The Parasympathetic Nervous System in the Quest for Stroke Therapeutics
Open Access
- 2 March 2011
- journal article
- review article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism
- Vol. 31 (5), 1187-1195
- https://doi.org/10.1038/jcbfm.2011.24
Abstract
Stroke is a devastating neurovascular disease with limited therapeutic options. The pathogenesis of stroke involves complex interrelated molecular mechanisms including excitotoxicity, oxidative and nitrosative stress, cortical spreading depolarizations, inflammation, necrosis, and apoptosis. Successful development of stroke therapeutics depends on understanding these molecular mechanisms and how to counteract them to limit tissue damage during stroke. Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) has been shown to antagonize a multiplicity of pathologic mechanisms. Elements of parasympathetic activation such as vagus nerve stimulation have already been used successfully in treating brain disorders such as epilepsy and depression. This review discusses the anatomical basis and molecular mechanisms involved in activation of the PNS, and assesses the strength of available evidence for the further development of this modality into a stroke therapy.Keywords
This publication has 89 references indexed in Scilit:
- The Science of Stroke: Mechanisms in Search of TreatmentsNeuron, 2010
- Activation of N-Methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) Receptors in the Dorsal Vagal Complex Lowers Glucose ProductionPublished by Elsevier BV ,2010
- Endogenous Signaling through 7-Containing Nicotinic Receptors Promotes Maturation and Integration of Adult-Born Neurons in the HippocampusJournal of Neuroscience, 2010
- Norepinephrine Directly Activates Adult Hippocampal Precursors via β3-Adrenergic ReceptorsJournal of Neuroscience, 2010
- Regulation of hippocampal progenitor cell survival, proliferation and dendritic development by BDNFMolecular Neurodegeneration, 2009
- ACh receptors link two signaling pathways to neuroprotection against glutamate‐induced excitotoxicity in isolated RGCsJournal of Neurochemistry, 2009
- Update of the Stroke Therapy Academic Industry Roundtable Preclinical RecommendationsStroke, 2009
- Monoaminergic regulation of Sonic hedgehog signaling cascade expression in the adult rat hippocampusNeuroscience Letters, 2009
- Neuroprotection for ischemic stroke: Past, present and futureNeuropharmacology, 2008
- Presynaptic Melanocortin-4 Receptors on Vagal Afferent Fibers Modulate the Excitability of Rat Nucleus Tractus Solitarius NeuronsJournal of Neuroscience, 2008