Aniracetam is a nootropic drug that has been shown to selectively enhance quisqualate receptor-mediated responses in Xenopus oocytes injected with brain mRNA and in hippocampal pyramidal cells [Ito, I., Tanabe, S., Kohda, A. & Sugiyama, H. (1990) J. Physiol. (London) 424, 533-544]. We have used patch clamp recording techniques in hippocampal slices to elucidate the mechanism for this selective ...

In this paper we analyse some ethical and philosophical questions related to the development of memory enhancing drugs (MEDs) and anti-dementia drugs. The world of memory enhancement is coloured by utopian thinking and by the desire for quicker, sharper, and more reliable memories. Dementia is characterized by decline, fragility, vulnerability, a loss of the most important cognitive functions a...

Evidence suggests that expressed emotions (EEs) play a critical role in relapse in schizophrenia and adversely affect the long-term course of the disorder. In this paper we describe a method which is suitable for the objective assessment of EEs and associated psychopathological symptoms during direct family interactions. The patients and one of their family members participated in a 20-min inte...

Recognition of the need to treat cognitive deficits in schizophrenia is compelling and well established, with empirical findings and conceptual arguments related to cognitive enhancement appearing regularly in the literature. Cognitive enhancement itself, however, remains at an early stage. Biological approaches have centered on the development of antipsychotic medications that also improve cog...

INTRODUCTION Alzheimer's dementia (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, and several organisations, such as the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, suggest that management of patients with AD should be tailored to their needs. To date, little research has been conducted on the treatment effect in different subgroups of patients with AD. The aim of this study is to examine the...

A series of ethylene bis-imidazoles was synthesized via a novel microwave-mediated synthesis. Biological testing on eight isozymes of carbonic anhydrase (CA) present in the human brain revealed compounds with nanomolar potency against CA VA and CA VII, also displaying excellent selectivity against other CA isozymes present in this organ.

Clitoria ternatea L. (CT) (Family: Fabaceae) commonly known as 'Butterfly pea', a traditional Ayurvedic medicine, has been used for centuries as a memory enhancer, nootropic, antistress, anxiolytic, antidepressant, anticonvulsant, tranquilizing and sedative agent. A wide range of secondary metabolites including triterpenoids, flavonol glycosides, anthocyanins and steroids has been isolated from...

Albizia lebbeck (AL) commonly known as shirish, has number of therapeutic properties. AL is an economically important plant for industrial and medicinal uses. The leaves are good fodder with much protein content.The plant contains saponin, macrocyclic alkaloids, phenolic glycosides and flavonols.In Ayurvedic medicine, it is considered as an antidote against all type of poisons. Many ayurvedic f...

Complexes of lysine dendrimer and nootropic Semax peptides were studied using molecular dynamics simulation. These dendrimers were used for drug and other molecules delivery to different cells. It was shown earlier that dendrimers and in particular lysine dendrimers could penetrate blood brain barrier. In present paper three systems containing lysine dendrimers of 2 and 3 generations and 8, 16 ...