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A PROPOS DE LA PHARMACOLOGIE DES ANTIDEPRESSEURS (PHARMACOLOGIE COMPAREE DU MEFEXAMIDE ET DE L'IMIPRAMINE)
Author(s) -
Kurihara Masanao,
Nakajima Hiroshi
Publication year - 1966
Publication title -
psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1819
pISSN - 1323-1316
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1819.1966.tb00066.x
Subject(s) - imipramine , tetrabenazine , reserpine , pharmacology , psychology , psychotropic agent , medicine , psychiatry , dopamine , neuroscience , alternative medicine , pathology
S ummary A battery of laboratory tests was proposed for the purpose of examining antidepres‐sive properties of various psychotropic drugs. In this paper, the pharmacodynamic action of imipramine and mefexamide, a new antidepressive derivative of aryloxyacetic acid, was studied in reference to the biogenic amines, on the following items: 1. Antagonism to blephaloptosis due to reserpine (rabbit) and tetrabenazine (rat). 2. Potentiation of hyperthermia evoked by LSD‐25 and noradrenaline. 3. Effect on the convulsion threshold due to demegride under the influence of reserpine. 4. Modification of EEG. 5. Potentiation of narcosis. Pharmacodynamics of imipramine are fairly complex, and have some pharmacological similarities to the precursors of biogenic amines, such as DOPA and 5‐HTP in one aspect, and to various psychotropic drugs, such as amphetamine, cocaine, anti‐cholinergic drugs and phenothiazine derivatives, in other aspect. Although imipramine is one of the most effective antidepressive drugs, it causes some inconvenience as anxiety manic change of mood, neurological symptoms and so on. The pharmacological actions and clinical effects of mefexamide are limited compared with imipramine, but it was suggested that mefexamide can be used as an effective antidepressive drug in mild depressive patients, because of the lack of anxiety symptoms.