Neuropharmacology

The Clinical Neuropharmacology Programme provides activities in:

• health care, supporting diagnosis and therapy in neurology, through clinicotherapeutic protocols based on the correlation between concentration and effect of drugs and/or endogenous compounds;
• quality management of biological samples within the research projects and collections of the IRCCS Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna (ISNB);
• scientific research in the field of clinical pharmacology;
• advice, updates and information on neurological drugs and therapies;
• training, technical and practical training in research methodologies.

Care activities

• kinetic-dynamic monitoring of levodopa in patients with Parkinson's disease and Parkinsonisms, based on the correlation between the plasma concentration of the drug and its effect as measured by a battery of objective psychomotor tests;
• monitoring of plasma concentrations of catecholamines as part of diagnostic investigations to explore vegetative nervous system function;
• an advisory service on neurological drugs and therapies, aimed at both medical and non-professional users.

Research activities

The research activity of the Neuropharmacology Programme focuses on the development, technical and clinical validation, according to the guidelines of the European Medicines Agency, of methods for the quantitative analysis of drugs and endogenous compounds of neurological interest, in biological fluids and tissues. This activity is based on high-pressure liquid chromatography techniques with various types of detectors (mass spectrometer, electrochemical-coulometric, fluorometer, spectrophotometer). More recently, analytical development has been combined with the use of volumetric micro-sampling technology (VAMS) in telemedicine projects. The analytical activity is integrated with the planning and management of clinical and therapeutic study protocols based on the correlation between concentration and effect of drugs and/or endogenous compounds, aimed at optimising neurological therapy.

As part of the detection and evaluation of pharmacological effects, the Programme is engaged in the development, validation and clinical application of objective measurement systems for psychomotor performance (Android apps for smartphones and tablets, wearable sensors) in collaboration with researchers at the Department of Electrical and Information Engineering of the University of Bologna.

The fields of application of these studies concern movement disorders, in particular Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, sleep disorders, multiple sclerosis, rare neuromuscular diseases.

Among the activities of the Clinical Neuropharmacology Programme - carried out in close collaboration with the Clinical Trials Unit - in support of research is the process of management of biological samples within the framework of profit and spontaneous research projects of the ISNB, from the pre-analytical phase (acceptance of the biological sample, registration, preparation for storage according to standard operating procedures) to storage and shipment. This activity includes responsibilities and skills in the management of the equipment used for the storage of biological samples and related temperature monitoring and remote alarm systems.

Publications

See the most representative publications of this Programme