Archives of ToxicologyJanuary 2009Yoshio Nakagawa, Toshinari Suzuki, Sumiko Tayama et al.
The amphetamine-derived designer drugs have been illegally used worldwide as recreational drugs, some of which are known to be hepatotoxic in humans. To compare their cytotoxic effects, 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methamphetamine (MDMA) and its related analogues, N-methyl-1-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-butanamine (MBDB), 3,4-(methylenedioxyphenyl)-2-butanamine (BDB) and...
Neuropharmacology2009Massimo Grilli, Elisa Neri, Stefania Zappettini et al.
We investigated the effects of salvinorin A on the basal and the 12 mM K(+)-evoked release of preloaded [(3)H]noradenaline ([(3)H]NA) and [(3)H]serotonin ([(3)H]5-HT) from mouse hippocampal nerve terminals (synaptosomes), as well as on the basal and 12mM K(+)-evoked release of preloaded [(3)H]dopamine ([(3)H]DA) from mouse striatal and prefrontal cortex (PFc) synaptosomes. Salvinorin A...
Salvinorin A is the major active ingredient of Salvia divinorum, a plant used by the Mazatec Indians of Mexico for spiritual and medical purposes. Different preparations from S. divinorum are also used in traditional healing practices to treat gastrointestinal disorders, including diarrhea. The recent extensive research on salvinorin A and other neoclerodane diterpenoids derived from S....
The dissociative anaesthetic, ketamine, is commonly known as a NMDA receptor channel blocker. However, additional mechanisms of action probably contribute to its various clinical effects. We asked if ketamine influences transmission via AMPA/kainate glutamate receptor channels. Using whole cell patch clamp techniques in brain slices we recorded excitatory postsynaptic potentials, evoked by...
How do we evaluate a brain's capacity to sustain conscious experience if the subject does not manifest purposeful behaviour and does not respond to questions and commands? What should we measure in this case? An emerging idea in theoretical neuroscience is that what really matters for consciousness in the brain is not activity levels, access to sensory inputs or neural synchronization per se,...
Reviewed by: Dreams and Experience in Classical Antiquity Pauline Ripat William V. Harris. Dreams and Experience in Classical Antiquity. Cambridge, Massachusetts, and London, England: Harvard University Press, 2009. Pp. xv + 332. US $49.95. ISBN 978-0-674-03297-2. William Harris undertakes the daunting task of investigating the phenomenon of dreaming in antiquity—its forms, the claims made...
This chapter addresses the “Hard Problem” of consciousness in the context of robot emotions. The Hard Problem, as defined by Chalmers, refers to the task of explaining the relation between conscious experience and the physical processes associated with it. For example, a robot can act afraid, but could it feel fear? Using protophenomenal analysis, which reduces conscious experience to its...
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) is a widely used recreational drug, often associated with dance parties. Users self-report euphoria, a sense of well-being and increased feelings of affiliation. In experimental animals, MDMA produces an acute, rapid release of serotonin and, to a lesser extent, dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain. It can also produce a dose-dependent,...
Introduction. The consumption of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ecstasy) is known to cause severe hyperthermia in humans. This is of extreme importance since ecstasy is often consumed at 'rave' parties, where dancing takes place in a warm environment, which may exacerbate the effect of MDMA on thermoregulation. The present study was performed in order to evaluate the effects of single...
The article analyzes the figure of Indian philosopher Vasubandhu (ca. S. IV), one of the most important representative of the Vijn�unav�uda school of Mah�uy�una Buddhism. After a brief account on the legendary biography of Vasubandhu and other members of his school, the article focuses on the understanding of two of his seminal works: Tri£gi±ik�u and Trisvabh�uvak�urik�u, through the concepts...