Anavex Life Sciences Corp (AVXL)

[falconer66a]

Wrong term.

If this other drug is shutting down the sigma 1 receptor wouldn't it be an antagonist, not an agonist?

Exactly. Very imprecise wording in the paper or the column describing it.

The drug, PRE-084, shut down the proper functioning of the sigma-1 receptor protein in the study’s mice. It antagonized its function—compared to blarcamesine, which facilitates it. Full, proper functioning of the sigma-1 receptor protein allows neurons to work healthfully; no CNS disease (at least no Parkinson’s disease dementia or Alzheimer’s).

The fact that the mice with PRE-084 then accumulated amyloid beta proteins, a profound biomarker of Alzheimer’s, shows clearly the importance of maintaining or restoring sigma-1 receptor function. If it works, the neuron is healthy (as in the case with blarcamesine and Anavex 3-71). If it fails (as in the case of PRE-084) neuron disease sets in.

Let the reader interested in Anavex discern.