From electric patterns to drugs:: Perspectives of computational neuroscience in drug design

A novel way of computational modeling by integrating compartmental neural techniques and detailed kinetic description of pharmacological modulation of transmitter-receptor interaction is offered as a method to test the electro-physiological and behavioral effects of potential drugs. Even more, an inverse method is suggested as a method for controlling a neural system to realize a prescribed temporal pattern. Generation and pharamcological modulation of theta rhythm in area CA1 of the hippocampus related to anxiety is analyzed. Integrative modeling might help to find positive allosteric modulators of alpha(1) subunits as potential candidates for being selective anxyolitics. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.