Adult-onset methylmercury (MeHg) exposure is thought to result primarily in sensory and motor deficits but effects on learning are poorly understood. One mechanism by which chronic MeHg may exert its neurotoxicity is via sustained disruption of intracellular calcium homeostasis, with a consequent increase of intracellular Ca(2+) ions in vulnerable neurons. A biochemically heterogeneous group of...

Background and Purpose—Based on the results of animal experiments, clinical trials were performed with nimodipine, which did not demonstrate a beneficial effect on outcome after stroke. The aim of this study was to determine whether the evidence from animal experiments with nimodipine supported the use of nimodipine in clinical trials. Methods—We performed a systematic review of animal experime...

Calcium ions (Ca(2+)) play important roles in neuroplasticity and the regeneration of nerves. Intracellular Ca(2+) concentrations are regulated by Ca(2+) channels, among them L-type voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels, which are inhibited by dihydropyridines like nimodipine. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of nimodipine on neurite growth during development and regeneration. As...

OBJECTIVE To assess the cost-effectiveness ratio of nimodipine administration after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and surgery. METHODS One hundred twenty-seven patients of both sexes who had a ruptured aneurysm (verified using angiography), who presented with Hunt and Hess Grades I to III on admission, who underwent an operation within the first week after SAH, and who had particip...

Backgound and Purpose—The Very Early Nimodipine Use in Stroke (VENUS) trial was designed to test the hypothesis that early treatment with nimodipine has a positive effect on survival and functional outcome after stroke. This was suggested in a previous meta-analysis on the use of nimodipine in stroke. However, in a recent Cochrane review we were unable to reproduce these positive results. This ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The Intravenous Nimodipine West European Stroke Trial (INWEST) found a correlation between nimodipine-induced reduction in blood pressure (BP) and an unfavorable outcome in acute stroke. We sought to confirm this correlation with and without adjustment for prognostic variables and to investigate outcome in subgroups with increasing levels of BP reduction. METHODS Patien...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Nimodipine is a therapy that reduces morbidity and mortality in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), though the mechanisms by which it does so are not well understood. In a rabbit model of SAH, we studied the effects of nimodipine by using functional CT imaging. We hypothesized that the nimodipine treatment group would have (1) increased mean basilar artery diamet...

Nimodipine is a dihydropyridine calcium antagonist which has been shown to dilate cerebral arterioles and increase cerebral blood flow in animals and humans. It has potential in the treatment of a range of cerebrovascular disorders. Major interest to date, however, has focused on its use in the prevention and treatment of the delayed ischaemic neurological deficits that frequently occur in pati...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Evidence of drug efficacy in vascular dementia (VaD) is scanty. Therapeutic trials should address VaD subtypes. We studied the efficacy and safety of the calcium antagonist nimodipine in subcortical VaD. METHODS 242 patients defined as affected by subcortical VaD based on clinical (ICD-10) and computed tomography criteria were randomized to oral nimodipine 90 mg/d or pl...

There is experimental evidence that nimodipine, an L-type dihydropiridine calcium channel blocker with relatively high blood-brain barrier penetration, enhances the antinociceptive properties of morphine. We tested the hypothesis that oral nimodipine taken preoperatively and 6 hourly for 48 h postoperatively would reduce visual analog scale pain scores and morphine consumption in morphine-naive...