Histamine brain diseases

Brain histamine in pathophysiological conditions and brain diseases... 

In the same study, the distribution of histamine-containing nerve fibers was examined in normal and Alzheimer brains. In normal brains all areas of the temporal lobe contained histamine-immunoreactive nerve fibers (Fig. 3). There was no obvious difference in the morphology or distribution of nerve fibers between normal brains and those of patients suffering from Alzheimer s disease Figs. 4 and 5). Long varicose fibers immunoreactive for histamine entered the... 

Other areas of the human brain have not been studied in detail. In Alzheimer s disease, neurofibrillary tangles are found to colocalize with histamine in the tuberomammillary areas in the posterior hypothalamus1, and significantly reduced neuron numbers of the tuberomammillary nucleus in Alzheimer s brains33 have been reported. 

Kim, S. H., Cairns, N., Fountouiakisc, M., Lubec, G. (2001a). Decreased brain histamine-releasing factor protein in patients with Down syndrome and Alzheimer s disease. Neurosci. Lett. 300, 41-44. 

Calcuti. C.R. et a/. (1988) Zolantidlne (SK F 95282) is a potent selective brain-penetrating histamine Hj receptor antagonist. Br. J. Pharmacol.. 93,69-78. Feldman. M. et al. (1990) Hlstamlnea-receptor antagonists. Standard therapy for acid-peptic diseases (1). N. Engl.J. Med.. 323.1672-1680. 

Cacabelos R, Yamatodani A, Niigawa H, Hariguchi S, Tada K, Nishimura T et al (1989) Brain histamine in Alzheimer s disease. Methods Find Exp Clin Pharmacol 11 353-360... 

In various brain areas neuronal histamine release and synthesis is regulated presynaptically by histamine H3 receptors [1]. Recent studies revestl that H3 receptors not only act as autoreceptors to regulate the release euid synthesis of histamine [2, 3], but also modulate the release of other neurotransmitters, like acetylcholine [4], serotonin [5], dopamine [6] and noradrenaline [7]. In view of these widespread modulatory activities of the histamine H3 receptors, important roles for this receptor subtype in the various mammalian brain functions have been indicated [8, 9]. Consequently, selective ligands for the H3 receptor have been suggested to be benificial in the treatment of e.g. epilepsia, Alzheimer disease, sleeping and attention-deficit disorders [10, 11,12, 13, 14, 15,16],... 

Acetylcholine is a neurohormone that enhances peristalsis, wakefulness, and memory and is essential for nerve transmission. A deficiency of brain cell receptors that bind acetylcholine—cholinergic receptors—contributes to the characteristic loss of memory in Alzheimer s disease. Cholinergic receptors are structurally similar to those that bind histamine. Therefore, antihistamines and cholinergic agents show overlapping activities. As a result, the antihistamine diphenhydramine has been used to treat insomnia and to combat motion sickness. 

Histamine was found to be a neurotransmitter in the brain in 1982, by T. Watanabe from Tohoku University and H. Wada from Osaka University. It was associated with a presynaptic receptor, with methyl histamine acting as an agonist, and thioperamide as an antagonist. The histaminergic neuronal system has the same distribution in the body as the noradrenergic and serotonergic systems, and it is involved in memory, emotions, and behavior. No disease has yet been found to be due to a disturbance of the histaminergic neuronal system. 

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