Monoamine oxidase inhibitors and neuroprotection: a review.

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors have been available for more than 50 years, initially developed as antidepressants but currently used in a variety of psychiatric and neurological conditions. There has been a recent surge of interest in monoamine oxidase inhibitors because of their reported neuroprotective and/or neurorescue properties. Interestingly, it seems that often these properties are independent of their ability to inhibit monoamine oxidase. This review article presents an overview of the neuroprotective/neurorescue properties of these multifaceted drugs and focuses on phenelzine, (-)-deprenyl, rasagiline, ladostigil, tranylcypromine, moclobemide, and clorgyline and their possible neuroprotective mechanisms.