Central nervous system overview

Grace, A.A., Gerfen, C.R., and Aston-Jones, G. (1998) Catecholamines in the central nervous system. Overview. Adv Pharmacol 42 655-670. 

The present chapter will address the following issues (1) a very brief overview on the properties of the different types of Cl -channels in the various mammalian cells (2) a short summary on what is known of Cl channels on a molecular basis (3) a discussion of pharmacological agents blocking the various Cl -channels and (4) a specific section dealing with the regulation of epithelial and maybe other Cl -channels. This entire area has been reviewed rather extensively in the recent past. A large number of references will be provided in order to keep this text concise. The entire field of Cl -channels in the central nervous system will only be touched upon to compare these channels to the Cl -channels in apolar cells and epithelia. 

Abstract Quantitative receptor autoradiography methods have heen widely used over the last three decades to study the distribution and physiological role of a receptor in various tissues. This review provides an overview of in vivo and in vitro receptor autoradiography methods and their advantages as well as disadvantages in the study of receptors in the central nervous system. Comparison with immuno-histochemical and in situ hybridization methods is also highlighted in relation to the study of a given receptor in the nervous sytem. 

In Chapter 1, John Lowe details The Role of Medicinal Chemistry in Drug Discovery in the twenty first century. The overview should prove invaluable to novice medicinal chemists and process chemists who are interested in appreciating what medicinal chemists do. In Chapter 2, Neal Anderson summarizes his experience in process chemistry. The perspectives provide a great insight for medicinal chemists who are not familiar with what process chemistry entails. Their contributions afford a big picture of both medicinal chemistry and process chemistry, where most of the readers are employed. Following two introductory chapters, the remainder of the book is divided into three major therapeutic areas I. Cancer and Infectious Diseases (five chapters) II. Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases (six chapters) and III. Central Nervous System Diseases (four chapters). 

Ohouha DC, Hyde TM, Kleinman JE The role of serotonin in schizophrenia an overview of the nomenclature, distribution and alterations of serotonin receptors in the central nervous system. Psychopharmacology 112 S5-S15, 1993... 

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exert their toxicity in the central nervous system through various mechanisms. The following is a brief overview of the pathways involved. 

After the fusion of a synaptic vesicle, the RRP is refilled from the recycling pool of synaptic vesicles. For central nervous system synapses (e.g., synapses of hippocampal neurons), the recycling pool of synaptic vesicles consists of approximately 30 vesicles, approximately three to five times the number of RRP vesicles (15, 16). During repetitive synaptic stimulation, the rapid refilling of the RRP from the recycling pool sustains continuous neurotransmitter release. An overview of the synaptic vesicle cycle is shown in Fig. 1. 

The roles of calcium and calcium antagonists in the central nervous system are dealt with in the next two chapters. From Dr. Leong Way s laboratory comes an overview of the mechanism of interaction between calcium and opioid alkaloids and peptides, while Dr. Ferrendelli reviews... 

The study of natural products, or Nature s Combinatorial Library , has had a long history as a source of drugs, and plants have historically been at the forefront of natural product drug discovery. In the anticancer area, for example, vinblastine and vincristine, etoposide, paclitaxel (Taxol), docetaxel, topotecan, and irinotecan, among others, are all plant-derived natural products or modified versions of plant compounds, while antimalarial therapy would be much poorer without quinine and artemisinin and the drugs derived from these plant products. This chapter provides an overview of the major medicinal agents that are themselves natural products isolated from plants or are chemical modifications of such lead compounds. It covers the therapeutic areas of cancer, HIV, malaria, cardiovascular, and central nervous system (CNS) diseases. Natural plant products have also made contributions in areas such as immunomodulatory and antibiotic activities," and the reader is referred to the cited reviews for information on these areas. 

Overview of Transmitter Pharmacology in the Central Nervous System ... 

Dani, J.A. (2001) Overview of nicotinic receptors and their roles in the central nervous system. Biol. Psych. 49 166-174. 

V. OVERVIEW OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM TOXICITY OF ORGANOPHOSPHORUS AND CARBAMATE CHOLINESTERASE INHIBITORS... 

Pride, E. (2002) Endocannabinoids in the central nervous system — an overview. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids 66 221-233. 

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