α7 Nicotinic Receptor Agonists as Potential Therapeutic Drugs for Schizophrenia

Title: α7 Nicotinic Receptor Agonists as Potential Therapeutic Drugs for Schizophrenia

Volume: 5 Issue: 3

Author(s): Kenji Hashimoto, Kaori Koike, Eiji Shimizu and Masaomi Iyo

Affiliation:

Keywords: a nicotinic receptors, auditory gating, sensory gating, cognition, schizophrenia

Abstract: Deficient inhibitory processing of the P50 auditory evoked potential is a measurable marker observed in schizophrenia. Several lines of evidence suggest that α7 nicotinic receptors (α7 nAChRs) play a critical role in P50 auditory sensory gating in the human brain. Similar to schizophrenic patients, DBA/2 mice spontaneously exhibit a deficit in inhibitory processing of the P20-N40 auditory evoked potential, which is a rodent analogue of the human P50 auditory evoked potential. Agonists at α7 nAChRs improve deficient inhibitory processing of the P20-N40 auditory gating potential in DBA/2 mice. In this article, we review the role of α7 nAChRs in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, and α7 nAChR agonists and indirect agonists (5-hydroxytryptamine-3 (5-HT3) receptor antagonists, positive allosteric modulators (galantamine, 5-hydroxyindole, PNU-120596), FK960, FR236924) at α7 nAChRs as potential therapeutic drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia. In addition, we also discuss the role of kynurenic acid as an endogenous antagonist of α7 nAChRs in brain.

Cite this article as:

Hashimoto Kenji, Koike Kaori, Shimizu Eiji and Iyo Masaomi, α7 Nicotinic Receptor Agonists as Potential Therapeutic Drugs for Schizophrenia, Current Medicinal Chemistry - Central Nervous System Agents 2005; 5 (3) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1568015054863828