Somatic symptoms of depressive disorders in inpatient care and pr

Somatic symptoms of depressive disorders in inpatient care and primary care In a clinical study, Hamilton reported that

somatic symptoms prevailed in a great majority of depressed patients.12 Somatic symptoms, particularly somatic anxiety and fatigue, were documented in up to 80% of a sample of 260 women and 239 men suffering from major depression. These somatic symptoms very frequently had an underlying psychopathologically relevant hypochondriasis, both in women and men. This study confirmed earlier studies showing that depressive disorders with predominantly somatic presentation were likely Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical to be the most common form of depression, both in inpatient and outpatient care.13,14 Hagnell and Rorsman stressed the Indicative significance of somatic symptoms in depressed primary care patients regarding their risk of suicide.15 Epidemiological studies designed to establish prevalence figures for depressive disorders Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical In primary care during recent years have uniformly demonstrated

that depressive disorders are highly prevalent at this level of medical care.16-19 For the great majority of depressed patients seeking professional help in the official health care system, general practitioners and internists are the decisive interface for diagnosis and treatment of depression.20 Primary-care patients with depression very Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical often present with somatic complaints. This seems to be more the rule than the exception

worldwide.21,22 Two of the three most common symptoms reported during a current depressive episode were somatic (tlred/no energy/listless: 73%, broken sleep/decreased sleep: 63%) as shown by the European Study Society study (DEPRES II).23 This study, however, also underlined that 65% of the depressed primary Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical care patients suffered from a concomitant medical condition pointing to some likely difficulties In differential diagnosis. The multlcenter International study (n =1146) conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that two thirds of the patients Ku-0059436 cell line presented their depressive mood with somatic symptoms exclusively, and more than half complained of multiple medically unexplained somatic symptoms.24 In another primary care study, Kirmayer et al arrived at a similar finding of patients presenting their depressive or anxiety much disorders exclusively with somatic symptoms in an overwhelming majority (73%). The identified somatic symptoms were the main reason for the initial visit to the primary care physician.25 In a US study in 573 patients with the diagnosis of major depression, two thirds (69%) complained of general aches and pains, hinting at a close relationship between pain symptoms and depression.26 The diagnostic situation In primary care frequently manifests Itself, however, as somewhat more complicated.

In the same tumor model, quantitative measurement of liposomal-b

In the same tumor model, quantitative measurement of liposomal-based tumor vascular permeability correlated

with the expression levels of angiogenic biomarkers, namely vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor-2.40 The study demonstrated the benefit of liposomal contrast agent as an imaging surrogate for molecular profiling of angiogenic biomarkers within individual tumors. Monitoring Chemotherapy The use of liposomal contrast agents Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical for prognostication and monitoring the efficacy of nano-chemotherapeutics has been demonstrated in preclinical studies. When injected intravenously into rats bearing a syngeneic mammary adenocarcinoma, liposomal contrast

agent helped to predict the outcome of subsequent chemotherapy using a nanoparticle Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical chemotherapeutic, PEGylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD).33 The tumor uptake rate of liposomal contrast agent, as measured by the X-ray image using a clinical mammography system, correlated with the response of tumors upon treatment with PLD. Thus, in individual rats bearing tumors of identical Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical size and morphology, those specific tumors that demonstrated high liposomal contrast agent uptake were most susceptible to treatment by PLD. If validated in the clinic, the liposomal contrast agent could be used as a prognosticator of liposomal chemotherapy Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical outcome, providing obvious clinical value for personalizing therapy. Conclusion Blood pool iodinated agents represent a novel class of CT contrast agents. The preclinical applications described

here provide a glimpse of their potential use in cardiovascular imaging. Clinical translation of these agents could not only improve current imaging but also provide a new paradigm for detection and management of vascular diseases. Conflict of Interest Disclosures: All authors have completed and submitted the Methodist DeBakey Cardiovascular Journal Conflict of Interest Statement and the following Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical were reported: Drs. Annapragada and Hoffman are Resveratrol founders and significant shareholders of Marval Biosciences Inc., and Dr. Ghaghada is a significant shareholder of Marval Biosciences Inc. Funding/Support: Drs. Annapragada’s and Hoffman’s work was partially funded by an unrestricted grant from Marval Biosciences Inc. and a grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (2R44EB04700) awarded to Marval Biosciences Inc. (PI: R. Lebovitz). Dr. Karathanasis has received funding support from the American http://www.selleckchem.com/products/arn-509.html Cancer Society (IRG-91-022-18) and pilot funding from the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (P30 “type”:”entrez-nucleotide”,”attrs”:”text”:”CA043703″,”term_id”:”24344623″,”term_text”:”CA043703″CA043703).

