The role of serendipity in the discovery of the clinical effects of psychotropic drugs: Beyond of the myth

Actas Espanolas de Psiquiatria

Volumn 40, Issue 1, 2012, Pages 34-42

  López Muñoz, Francisco ^a,b   Baumeister, Alan A ^c   Hawkins, Mike F ^c   Álamo, Cecilio ^b  

^a CAMILO JOSÉ CELA UNIVERSITY   (Spain)

^b UNIVERSITY OF ALCALÁ   (Spain)

^c LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

Discoveries; History of psychiatry; Psychopharmacology; Serendipity

Indexed keywords

PSYCHOTROPIC AGENT;

DRUG DEVELOPMENT; HUMAN; METHODOLOGY; PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY; REVIEW;

DRUG DISCOVERY; HUMANS; PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY; PSYCHOTROPIC DRUGS;

EID: 84859571572     PISSN: 11399287     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: None     Document Type: Review

References (65)

1. López-Muñoz F, Alamo C, Cuenca E. La "Década de Oro" de la Psicofarmacología (1950-1960): Trascendencia histórica de la introducción clinica de los psicofá rmacosclásicos. Psiquiatria.COM (revista electrónica) 2000; 4 (3). Disponible en URL: http://www. psiquiatria.com/psiquiatria/revista/47/1800/? ++interactivo.
2. López-Muñoz F, Alamo C, eds. Historia de la Psicofarmacología. Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana, S.A., 2007.
3. Blackwell B. The process of discovery. In: Ayd FJ, Blackwell B, ed. Discoveries in Biological Psychiatry. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Company, 1970; p. 11-29.
4. Klein DF. The loss of serendipity in psychopharmacology, J Am Med Assoc. 2008; 299: 1063-5. (Pubitemid 351347065)
5. Jeste DV, Gillin JC, Wyatt RJ. Serendipity in biological psychiatry - A myth? Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1979; 36: 1173-8. (Pubitemid 10109186)
6. Deniker P. Introduction of neuroleptic chemotherapy into psychiatry. En: Ayd FJ, Blackwell B, eds. Discoveries in Biological Psychiatry. Philadelphia: JB Lippincott Company, 1970; p. 155-64.
7. Healy D. The Psychopharmacologists III. London: Arnold, 2000.
8. Cohen IM. The benzodiazepines. In: Ayd FJ, Blackwell B, eds. Discoveries in Biological Psychiatry. Philadelphia: JB Lippincott Company, 1970; p. 130-41.
9. Valenstein ES. Blaming the Brain. New York: The Free Press, 1998.
10. Baumeister AA, Hawkins MF, López-Muñoz F. Toward standardized usage of the word serendipity in the historiography of psychopharmacology. J Hist Neurosci. 2010; 19: 254-71.
11. Lewis WS. Horace Walpole's Correspondence. Vol. 20. London: Oxford University Press, 1960.
12. Remer TG. Serendipity and the Three Princes. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1965.
13. Merton RK, Barber E. The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2004.
14. Finger S. Minds Behind the Brain. A History of the Pioneers and Their Discoveries. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
15. Cannon WB. The role of chance in discovery. Scientific Monthly. 1940; 51: 204-9.
16. Luria SE. The T2 mystery. Sci Am. 1955; 192: 92-9.
17. Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, unabridged. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2002.
18. Random House Webster's Dictionary. Complete version, 2nd edition. New York: Random House, 2001.
19. a Ed. Madrid: Santillana, 2006.
20. Fleming A. Penicillin, Nobel Lecture, 11 Dec 1945. En: Nobel Lectures: Physiology or Medicine 1942-1962. Amsterdam: Elsevier Publishing Company, 1964; p. 83-93.
21. López-Muñoz F, Alamo C, Cuenca E. Cincuenta años de Psicofarmacología: John Cade y las sales de litio. Psiquiatr Biol. 1999; 6: 229-30.
22. López-Muñoz F, Alamo C, Cuenca E. Aspectos históricos del descubrimiento y de la introducción clínica de la clorpromazina: medio siglo de psicofarmacología. Frenia Rev Hist Psiquiatr. 2002; 2: 77-107.
