Ketamine induces altered states of consciousness during periods of reduced alpha power in the precuneus and temporal-parietal junction. Modulation of these temporal-parietal loci are candidate mechanisms of the psychoactive effects of ketamine, given that this region is involved in multisensory integration, body representation, and consciousness.
Improved syntheses for ~~-u-amino-/?-(3-hydroxy-4-oxo-1,4-dihydro-l-pyridyl)propionic acid (DLmimosine) and related 3-hydroxy-4(1H)-pyridones are described. The condensation of ct,/3-diaminopropionic acid with 4-pyrones involves preferential reaction at the /?-amino group at pH > 12, obviating the necessity to mask the u-amino function during the syntheses.
Vulvodynia (VVD) is a chronic pain disorder, wherein women display sensitivity to evoked stimuli at the vulva and/or spontaneous vulvar pain. Our previous work suggests generalized hyperalgesia in this population, however little is known about central neurobiological factors that may influence pain in VVD. Here we investigated local (vulvar) and remote (thumb) pressure evoked pain processing in 24 VVD patients compared to 13 age-matched, pain-free healthy controls (HC). As a positive control we also examined thumb pressure pain in 24 fibromyalgia (FM) patients. The VVD and FM patients displayed overlapping insular brain activations that were greater than HC, in response to thumb stimulation (P<0.005 corrected). Compared to HC, VVD participants displayed greater levels of activation during thumb stimulation within the insula, dorsal mid-cingulate, posterior cingulate and thalamus (P<0.005 corrected). Significant differences between VVD subgroups (primary versus secondary and provoked versus unprovoked) were seen within the posterior cingulate with thumb stimulation, and within the precuneus region with vulvar stimulation (provoked versus unprovoked only). The augmented brain activation in VVD patients in response to a stimulus remote from the vulva suggests central neural pathology in this disorder. Moreover, differing central activity between VVD subgroups suggests heterogeneous pathologies within this diagnosis.
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