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Cecilio Alamo

Bio: Cecilio Alamo is an academic researcher from University of Alcalá. The author has contributed to research in topics: Depression (differential diagnoses) & Antidepressant. The author has an hindex of 27, co-authored 171 publications receiving 2995 citations.


Papers
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TL;DR: The present work reviews, from a historical perspective, the entire process that led to the discovery of these drugs, as well as their contribution to the development of the neuroscientific disciplines.
Abstract: The 1950s saw the clinical introduction of the first two specifically antidepressant drugs: iproniazid, a monoamine-oxidase inhibitor that had been used in the treatment of tuberculosis, and imipramine, the first drug in the tricyclic antidepressant family. Iproniazid and imipramine made two fundamental contributions to the development of psychiatry: one of a social-health nature, consisting in an authentic change in the psychiatric care of depressive patients; and the other of a purely pharmacological nature, since these agents have constituted an indispensable research tool for neurobiology and psychopharmacology, permitting, among other things, the postulation of the first aetiopathogenic hypotheses of depressive disorders. The clinical introduction of fluoxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, in the late 1980s, once again revolutionized therapy for depression, opening the way for new families of antidepressants. The present work reviews, from a historical perspective, the entire process that led to the discovery of these drugs, as well as their contribution to the development of the neuroscientific disciplines. However, all of these antidepressants, like the rest of those currently available for clinical practice, share the same action mechanism, which involves the modulation of monoaminergic neurotransmission at a synaptic level, so that the future of antidepressant therapy would seem to revolve around the search for extraneuronal non-aminergic mechanisms or mechanisms that modulate the intraneuronal biochemical pathways.

364 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The discovery of the antipsychotic properties of chlorpromazine in the 1950s was a fundamental event for the practice of psychiatry and for the genesis of the so-called "psychopharmacological revolution."
Abstract: Background. The historical process of discovery and clinical introduction of chlorpromazine, one of the greatest advances of 20th century medicine and history of psychiatry, is analyzed.Methods. In this review, we have studied the original works of pioneers in the discovery and clinical use of chlorpromazine, as well as the contributions of prestigious researchers (historians, pharmacologists, psychiatrists, etc.) about this topic.Results. The discovery of phenothiazines, the first family of antipsychotic agents has its origin in the development of German dye industry, at the end of the 19th century (Graebe, Liebermann, Bernthsen). Up to 1940 they were employed as antiseptics, antihelminthics and antimalarials (Ehrlich, Schulemann, Gilman). Finally, in the context of research on antihistaminic substances in France after World War II (Bovet, Halpern, Ducrot) the chlorpromazine was synthesized at Rhone-Poulenc Laboratories (Charpentier, Courvoisier, Koetschet) in December 1950. Its introduction in anaesthes...

290 citations

Journal Article
TL;DR: The problems of safety which, accompanied by the introduction of a range of psychoactive drugs in the 1950s, brought an end to barbiturate use, except in specific applications, such as the induction of anesthesia and the treatment of certain types of epilepsy.
Abstract: The present work offers an analysis of the historical development of the discovery and use of barbiturates in the field of psychiatry and neurology, a century after their clinical introduction. Beginning with the synthesis of malonylurea by von Baeyer in 1864, and up to the decline of barbiturate therapy in the 1960s, it describes the discovery of the sedative properties of barbital, by von Mering and Fischer (1903), the subsequent synthesis of phenobarbital by this same group (1911), and the gradual clinical incorporation of different barbiturates (butobarbital, amobarbital, secobarbital, pentobarbital, thiopental, etc). We describe the role played in therapy by barbiturates throughout their history: their traditional use as sedative and hypnotic agents, their use with schizophrenic patients in so-called "sleep cures" (Klaesi, Cloetta), the discovery of the antiepileptic properties of phenobarbital (Hauptmann) and their use in the treatment of epilepsy, and the introduction of thiobarbiturates in intravenous anesthesia (Lundy, Waters). We also analyze, from the historical perspective, the problems of safety (phenomena of dependence and death by overdose) which, accompanied by the introduction of a range of psychoactive drugs in the 1950s, brought an end to barbiturate use, except in specific applications, such as the induction of anesthesia and the treatment of certain types of epileptic crisis.

189 citations

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TL;DR: The present work makes a historical analysis of the circumstances in which Cajal formulated his theory, considering the authors and works that influenced his postulate, the difficulties he encountered for its dissemination, and the way it finally became established.

141 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Long-acting injectable risperidone was more effective than zuclopenthixol-depot in improving substance abuse and schizophrenia symptoms in subjects with dual diagnosis.
Abstract: Objective:This study aimed to compare the efficacy of long-acting risperidone and zuclopenthixol in subjects with schizophrenia and substance abuse.Method:A total of 115 subjects with schizophrenia...

106 citations


Cited by
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Journal ArticleDOI
01 Dec 1941-Nature
TL;DR: The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, by Prof. Louis Goodman and Prof. Alfred Gilman, New York: The Macmillan Company, 1941, p.
Abstract: The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics A Textbook of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics for Physicians and Medical Students. By Prof. Louis Goodman and Prof. Alfred Gilman. Pp. xiii + 1383. (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1941.) 50s. net.

