New knowledge on the pharmacology of dopamine stabilizers

A study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that a new drug for Huntington's disease -- pridopidine or dopamine stabiliser ACR16 -- might operate via previously unknown mechanisms of action. Researchers have found that, at very low concentrations, ACR16 binds to the sigma-1 receptor, a protein in the brain important to neuronal function and survival. This new knowledge can be used to develop future treatments for schizophrenia, involuntary Parkinsonian tremors and neurodegenerative diseases. "It's conceivable that some of the beneficial effects of dopamine stabilisers are mediated via the sigma-1 receptor," says principal investigator Daniel Marcellino of the Department of Neuroscience. "Our results suggest a formerly overlooked aspect of dopamine stabiliser pharmacology."