Neurotransmitter systems investigative

A variety of different methodologies has been employed to investigate the neurotransmitter systems involved in control of behavioral states. Biochemical experiments have elucidated the pathways and enzymes involved in the synthesis, degradation, release and reuptake of different neurotransmitters. Immuno-histochemical techniques have allowed the visualization of their cellular and sub-cellular distribution throughout the nervous system as well as the distribution of their receptors and uptake systems. Chemical sampling techniques, including... 

The neurochemistry of schizophrenia has been considered in a variety of ways by numerous investigators and most have, as here, focussed on the role of abnormalities and/or dysfunction of brain neurotransmitter systems in the disease. Implicit in a book on the neurochemistry of consciousness is the assumption that this chapter will address the neurochemical basis of the disturbance (s) of consciousness that occurs in schizophrenia. Consciousness in its particular and generally-understood meaning is not obviously distorted in schizophrenia, although schizophrenic patients clearly have a different, or abnormal experience of the external world—their conscious awareness is disturbed. 

The last two decades have seen the introduction of several distinct functional imaging techniques that can be used to investigate centrally active compounds working in the brain in vivo. These techniques provide windows through which to observe phenomena in the intact and fully functional central nervous system. When applied to studies with human volunteers or patients one can obtain information that cannot be extrapolated from animal models, and from areas such as the brain and neurotransmitter systems that would otherwise be inaccessible in vivo. When combined with peripheral measurements and objective and subjective assessments of behavior, these methods can be used to explore how psychopharmaceuticals influence central nervous svtem activity and behavior. Moreover, compounds with a known mechanism of action can be employed as tools to understand how different elements of the central nervous system work. 

A CASE IN POINT ALZHEIMER S DISEASE Sometimes we can learn much about the role of a particular neurotransmitter system by investigating what happens when it is injured or diseased. In the brains of people with Alzheimer s disease, for example, acetylcholine neurons that project into the hippocampus and cortex very slowly die. The effects of this neuronal death have been the subject of research in my laboratory for more than 25 years. The loss of normal acetylcholine function in the cortex may be why patients with Alzheimer s... 

THC is a new miracle medication, used to treat sleep disorders, inflammatory diseases, auto immune disorders, migraines, addictions, post traumatic stress disorder, etc. The discoYery of its endogenous ligand, anandamide (a fatty acid amide) has revolutionized the investigation of this new neurotransmitter system. Fatty acid amides are easily prepared from commonly available grocery store oils. 

Finally, recent progress in the investigation of the role of the endocannabinoid-CBi receptor system in mental disease in animal models as well as in hnmans, especially with respect to its interaction with the dopamine neurotransmitter system, opens up new avenues for the understanding and treatment of the major mental disorders. 

Many of the experimental studies of lead neurotoxicity have investigated effects of lead on specific neurotransmitters. Three neurotransmitters systems... 

The effects of lead on the catecholaminergic neurotransmitter systems of the CNS have been extensively investigated, and therefore have been subdivided for ease of interpretation. 

The modern usage of P2" go Asts for the treatment of asthma dates to 1903 when the effect of injected epinephrine [51-43-4] (adrenaline) C2H23NO2, (1 R = CH3) was investigated (see Epinephrine and norepinephrine) (33). As in some other modem treatments, eg, xanthines and anticholinergics, the roots of P2" go Ast therapy for asthma can be found in historical records which document the use of herbal extracts containing ephedrine [299-42-3] C qH NO, (2) as bronchodilators. Epinephrine and ephedrine are stmcturaHy related to the catecholamine norepinephrine [51-41-2] CgH NO, (1, R = H), a neurotransmitter of the adrenergic nervous system (see Neuroregulators). 

L-Tyrosine metabohsm and catecholamine biosynthesis occur largely in the brain, central nervous tissue, and endocrine system, which have large pools of L-ascorbic acid (128). Catecholamine, a neurotransmitter, is the precursor in the formation of dopamine, which is converted to noradrenaline and adrenaline. The precise role of ascorbic acid has not been completely understood. Ascorbic acid has important biochemical functions with various hydroxylase enzymes in steroid, dmg, andhpid metabohsm. The cytochrome P-450 oxidase catalyzes the conversion of cholesterol to bUe acids and the detoxification process of aromatic dmgs and other xenobiotics, eg, carcinogens, poUutants, and pesticides, in the body (129). The effects of L-ascorbic acid on histamine metabohsm related to scurvy and anaphylactic shock have been investigated (130). Another ceUular reaction involving ascorbic acid is the conversion of folate to tetrahydrofolate. Ascorbic acid has many biochemical functions which affect the immune system of the body (131). 

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