4 replies to this topic

[Reformed-Redan]

I had a dream some time ago about meeting Knoll and talking with him. I think his contributions to the area of what motivates people and enhancing such behavior are tremendously underratterd. I mean no research has been conducted in the area of catecholamine activity enhancers [or what I like to call (CAE's)] since his death. Forgive my language; but, what the f*ck is with the obsession with the serotonin theory of depression¿ I'm guessing it has to do with big pharma directing interest and funds to furthering a dead end. Oh well.

 

Anyway, with all the research and progress that has been made in producing novel compounds I'd like to refocus on what's really important... namely, motivation.

 

The research produced by Dr. Josef Knoll has been largely ignored in my opinion and was wondering if anyone with an academic background would be willing to give his/her input on the matter. What are catecholamine activity enhancers and how do they work? What do you think happens when a person is depressed?

 

I think these are important question worth inquiring about. 

 

I'll post another thread sometime soon to try and create a sustainable stack that would serve as an Adderall/methylphenidate replacement, if anyone is interested. 

 

Here is a great thread on Deprenyl research. Worth the read, honestly. I'm also in awe as to where Dr. Knoll derived his interest into the question that surrounded his carrier as to, "what motivates people". He was a child in a concentration camp that witnessed the atrocities committed by Nazi officers. His biography is also quite a read. 

 

 

[ovecta]

I think if you follow current trends in antidepressant research there is a move away from monoamine dysfunction and more towards neuroplasicity and neurogenesis, if you think about it most antidepressants need weeks or months before they become fully effective which is strange given an SSRI blocks serotonin reuptake almost immediately, it has been demostrated that such antidepressants also increase BDNF levels with chronic usage so it could well the case that therapeutic effect may well be independent of the monoamine system!

[nightlight]

I think if you follow current trends in antidepressant research there is a move away from monoamine dysfunction and more towards neuroplasicity and neurogenesis, if you think about it most antidepressants need weeks or months before they become fully effective which is strange given an SSRI blocks serotonin reuptake almost immediately, it has been demostrated that such antidepressants also increase BDNF levels with chronic usage so it could well the case that therapeutic effect may well be independent of the monoamine system!

 

I wouldn't call being turned into a detached, emotionless zombie a "therapeutic effect". It's like removing a jaw as a therapy for toothache.
 

[ovecta]

I think if you follow current trends in antidepressant research there is a move away from monoamine dysfunction and more towards neuroplasicity and neurogenesis, if you think about it most antidepressants need weeks or months before they become fully effective which is strange given an SSRI blocks serotonin reuptake almost immediately, it has been demostrated that such antidepressants also increase BDNF levels with chronic usage so it could well the case that therapeutic effect may well be independent of the monoamine system!

 
I wouldn't call being turned into a detached, emotionless zombie a "therapeutic effect". It's like removing a jaw as a therapy for toothache.

Not the case always, I successfully used lexapro (10mg) for a year and while it did cause some minor sexual dysfunction it did give me more of a back bone, it was worth the relief from major depressive disorder and allowed me to finally gain back functionality to work and study, instead of lying in bed wishing life would end, the side effects were worth the relief, I do not view antidepressants as happiness pills...

[ovecta]

Don't get me wrong though I'm not saying current antidepressants are anywhere near satisfactory, the problem is that depression has a multitude of causative factors ranging from inflammation to environmental factors, doctors dont have the proper diagnostic means of even properly measuring neurotransmitter levels within the brains of patients, so instead they have to rely on listening to symptoms related to inbalance...horribly crude but there isn't an alternative yet.
Hopefully in the future doctors can utilize genetic and diagnostic data to make better decisions on treatments.