on the market in the near future.

Mesilato de rasagilina em combinação com levodopa para o tratamento de pacientes com doença de Parkinson com complicações motoras / Rasagiline mesylate in combination with levodopa for the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease with motor complications

CONTEXTO: a doença de Parkinson (DP) tem distribuição universal e atinge a todos os grupos étnicos e classes socioeconômicas, com uma discreta predominância no sexo masculino. É a segunda desordem neurodegenerativa mais frequente, estando atrás apenas da doença de Alzheimer (1). A prevalência em países industrializados é estimada ao redor de 0,3% para toda a população, chegando a cerca de 1 a 4% na população acima de 65 anos. A incidência varia entre 8 a 18 casos por 100.000 pessoas-ano. No Brasil, um estudo de base populacional identificou prevalência de 3,3% para a DP entre maiores de 60 anos (2). Embora a idade seja o principal fator de risco para a doença, com claro aumento da prevalência e da incidência com o envelhecimento da população, há casos em pacientes jovens, principalmente formas monogênicas, que ocorrem em cerca de 10% do total de casos (1). É um doença crônica e progressiva, caracterizada por sintomas motores e não-motores, que provoca incapacidade funcional e aumento da mortalidade. O tratamento da DP consiste no uso de medicamentos que proporcionam estímulo dopaminérgico, principalmente a levodopa, o que possibilita um controle quase ótimo dos sintomas motores nos primeiros anos de uso. Entretanto, em aproximadamente cinco anos, cerca de metade dos pacientes apresentarão complicações motoras induzidas pelo uso crônico desta medicação, o que determina piora da qualidade de vida. As principais complicações são a flutuação da resposta motora (perda do efeito terapêutico antes do esperado e/ou de forma súbita) e discinesia (movimentos involuntários hipercinéticos). De acordo com o PCDT de 2010 para DP(3), o manejo da flutuação motora induzida por levodopa é feito com a associação de agonistas dopaminérgicos (bromocriptina ou pramipexol) e/ou inibidores da COMT (entocapona e tolcapona). Dados do DATASUS mostram que no ano de 2015 cerca de 50 mil pessoas faziam uso dessas medicações no Brasil. TECNOLOGIA: Mesilato de rasagilina (AZILECT®). INDICAÇÃO: pacientes com doença de Parkinson em uso de levodopa com complicações motoras. PERGUNTA: O uso de mesilato de rasagilina como terapia adjuvante à levodopa é eficaz e segura no tratamento de pacientes com DP com complicações motoras quando comparado ao uso de agonistas dopaminérgicos e inibidores da COMT disponíveis no SUS? EVIDÊNCIAS CIENTÍFICAS: o principal estudo apresentado pelo demandante é uma revisão sistemática com meta-análise de 44 ensaios clínicos para avaliar os tratamentos disponíveis para doença de Parkinson em uso de levodopa com complicação motora. Três estudos avaliaram a tecnologia proposta pelo demandante, um com comparador ativo (entacapona) e os outros comparados contra placebo. Como resultado, o mesilato de rasagilina 1mg uma vez ao dia foi eficaz no controle das complicações motoras de pacientes com DP em uso de levodopa. As medidas de eficácia mais importantes foram redução do tempo de off e da dose de levodopa e melhora da escala UPDRS. Em comparações indiretas, os agonistas dopaminérgicos foram melhores do que os inibidores da COMT e os inibidores da MAOB (incluindo rasagilina). Esses dois últimos foram semelhantes entre si. Em relação à segurança, os inibidores da MAOB apresentaram menos efeitos adversos em comparação com as outras duas classes, especialmente no que se refere ao surgimento da discinesia induzida por levodopa. As principais limitações deste estudo foram o (1) potencial viés de publicação, que não foi adequadamente avaliado, (2) as comparações, em sua maioria, indiretas e (3) a heterogeneidade entre os estudos. AVALIAÇÃO ECONÔMICA: utilizou-se um modelo de custo-minimização, considerando a população definida na pergunta PICO e um horizonte temporal de um ano, pela perspectiva do SUS. Os comparadores foram as alternativas atualmente disponíveis no SUS e o desfecho foi o custo anual. O uso da rasagilina representou uma redução de custo entre 57% a 78% entre os anos de 2017 a 2021, a depender do comparador escolhido. Esse resultado manteve-se favorável à nova tecnologia após análise de sensibilidade. A principal limitação é que foi um modelo de custo-minimização quando a maioria das comparações entre as drogas foi indireta. O mais adequado seria um modelo pleno de custo-efetividade. AVALIAÇÃO DE IMPACTO ORÇAMENTÁRIO: A população elegível para o estudo de impacto orçamentário considerou estimativas baseadas em dados extraídos do DATASUS do número de pacientes com DP em uso de qualquer um dos medicamentos comparadores. Os custos anuais de cada tratamento foram obtidas na análise econômica. Como resultado, considerando um período de cinco anos (2017-2021), projetou-se uma economia de R$ 184,45 milhões de recursos do SUS.(AU)

Sinergia en analgesia. ¿Dónde comienza y dónde acaba? / No disponible

No disponible

Toward new avenues in the treatment of nonsuicidal self-injury.

