Emerging evidence implicates epigenetic modifications not only in normal brain function, but also in neuropsychiatric

disorders. This review focuses on recent findings that disruption of chromatin modifications have a major role in the neurodegeneration associated with ischemic stroke and epilepsy. Although these disorders differ in Selleckchem TPX-0005 their underlying causes and pathophysiology, they share a common feature, in that each disorder activates the gene silencing transcription factor REST (repressor element 1 silencing transcription factor), which orchestrates epigenetic remodeling of a subset of ‘transcriptionally responsive targets’ OSI-744 supplier implicated in neuronal death. Although ischemic insults activate REST in selectively vulnerable neurons in the hippocampal CA1, seizures activate REST in CA3 neurons destined to die. Profiling the array of genes that are epigenetically dysregulated in response to neuronal insults is likely to advance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of these

disorders and may lead to the identification of novel therapeutic strategies for the amelioration of these serious human conditions. Neuropsychopharmacology Reviews (2013) 38, 167-182; doi:10.1038/npp.2012.134; published online 15 August 2012″
“The empirical literature on human cooperation contains studies of communitarian institutions that govern the provision of public goods and management of common property resources in poor countries. Scholars studying those institutions have frequently used the Prisoners’ Dilemma game as their theoretical tool-kit. But neither the provision of local public goods nor the management of local common property resources involves the Prisoners’ Dilemma. That has implications for our reading of communitarian institutions. By applying a fundamental result in the theory of repeated games to a

model of local common property resources, it is shown that communitarian institutions can harbour exploitation of fellow members, something that would not be possible in societies where cooperation amounts to overcoming the Prisoners’ Dilemma. The conclusion we should draw is that exploitation RANTES can masquerade as cooperation. (c) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Substantial increases in body weight can be induced by several antipsychotic drugs, most notably olanzapine and clozapine. Antagonism at certain receptors, particularly 5-HT2C and histamine H1 receptors, is implicated in this effect.

We have investigated the contribution of effects at these receptors to olanzapine-induced weight gain occurring over 5 days following daily intraperitoneal drug injections in groups of eight female rats.