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Biomedical subjects

E D London

Publications and source records attributed to E D London.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Pharmacological evaluation of [11C]A-84543: an enantioselective ligand for in vivo studies of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

[11C]A-84543, 3-[(1-[11C]methyl-2(S)-pyrrolidinyl)methoxy]pyridine, is a specific and enantioselective neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) radiotracer. The in vivo biodistribution of this radiotracer in mice showed high brain uptake and a distribution consistent with the density of nAChRs. Highest uptake was observed in the thalamus (9.6 %ID/g), cortex (9.9 %ID/g), superior colliculus (7.6 %ID/g) and hippocampus (7.6 %ID/g) at 5 min followed by clearance. As a measure of specificity, the thalamus/cerebellar ratio reached a maximum of 2.3 at 30 min post-injection. Radioactivity in the thalamus and superior colliculus was reduced by 33% by pre-administration of unlabeled A-84543. The nAChR agonists (-)nicotine, cytisine, and (+) epibatidine reduced the radioactivity due to [11C]A-84543 in the superior colliculus by 41%, 38%, and 27%, respectively, while lobeline, which also interacts with central nAChRs, produced a 24% inhibition. The noncompetitive nAChR ligand, mecamylamine displayed no inhibitory effect on [11C]A-84543 accumulation in any brain region. Ketanserin (5-HT2/5-HT2C), scopolamine (mAChR antagonist), (+)butaclamol (DA receptor antagonist), and haloperidol (D2/sigma) also displayed no inhibitory effect in any brain region studied. With the pharmacologically less active enantiomer, 3-[(1-[11C]methyl-2(R)-pyrrolidinyl)methoxy] pyridine, high brain uptake was also observed, but with a low thalamus/cerebellar ratio of 1.4 at 30 min post-injection. [11C]A-84543 displays enantioselectivity for nAChRs and may deserve further investigation as a possible PET radiotracer.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

In vivo imaging of brain nicotinic acetylcholine receptors with 5-[123I]iodo-A-85380 using single photon emission computed tomography.

The distribution and kinetics of 5-[123I]iodo-A-85380, a novel ligand for brain nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs), were evaluated in the Rhesus monkey using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Peak levels of radioactivity were measured in brain at 90 min after injection of the tracer. Accumulation of radioactivity was highest in the thalamus, intermediate in the frontal cortex and basal ganglia, and lowest in the cerebellum. The ratio of specific to nonspecific binding (V3") in the thalamus, estimated from the (thalamic-cerebellar)/cerebellar radioactivity ratio, reached a value of 6 at 4 h post-injection. Specific binding was reduced by subcutaneous injection of 1 mg/kg cytisine at 2.25 h after injection of radiotracer. At 2.5 h after cytisine administration, radioactivity in the thalamus was reduced by 84%, in the frontal cortex, by 76%, and in the basal ganglia, by 57% of the level measured at the time of cytisine administration, demonstrating that the binding was reversible. On the basis of these findings, together with other data indicating high affinity, receptor subtype selectivity, low nonspecific binding and lack of toxicity in animals, 5-[123I]iodo-A-85380 appears to be a promising ligand for SPECT imaging of nAChRs in the human brain.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Smaller volume of prefrontal lobe in polysubstance abusers: a magnetic resonance imaging study.

The present study was conducted to test the hypothesis that individuals with substance abuse disorder exhibit structural deficits in the prefrontal cortex. Volumes of the prefrontal lobe in subjects with histories of polysubstance abuse (n = 25) were measured and compared with those in normal volunteers (n = 14), using high-resolution volumetric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The research participants were men, 22 to 41 years of age. Polysubstance abusers were abstinent from drugs of abuse (except nicotine) for at least 15 days before MRI scanning. The total volumes of the prefrontal lobe (left and right hemispheres) were significantly smaller in the substance abuse group than in the control group. When the prefrontal lobe was segmented for gray and white matter, the deficit in the substance abusers was seen as significantly smaller volumes of gray but not of white matter. These results indicate that hypoplasia and/or atrophy in the prefrontal cortex accompany substance abuse and suggest that structural deficits in the prefrontal cortex may play an essential role in the neuropathological basis of functional impairments in substance abuse disorder, as demonstrated by functional brain imaging and cognitive studies.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Effect of cocaine-related environmental stimuli on the spontaneous electroencephalogram in polydrug abusers.

