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US 2014/0178305 A1Published application
Identification and use of anxiolytic compounds
OwnerDavid J. Anderson, Sophia Vrontouinventors
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Abstract
The present disclosure provides methods and compositions that can be used to identify anxiolytic compounds, and to treat anxiety in a subject. Methods and compositions for identifying activating stimuli for sensory neurons, for example MrgprB4+ neurons, are also disclosed herein.
Claims32
A method of identifying compounds having anxiolytic activities, comprising:
- (a) providing a candidate compound;
- (b) testing the candidate compound for its ability to activate MrgprB4+ neurons;
- and
- (c) testing the candidate compound for its activity to stimulate positive valence behavior in a subject if the candidate compound activates MrgprB4+ neurons in step (b).
1 more element
A method of treating anxiety in a subject, comprising:
- identifying a subject suffering from anxiety;
- and
- administering to the subject an effective amount of an activator for MrgprB4+ neurons.
A method for identifying activating stimuli for sensory neurons, comprising
- applying a stimulus to a subject, wherein the subject has a population of a subset of sensory neurons;
- and
- performing two-proton calcium imaging to determine activation of the subset of sensory neurons.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.