Cerebral Cortex
April 9, 2008
Michael D. Greicius, Kaustubh Supekar, V. Menon et al.
2,227 citations
Resting-state functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (fcMRI) studies constitute a growing proportion of functional brain imaging publications. This approach detects temporal correlations in spontaneous blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal oscillations while subjects rest quietly in the scanner. Although distinct resting-state networks related to vision, language, executive...
Psychopharmacology
April 2008
José Manuel Trigo, Araceli Cabrero-Castel, Fernando Berrendero et al.
Several studies have suggested the existence of cognitive deficits after repeated or high doses of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) in humans and experimental animals. However, the extent of the impairments observed in learning or memory tasks remains unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different dosing regimens of MDMA on the ability of mice to learn and...
Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
April 1, 2008
Miho Miyajima, Toshihiko Matsumoto, Shigeo Ito
45 citations
DESIGNER DRUG ABUSE is a serious problem in Japan.1 Recently we encountered an acute intoxication in an emergency setting involving one such drug, which has never been reported as a clinical case anywhere. A 40-year-old man, with no previous history of mental disorder, although having had experiences of occasional use of street drugs, was brought to the emergency room by his mother. He was in a...
European Journal of Pharmacology
March 31, 2008
Chad J Reissig, Richard A. Rabin, Jerrold C Winter et al.
Induction of mRNA or protein for immediate-early genes, such as c-fos, is used to identify brain areas, specific cell types, and neuronal circuits that become activated in response to various stimuli including psychoactive drugs. The objective of the present study was to identify the cell types in the prefrontal cortex in which lysergic acid diethylamide (d-LSD) induces c-Fos expression....
Brain, Behavior and Evolution
March 28, 2008
Stuart J. Dimond
The question is explored of the location of consciousness in the human brain. The author''s own studies of defects of consciousness as the result of the splitting of the corpus callosum are described and disorders of consciousness associated with damage to other specific areas of the brain are reviewed. A circuit spanning the brain is described which stretches from the parietal lobe at one side...
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry
March 27, 2008
Brian E. Kane, Christopher R Mccurdy, David M Ferguson
The structural basis to salvinorin A recognition of the kappa-opioid receptor is evaluated using a combination of site-directed mutagenesis and molecular-modeling techniques. The results show that salvinorin A recognizes a collection of residues in transmembrane II and VII, including Q115, Y119, Y313, I316, and Y320. The mutation of one hydrophobic residue in particular, I316, was found to...
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
March 19, 2008
L Muetzelfeldt, Sunjeev K. Kamboj, H Rees et al.
Although recreational use of the dissociative anaesthetic drug ketamine is currently increasing, little is known about the phenomenological aspects of its use. We therefore designed a structured interview to examine initiation experiences, positive and negative effects of ketamine use, and concerns about the drug and its long-term effects. Ninety participants (30 frequent users, 30 infrequent...
Journal of Neuroscience
March 12, 2008
Stéphane Doly, Emmanuel Valjent, Vincent Setola et al.
140 citations
The “club drug” 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; also known as ecstasy) binds preferentially to and reverses the activity of the serotonin transporter, causing release of serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] stores from nerve terminals. Subsequent activation of postsynaptic 5-HT receptors by released 5-HT has been shown to be critical for the unique psychostimulatory effects of MDMA....
Neuroscience
March 3, 2008
A R Alvaro, J Martins, A C Costa et al.
Ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine; MDMA) has potent CNS stimulant effects. Besides the acute effects of MDMA, such as psychomotor activation, euphoria, decreased appetite, and hyperthermia, long-term damage of dopaminergic and serotonergic nerve terminals in multiple brain areas have also been reported. Although some studies have demonstrated that considerable amounts of MDMA reach the...
Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
March 2008
Yulin Wang, Yong Chen, Wei Xu et al.
Salvinorin (Sal) A is a naturally occurring, selective kappa opioid receptor (KOPR) agonist with a short duration of action in vivo. Pharmacological properties of a C(2) derivative, 2-methoxymethyl (MOM)-Sal B, were characterized. MOM-Sal B bound to KOPR with high selectivity and displayed approximately 3-fold higher affinity than U50,488H...