Interaction between FTO variants and diet and exercise has been f

Interaction between FTO variants and diet and exercise has been found. The

interaction between FTO and risk of obesity is modulated by exercise, in that increased levels of physical activity attenuate the rise in weight seen in men carrying the FTO rs1861868 SNP.107 Interaction with diet has also been found, with recent randomized trial data suggesting that individuals with the FTO variant rs1558902 showed enhanced changes in weight, body composition, and superficial fat mass in response to a high-protein diet,108 while subjects with the TCF7L2 rs12255372 genotype showed greater reduction in weight and DM risk by consumption Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of a low fat (20%) diet.109 If these kinds of findings are confirmed, specific dietary prescription for patients with obesity and DM2 may be aided by genomic testing. However, it is not clear that information Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical about CHIR-98014 clinical trial genetic risk influences behavior in a clinically useful manner. A recent randomized control trial

found no significant effect of counseling on personalized genetic risk for DM2 on participation in and outcome of a lifestyle change program to prevent DM2.110 A recent GWAS linked genetic variants in the SGIP1, CYP19A1, and LEPR genes to voluntary leisure-time activity, independently of BMI. Even though these effects were small, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical studies such as this point to possible explanations for variations in habitual exercise activity and related health consequences.111 Great variation in individual responses to exercise training has long been recognized, both in terms of improved muscle strength and aerobic performance. Genetic determinants underlying this variation have been uncovered. Variants in the ISIG2 gene (a gene associated with obesity) contribute to variation Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical in subcutaneous fat in women and to attenuation of the effects of resistance training in men.112 Variants in the genes for CCL2 (chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2) and its receptor (CCR2), a chemokine related to muscle repair and response

to exercise, influence muscle Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical strength and response to strength training.113 In spite of these preliminary findings, “exercise prescription” for patients with DM remains largely empirical, and clearly much research remains to be during done in order to understand adequately the individual variation in response to physical training,114 and in order to match optimally the exercise recommendations to individual patients with DM. ECO-SYSTEM IN PERSONALIZED MEDICINE Improved diet and exercise are hallmarks of DM prevention and treatment. However, they are difficult to sustain. When prescribing such treatments, the caregiver has to be aware of the patient’s eco-system at the point of care. For example, a project involving a US Veterans Administration’s data set has been recently launched in order to apply personalized medicine at the point of care.

Conflict of Interests The

paper was entirely written by

Conflict of Interests The

paper was entirely written by the authors. The authors do not have personal and/or financial conflict of interests.
In spite of the absolute number of incident TB cases falling globally, tuberculosis (TB) continues to be the leading cause of mortality worldwide and has also been considered to be an occupational disease in the health care setup [1]. One of the major problems in the current treatment of tuberculosis is the noncompliance to prescribed regimens, primarily because treatment of TB involves continuous, frequent multiple drug dosing. Adherence to treatment and the outcome of therapy could be improved with the introduction of long-duration drug formulations releasing the antitubercular Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical agents in a slow and sustained Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Ku-0059436 cell line manner [2]. Polymer-based drug delivery systems like polymeric nanoparticles have achieved a potential position in the controlled release of therapeutic agents [3]. Polymeric nanoparticles are solid colloidal particles with diameters ranging from 1 to 1000nm [4]. They consist of macromolecular Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical materials in which the active ingredient is dissolved, entrapped, encapsulated, and adsorbed or chemically attached. The fate of nanoparticles in the gastrointestinal tract has extensively been investigated [5–7]. Sustained release cross-linked polymeric nanoparticles enable improvement

of drug bioavailability by offering protection to the drugs in gastrointestinal environment and enhancement of solubility because of nanonization. This approach may help in overcoming the first pass effect by getting absorbed Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical from the intestinal tract and entering into the blood streams. Here, the uptake of polymeric nanoparticles may occur by transcytosis via M cells and intracellular uptake and transport via the epithelial cells lining of the intestinal mucosa via Peyer’s patches. The selection of

