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Re: Lamictal.... » McPac

Posted by Larry Hoover on September 6, 2003, at 8:00:02

In reply to Lar, LARRY HOOVER~PLEASE Re: ANTI- VS. ANTI-, posted by McPac on September 5, 2003, at 16:31:49

> Lar,
>
> Does Lamictal act on the serotonergic system to an appreciable degree?

Yes, but.... (see below)

> Also, would you happen to know if Lamictal affected the temporal lobe area of the brain to a significant degree?
> Thanks!

Lamictal effects cannot be isolated to a single brain region. It affects all parts of the body. That's true of any drug.

Lamictal can affect serotonergic neurotransmission, (e.g. 5-HT1a-receptor activity is known), but the mechanism is not clear.

Pacman, I understand why you're asking all these questions, but you're focussing a lot of energy on theories about theories. We don't know that serotonergic activity is the primary cause of any mental disorder. It's a theory that it is, but the evidence is all correlative (as opposed to causative). Based on that serotonin theory, a whole class of medications have been developed, but how they work is not known. We only have theories about how they work. We've got pieces of the puzzle, but we don't have the big picture. To extend the puzzle metaphor, we don't have the carton the puzzle came in (with a picture of what it ought to look like) to guide us. I always think about the six blind men and the elephant when I think about our "state-of-the-art" knowledge of the brain.

I find mechanisms to be a very unsatisfactory representation of how the brain works. They limit thought more than they expand it. If you are forced to make an educated guess, you might as well apply one of the recent theories, but you can't rely on the conclusions you reach, in my perhaps not so humble opinion.

Regards,
Lar

 

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poster:Larry Hoover thread:256254
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030902/msgs/257536.html