Epilepsy has a worldwide prevalence of about 50 million [1]. Seizure medications provide adequate control in two thirds of these patients but about a third are refractory to multiple medications and need surgery or other treatments [2].

We recently reviewed the scientific literature linking dopamine agonist pharmacotherapy for neurological disorders to the development of impulsive and compulsive spectrum disorders (ICSDs). 

Current research investigating the pathomechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders of the central nervous system (CNS), such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Parkinson’s disease (PD), led to the understanding that these diseases have to be seen in the context of immune responses [1]. In other words,

Mood disorders represent a major medical need requiring chronic treatment. About one million people die by suicide worldwide each year, both as a consequence of major depression or not. Multiple deficits, including cell atrophy and loss, were described in the brains of mood disorders affected patients and in experimental animal models. Numerous changes in gene expression and activity were described in limbic and cortical brain regions. 

α6-containing GABA_A receptors (α6GABA_ARs) are strongly expressed in cerebellar granule cells, where they mediate a correctly timed and precise coordination of all muscle groups that execute behavior and protect the brain from information overflow. Recently, it was demonstrated that positive modulators with a high selectivity for α6GABA_ARs (α6-modulators) can reduce the symptoms of multiple neuropsychiatric disorders in respective animal models to an extent comparable with established clinical therapeutics.