Relationships between the spontaneous electroencephalogram (EEG), self-reports of cocaine craving, and cerebral glucose metabolism, determined using 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose and positron emission tomography, were assessed during the presentation of either neutral or cocaine-related environmental stimuli. In cocaine users but not non-drug-abusing controls, EEG power in the alpha1 and alpha2 frequency bands was significantly lowered during presentation of the drug-related stimuli when compared with the neutral test session. Decreases in alpha1 power were negatively correlated with increases in global glucose metabolism but were not correlated with either the time course or the magnitude of craving throughout the 30-min test session. Although EEG desynchronization is related to global brain metabolism, the difference in the time courses between EEG power and craving suggests that self-reports of cue-elicited cocaine craving do not simply reflect increases in the state of cortical arousal.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

2-[18F]Fluoro-A-85380, an in vivo tracer for the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

The in vivo brain regional distribution of 2-[18F]fluoro-A-85380, a novel tracer for positron emission tomographic (PET) studies, followed the regional densities of brain nAChRs reported in the literature. Evidence of binding to nAChRs and high specificity of the binding in vivo was demonstrated by inhibition with nAChR selective ligands as well as with unlabeled 2-fluoro-A-85380. A preliminary toxicology study of the 2-fluoro-A-85380 showed a relatively low biological effect. 2-[18F]Fluoro-A-85380 holds promise as a useful radiotracer for imaging of nAChRs with PET.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Neuroprotection from focal ischemia by 4-phenyl-1-(4-phenylbutyl) piperidine (PPBP) is dependent on treatment duration in rats.

UNLABELLED: The IV administration of the potent sigma1-receptor ligand 4-phenyl-1-(4-phenylbutyl)piperidine (PPBP) provides neuroprotection against focal cerebral ischemia. We tested the hypothesis that prolonged, continuous administration of PPBP would provide further neuroprotection in a rat model of transient focal ischemia and reperfusion. Under controlled conditions of normoxia, normocarbia, and normothermia, halothane-anesthetized male Wistar rats were subjected to 2 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion by the intraluminal occlusion technique. Sixty minutes after the onset of ischemia, rats were randomly assigned to six treatment groups to receive a continuous IV infusion of PPBP (1 micromol . kg(-1). h(-1) for 1, 2, 3, or 4 days or saline for 1 or 4 days. The infarction volume was assessed by triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TFC) staining on Day 4 after ischemia in all rats. The TTC-determined infarction volume of the ipsilateral cerebral cortex was smaller in rats treated with PPBP for 1 day (42+/-13 mm3; 10%+/-3% of ipsilateral hemisphere; P < 0.05) (mean+/-SEM) compared with that in corresponding 1-day control rats (124+/-22 mm; 29%+/-5% of ipsilateral hemisphere; P < 0.05) or 4-day control rats (112+/-10 mm; 26%+/-2% of ipsilateral hemisphere; P < 0.05). Cortical infarction volumes in 2-, 3-, and 4-day PPBP-treated rats were not different compared with 1- and 4-day saline-treated controls. These data demonstrate that the sigma1(-receptor ligand PPBP attenuates ischemic injury when administration is initiated 60 min after the onset of focal ischemia but that prolonged continuous treatment with PPBP beyond 24 h provides no neuroprotection. IMPLICATIONS: sigma-Ligands decrease infarction size in various animal models when given after the onset of stroke. Prolonged treatment with a potent sigma-ligand is associated with loss of therapeutic efficacy for this compound.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Gender-linked brain injury in experimental stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Premenopausal women are at lower risk than men for stroke, but the comparative vulnerability to tissue injury once a cerebrovascular incident occurs is unknown. We hypothesized that female rats sustain less brain damage than males during experimental focal ischemia and that the gender difference in ischemic outcome can be eliminated by ovariectomy. METHODS: Age-matched male (M), intact female (F), and ovariectomized female (O; plasma estradiol: 4.1+/-1.6 pg/mL compared with 7.4+/-1.5 in F and 4.0+/-1.1 in M) rats from two different strains, normotensive Wistar and stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats, were subjected to 2 hours of intraluminal middle cerebral artery occlusion, followed by 22 hours of reperfusion. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was monitored throughout the ischemic period by laser-Doppler flowmetry. Infarction volume in the cerebral cortex (Ctx) and caudoputamen (CP) was determined by 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. In a separate cohort of M, F, and O Wistar rats, absolute rates of regional CBF were measured at the end of the ischemic period by quantitative autoradiography using [14C]iodoantipyrine. RESULTS: F rats of either strain had a smaller infarct size in Ctx and CP and a higher laser-Doppler flow during ischemia compared with respective M and O rats. Mean end-ischemic CBF was higher in F compared with M and O rats in CP, but not in Ctx. Cerebrocortical tissue volume with end-ischemic CBF < 10 mL/100 g/min was smaller in F than M rats, but not different from O rats. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that endogenous estrogen improves stroke outcome during vascular occlusion by exerting both neuroprotective and flow-preserving effects.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