polymer to develop polymeric nanoparticles is dependent on many factors like size of nanoparticles required, inherent properties of the drug, surface Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical characteristics, biodegradability, biocompatibility, toxicity, and drug release desired profile [8]. Chitosan is the most extensively studied polysaccharide to develop polymeric Nanoparticles [9]. As a biodegradable polymer, Chitosan is a popular STK38 choice in the application as a drug delivery carrier due to its biocompatibility, chemical versatility, and low cost [10]. In the present study, rifampicin is used as a model antitubercular agent. The main objective of the present study was to formulate and optimize oral sustained release Chitosan nanoparticles of Rifampicin by design of experiment (DOE). 2. Materials and Methods 2.1. Materials Chitosan (CS) (degree of deacetylation: 93%) was purchased from Yarrow Chem Products (Mumbai, India). Sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) was sourced from Sigma-Aldrich (Mumbai, India). Rifampicin was a gift from Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Ahmedabad, India) and was of pharmacopeial grade.

23 The enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO)-B exists on the outer mitoc

23 The enzyme monoamine oxidase (MAO)-B exists on the outer mitochondrial membrane, occurring predominantly in astrocytes.24 When astrocytes become activated (as customarily defined by their greatly enhanced glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) binding) they express high levels of MAO-B,25 find more thereby providing an indirect target for PET imaging. L-deprenyl

(selegeline) is a selective irreversible MAO-B inhibitor that has been carbon-11-labeled, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical allowing for PET imaging of astrocyte activity.26 A deuterium substitution on the L-deprenyl molecule causes a significant reduction in the rate of trapping, thereby further enhancing the tracer’s sensitivity to subtle changes in MAO-B concentration.27 Thus far, studies using this deuterium-substituted deprenyl (DED) tracer have been performed to assess MAO-B function and astrocytosis in epilepsy,28 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,29 Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease,30 and Alzheimer’s disease.31 No study to date has utilized MAO-B expression to image spinal cord Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical or brain astrocyte involvement in human pain. Microglia are the resident macrophages of the brain and spinal cord and thus act as the first and main form of active immune Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical defense in the central nervous system. Microglia rapidly activate in response to a variety

of pathological conditions, including nerve damage and persistent pain.20 Microglial activation is characterized Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical by cellular responses including specific morphological changes, proliferation, increased or de novo expression of cell surface markers or receptors, and migration to the site of injury.32 Activated microglia express translocator protein

(TSPO), which has been observed in animal models of neuropathic pain both in the dorsal horns of the spinal cord,33 the spine,34 and in cortex.35 In human studies, increased TSPO expression has been reported in the thalamus after peripheral nerve injuries36 and in widespread cortical regions after traumatic brain Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical injury.37 PRB28, a second-generation, high-affinity TSPO radioligand suitable for imaging of microglial activation in neuroinflammation,38 is currently being explored for pain imaging. MAO-B expression occurs primarily in astrocytes, while TSPO expression occurs nearly in activated microglia and to a lesser degree in active astrocytes. Compared with the microglial response to nerve injury, astrocyte proliferation begins relatively late and progresses slowly but is sustained for more than 5 months, a time-frame paralleling the development of chronic pain.39 Unlike microglia, astrocytes form networks with themselves and are closely associated with neurons and blood vessels, a close contact that makes it possible for astrocytes to regulate the external chemical environment of neurons during synaptic transmission. Moreover, there is recent evidence that spinal astrocytes but not microglia contribute to the pathogenesis of painful neuropathy.

