willytheg

Neuralstem: Wall Street Analyst Forum Presentation Transcript

I would like to comment on the role dopmine plays as an anti-depressant rather than its use in treating Parkinson's disease. The US is awash in serotonergics and noradrenergics so why no dopaminergics/ Does the FDA consider them too close to "street drugs"? I believe cocaine is actually a dopaminergic in that it inhibits the re-uptake of dopamine. Amphetamine on the other hand increases the amount of dopamine produced. The net result, in either case, is more bio-available dopamine. The effect of this greater availability of dopamine is characterized by greater focus, initiative, and vitality. That sounds like a pretty good goal for an anti-depressant if it could be achieved without the addictive considerations of tolerance and abuse.

Europe, as usual, seems to be far ahead of the US in developing an effective anti-depressant that takes advantage of dopamine's anti-depressant properties. They have an alternative to the SSRIs and SNRIs that are virtually the only choice most Americans suffering from depression have. Amineptine has been used widely throughout the EU for years and it now has a more refined sibling tianeptine-marketed as Stablon. Both of these medications allow more bio-available dopamine without the concerns around abuse. They seem to have some of the properties that a MAO inhibitor would have and some of the properties of a true dopaminergic. I have yet to find out why neither of these are available in the United States.

I am neither an MD nor a neurochemist so if someone with those credentials can dispute any of these assertions, by all means, feel free. I have, however, researched this topic pretty extensively.
wgs