The neuropsychiatry of chronic cocaine abuse.

This review integrates findings from neuropsychological, PET, and MRI studies in human subjects and neurochemical findings in animals to make inferences about neuropsychiatric consequences of chronic abuse of cocaine. It also aims to develop insights into brain-behavioral relationships that may explain the perpetuation of addictive behaviors. Such insights promise to lead to a better understanding of the neuropsychiatry of cocaine abuse and to promote the development of more efficacious treatments. The authors present evidence suggesting that cocaine abusers have specific dysfunction of executive functions (decision making, judgment) and that this behavior is associated with dysfunction of specific prefrontal brain regions, the orbitofrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate gyrus. Suggestions for future research and treatment are also discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Potent sigma1-receptor ligand 4-phenyl-1-(4-phenylbutyl) piperidine modulates basal and N-methyl-D-aspartate-evoked nitric oxide production in vivo.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: final sigma-Receptor ligands ameliorate ischemic neuronal injury and modulate neuronal responses to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor stimulation. Because NMDA-evoked synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) may play an important role in excitotoxic-mediated injury, we tested the hypothesis that final sigma-receptor ligands attenuate basal and NMDA-evoked NO production in the striatum in vivo. METHODS: Microdialysis probes were placed bilaterally into the striatum of halothane-anesthetized adult Wistar rats. Rats were divided into 7 treatment groups and perfused with artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) containing 3 micromol/L [14C]L-arginine for 2 to 3 hours followed by NMDA in various combinations with the following drugs: L-nitroarginine (L-NNA); the final sigma1-receptor ligand 4-phenyl-1-(4-phenylbutyl) piperidine (PPBP); the selective final sigma1-receptor antagonist 1-(cyclopropylmethyl)-4-(2'-oxoethyl) piperidine hydrobromide (DuP 734); and the noncompetitive NMDA receptor blocker MK-801 in aCSF. Right-left differences between [14C]L-citrulline in the effluent from rats treated with different drug combinations were assumed to reflect differences in NO production. RESULTS: After a 3-hour loading period with [14C]L-arginine, addition of 1 mmol/L NMDA increased [14C]L-citrulline recovery compared with aCSF alone. This NMDA-evoked increase was inhibited by 1 mmol/L of L-NNA and PPBP. Perfusion of 1 mmol/L of the final sigma1-receptor antagonist DuP 734 with 1 mmol/L PPBP augmented NMDA-evoked [14C]L-citrulline recovery compared with perfusion with PPBP and NMDA. MK-801 attenuated the basal as well as NMDA-evoked [14C]L-citrulline recovery. PPBP did not cause any further attenuation in the basal and NMDA-evoked [14C]L-citrulline recovery in the presence of MK-801. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that a final sigma1-receptor ligand attenuates basal as well as NMDA-evoked NO production. Because the attenuated NO production was reversed by DuP 734, PPBP appears to act as an agonist at the final sigma1-receptor. Attenuated NO production by final sigma1-receptor agonists provides one possible mechanism for focal ischemic neuroprotection.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Assessment of neurotoxicity from potential medications for drug abuse: ibogaine testing and brain imaging.

