It is inferred from the model that ADHD participants can bring only 75-85% of the neurocognitive energy to bear on tasks, and allocate only about 85% of the cognitive resources of comparison groups. Parameters derived from the model in specific tasks predict performance in other tasks, find more and in clinical conditions often associated with ADHD. The primary action of therapeutic stimulants
is to increase norepinephrine in active regions of the brain. This activates glial adrenoceptors, increasing the release of lactate from astrocytes to fuel depleted neurons. The theory is aligned with other approaches and integrated with more general theories of ADHD. Therapeutic implications are explored. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a member of a neurotrophin family and is involved in many physiological functions, including cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation, and neuron survival in the human nervous system. Abnormalities of BDNF have been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression based on observations that antidepressant drugs cause increases in the levels of BDNF in rat brains and its abnormalities have appeared in the serum of depressed patients and in postmortem brains of suicide victims.
Methods: We examined LCZ696 mouse the gene expression of BDNF in the lymphocytes and protein
expression in the platelets of adult and pediatric depressed patients during
a drug-free period. We determined BDNF gene expression using a quantitative RT-PCR method and protein expression using the AZ 628 solubility dmso ELISA method.
Results: We observed that the gene expression of BDNF was significantly decreased in the lymphocytes of adult and pediatric depressed patients compared with normal control subjects. Similarly, the protein expression of BDNF was significantly decreased in the platelets of adult and pediatric depressed patients compared with normal control subjects.
Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study that reports a decrease in BDNF gene expression in the peripheral cells of depressed patients. Because of the bidirectional movement of BDNF between the periphery and the CNS, the reduced gene expression in the lymphocytes and the protein expression in the platelets may be an index of similar abnormalities in the brain and could be a target for antidepressant drugs. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.”
“The role of cannabis in the etiology of schizophrenia has been documented as possibly the strongest environmental risk factor. However, the pathomechanism whereby cannabis use increases this risk has not yet been identified. We argue that this pathomechanism may involve direct effects of exogenous cannabinoids on T-type calcium channels in the thalamus.