The treatment of self-injury, or self-destruction of one's own body tissue, has become a new focus for both researchers and clinicians. Traditionally, the field of self-injury has distinguished between the behaviors exhibited among individuals with a developmental disability (self-injurious behaviors [SIBs]) and those present within a normative population (nonsuicidal self-injury [NSSI]). Despite this distinction, many pharmacotherapies for self-injury have been administered for both populations. The current review begins by summarizing the available efficacy studies investigating common pharmacological interventions in the treatment of self-injury. These studies are organized based on the most empirically supported neurochemical pathways in the development or maintenance of NSSI: endogenous opiods and monoamines. Although significant advances have been made in the field, conclusions based on efficacy studies of the pharmacological interventions used in the treatment of self-injury have been somewhat inconsistent. Finally, the review includes a discussion about potential avenues in the pharmacological treatment of NSSI via animal models of self-injury. Animal models present a unique opportunity to test neurobiological theories of self-injury using a controlled, systematic approach. Clinical considerations are presented as they relate to the available research findings and best practices in the treatment of self-injury.

The use of monoamine pharmacological agents in the treatment of sexual dysfunction: evidence in the literature.

INTRODUCTION: The monoamine neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine play an important role in many medical and psychological conditions, including sexual responsiveness and behavior. Pharmacological agents that modulate monoamines may help alleviate sexual dysfunction. AIMS: To provide an overview of pharmacological agents that modulate monoamines and their use in the treatment of sexual dysfunction. METHODS: EMBASE and PubMed search for articles published between 1950 and 2010 using key words "sexual dysfunction,""monoamines,""monoaminergic receptors," and "generic names for pharmacological agents." MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: To assess the literature evaluating the efficacy of monoamine pharmacologic agents used in the treatment of sexual dysfunction. RESULTS: The literature primarily cites the use of monoaminergic agents to treat sexual side effects from serotonergic reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), with bupropion, buspirone and ropinirole providing the most convincing evidence. Controlled trials have shown that bupropion improves overall sexual dysfunction, but not frequency of sexual activity in depressed and nondepressed patients. Nefazodone and apomorphine have been used to treat sexual dysfunction, but their use is limited by significant side effect and safety profiles. New research on pharmacologic agents with subtype selectivity at dopaminergic and serotonergic receptors and those that possess dual mechanisms of action are being investigated. CONCLUSION: There has been tremendous progress over the past 50 years in understanding the role of monoamines in sexual function and the effect of pharmacologic agents which stimulate or antagonize monoaminergic receptors on sexual dysfunction. Nevertheless, large, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies evaluating the efficacy of currently available agents in populations without comorbid disorders are limited, preventing adequate interpretation of data. Continued research on sexual function and specific receptor subtypes will result in the development of more selective pharmacologic agents with the goal of increasing efficacy without the dose-limiting side effects of nonselective agents.

Dual- and triple-acting agents for treating core and co-morbid symptoms of major depression: novel concepts, new drugs.

The past decade of efforts to find improved treatment for major depression has been dominated by genome-driven programs of rational drug discovery directed toward highly selective ligands for nonmonoaminergic agents. Selective drugs may prove beneficial for specific symptoms, for certain patient subpopulations, or both. However, network analyses of the brain and its dysfunction suggest that agents with multiple and complementary modes of action are more likely to show broad-based efficacy against core and comorbid symptoms of depression. Strategies for improved multitarget exploitation of monoaminergic mechanisms include triple inhibitors of dopamine, serotonin (5-HT) and noradrenaline reuptake, and drugs interfering with feedback actions of monoamines at inhibitory 5-HT(1A), 5-HT(1B) and possibly 5-HT(5A) and 5-HT(7) receptors. Specific subsets of postsynaptic 5-HT receptors mediating antidepressant actions are under study (e.g., 5-HT(4) and 5-HT(6)). Association of a clinically characterized antidepressant mechanism with a nonmonoaminergic component of activity is an attractive strategy. For example, agomelatine (a melatonin agonist/5-HT(2C) antagonist) has clinically proven activity in major depression. Dual neurokinin(1) antagonists/5-HT reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) and melanocortin(4) antagonists/SRIs should display advantages over their selective counterparts, and histamine H(3) antagonists/SRIs, GABA(B) antagonists/SRIs, glutamatergic/SRIs, and cholinergic agents/SRIs may counter the compromised cognitive function of depression. Finally, drugs that suppress 5-HT reuptake and blunt hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocorticotrophic axis overdrive, or that act at intracellular proteins such as GSK-3beta, may abrogate the negative effects of chronic stress on mood and neuronal integrity. This review discusses the discovery and development of dual- and triple-acting antidepressants, focusing on novel concepts and new drugs disclosed over the last 2 to 3 years.

Principles for the management of bruxism.

