Antiglucocorticoids in psychiatry

[Syntheso]

Antiglucocorticoids in psychiatry

 

Abstract

Significant evidence has accrued suggesting that the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis plays a role in some psychiatric disorders. This article reviews the physiology of the HPA axis, evidence of dysfunction in this axis in psychiatric illnesses and the role that this dysfunction might play in pharmacological treatment resistance. Future therapeutic strategies that may potentially arise from these researches are briefly outlined.

 

 

 

 

http://apt.rcpsych.org/content/15/4/242.full

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Antiglucocorticoids, neurogenesis and depression.

 

Abstract

Recent evidence suggests that antiglucocorticoids, like conventional antidepressants, may recover depressive symptoms by boosting hippocampal neurogenesis. Here, we explore several possible antiglucocorticoid-based antidepressive therapeutic strategies. Firstly, we review specific glucocorticoid receptor/antagonist interactions. Secondly, we discuss a potential new therapeutic target, doublecortin-like kinase, which regulates glucocorticoid signaling in neuronal progenitor cells.

 

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19200029