Preface

In the latter years of the 19th century, an auspicious confluence of scientific currents ushered in the modern era of neuroscience. Using Camillo Golgi's staining techniques, Santiago Ramon Y Cajal demonstrated that the nervous system is made of discrete signaling elements, and formulated the neuron doctrine. Meanwhile, Hermann von Helmholtz and others, building on the work of Galvani, showed that information is transmitted through neurons via their electrical properties. Paul Ehrlich, Claude Bernard, and John Langley formulated the concept that drugs interact with receptors on the surface of cells. Thus, by the beginning of the 20th century the basic concept of the nervous system as a complex system of interconnected neurons which communicate by electrical and chemical processes was established.

The growth of neuroscience in the ensuing century has been extraordinary, resulting in an extensive body of knowledge on the fundamental biological mechanisms that underlie the workings of the mammalian nervous system. Concomitant with this growth of understanding has been an enhanced ability to design new medicines for neurological disorders, predicated upon an understanding of the specific receptor-ligand and enzyme systems involved. The development of new agents for the treatment of depression following research on the role of serotonergic neurotransmission is but one example of many.

Nonetheless, much remains to be done. Several years ago I received a letter from a woman in Ireland, which I have thought about almost every day since. She was in the advanced stages of a neurological disorder, and had seen a report describing some of the work that my research group was pursuing at that time, targeting her particular disease. In her letter to me, she noted that none of the research being pursued would be of help to her; she would be dead before any new treatment reached the market. But she went on to say: "The knowledge that people such as you are doing everything you can to help people like me gives me great happiness, and I face the darkness knowing that someday, others will be saved." The extraordinary bravery and generosity of spirit evidenced by this woman in the face of death had an impact on me that can hardly be overstated.

As I contemplate the launch of this new publication devoted to reviewing current progress in developing new drugs for the treatment of central nervous system disorders, I would like to dedicate the journal to those who live their lives in darkness, and to all who labor so that hope may eventually be brought to those who currently have none.

 

 

Greg Hamilton

Editor-in-Chief

Current Medicinal Chemistry – Central Nervous System Agents