title: Pharmacology in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania: From historical roots to nowadays achievements.
abstract: This Info article offers an overview on the main historical facts and the current perspectives of the scientific and educational competence in field of pharmacology in three European countries on Baltic sea East coast: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The research areas have changed constantly due to economical and political reasons during the last 200 years and today do cover quite different pharmacological areas in each of Baltic countries and are recognized internationally. Today the main topics of studies in Estonia are the pharmacology of neurodegenerative diseases, mood disorders and brain plasticity; the role of mitochondria in neurodegenerative diseases, and the epigenetics of drug dependence. In Latvia, the primary research areas include molecular, neuropharmacology, particularly search for novel medicines capable to halt neurodegenerative diseases as well as cardiovascular pharmacology. In Lithuania the main focus is on clinical pharmacology, rational use of drugs, pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomy, in experimental pharmacology on regenerative medicine and nephropharmacology. All three countries have their own active Societies of Pharmacology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia. Electronic address: baiba.jansone@lu.lv.
authors.forename: Baiba
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jansone
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biomedicine and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia. Electronic address: malle.kuum@ut.ee.
authors.forename: Malle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuum
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physiology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, Lithuania. Electronic address: romaldasmaciulaitis@vvkt.lt.
authors.forename: Romaldas
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maciulaitis
mesh_terms: D004957:Estonia; D006801:Humans; D007844:Latvia; D008097:Lithuania; D010600:Pharmacology / Q000193:education*
keywords: Editorial; Estonia; Latvia and Lithuania