New technologies utilized for monitoring brain function can be more sensitive in the assessment of desired or undesired pharmacological effects than can clinical examination. Nonetheless, careful case-by-case analysis is required to determine to what extent a change detected with a sensitive imaging modality will have clinical significance. Whereas in some instances the technology may suggest a subclinical condition years before clinical signs develop, in other instances changes seen may be compensated for through system reserves, redundancy, or plasticity. Furthermore, simultaneous application of several assay instruments, including behavioral, electrophysiological, and nuclear medicine approaches, may be appropriate and useful for establishing correlations between changes in specific aspects of brain function and amelioration of a disease (drug abuse disorder) or its sequelae. In the example of ibogaine, a testing strategy was developed to assess human subjects for possible changes in cerebellar function (that were suggested by preclinical findings indicating subtle damage). Thus, subjects may be tested for subclinical alterations during and immediately following a clinical trial. This "harbinger of toxicity" approach would provide clinicians the critical data necessary for appropriate follow-up of subjects as well as the propriety of continuance of the clinical trials within the ibogaine project.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Further in vivo studies on attenuating morphine withdrawal: isoform-selective nitric oxide synthase inhibitors differ in efficacy.

The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-nitric oxide (NO) pathway has been linked to opiate withdrawal. Pretreatments with four inhibitors of NO synthase, 7-nitro indazole, 3-bromo-7-nitro indazole, S-methyl-L-thiocitrulline and aminoguanidine, which exhibit different isoform selectivity in vitro, were evaluated for their ability to attenuate signs of naloxone-precipitated morphine withdrawal. In separate experiments, effects of NO synthase inhibitors on blood pressure were measured in naive and morphine-dependent rats. 7-Nitro indazole, 3-bromo-7-nitro indazole and S-methyl-L-thiocitrulline, which are specific inhibitors of the constitutive isoforms, produced dose-dependent reductions of several signs of withdrawal. Blood pressure was unaffected by the indazoles, whereas S-methyl-L-thiocitrulline produced a strong vasoconstrictor response. Aminoguanidine, which selectively inhibits inducible NO synthase, reduced fewer signs of opioid withdrawal, had a lower relative potency and exhibited no vasopressor activity. These data suggest that constitutive isoforms, but not the inducible isoform of NO synthase, have a primary role in NO-mediated processes that modulate the opioid withdrawal syndrome in the rat.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1997

[125/123I]IPH: a radioiodinated analog of epibatidine for in vivo studies of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

Tomographic imaging of central nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) via single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) has been hampered by the lack of a radioligand with suitable in vivo binding characteristics. Therefore, a novel analog of epibatidine, (+/-)-exo-2-(2-iodo-5-pyridyl)-7-azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane (IPH), labeled with [(125)I] or [(123)I] was evaluated as an in vivo marker of central nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). [(125)I]IPH showed substantial brain penetration (4.2% of the injected dose at 30 min) and a cerebral biodistribution in mice consistent with the in vivo labeling of nAChRs (% injected dose/gram of thalamus, superior colliculi >> cerebellum). [(125)I]IPH binding sites were shown to be saturable with unlabeled IPH (ED50 approximately 1 microg/kg). The uptake of [(125)I]IPH was blocked significantly by the nicotinic agonists, cytisine, lobeline, and (-)-nicotine, but not by the noncompetitive nAChR antagonist, mecamylamine. Antagonists of muscarinic (scopolamine), serotonin (ketanserin), and opioid (naloxone) receptors had no significant effect on [(125)I]IPH binding. A preliminary SPECT imaging study with [(123)I]IPH in a baboon showed [(123)I]IPH to localize in nAChR-rich areas of brain (thalamus > frontal cortex > cerebellum). [(123)I]IPH binding in baboon brain was also displaced (35-45% displacement) by a challenge dose of cytisine showing that a well-characterized nicotinic agonist effectively competes for [(123)I]IPH binding sites. [(123)I]IPH seems well suited for imaging studies of nAChRs and, to our knowledge, is the first SPECT agent that has allowed for the visualization of nAChRs in primate brain.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Sex difference in up-regulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in rat brain.

