Posted by linkadge on July 27, 2020, at 9:28:59
In reply to Re: Atomoxetine: NMDA receptor antagonist, posted by NKP on July 27, 2020, at 8:23:56
Yes, norepinephrine (in general) activates growth / protective factors in the brain (like nerve growth factor NGF and brain derived neurotrophic factor).
A few other things to keep in mind
1) Even if atomoxetine had some toxicity, tolerance to this effect may occur over time. For example, in rats you can prevent many of the the neurotoxic effects of high dise methamphetamine simply by increasing the dose more slowly.
https://www.nature.com/articles/1300247.pdf?origin=ppub
2) The study is looking at cells cultured in a dish. In the human brain, there would potentially by more protective factors (i.e. antioxidants) floating around. The study itself mentions that antioxidants could offset some of the effects seen with high doses.
3) This is not a 'disease model'. In other words, drugs may work differently in the brains of people who need them who may have biochemical abnormalities which the drugs ameliorate. For example, since starting atomoxetine, my sleep has improved quite a bit. Insomnia can be neurotoxic. Also, it feels like my brain is firing more rhythmically. Sure if norepinephrine becomes excessive, it may cause problems, but if the drug is normalizing the level of norepinephrine, this could actually lead to a net improvement.
Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:1111340
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20200711/msgs/1111410.html