Neuroscience's inherent complexity and rapid growth mean that no one can keep abreast of all the changes across the field. We each bring a necessarily narrow perspective. Neurotherapeutics: Emerg ing Strategies is an attempt to provide some diverse perspectives within the hunt for new drugs to treat central nervous system diseases. The book's premise is that the search for new drugs is based on an understanding ofboth clinical and basic sciences. Neurotherapeu tics: Emerging Strategies begins with psychiatry and concludes with neurological disorders. Each chapter examines a disease, including clinical features and existing treatments, but the emphasis is on current concepts of underlying causes and novel strategies for drug discovery arising from these possible mechanisms. Participating authors include basic neuroscientists, industry-based pharmacolo gists and chemists, and clinicians. The chapters describe the status of the existing disease treat ments, and when treatments are lacking, the approach is more basic science oriented. When there is a long history of treatment, there is greater emphasis on those therapies. However, all the chapters seem to reflect the benefits of cloning, since the availability of receptor subtypes now promises the opportunity for greater specificity of drug effects. Modulation of second messengers is another new and recur ring theme. And in the chapter on cachexia, cytokines are explored both as drugs and drug targets. Neurotherapeutics: Emerging Strategies reflects the complex ity of the nervous system, but the overriding message is hope for new and better drugs to treat those diseases that rob us of ourselves.

Klappentext

In Neurotherapeutics: Emerging Strategies neuroscientists, clinicians, and industry-based pharmacologists and chemists review emerging approaches for the treatment of diseases of the central nervous system. The contributors-all key investigators of novel therapeutics-focus on developing rational strategies for drug design based on the new understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of central nervous system diseases. In the process, the contributors review the efficacy and mechanisms of current treatments as well as the latest research results and their potential therapeutic impact. Common to all chapters is the promise held out by newly cloned receptor subtypes of therapeutics with improved selectivity and potency. Also explored is the potential for novel therapeutics from a developing understanding of signal transduction. The diseases discussed range from affective disorders and Alzheimer's disease to Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia, as well as anxiety, panic disorders, stroke, epilepsy, and Huntington's disease.

Inhalt
1 • Schizophrenia Treatment Strategies.- 2 • Affective Disorders.- 3 • Anxiety and Panic Disorders.- 4 • Acute and Chronic Disease: Neurological Manifestations.- 5 • Opioids and the Control of Pain.- 6 • Epilepsy.- 7 • Neuroprotective Strategies for Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke.- 8 • Huntington's Disease.- 9 • Parkinson's Disease.- 10 • Alzheimer's Disease.