23. López-Muñoz F, Alamo C, Rubio G, Cuenca E. Half a century since the clinical introduction of chlorpromazine and the birth of modern psychopharmacology. Prog Neuro-Psychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2004; 28: 205-8. (Pubitemid 37548514)
24. López-Muñoz F, Alamo C, Cuenca E, Shen WW, Clervoy P, Rubio G. History of the discovery and clinical introduction of chlorpromazine. Ann Clin Psychiatry. 2005; 17: 113-35. (Pubitemid 41176798)
25. López-Muñoz F, Ramchandani D, Alamo C, Cuenca E. Aproximación histórica al descubrimiento del meprobamato y su introducción en psiquiatría: medio siglo de terapéutica ansiolitica. Arch Psiquiatr. 2005; 68: 103-22.
26. López-Muñoz F, Alamo C, Juckel G, Assion HJ. Half a century of antidepressant drugs. On the clinical introduction of monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclics and tetracyclics. Part I: Monoamine oxidase inhibitors. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2007; 27: 555-9. (Pubitemid 351339440)
27. López-Muñoz F, Assion HJ, Alamo C, García- García P, Fangmann P. La introducción clínica de la iproniazida y la imipramina: medio siglo de terapéutica antidepresiva. An Psiquiatr. 2008; 24: 56-70. (Pubitemid 351730250)
28. Ramchandani D, López-Muñoz F, Alamo C. Meprobamate: Tranquilizer or anxiolytic? A historical perspective. Psychiatr Quart. 2006;77: 43-53. (Pubitemid 43060795)
29. Fangmann P, Assion HJ, Juckel G, Alamo C, López-Muñoz F. Half a century of antidepressant drugs. On the clinical introduction of monoamine oxidase inhibitors, tricyclics and tetracyclics. Part II: Tricyclics and tetracyclics. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2008; 28: 1-4.
30. López-Muñoz F, Alamo C. Monoaminergic neurotransmission: The history of the discovery of antidepressants from 1950s until today. Curr Pharm Des. 2009; 15: 1563-86.
31. López-Muñoz F, Ucha-Udabe R, Alamo C. The history of barbiturates a century after their clinical introduction. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2005; 1: 329-43.
32. Bhatara VS, López-Muñoz F, Alamo C. El papel de la medicina herbal ayurvédica en el descubrimiento de las propiedades neurolépticas de la reserpina: a propósito de la Rauwolfia serpentina y los orígenes de la era antípsicótica. An Psiquiatr. 2004; 20: 274-81. (Pubitemid 38915579)
33. López-Muñoz F, Bhatara VS, Alamo C, Cuenca E. Aproximación histórica al descubrimiento de la reserpina y su introducción en la clínica psiquiátrica. Actas Esp Psiquiatr. 2004; 32: 387-95.
34. López-Muñoz F, Alamo C. The consolidation of neuroleptic therapy: Janssen, the discovery of haloperidol and its introduction into clinical practice. Brain Res Bull. 2009; 79: 130-41.
35. Burton BS. On the propyl derivatives and decomposition products of ethylacetate. Am Chem J. 1882; 3: 385-95.
36. Harris M, Chandran S, Chakraborty N, Healy D. Mood stabilizers: the archeology of the concept. Bipolar Dis. 2003; 5: 446-52.
37. Penry JK, Dean JC. The scope of and use of valproate in epilepsy. J Clin Psychiatr. 1989; 50 (Suppl. 3): 17-22.
38. Henry TR. The history of valproate in clinical neuroscience. Psychopharmacol Bull. 2003; 37(Suppl. 2): 5-16.
39. Carraz G, Darbon M, Lebreton S, Beriel H. Proprietes pharmacodynamiques de l'acide n-dipropylacetique et de ses derives. Therapie. 1964; 19; 469-75.
40. Carraz G, Lebreton S, Boitard M, Borselli S, Bonnin J. A propos de deux nouveaux anti-epileptiques de la serie n-dipropylacetique. Encephale. 1965; 54: 458-65.
41. Lambert PA, Borselli S, Marcou G, Bouchardy M, Carraz G. Propriétés neuro-psychotropes du Depamide: action psychique chez les epileptiques et les maladies presentant des troubles caracteriels. Compte Rendus du Congrès des Psychiatristes et des Neurologistes de Langue Française. Paris: Masson, 1966; p. 1034-9.
