The knowledge of affective and psychotic disorders is continuously growing, we still do not have sufficient data about the mechanisms responsible for their occurrence and progress. Many questions remain open, ranging from etiopathogenesis and molecular mechanisms to patient prognosis, functioning, and quality of life.
Despite the progress in psychopharmacology, many patients are resistant to current therapies, therefore research on the effectiveness and safety of drugs, especially with the use of new substances, is of great importance for patients, their relatives, and society.
Depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia are major health burdens, still often leading to severe disability and reduced life expectancy. Moreover, it is estimated that 10-15% of patients with affective and psychotic disorders die by suicide.
In our Research Topic, we want to focus on important aspects of affective and psychotic disorders and focus on the involvement of the glutamatergic system in these clinical phenomena. Glutamate is the main excitatory neurotransmitter in our brain, clinical discoveries indicate great potential for the use of modulation of glutamatergic system in the treatment of mental disorders.
The effects of the use of glycine transporter inhibitors (e.g., sarcosine and bitopertin) in schizophrenia, NMDA receptor antagonists (ketamine and its levorotatory enantiomer esketamine) in depression and mood stabilizers (as lamotrigine) indicate that modulation of this system has great therapeutic potential. Of course, the glutamatergic system does not function in isolation from other neurotransmission systems, such as the dopaminergic, serotonergic, or noradrenergic systems. A special place is occupied by the GABAergic system, which is morphologically and functionally related to the glutamic acid system, and studies on this interaction may be of great clinical importance. The research that connects these systems is also very important for our Research Topic.
We are open to high-quality publications thematically covering various aspects of affective and psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia, with particular emphasis on the role of the glutamic acid system.
As the interest in the glutamatergic system has been going on for a relatively short time, the search in this direction seems to be particularly interesting and may (we hope) bring some extraordinary discoveries.
The knowledge of affective and psychotic disorders is continuously growing, we still do not have sufficient data about the mechanisms responsible for their occurrence and progress. Many questions remain open, ranging from etiopathogenesis and molecular mechanisms to patient prognosis, functioning, and quality of life.
Despite the progress in psychopharmacology, many patients are resistant to current therapies, therefore research on the effectiveness and safety of drugs, especially with the use of new substances, is of great importance for patients, their relatives, and society.
Depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia are major health burdens, still often leading to severe disability and reduced life expectancy. Moreover, it is estimated that 10-15% of patients with affective and psychotic disorders die by suicide.
In our Research Topic, we want to focus on important aspects of affective and psychotic disorders and focus on the involvement of the glutamatergic system in these clinical phenomena. Glutamate is the main excitatory neurotransmitter in our brain, clinical discoveries indicate great potential for the use of modulation of glutamatergic system in the treatment of mental disorders.
The effects of the use of glycine transporter inhibitors (e.g., sarcosine and bitopertin) in schizophrenia, NMDA receptor antagonists (ketamine and its levorotatory enantiomer esketamine) in depression and mood stabilizers (as lamotrigine) indicate that modulation of this system has great therapeutic potential. Of course, the glutamatergic system does not function in isolation from other neurotransmission systems, such as the dopaminergic, serotonergic, or noradrenergic systems. A special place is occupied by the GABAergic system, which is morphologically and functionally related to the glutamic acid system, and studies on this interaction may be of great clinical importance. The research that connects these systems is also very important for our Research Topic.
We are open to high-quality publications thematically covering various aspects of affective and psychotic disorders, including schizophrenia, with particular emphasis on the role of the glutamic acid system.
As the interest in the glutamatergic system has been going on for a relatively short time, the search in this direction seems to be particularly interesting and may (we hope) bring some extraordinary discoveries.