There was no significant alteration between the values of PAP, LA

There was no significant alteration between the values of PAP, LAP, PAWP and INCB018424 ic50 changes in lung weight (LW) during the time course of the experiments (figures 1A-​-DD). Figure

1 Effects of normoxic-normocapnia (NOX, n=7) ventilation on A: changes in pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), B: changes in lung weight (LW), C: left atrial pressure (LAP) and D: airway pressure (PAWP). There was no significant alteration … Baseline values in the hypoxic-normocapnic control group (HOX, n=7) were 9.5±1.7 (PAP), 2.65±0.22 (LAP), and 4.96±0.11 cm H2O (PAWP). Short term hypoxia increased PAP in only a few experiments (data not shown). Furthermore, with 60 min of ventilation, the lungs with hypoxic-normocapnic Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical gas resulted in increased, decreased or unchanged PAP values (figure 2A). No significant variations were observed in the values of LAP, PAWP and LW during 60 min

of the experiment (data not shown). Figure 2 Effects of hypoxic-normocapnia (HOX, n=7) ventilation on A: changes in pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) during 60 min of experiments. Ventilation of the lungs with hypoxic-normocapnic Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical gas increased PAP in experiments (EXP) 1, 4 and 6, … In the PHE (30 μM) pre-treated normoxic-normocapnic group (PHE-NOX, n=6), the baseline values Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical were 10.23±2.17 (PAP), 1.8±0.8 (LAP), and 4.4±0.38 cm H2O (PAWP). PAP increased gradually to 7.33±1.47 cm H2O at the end of the 60 min period which was significantly Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical higher than its baseline value (figure 3A). There was no significant alteration between the values of LAP, PAWP and LW during time course of experiment in this group (figures 3B-​-DD). Figure 3 Effects of phenylephrine (PHE) pre-treated normoxic-normocapnic ventilation  (PHE-NOX, n=6, 30 μM, 3 min prior to the experiment), PHE pre-treated hypoxic-normocapnic ventilation  (PHE-HOX, n=5, 30 μM, 3 min prior to the … In the PHE pre-treated hypoxic-normocapnia (PHE-HOX, n=5), baseline values were 9.54±2.09 (PAP), 2.1±0.19 (LAP), and 5.68±0.09 (PAWP) cm H2O. Ventilation for 60 min the lungs with hypoxic gas resulted in a gradual increase of PAP to 6.54±2.65

at the end of the experiment (figure 3A). We observed Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical no alteration in PAP during most of the experiment between the PHE-HOX and PHE-NOX groups. Interestingly, the values for PAP during 17-24 min of the experiments were significantly higher in the PHE-NOX group compared to the PHE-HOX group. There was no significant difference between LAP, PAWP and LW values during the time Ketanserin course of the experiment between these two groups (figures 3B-​-DD). In the PHE post-treated hypoxic-normocapnia (HOX-PHE, n=5), baseline values were 10.09±1.8 (PAP), 1.84±0.52 (LAP), and 5.11±0.39 cm H2O (PAWP). Hypoxic ventilation did not change PAP during the first 3 min. However 1.5 min after the addition of PHE to the perfusate, PAP increased sharply to 5.24±1.8 at min 7, then decreased to 4.99±1.18 at min 10. Then PAP increased gradually -PAP reached 16.23±2.47 at min 60 of the experiment (figure 3A).

Triplicate reactions were set up for each sample and their mean v

Triplicate reactions were set up for each sample and their mean values were used for calculations. The values related to the HO-1 expression were normalized against those of β-actin and the relative expressions were calculated by comparative Ct (threshold cycle) method. Results Expression of HO-1 mRNA in Different Cancer Cell Lines Total mRNA from the following cancer cell lines was extracted and

used as template for RT-PCR analysis. Different expression patterns of HO-1 could be observed on mRNA level, depend on the Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical cell line investigated (figure 1). A very strong expression of the HO-1 mRNA was detected in the HEPG2 cell line. A strong expression of HO-1 was found in the MCF7 and A549 cell lines and a moderate Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical expression of HO-1 mRNA was detected in the k562 cell line. The LS174T cell line was the only one amongst the investigated cancer cell lines which showed no expression for HO-1. Next, we quantified the expression of HO-1 by Real time PCR analysis. The highest expression level of HO-1 was detected in HEPG2 cell line followed

by MCF-7, A549 and k562 cells, respectively (figure 2). Furthermore, the results revealed no HO-1 expression in LS174T cell line. Figure 1 The expression pattern of HO-1 in different cancer cell lines in vitro by RT-PCR. The Selleck Luminespib examined cell lines are shown at the top of figure. For each Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical sample, the amount of RNA was normalized according to the amount of β-actin mRNA as a housekeeping … Figure 2 Quantification of HO-1 expression by Real-time PCR. The values (Mean±SD) of HO-1 were normalized against

