Posted by wendy b. on July 31, 2003, at 8:24:41
In reply to Re: Race is on for Pill to Save Memory, fr. NYTimes » wendy b., posted by jrbecker on July 30, 2003, at 13:02:56
> what they fail to mention in this article is that both these drugs (and similar lines of compounds in development from these companies) are being tested for mood disorders. Memory Pharm's program concentrates on PDE4 inhibitors, which helps to increase cAMP, and thus (brain-derived neurotrphic factor) BDNF in the brain. Cortex's research focuses on AMPAkines, a line of compounds thought to have a therapeutic role in a variety of psychiarric illnesses, including Alzheimer's, Schizophrenia, and mood disorders, via BDNF and other neuroprotective actions.
>Both of these lines of drug research underscore the theory of neural degeneration/neural plasticity that might [partially or more fully explain] the underlying causes behind some psychiatric disorders.
Dear JR,What are the PDE4, BNDF, and cAMP compounds, and what do they do? Can you refer me to any literature (not too techinical? Is that even possible?) on these? I am interested in the mood-stabilization aspect, and the neural degeneration/plasticity issues...
Also, I like to impress my pdoc, on occasion, with my vast stores of knowledge... He's very reluctant to experiment with my meds, and I get a little tired of it... Anyway, if you have any references that might be interesting on these compounds or related material, I'd be interested, maybe some others here, too.Thanks,
Wendy
poster:wendy b.
thread:246746
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030728/msgs/246970.html