The management of bruxism has been the subject of a large number of studies. A PubMed search, using relevant MeSH terms, yielded a total of 177 papers that were published over the past 40 years. Of these papers, 135 were used for the present review. Apparently, research into bruxism management is sensitive to fashion. Interest in studying the role of occlusal interventions and oral splints in the treatment of bruxism remained more or less constant over the years: between 1966 and 2007, approximately 40-60% of the papers dealt with this subject. The percentage of papers that dealt with behavioural approaches, on the other hand, declined from >60% in the first 2 decades (1966-1986) to only slightly >10% in the most recent decade (1997-2007). In the latter period, >40% of the papers studied the role of various medicines in the treatment of bruxism, while in the preceding decade (1987-1996), only approximately 5% of the studies dealt with the pharmacological management of bruxism. Unfortunately, a vast majority of the 135 papers have a too low level of evidence. Only 13% of the studies used a randomized clinical trial design, and even these trials do not yet provide clinicians with strong, evidence-based recommendations for the treatment of bruxism. Hence, there is a vast need for well-designed studies. Clinicians should be aware of this striking paucity of evidence regarding management of bruxism.

[Present status and future possibilities of adjuvant pharmacotherapy for aphasia]. / Pharmakologische Zusatzbehandlung in der Aphasietherapie : Status quo und Perspektiven.

Aphasia is one of the most frequent and disabling consequences of stroke. Poor spontaneous recovery and the limited success of conventional speech therapy bring up the question of how current treatment approaches can be improved. Besides increasing training frequency-with daily sessions lasting several hours and high repetition rates of language materials ("massed training")-adjuvant drug therapy may help to increase therapy efficacy. In this article, we illuminate the potential of monoaminergic (bromocriptine, levodopa, d-amphetamine) and cholinergic (donepezil) substances for treating aphasia. For a final evaluation of combined massed training and adjuvant pharmacotherapy, randomized, placebo-controlled (multicenter) clinical trials with sufficient numbers of patients are needed. Furthermore, results of experimental animal studies of functional recovery in brain damage raise hopes that neurotrophic factors or stem cells might find a place in recovery from aphasia in the intermediate future.

Future antidepressants: what is in the pipeline and what is missing?

Monoamine reuptake inhibitors still reign in the treatment of major depression, but possibly not for long. While medicinal chemists have been able to reduce the side effects of these drugs, their delayed onset of action and considerable non-response rate remain problematic. Of late, serious questions have been raised regarding the efficacy of monoamine reuptake inhibitors. The present review presents an inventory of what is (and until recently was) in the antidepressant pipeline of pharmaceutical companies. Novel antidepressant compounds can be categorised into four groups depending on their target(s): (i) monoamine receptors; (ii) non-monoamine receptors; (iii) neuropeptide receptors; and (iv) hormone receptors. Other possible targets include components of post-receptor intracellular processes and elements of the immune system; to date, however, compounds specifically aimed at these targets have not been the subject of clinical trials. Development of several compounds targeted at monoamine receptors has recently been discontinued. At least five neurokinin-1 (NK(1)) receptor antagonists were until recently in phase II of clinical testing. However, the apparent interest in the NK(1) receptor should not be interpreted as representing a departure from the monoamine hypothesis since neurokinins also modulate monoaminergic systems. In the authors' view, development of future antidepressants will continue to rely on the serendipity-based monoamine hypothesis. However, an alternative approach, based on the hypothesis that chronic stress precipitates depressive symptoms, might be more productive. Unfortunately, clinical results using drugs targeted at components of the HPA axis have not been very encouraging to date. In the short run, the authors believe that augmentation strategies offer the best hope for improving the efficacy of antidepressant treatment. Several approaches to improve the efficacy of SSRIs are conceivable, such as concurrent blockade of monoamine autoreceptors and the addition of antipsychotics, neuromodulators or hormones (HPA axis and gender related). In the long-term, however, construction of a scientifically verified conceptual framework will be needed before more effective antidepressants can be developed. It can be argued that it is not depression itself that should be treated, but rather that its duration should be reduced by pharmacological means. Animal models that take this concept into consideration and identify mechanisms for acceleration of recovery from the effects of stress need to be developed.

[The protective properties of monoamines and amino acids in an indomethacin-induced stomach lesion in rats]. / Zashchitnye svoistva nekotorykh monoaminov i aminokislot pri indometatsinom povrezhdenii zheludka krys.

Serotonin, histamine, tryptophan administered in low doses were shown to protect the rat gastric mucosa against indomethacin-induced hemorrhages. When administered in high doses, serotonin retained the protective properties, while histamine and histidine, on the contrary, increased the hemorrhagic lesion of the tissue. Tryptophan and histidine given in low doses promoted a decrease of the indomethacin elevated levels of serotonin and histamine in the gastric mucosa.

The therapeutic potential of neuropeptides and monoamines as antagonists of lymphocyte activation.

Neuropeptides and monoamines are found in tissues where immune reactions are initiated such as the skin, gut and respiratory tract. In these tissues they might influence lymphocyte activation in inflammatory diseases. Both stimulatory and inhibitory effects have been described. The inhibitory effects may prove to be of pathophysiological and pharmacological importance. Studies both in vitro and in vivo showing that various neuropeptides and monoamines may inhibit reactions such as T lymphocyte proliferation, Blymphocyte proliferation and antibody synthesis, lymphocyte migration and cytotoxicity, are reviewed.