Angiotensin II in the Brain & Therapeutic Considerations
In a previous post I suggested that another cheap generic drug (an ACE inhibitor) could potentially be repurposed to treat schizophrenia and some autism. T he original idea was related more to modifying the immune/inflammatory response in the body, rather than the brain. There is however plenty of research regarding Angiotensin within the brain and the numerous roles it plays. Juggling - maximizing effects, while minimizing drug interventions You may recall in the earlier post that in both schizophrenia and autism there is elevated angiotensin II. In the brain there are two types of angiotensin receptor, AT1 and AT2. Their actions are opposing each other. In many kinds of disease we would want to stimulate AT2, but inhibit AT1. AT2 is thought to be important for cognitive function and is now a target for Alzheimer’s research. Using an ACE inhibitor you reduce the amount of angiotensin II and so in effect inhibit both AT1 and AT2. In theory angiotensin II should not c...