![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Racer on February 6, 2006, at 14:12:14
It seems as though we have a lot of discussions here about which receptor types various drugs hit, and I wondered how many here think this should be the focus of new research, or if there are other areas of research that should be higher priority?
Personally, I think I'd like to see more research into the workings of the various receptor types, before research into the drugs that affect them. That way, they might learn more about the etiology of depression, or at least have an easier time creating drugs that maybe have a more benign side effect profile. Like an SRI that avoided activity at 5HT2c and 5HT3, to see if that actually did improve the GI and weight gain profiles. And, if they found that drugs HAVE to hit one of those receptor types, that might help them learn more about what causes depression in the first place, right?
Another thing I would like to see, though, is a better understanding on the part of psychiatrists in clinical practice, of just how much some side effects can impact our lives, and maybe a little more empathy towards us.
Of course, I'm speaking from my own bias, so take all that with a grain of salt.
What do the rest of you think?
Posted by SLS on February 6, 2006, at 20:52:07
In reply to Receptor selectivity as the next step?, posted by Racer on February 6, 2006, at 14:12:14
Stop, Racer, you're making my head spin!
Actually, the problems of how to understand and treat mental illnesses are being attacked from all angles. The problem with trying to isolate a single receptor is that it acts in concert with other receptors within both proximal and distal circuits. Basic neuroscience has been doing exactly what you proposed for quite a few years. Unfortunately, it has not yet yielded the understandings necessary to design drugs with the specificity one would hope to see in a therapeutic modality. Huge amounts of data are being produced and assembled, but the brain is just too enormously complex for these data to render adequate understanding of its workings right now.
The receptor du jour is serotonin 5-HT1b.
- Scott
Posted by Phillipa on February 6, 2006, at 22:28:45
In reply to Re: Receptor selectivity as the next step? » Racer, posted by SLS on February 6, 2006, at 20:52:07
Racer I love the empathy. They need to show us empathy maybe take the meds themselves. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by deniseuk on February 8, 2006, at 11:03:35
In reply to Receptor selectivity as the next step?, posted by Racer on February 6, 2006, at 14:12:14
Hi,
What I don't understand is, are certain types of receptors specific to certain areas of the brain. i.e do you get a lot of 5htp1 receptors in a certain area and 5ht2 receptors in another area and do they do receptors do different things depending on which area of the brain they are located in?
I'm still confused as to why these drugs don't work for me anymore it's like they now hit all the wrong places instead of the right places.
Denise
Posted by linkadge on February 8, 2006, at 15:50:20
In reply to Re: Receptor selectivity as the next step?, posted by deniseuk on February 8, 2006, at 11:03:35
Sure, certain receptors are more concentrated in one area over another. 5-ht1a receptors have a high concentration in the hippocampus, if I am not mistaken.
I have the same problem as you Denise. For a short period of time SSRI's helped, but then things turned sour and I actually felt better off them. I still feel better off them. My brain thinks their toxic.
Another thing to consider is that brain chemistry can change. I was just reading how (in mice at least) The activity of the serotonin transporter changes over the course of a lifetime. So, you may be depressed for entirely different reasons than when you were at first.
Linadge
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.