Arthur Saniotis

The Role of Dopamine in Schizophrenia from a Neurobiological and Evolutionary Perspective: Old Fashioned, but Still in Vogue

Dopamine is an inhibitory neurotransmitter involved in the pathology of schizophrenia. The revised dopamine hypothesis states that dopamine abnormalities in the mesolimbic and prefrontal brain regions exist in schizophrenia. However, recent research has indicated that glutamate, GABA, acetylcholine, and serotonin alterations are also involved in the pathology of schizophrenia. This review provides an in-depth analysis of dopamine in animal models of schizophrenia and also focuses on dopamine and cognition. Furthermore, this review provides not only an overview of dopamine receptors and the antipsychotic effects of treatments targeting them but also an outline of dopamine and its interaction with other neurochemical models of schizophrenia. The roles of dopamine in the evolution of the human brain and human mental abilities, which are affected in schizophrenia patients, are also discussed.

A systematic review of telecounselling and its effectiveness in managing depression amongst minority ethnic communities

Telecounselling – the provision of counselling services by telephone, videoconferencing or Internet media – can assist with disparities in the treatment and management of depression for minority ethnic groups. We therefore reviewed the evidence examining the effectiveness of telecounselling for this population. This involved a search of electronic databases, the grey literature and two peer-reviewed journals. Study quality was examined using the Oxford Centre for Evidence Based Medicine guidelines. Cohen’s d effect sizes were additionally calculated for between-study comparisons. The final sample comprised eight independent studies, with a total of 498 adults of Asian, African-American or Spanish origin. None of the studies met the criteria for the highest methodological rating (Level 1) and there were five studies at Level 2. Significant short-term treatment effects were associated with telephone- and Internet-mediated services, including moderate to large improvements across measures of depression, anxiety, quality of life and psychosocial functioning reported. Longer-term treatment effects were also reported, although these results were based on very limited data. The results highlight the need for additional rigorous research to determine the clinical efficacy of telecounselling as a treatment option for depression among minority communities.

Calretinin and parvalbumin in schizophrenia and affective disorders: a mini-review, a perspective on the evolutionary role of calretinin in schizophrenia, and a preliminary post-mortem study of calretinin in the septal nuclei

Objective: The septal nuclei are important limbic regions that are involved in emotional behavior and connect to various brain regions such as the habenular complex. Both the septal nuclei and the habenular complex are involved in the pathology of schizophrenia and affective disorders. Methods: We characterized the number and density of calretinin-immunoreactive neurons in the lateral, medial, and dorsal subregions of the septal nuclei in three groups of subjects: healthy control subjects (N = 6), patients with schizophrenia (N = 10), and patients with affective disorders (N = 6). Results: Our mini-review of the combined role of calretinin and parvalbumin in schizophrenia and affective disorders summarizes 23 studies. We did not observe significant differences in the numbers of calretinin-immunoreactive neurons or neuronal densities in the lateral, medial, and dorsal septal nuclei of patients with schizophrenia or patients with affective disorders compared to healthy control subjects. Conclusions: Most post-mortem investigations of patients with schizophrenia have indicated significant abnormalities of parvalbumin-immunoreactive neurons in various brain regions including the hippocampus, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the prefrontal cortex in schizophrenia. This study also provides an explanation from an evolutionary perspective for why calretinin is affected in schizophrenia.

“Messing with the mind”: evolutionary challenges to human brain augmentation

The issue of brain augmentation has received considerable scientific attention over the last two decades. A key factor to brain augmentation that has been widely overlooked are the complex evolutionary processes which have taken place in evolving the human brain to its current state of functioning. Like other bodily organs, the human brain has been subject to the forces of biological adaptation. The structure and function of the brain, is very complex and only now we are beginning to understand some of the basic concepts of cognition. Therefore, this article proposes that brain-machine interfacing and nootropics are not going to produce “augmented” brains because we do not understand enough about how evolutionary pressures have informed the neural networks which support human cognitive faculties.

How can evolutionary medicine inform future personalized medicine

Mutations are inevitable, they must be treated With the chemical instability of the DNA molecule it is inevitable that mutations occur. In the past, when the opportunity for natural selection was significant [3], many deleterious mutations were removed from the gene pool nearly as fast as they arose. At present, and looking to the future, in the situation of very significantly relaxed selection [4,5], mutations will be accumulating in the human gene pool. Numerous mutations will increase in proportion to the growing size of the human population [6]. This increase in the number and kinds of mutations presents a significant challenge to the future of medical practice. Eugenics, which aims at ‘purification’ of human genetic material has been thoroughly discredited during the 20th century. Thus, the only ethically acceptable approach in the future will be that of accepting the results of mutations as new forms of human physiology, immunology and anatomy, and their case-specific treatment. Since mutations are random changes in the genetic material, their most probable effect on the integrity of a human body is detrimental [7]. This poses a challenge for future personalized medicine because new variants of genetic material will have to be recognized and their, mostly detrimental, effects neutralized by case-specific treatments.

Integration of Nanobots Into Neural Circuits As a Future Therapy for Treating Neurodegenerative Disorders

Recent neuroscientific research demonstrates that the human brain is becoming altered by technological devices. Improvements in biotechnologies and computer based technologies are now increasing the likelihood for the development of brain augmentation devices in the next 20 years. We have developed the idea of an “Endomyccorhizae like interface” (ELI) nanocognitive device as a new kind of future neuroprosthetic which aims to facilitate neuronal network properties in individuals with neurodegenerative disorders. The design of our ELI may overcome the problems of invasive neuroprosthetics, post-operative inflammation, and infection and neuroprosthetic degradation. The method in which our ELI is connected and integrated to neuronal networks is based on a mechanism similar to endomyccorhizae which is the oldest and most widespread form of plant symbiosis. We propose that the principle of Endomyccorhizae could be relevant for developing a crossing point between the ELI and neuronal networks. Similar to endomyccorhizae the ELI will be designed to form webs, each of which connects multiple neurons together. The ELI will function to sense action potentials and deliver it to the neurons it connects to. This is expected to compensate for neuronal loss in some neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimers disease and Parkinsons disease.