The GABAergic System and Endocannabinoids in Epilepsy and Seizures: What Can We Expect from Plant Oils?

Seizures and epilepsy are some of the most common serious neurological disorders, with approximately 80% of patients living in developing/underdeveloped countries. However, about one in three patients do not respond to currently available pharmacological treatments, indicating the need for research into new anticonvulsant drugs (ACDs). The GABAergic system is the main inhibitory system of the brain and has a central role in seizures and the screening of new ACD candidates. It has been demonstrated that the action of agents on endocannabinoid receptors modulates the balance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters; however, studies on the anticonvulsant properties of endocannabinoids from plant oils are relatively scarce. The Amazon region is an important source of plant oils that can be used for the synthesis of new fatty acid amides, which are compounds analogous to endocannabinoids. The synthesis of such compounds represents an important approach for the development of new anticonvulsant therapies.     

Quantum Statistical Complexity Measure as a Signaling of Correlation Transitions

We introduce a quantum version for the statistical complexity measure, in the context of quantum information theory, and use it as a signaling function of quantum order–disorder transitions. We discuss the possibility for such transitions to characterize interesting physical phenomena, as quantum phase transitions, or abrupt variations in correlation distributions. We apply our measure on two exactly solvable Hamiltonian models: the 1D-Quantum Ising Model (in the single-particle reduced state), and on Heisenberg XXZ spin-1/2 chain (in the two-particle reduced state). We analyze its behavior across quantum phase transitions for finite system sizes, as well as in the thermodynamic limit by using Bethe Ansatz technique.