Category: Neurobiology

Modafinil, a drug primarily approved to treat narcolepsy, functions by altering multiple neurotransmitter systems to promote wakefulness. However, definitive answers to whether modafinil affects the brain long term are not yet available, leaving questions about the potential for chronic risks and benefits.

According to preclinical studies, the atypical antipsychotic olanzapine can produce a significant, dose-dependent increase in extracellular acetylcholine (ACh) release in brain regions such as the hippocampus. This effect runs counter to the drug's known anticholinergic properties, presenting a pharmacological paradox that explains both its therapeutic benefits and some side effects.

Research into the stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 consistently suggests an interaction with the central nervous system, including the dopaminergic pathways. Rather than acting as a direct agonist or antagonist, studies in animal models indicate that BPC 157 has a restorative, or modulatory, effect that helps stabilize the dopamine system during dysfunction. This mechanism highlights how BPC 157 affects dopamine and other neurotransmitters in a uniquely balancing manner.