Frontiers in Neuroscience | Neuropharmacology section | New and Recent Articles

BackgroundRefractory chronic cluster headache (rCCH) is a severe form of trigeminal autonomic primary headache that often resists conventional pharmacological treatment, resulting in significant impairment in patients’ quality of life. Identifying effective strategies to reduce attack frequency and shorten cluster periods remains a crucial clinical challenge.Case presentationTwo cases of rCCH who…

Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (STZ rats), an established animal model of type 1 diabetes mellitus, develop cognitive decline, which has been linked to impairments in hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Long-term depression (LTD) in the hippocampus may be induced by the activation of different types of G protein-coupled receptors, particularly metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) and musc…

IntroductionMorphine antinociceptive tolerance remains a critical problem in the clinical management of pain. Spinal cord glial cell activation and neuroinflammation appear to play a crucial role in the development and maintenance of this tolerance. BTP2, a potent store-operated calcium channel inhibitor, has anti-inflammatory properties in the central nervous system. This study aimed to investig…

The microbiota–gut–brain axis represents a complex bidirectional communication network linking the gastrointestinal system and the central nervous system and has been increasingly recognized as a key contributor to neurological and psychiatric disorders. Growing evidence indicates that alterations in gut microbiota composition and function can influence brain development and function through neur…

IntroductionRelapse triggered by drug-associated cues remains a major challenge in treating substance use disorders, as extinction learning is often weak and context dependent. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) enhances learning-related plasticity and, when paired with extinction training, reduces cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine seeking; however, the underlying circuit mechanisms remain unclear.…

BackgroundPosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with elevated inflammation and risk for chronic illness, yet few studies have examined inflammatory biomarker outcomes of PTSD interventions. Rapid PTSD symptom reduction has been observed following 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)-assisted therapy, which leverages MDMA as a prosocial adjunct to psychotherapy. No studies have ev…

IntroductionDysregulation in resting-state connectivity in electroencephalogram (EEG) and dysregulation in the dopamine system have both been repeatedly observed in patients with psychotic disorders. It is unclear whether dopaminergic drugs, used to treat psychotic disorders, induce treatment-relevant connectivity changes in the brain. Investigating the effects of dopaminergic drugs in healthy pa…

Malformations of cortical development (MCD) are a common cause of epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and intellectual disability (ID). A unifying mechanistic etiology for epilepsy, ASD, and ID has not been found due, in part, to the heterogeneity of MCD subtypes. However, changes in brain metabolism within MCD have emerged as a possible convergent mechanism across MCD that may have therape…

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have become major global causes of disability and mortality. Their complex pathogenic mechanisms remain incompletely understood, and effective disease-modifying therapies are still lacking. Traditional animal models and two-dimensional (2D) cell culture systems exhibit no…

IntroductionThe reductase domain of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) is essential for nitric oxide (NO) production in the mammalian nervous system. Excessive NO contributes to neurological disorders, including ischemic stroke, highlighting the need to better understand the structural dynamics of this domain. The FNR- like unit within the reductase domain stabilizes the cofactors NADP(H), FAD…

Background and objectiveDesvenlafaxine (DVS), a commonly used serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), is widely applied in the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). However, the efficacy and safety of different DVS dosages remain controversial. This study aims to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of various doses of DVS in treating MDD, providing evidence-based g…

AimNeuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID) is a rare neurodegenerative disease. We investigated a role of nonconvulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) in cognitive dysfunction in pathologically confirmed NIID. We also analyzed distinctive factors to differentiate NIID from Alzheimer’s disease (AD).MethodsA 63-year-old man presented with transient consciousness disturbance (Day 1). For previous …

BackgroundPuerarin is a flavonoid bioactive component extracted from the Chinese herb radix puerariae, which has been reported to have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects and is a potential drug for the treatment of neuroinflammatory diseases. There is increasing evidence that the gut-liver-brain axis is closely related to neurological disorders. However, studies on the use of puerarin …

Each year, approximately 2.9 million people in the United States sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI), many of whom go on to experience chronic secondary complications such as post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE) and sleep–wake disturbances. These outcomes arise from complex secondary injury processes, including neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and disruptions in neuroendocrine signaling. While in…

Substance use disorder (SUD) is a major worldwide health problem with a historic global high of 316 million people using drugs, representing a 15% rise in prevalence over the previous decade. A comprehensive understanding of the pathophysiology of SUD will enable the development of novel therapeutic strategies to improve patient outcomes. Preclinical research on the neurobiology of SUD primarily …

There was a mistake in Figure 7 and the corresponding caption as published. The authors discovered and corrected errors in Figure 7, as described in further detail below. After removing the pseudocolor heat maps from the figure, the remaining display items were renamed as Table 4 and the corresponding text in the caption was revised to capture the extent of revisions. The corrected caption of Fig…

BackgroundEmerging evidence indicates that rapid-acting antidepressants (RAADs)—including ketamine and serotonergic psychedelics- may affect myelin homeostasis, aside from producing fast-onset, sustained improvements in several psychiatric disorders.MethodsA systematic search of PubMed (MEDLINE), Web of Science, Europe PMC, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and Google Scholar was conducte…

ObjectiveTo evaluate the neuroprotective effect of resveratrol (Res) and elucidate its underlying mechanism in a rat model of cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury.MethodsAdult male Sprague–Dawley rats received intraperitoneal Res (40 mg/kg/day) for three consecutive days, followed by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R). Animals were randomly divided into Sham, MCAO/R, …

BackgroundIschemic stroke is an acute neurological disorder with limited treatment options. Medical cannabinoids (MCs), primary bioactive compounds extracted from cannabis plants, have shown therapeutic prospects for ischemic stroke. This study integrates bibliometrics and meta-analysis to comprehensively summarize the research landscape of MCs in cerebral ischemia and thoroughly investigate thei…