Metabotropic glutamate receptors as a neurobiological target in CNS disorders:

Organizers: Andrzej Pilc and Wojciech Danysz

Over the past decade an emerging body of evidence suggests that glutamatergic transmission, involving both ionotropic (iGlu) and metabotropic (mGlu) receptors play a pivotal role in a number of psychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and substance–use related disorders. Those diseases are amongst the most common and disabling of psychiatric illnesses and have severe health and socio-economic implications. Despite the availability of a number of treatment options there is still a strong need for new and improved therapeutic approaches. The glutamate ionotropic and metabotropic receptors are an interesting target in this respect.

During the meeting we will provide data that allosteric modulators of mGlu receptors can be a target for novel CNS drugs (W. Danysz); that NMDA receptor antagonist as well as mGlu receptor ligands can be useful in preventing relapse in opioid dependent individuals (A. Bisaga); Beata Karolewicz will present unique postmortem data on altered expression of ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors in major depression . Antidepressant properties of zinc, an antagonist of the NMDA and mGlu5 and potentiator of AMPA receptors will be presented in animal screen tests and models as well as in human studies( G Nowak). A.Pilc will present data that ligands of group III mGlu receptors express an anxiolytic and antidepressant potential.

This symposium will discuss and compare the strength of therapeutic rationale as well as pharmacological validation of metabotropic and ionotropic receptors towards the treatment of anxiety, depression and drug-dependence disorders. In addition, the availability of ligands and translational disease relevant models necessary to assist clinical proof of concept studies will be discussed

Speakers and Topics

The effects of Group I and III mGluR ligands on pentylenetrazol-induced kindling of seizures, fear conditioning and hippocampal amino acid concentration.
Adam Plaznik, Dept Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warsaw, Poland

Glutamate Receptors in Postmortem Brain from Depressed Subjects
Beat Karolewicz, Dept Psychiatry & Human Behaviour, Medical Center, University of Mississippi , USA

Therapeutic potential of mGlu5 receptors negative and positive modulators
Wojciech Danysz, Merz Pharmaceuticals, 60318 Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Zinc, a modulator of glutamate receptors, as antidepressant or adjunct agent
Gabriel Nowak, Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University, Poland

Ligands of group III mGlu receptors as a potential anxiolytic and/or antidepressant drugs.
Andrzej Pilc, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Science, Krakow, Poland