Central noradrenergic neurones and the mechanism of general anaesthesia Modern anaesthetics are, in the main, safe and predictable in their use, and highly ef®cient. Moreover, it could be argued that without these properties major advances in surgical practice, so often highlighted in the media, could not have taken place. However, as an example of pharmacology, the production of the anaestheti...

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is thought to control activity in the noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC). Prior anatomical and stimulation studies demonstrated potential for PFC-LC interactions; however, it unknown what types of PFC affect LC. Here, we show that transient increases high ? power associated changes unit-pair synchrony are a sign top-down over

BR-16A is a herbal preparation with several putative psychotropic effects. Recent work has suggested that it facilities certain aspects of cognition and that it ameliorates ECT-induced amnesia in animal models. The present study sought to assess whether it affects noradrenergic and dopaminergic functioning in the central nervous system. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats received BR-16A (200mg/kg) ...

The noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist phencyclidine (PCP) and the neuronal cannabinoid receptor agonist delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are two agents shown to have psychotomimetic properties in humans. Both drugs increase dopamine release and utilization in the prefrontal cortex, a brain region thought to be dysfunctional in schizophrenia. In the present series of studies, the effects ...