42. Lambert PA, Cavaz G, Borselli S, Carrel S. Action neuropsychotrope d'un nouvel anti-epiletique: le Dépamide. Ann Méd Psychol. 1966b;1: 707-10.
43. Comité Lynnais de Recherches Thérapeutiques en Psychiatrie. The birth of psychopharmacology: explorations in a new world - 1952-1968. In: Healy D, dir. The Psychopharmacologists, Vol. 3. London: Arnold, 2000; p. 1-54.
44. Delay J, Deniker P, Harl JM. Utilisation en thérapeutique d'une phenotiazine d'action centrale selective (4560 RP). Ann Méd Psychol. 1952; 110: 112-7.
45. Kline NS. Use of rauwolfia serpentina bebth in neuropsychiatric conditions. Ann NY Acad Sci. 1954; 59: 107-32.
46. Kuhn R. Geschichte der medikamentösen Depressionsbehandlung. In: Linde OK, ed. Pharmakopsychiatrie im Wandel der Zeit. Klingenmünster: Tilia-Verlag, 1988; p. 10-27.
47. Schindler W, Häfliger F. Derivate des Iminodibenzyl. HeIv Chim Acta. 1954; 37: 427.
48. Tansey T. Las instituciones públicas y privadas y el avance de la psicofarmacología. En: López-Muñoz F, Alamo C, eds. Historia de la Psicofarmacología. Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana, S.A., 2007; p. 1165-86.
49. Ban TA. Psicofarmacología: El nacimiento de una nueva disciplina. En: López-Muñoz F, Alamo C, eds. Historia de la Psicofarmacología. Madrid: Editorial Médica Panamericana, S.A., 2007; p. 577-97.
50. Kuhn R. Uber die behandlung depressiver zustände mit ainem iminodibenzyl derivat (G22355). Schweiz Med Wochenschr. 1957; 87: 1135-40.
51. Kuhn R. The treatment of depressive States with G 22355 (imipramine hydrochloride). Am J Psychiatry. 1958; 115: 459-64.
52. Kuhn R. The imipramine story. En: Ayd FJ, Blackwell B, eds. Discoveries in Biological Psychiatry. Philadelphia: JB Lippincott Company, 1970; p. 205-17.
53. Carter MK. The history of barbituric acid. J Chem Educat. 1951; 28: 525-8.
54. Sneader W. Drug discovery: the evolution of modern medicines. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons, 1985.
55. Fischer E, von Mering J. Uber ein neue Klasse von Schlafmitteln. Therapie Gegenwart. 1903; 44: 97-101.
56. Shorter E. A history of psychiatry. From the era of the asylum to the age of Prozac. New York: John Wiley & Son Inc., 1997.
57. Hauptmann A. Luminal bei Epilepsie. Münch Med Wochenschr. 1912; 59: 1907-9.
58. Janssen PAJ. From haloperidol to risperidone. In: Healy D, interviewer. The psychopharmacologists II. London: Arnold, 1999; p. 39-70.
59. Janssen PAJ, Van de Westeringh C, Jageneau AHM, Demoen PJA, Hermans BKF, Van Daele GHP, et al. Chemistry and pharmacology of compounds related to 4-(4-hydroxy-4-phenyl-piperidino)-butyrophenone. Part I. Synthesis and screening data in mice. J Med Pharm Chem. 1959; 1: 281-97.
60. Janssen PAJ. Function and dysfunction of the basal ganglia. En: Ban TA, Healy D, Shorter E, eds. The rise of Psychopharmacology and the story of CINP. Budapest: Animula Publishing House, 1998; p. 63-8.
61. Divry P, Bobon J, Collard J. Le R1625: Nouvelle thérapeutique symtomatique de l'agitation psychomotrice. Acta Neurol Psychiatr Belg. 1958; 58: 878-88.
62. Carlsson A, Lindqvist M. Effect of chlorpromazine or haloperidol on formation of 3-methoxytyramine and normetanephrine in mouse brain. Acta Pharmacol Toxicol. 1963; 20: 140-4.
63. Snyder SH. The dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia: focus on dopamine receptor. Am J Psychiatr. 1976; 133: 197-202.
64. Hofmann A. LSD My Problem Child. Reflections on Sacred Drugs, Mysticism, and Science, New York: McGraw Hill, 1980.
65. Roberts RM. Serendipia. Descubrimientos accidentales en la ciencia. Madrid: Alianza Editorial, 1992.