Title:Changes in Histaminergic System in Neuropsychiatric Disorders and the
Potential Treatment Consequences
Volume: 20
Issue: 2
Author(s): Ling Shan*Dick F. Swaab
Affiliation:
- Department of Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, an Institute of the Royal Netherlands
Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Keywords:
Histamine, histidine decarboxylase, histamine receptors, histamine N-methyltransferase, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, depression, schizophrenia and intellectual disability.
Abstract: In contrast to that of other monoamine neurotransmitters, the association of the histaminergic
system with neuropsychiatric disorders is not well documented. In the last two decades,
several clinical studies involved in the development of drugs targeting the histaminergic system
have been reported. These include the H3R-antagonist/inverse agonist, pitolisant, used for the treatment
of excessive sleepiness in narcolepsy, and the H1R antagonist, doxepin, used to alleviate symptoms
of insomnia. The current review summarizes reports from animal models, including genetic
and neuroimaging studies, as well as human brain samples and cerebrospinal fluid measurements
from clinical trials, on the possible role of the histaminergic system in neuropsychiatric disorders.
These studies will potentially pave the way for novel histamine-related therapeutic strategies.