β-actin values and their relative expressions were calculated by comparative Ct (threshold cycle) method. UV; Ultraviolent irradiation … Induction Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of HO-1 in HEK293T Cell Line by Ultraviolet Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation was used to induce oxidative stress to HEK293T cells, in order to compare the HO-1 gene expression in normal physiological and oxidative stress conditions. For this purpose, HEK293T cells were exposed to UV for one hour followed by Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis. Finally, HO-1 expression was analyzed by RT-PCR. In contrast to the normal cells, which revealed no HO-1 mRNA expression, a strong expression of HO-1 was seen in the UV-irradiated HEK293T cells (HEK293T-UV) showing that HO-1 expression could be induced by oxidative injuries (figure 1). This finding was also many confirmed by real time PCR analysis (figure 2). Melt curve analysis has been shown in figure 3. The overlap of beta-actin and HO-1 curves indicates that they are due to a single band. Considering this result and the expression of HO-1 in the cancer cells, it seems that continued expression of HO-1 in the cancer cells is a strategy for survival and proliferation. Figure 3 Melt curve analysis for HO-1 (left) and beta-actin (right).

105 As it has been demonstrated that even selective reuptake inhi

105 As it has been demonstrated that even selective reuptake inhibitors affect both systems,106,107 leading to LY411575 alterations of neuronal firing and postsynaptic receptor responses, a clear assignment to several symptoms or response to treatment seems impossible. Monoaminergic systems are also modulated by other factors,

eg, CRH, vasopressin, neuropeptide Y, cytokines, excitatory Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical amino acids, or neurotrophic factors.83 Therefore, a plausible model for the pathophysiology of depression and the action of antidepressant treatment needs to take into account the complexity of the regulation of CNS function. Moreover, chronic stress, which is doubtless an important precipitating factor in depression, has many effects, not only on behavior, but also on the endocrine, immune, and neurotransmitter systems,108 and the data implicate a

close link between stress and changes in the HPA axis and the central NE system. Accordingly, depression Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical may result from dysfunctions in the areas of the brain that are modulated by these systems, such Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical as the frontal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, and basal ganglia. It is also well known that these areas are highly sensitive to the effects of stress, possibly accounting for the adverse impact of life events on depression.105 Thus, many different factors could lead to a Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical selective or generalized dysfunction in these brain areas, accounting for the probable heterogeneity of depression. Brain imaging Despite the increasing number of biochemical and molecular biological studies in depression research, the advances in neuroimaging techniques now offer the possibility of studying Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical anatomical alterations in living patients. Application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques and positron

emission tomography (PET) has disclosed a battery of abnormalities in the brains of patients with major depression. Several studies have suggested that a large proportion of patients with major depression do indeed Montelukast Sodium have signs of brain atrophy. Increased ventricle-brain volumes have been discussed, as have localized atrophy in the frontal lobes, especially in patients with late -life depression.109,110 Functional studies have revealed reduced blood flow in specific brain regions, particularly the frontal lobe and the basal ganglia.111 One of the brain structures that has been extensively studied with regard to the action of stress, depression, and antidepressant actions is the hippocampus – a brain area that is involved in learning and memory.112 Recent imaging studies have shown that the hippocampus undergoes selective volume reduction in stressrelated neuropsychiatrie disorders, such as recurrent depression; it has been suggested that this is related to hypercortisolemia.

Patients were selected for the study if they had forced expirator

Patients were selected for the study if they had forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) of less than 50% of their predicted value and systolic pulmonary artery pressure greater than 40 mm Hg by color Doppler echocardiography. Seven patients did not meet the echocardiographic inclusion criterion and were,

therefore, excluded. Patients were excluded from the study if they had systolic blood pressure more than 180 mm Hg, diastolic blood Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical pressure more than 120 mm Hg, evidence of left ventricular dysfunction or symptomatic coronary artery disease, inability to walk for 6 minutes due to musculoskeletal disorders, significant exertional dysrhythmias, or symptomatic peripheral vascular disease. Twenty-eight patients underwent randomization to receive either Pentoxifylline or placebo (figure 1). Three patients in the Pentoxifylline group and 2 in the placebo group were lost to follow-up. Given that there are only a few studies available in the existing literature on the effects of Pentoxifylline on COPD, we selected the Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical number of our patients slightly higher than that of the previous studies. The patients were randomized via a simple method. Each patient received a drug package and his or her data were recorded in a questionnaire labeled with a randomly allocated number identical to that of the drug package

through Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical the study. Figure 1 Enrollment Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and Outcomes. The patients who qualified for the study underwent baseline spirometry and 6MWT in tandem with pulse oximetry and dyspnea rating before and after exercise with a standard Borg score questionnaire. Two patients in the case group stopped taking Pentoxifylline due to gastric complaints, and one patient in the placebo group withdrew from the study, after ICU admission due to COPD exacerbation. Finally, 10 patients in each group were analyzed. Two trained nurses performed the 6MWT, pulse oximetry, and other measurements. The referring physicians, nurses, and patients Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical were unaware of

the contents of the drug package. The patients received either 400 mg of Pentoxifylline orally three times a day for 12 Chlormezanone weeks or an identical-appearing placebo tablet with exactly the same dosing regimen. The Pentoxifylline or placebo Selleck Duvelisib dosage was halved in the patients receiving Theophylline. At 6 and 12 weeks post-intervention, the patients were re-evaluated. Statistical Analysis The SPSS (version 15) computer program was utilized for data entry and statistical analysis. The data were analyzed using the t test for mean comparisons, and the repeated measures ANOVA was employed to compare the differences between the two groups over the study period. All the measurements are expressed as mean±SD. A P value≤0.05 was considered significant. Results The study population comprised 23 patients, of whom 12 received Pentoxifylline and 11 received the placebo (table 1).

Consistent, with this hypothesis, investigators have recently rep

Consistent, with this hypothesis, investigators have recently reported that overexpression of NR2B receptor subunits in transgenic mice enhances the activation of NM.DA receptors, facilitating synaptic potentiation as well as learning and memory.22 Animal data Some studies of NMDA antagonist #check details randurls[1|1|,|CHEM1|]# drug effects on in vivo hippocampal LTP induction have Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical related

synaptic changes to measures of memory and learning. However, many studies have been devoted to characterizing the effect of NMDA receptor antagonist drugs on memory and learning. The cognitive effects of NMDA receptor antagonist drugs in animals provide strong support, for the proposal that decreases in NMDA receptor function can decrease memory and learning performance.

Both competitive and noncompetitive NMDA antagonists transiently impair spatial learning in rats15,23-28 and cats,24 including performance on object recognition tasks with a major working memory component.29 Many studies demonstrate NMDA antagonist-induced impairments on spatial30-33 and nonspatial34-38 tasks that can Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical be affected Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical by hippocampal lesions. In rats, the defect in memory function induced by NMDA antagonists involves an impairment in the acquisition or encoding of new information, rather than its retrieval from storage,33,39,40 or alternatively an impairment in the consolidation of “short-term” memory into “long-term” memory.41,42 Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Similar NMDA antagonist-induced impairments in learning and memory (eg, delayed matching-to-sample impairments) have been reported in nonhuman primates using ketamine, phencyclidine (PCP), and MK-801.43-46 These studies similarly suggest an impairment in the acquisition rather than retention of new information.45 Human data Subanesthetic doses of PCP selectively and noncompetitively act as an antagonist at

NMDA receptors.47 Earlystudies of acute PCP effects on cognitive function in humans reported transient, treatment-related reductions in memory Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical performance, psychomotor processing speed, selective attention, reaction time, and weight discrimination.48-51 Similarly, ketamine anesthesia was reported early on to be associated with transient anterograde amnesia.52 While decreased memory performance has also been reported in chronic PCP as well as ketamine abusers,53,54 these naturalistic reports confound acute NMDA receptor effects and other drug and nondrug effects Casein kinase 1 associated with chronic use. Clinical adverse events associated with PCP quickly ended the use of this agent, in humans, so that, more recent studies of NMDA antagonist, effects in humans have been conducted using a variety of other agents including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved anesthetic agent, ketamine. Ketamine, like PCP, is a noncompetitive NMDA antagonist, but. it. is at. least. 10 times less potent than PCP in binding to the NMDA receptor55 and in blocking NMDA-mcdiatcd excitotoxicity.