title: Neurochemical psychiatry as a source of hypotheses concerning the role of homeostatic mechanisms in brain function.
abstract: Numerous homeostatic mechanisms regulate impulse traffic in the neural pathways of the brain. If, for whatever reason, these mechanisms are unable to maintain neural activity within normal levels, the resulting disruption of the balance of impulse traffic produces brain dysfunction such as mental or neurological disorders. Drug treatment of these disorders involves the use of agents that return impulse traffic to homeostatic levels. Such agents have been found only for certain disorders such as Parkinson's Disease, certain affective disorders and some aspects of schizophrenia. The development of therapeutic interventions for currently untreatable conditions such as Huntington's Chorea or Alzheimer's Disease and the design of drugs for the more efficient treatment of psychiatric disorders, would be greatly facilitated by more detailed knowledge of the specific homeostatic mechanisms controlling brain function.
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D002450:Cell Communication; D003704:Dementia / Q000503:physiopathology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D009410:Nerve Degeneration; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000502:physiology*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000502:physiology; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission
chemical_list: D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine