Technology

AMPAKINE compounds facilitate the activity of the AMPA receptor, which are activated by the neurotransmitter glutamate, the most prominent excitatory neurotransmitter in the human brain. The AMPAKINE compounds interact in a highly specific manner with the AMPA receptor, lowering the amount of neurotransmitter required to generate a response, and increasing the magnitude and/or duration of the response to any given amount of glutamate. Cortex believes that this selective amplification of the normal glutamate signal may eventually lead to utility in the treatment of neurological diseases and disorders characterized by depressed functioning of the glutamatergic pathways in the brain.

Cortex’s AMPAKINE technology is composed of two groups of compounds that are designated as “low impact” and “high impact”.

Both types of compounds positively modulate the AMPA receptor function; low impact compounds increase the amplitude of the neuronal action potential, while the high impact compounds generally increase both the amplitude and the half-width of the neuronal action potential. Additionally, the high impact compounds activate the expression of certain genes in the neuron, including neurotrophins such as Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (“BDNF”). BDNF mediates the differentiation and survival of neurons by providing the necessary trophic support, and modulates synaptic transmission and plasticity. We believe that this action of AMPAKINE molecules imparts these compounds with the potential for disease modifying activity, since deficits in BDNF have been observed in psychiatric disorders, such as; anxiety, depression, and ADHD, and neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and Fragile X.

Although low impact AMPAKINE compounds do not significantly enhance neurotrophic factors, they are able to improve the strength of the synaptic connections through their potentiation of the AMPA receptors.