title: Targeting voltage-gated calcium channels in neurological and psychiatric diseases.
abstract: Voltage-gated calcium channels are important regulators of brain, heart and muscle functions, and their dysfunction can give rise to pathophysiological conditions ranging from cardiovascular disorders to neurological and psychiatric conditions such as epilepsy, pain and autism. In the nervous system, calcium channel blockers have been used successfully to treat absence seizures, and are emerging as potential therapeutic avenues for pathologies such as pain, Parkinson disease, addiction and anxiety. This Review provides an overview of calcium channels as drug targets for nervous system disorders, and discusses potential challenges and opportunities for the development of new clinically effective calcium channel inhibitors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary T2N 4N1, Canada.
authors.forename: Gerald W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Zamponi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008959:Models, Neurological; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; D015220:Calcium Channels