Viewpoints:

Dispatches from the Frontlines of Research - edited by John W. Nelson

Swapnil Sonkusare, Mony Fraer, James D. Marsh, and Nancy J. Rusch

Disrupting Calcium Channel Expression To Lower Blood Pressure: New Targeting of a Well-Known Channel
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 304-310. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Daniel S. McGehee

Nicotinic and Opioid Receptor Interactions in Nicotine Addiction
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 311-314. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

R E V I E W S:

Linda K. Friedman

CALCIUM: A Role for Neuroprotection and Sustained Adaptation
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 315-329. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Sustained calcium (Ca²⁺) influx, as mediated by glutamate receptors, leads to elevated stimulation of a variety of signaling pathways that can impair neuronal respiration and eventually kill neurons. Indeed, glutamate-dependent increases in Ca²⁺ are thought to represent a common underpinning of neuronal cell death associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as epilepsy, hypoxia-ischemia, hypoglycemia, Alzheimer Disease, and schizophrenia. Recent evidence, however, indicates that under numerous conditions calcium can prevent neurons from dying. Experimental models of epilepsy and of ischemia show that protection of neurons appears to depend upon the age of the animal, the amount and route of calcium elevation, timing of initial insults, and brain regions involved. This review discusses findings on the protective signaling role of calcium under a wide range of pathological conditions.

Qun-Yong Zhou

The Prokineticins: A NOVEL PAIR OF REGULATORY PEPTIDES
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 330-338. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Snake venoms and skin secretions from frogs are rich sources of biologically active regulatory peptides. Two such peptides—MIT1, from a snake venom, and Bv8, from a frog secretion—have led to the discovery of mammalian analogs that regulate a broad range of physiological activities. The prokineticins are a pair of regulatory peptides that control circadian output from the brain in adults as well as development of the embryonic brain. Correspondingly, two G protein–coupled receptors have been identified that interact with the two prokineticins to support diverse routes of physiological signaling. Intriguingly, the various transcriptional machineries that are recruited for the expression of the prokineticins may themselves help to determine the peptides’ ultimate physiological role. In addition to their fascinating biology, the prokineticins may offer insights into the pharmacological regulation of diverse processes, such as sleep, digestion, and reproduction.

Peter W. Kalivas, Jamie Peters, and Lori Knackstedt

Animal Models and Brain Circuits in Drug Addiction
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 339-344. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Construed as a pathology of motivation and learning, addiction challenges behavioral pharmacologists to explain some of the most complex facets of human behavior. It is therefore remarkable that animal models have been employed with great success in elucidating behavioral components of addiction as well as the neurocircuitry that underlies addictive behaviors. Pharmacological manipulation of animal models, genetic technologies, neuroimaging, and clinical evaluations are being synthesized into a very meaningful, albeit incomplete, picture of addiction as an adaptation of neural activities in the brain. An understanding of brain neurocircuitry and its manipulation by pharmacological agents offers promise for the treatment of addiction.

D E P A R T M E N T S:

Speaking of Pharmacology:

Nigel Shankley, Bryan F. Cox, and Laurence L. Brunton

Who’s Afraid of Ligand–Macromolecule Interactions in Complex Physiological Systems?
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 296-299. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Reflections:

Science in the cultural context

Scott Vrecko

FOLK NEUROLOGY and the REMAKING of IDENTITY
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 300-303. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Beyond the Bench:

Representations of pharmacology and science in the media

Dan Collinge and John W. Nelson

Holiday Music Round-Up
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 345-347. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Net Results:

Sites of interest on the World Wide Web

Sites of interest on the World Wide Web—edited by David Roman
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 348. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Outliers:

Cartoon

Outliers
Mol. Interv. 2006 6: 356. [Full Text] [PDF]  

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