2,686 citations

01 Dec 2003
TL;DR: In this article, mental health issues often co-occur with other problems such as substance abuse, and they can take an enormous toll on individuals and impact a college or university in many ways.
Abstract: Mental health issues often co-occur with other problems such as substance abuse, and they can take an enormous toll on individuals and impact a college or university in many ways. There are staff and departments both onand off-campus who are concerned about the well-being of students and the impact of mental health issues, so partnerships around mental health promotion and suicide prevention make good sense.

983 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: These 2018 CANMAT and ISBD Bipolar Treatment Guidelines represent the significant advances in the field since the last full edition was published in 2005, including updates to diagnosis and management as well as new research into pharmacological and psychological treatments.
Abstract: The Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) previously published treatment guidelines for bipolar disorder in 2005, along with international commentaries and subsequent updates in 2007, 2009, and 2013. The last two updates were published in collaboration with the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD). These 2018 CANMAT and ISBD Bipolar Treatment Guidelines represent the significant advances in the field since the last full edition was published in 2005, including updates to diagnosis and management as well as new research into pharmacological and psychological treatments. These advances have been translated into clear and easy to use recommendations for first, second, and third- line treatments, with consideration given to levels of evidence for efficacy, clinical support based on experience, and consensus ratings of safety, tolerability, and treatment-emergent switch risk. New to these guidelines, hierarchical rankings were created for first and second- line treatments recommended for acute mania, acute depression, and maintenance treatment in bipolar I disorder. Created by considering the impact of each treatment across all phases of illness, this hierarchy will further assist clinicians in making evidence-based treatment decisions. Lithium, quetiapine, divalproex, asenapine, aripiprazole, paliperidone, risperidone, and cariprazine alone or in combination are recommended as first-line treatments for acute mania. First-line options for bipolar I depression include quetiapine, lurasidone plus lithium or divalproex, lithium, lamotrigine, lurasidone, or adjunctive lamotrigine. While medications that have been shown to be effective for the acute phase should generally be continued for the maintenance phase in bipolar I disorder, there are some exceptions (such as with antidepressants); and available data suggest that lithium, quetiapine, divalproex, lamotrigine, asenapine, and aripiprazole monotherapy or combination treatments should be considered first-line for those initiating or switching treatment during the maintenance phase. In addition to addressing issues in bipolar I disorder, these guidelines also provide an overview of, and recommendations for, clinical management of bipolar II disorder, as well as advice on specific populations, such as women at various stages of the reproductive cycle, children and adolescents, and older adults. There are also discussions on the impact of specific psychiatric and medical comorbidities such as substance use, anxiety, and metabolic disorders. Finally, an overview of issues related to safety and monitoring is provided. The CANMAT and ISBD groups hope that these guidelines become a valuable tool for practitioners across the globe.

950 citations

Journal Article
TL;DR: This stereoscopic atlas of anatomy was designed as an aid in teaching neuro-anatomy for beginning medical students and as a review for physicians taking Board examinations in Psychiatry and Neurology.
Abstract: In this book Professor Holmes discusses some of the evidence relating to one of the most baffling problems yet recognized by biologists-the factors involved in the regulation of growth and form. A wide range of possible influences, from enzymes to cellular competition, is considered. Numerous experiments and theories are described, with or without bibliographic citation. There is a list of references for each chapter and an index. The subject from a scientific standpoint is an exceedingly difficult one, for the reason that very little indeed is understood regarding such phenomena as differentiation. It follows that the problem offers fine opportunities for intellectual jousting by mechanists and vitalists, that hypotheses and theories must often be the weapons of choice, and philosophy the armor. Professor Holmes gives us a good seat from which to watch the combats, explains clearly what is going on, and occasionally slips away to enter the lists himself. This stereoscopic atlas of anatomy was designed as an aid in teaching neuro-anatomy for beginning medical students and as a review for physicians taking Board examinations in Psychiatry and Neurology. Each plate consists of a pair of stereoscopic photographs and a labelled diagram of the important parts seen in the photograph. Perhaps in this day of scarcity of materials, particularly of human brains hardened for dissection, photographs of this kind conceivably can be used as a substitute. Successive stages of dissection are presented in such a fashion that, used in conjunction with the dissecting manual, a student should be able to identify most of the important components of the nervous system without much outside help. The area covered is limited to the gross features of the brain and brain stem and perhaps necessarily does not deal with any of the microscopic structure. So much more can be learned from the dissection of the actual brain that it is doubtful if this atlas would be useful except where brains are not available. A good deal of effort has been spent on the preparation of this atlas, with moderately successful results.

754 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
11 Nov 2010-Nature
TL;DR: A microglial cell is both a glial cell of the central nervous system and a mononuclear phagocyte, which belongs to the haematopoietic system and is involved in inflammatory and immune responses.
Abstract: A microglial cell is both a glial cell of the central nervous system and a mononuclear phagocyte, which belongs to the haematopoietic system and is involved in inflammatory and immune responses. As such, microglia face a challenging task. The neurons of the central nervous system cannot divide and be replenished, and therefore need to be protected against pathogens, which is a key role of the immune system, but without collateral damage. In addition, after physical injury, neural cells need restorative support, which is provided by inflammatory responses. Excessive or chronic inflammatory responses can, however, be harmful. How microglia balance these demands, and how their behaviour can be modified to ameliorate disorders of the central nervous system, is becoming clear.

733 citations