title: Psychopharmacological Studies in Mice.
abstract: Since 1998, when the laboratory of Medicinal Pharmacology was established in the Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University, I have been interested in psychopharmacological research topics. During this period, we identified a number of novel regulatory mechanisms that control the prefrontal dopamine system through functional interaction between serotonin1A and dopamine D2 receptors or between serotonin1A and σ1 receptors. Our findings suggest that strategies that enhance the prefrontal dopamine system may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. We also found that environmental factors during development strongly impact the psychological state in adulthood. Furthermore, we clarified the pharmacological profiles of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitors donepezil, galantamine, and rivastigmine, providing novel insights into their mechanisms of action. Finally, we developed the female encounter test, a novel method for evaluating motivation in mice. This simple method should help advance future psychopharmacological research. In this review, we summarize the major findings obtained from our recent studies in mice.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Medicinal Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Osaka University.
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsuda
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D000818:Animals; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000077265:Donepezil; D004298:Dopamine / Q000502:physiology*; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000639:trends; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D005702:Galantamine; D007189:Indans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D051379:Mice / Q000523:psychology*; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D009042:Motivation; D010880:Piperidines; D011600:Psychopharmacology / Q000639:trends; D051381:Rats; D044282:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A / Q000502:physiology; D044346:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1D / Q000502:physiology; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000502:physiology; D012106:Research; D000068836:Rivastigmine
chemical_list: D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D007189:Indans; D010880:Piperidines; D044346:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1D; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D005702:Galantamine; D044282:Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A; D000077265:Donepezil; D000068836:Rivastigmine; D004298:Dopamine