This study tested for sex differences in the effects of chronic nicotine administration and withdrawal on nicotinic acetylcholine receptor binding in brain. Rats received nicotine (0.6 mg/kg, s.c.) or saline once daily for 15 days, and were sacrificed 1 or 20 days after termination of treatment. Saturation studies of nAChR binding were performed using [3H]cytisine as the radioligand in whole brain minus cerebellum taken from animals in the chronic treatment groups and from naive rats. Male but not female rats that received chronic nicotine had higher receptor densities than corresponding control groups; up-regulation of nAChR was not seen 20 days after withdrawal. Furthermore, in groups that showed no up-regulation (controls and rats withdrawn for 20 days), nAChR densities were higher in female rats than males. The findings underscore the importance of sex differences in pharmacological responses as well as in basal neurochemical parameters.

Alkaloids↗
PubMed1997

Postischemic brain injury is affected stereospecifically by pentazocine in rats.

We tested whether rats treated with the sigma1-receptor ligand, (+)-pentazocine, during transient focal ischemia would have a smaller volume of postischemic brain infarction than rats treated with the nonspecific opioid-receptor ligand (-)-pentazocine. Rats underwent focal cerebral ischemia using the filament occlusion technique for 2 h, followed by 22 h of reperfusion. Rats received (+) or (-)-pentazocine (n = 9 each group) at a dose of 2 mg x kg(-1) x h(-1) by continuous intravenous infusion from 1 h of ischemia to 22 h of reperfusion. Triphenyltetrazolium-determined infarction volume of ipsilateral striatum ([+]-pentazocine, 19 +/- 4 mm3, mean +/- SEM; [-]-pentazocine, 44 +/- 5 mm3) and cerebral cortex ([+]-pentazocine, 26 +/- 12 mm3; [-]-pentazocine, 134 +/- 29 mm3) was smaller in rats treated with (+) compared with (-)-pentazocine. Infarction volume in rats treated with (-)-pentazocine was also very similar to the infarction volume in saline-treated control rats from our previous study (striatum 44 +/- 4 mm3; hemisphere 136 +/- 27 mm3). These data indicate that sigma1-receptors may play an important role in the mechanism of injury both in cortex and striatum after 2 h of transient focal ischemia in rat.

Analgesics, Opioid↗
PubMed1997

Cerebral glucose utilization is reduced in second test session.

Cerebral glucose utilization was higher during the first positron emission tomography (PET) session than during the second session, as assayed using the PET [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose method in male human volunteers. This difference was due largely to data from subjects with low-trait anxiety, since subjects with high anxiety showed similar metabolism in both PET sessions. High-anxiety subjects showed greater right/ left ratios of cerebral metabolism than low-anxiety subjects, particularly during the second PET session. These findings suggest that the level of anxiety may be an important variable to consider in PET studies using multiple sessions.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

[125I]IPH, an epibatidine analog, binds with high affinity to neuronal nicotinic cholinergic receptors.

An analog of epibatidine (EB) was synthesized with an iodine atom in the 2 position of the pyridyl ring. This analog, (+/-)-exo-2-(2-iodo-5-pyridyl)-7-azabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane (IPH), as well as its two stereoisomers, displayed high affinity for neuronal nicotinic receptors; therefore, radioiodinated IPH, [125I]IPH, was synthesized with specific radioactivities consistently > 1000 Ci/mmol, and its properties as a radioligand for neuronal nicotinic receptors were evaluated. The characteristics of [125I]IPH binding in tissue homogenates appeared to be virtually identical to those reported for [3H]epibatidine binding; but the high specific radioactivity of [125I]IPH greatly facilitated measurements of nicotinic receptors in tissues with relatively low receptor densities and/or where tissues are in limited supply. Autoradiography with [125I]IPH provided clear localization of nicotinic receptors in brain and adrenal gland after film exposure times of < or = 2 days. We conclude that [125I]IPH will be a very useful radioligand for the study of neuronal nicotinic receptors in brain and in peripheral ganglia.

Animals↗