Current Neuropharmacology - Volume 9, Issue 4, 2011

Neurotrophins are important proteins that regulate survival, development and function of neurons. They are produced by a variety of cells and exert their effects upon binding to specific tyrosine kinase receptors. The first neurotrophin to be identified was Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). From the pioneer studies performed by Rita-Levi Montalcini, awarded with the Nobel Prize, other neurotrophins have been identified and this f Read More

Neurotrophins (NTs) belong to a family of structurally and functionally related proteins, they are the subsets of neurotrophic factors. Neurotrophins are responsible for diverse actions in the developing peripheral and central nervous systems. They are important regulators of neuronal function, affecting neuronal survival and growth. They are able to regulate cell death and survival in development as well as in pathophysiologic st Read More

Depression is a neuropsychiatric disorder affecting a huge percentage of the active population especially in developed countries. Research has devoted much of its attention to this problematic and many drugs have been developed and are currently prescribed to treat this pathology. Yet, many patients are refractory to the available therapeutic drugs, which mainly act by increasing the levels of the monoamines serotonin Read More

The lower urinary tract (LUT) comprises a storage unit, the urinary bladder, and an outlet, the urethra. The coordination between the two structures is tightly controlled by the nervous system and, therefore, LUT function is highly susceptible to injuries to the neuronal pathways involved in micturition control. These injuries may include lesions to the spinal cord or to nerve fibres and result in micturition dysfunction. A com Read More

Besides being essential for correct development of the vertebrate nervous system the neurotrophins also play a vital role in adult neuron survival, maintenance and regeneration. In addition they are implicated in the pathogenesis of certain neurodegenerative diseases, and may even provide a therapeutic solution for some. In particular there have been a number of studies on the involvement of nerve growth factor (NGF) and b Read More

We here propose an updated concept of stem cells (SCs), with an emphasis on neural stem cells (NSCs). The conventional view, which has touched principally on the essential property of lineage multipotency (e.g., the ability of NSCs to differentiate into all neural cells), should be broadened to include the emerging recognition of biofunctional multipotency of SCs to mediate systemic homeostasis, evidenced in NSCs in particular Read More

In 1907 Alois Alzheimer, a Bavarian psychiatrist, published a seminal two-page article, entitled “A Characteristic Disease of the Cerebral Cortex”[1], followed by the publication of his second article “On Certain Peculiar Diseases of Old Age”, that detailed the clinical, biographical, and neuropathological history of two patients admitted under his care for pre-senile dementia [2]. In these reports, Alzheimer described thes Read More

Environmental factors including chronic stress may play a critical role in the manifestation of Alzheimer's disease (AD).This review summarizes our studies of the aggravation of the impaired cognitive ability and its cellular and molecular correlates by chronic psychosocial stress and prevention by nicotine in an Aβ rat model of AD. We utilized three approaches: learning and memory tests in the radial arm water maze, electrophy Read More

Comprehensive evidence supports that oligomerization and accumulation of amyloidogenic Aβ42 peptides in brain is crucial in the pathogenesis of both familial and sporadic forms of Alzheimer's disease. Imaging studies indicate that the buildup of Aβ begins many years before the onset of clinical symptoms, and that subsequent neurodegeneration and cognitive decline may proceed independently of Aβ. This implies the nec Read More

The heat shock protein (Hsp) family is an evolutionarily conserved system that is charged with preventing unfolded or misfolded proteins in the cell from aggregating. In Alzheimer's disease, extracellular accumulation of the amyloid β peptide (Aβ) and intracellular aggregation of the microtubule associated protein tau may result from mechanisms involving chaperone proteins like the Hsps. Due to the ability of Hsps to regulate ab Read More

Progranulin is a widely expressed protein that is involved in the regulation of multiple biological processes, including embryogenesis, host defense, and wound repair. In the central nervous system, progranulin is constitutively expressed at modest levels in neurons and microglia, but shows dramatic microglial immunoreactivity in degenerative diseases that exhibit prominent neuroinflammation. In addition to the role that PG Read More

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) are well studied for their role of peripheral metabolism, but they also may be involved in the pathogenesis of various disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) including multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's and, Parkinson's disease. The observation that PPARs are able to suppress the inflammatory response in peripheral macrophages and in seve Read More

Aged dogs and humans share complex cognitive and pathological responses to aging. Specifically, dogs develop Alzheimer's Disease (AD) like beta-amyloid (Aβ) that are associated with cognitive deficits. Currently, therapeutic approaches to prevent AD are targeted towards reduced production, aggregation and increased clearance of Aβ. The current review discusses cognition and neuropathology of the aging canine model and Read More

The brain is a highly metabolically active organ producing large amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These ROS are kept in check by an elaborate network of antioxidants. Although ROS are necessary for signaling and synaptic plasticity, their uncontrolled levels cause oxidation of essential macromolecules such as membrane lipids, nucleic acids, enzymes and cytoskeletal proteins. Indeed, overproduction of ROS an Read More

Amyloidopathies cause neurodegeneration in a substantial portion of the elderly population. Improvements in long term health care have made elderly individuals a large and growing demographic group, marking these diseases as a major public health concern. Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the most studied form of neurodegenerative amyloidopathy. Although our understanding of AD is far from complete, several decades of Read More

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an incurable age-related neurodegenerative disorder characterized by profound memory dysfunction. This bellwether symptom suggests involvement of the hippocampus -- a brain region responsible for memory formation -- and coincidentally an area heavily burdened by hyperphosphorylated tau and neuritic plaques of amyloid beta (Aβ). Recent evidence suggests that pre-fibrillar soluble Aβ u Read More

There is an urgent need for new ways to treat Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. Current therapies are modestly effective at treating the symptoms, and do not significantly alter the course of the disease. Over the years, a range of epidemiological and experimental studies have demonstrated interactions between diabetes mellitus and AD. As both diseases are leading causes of mo Read More

Acetylcholine (ACh) is probably the oldest signalling neurotransmitter which appeared in evolution before the nervous system. It is present in bacteria, algae, protozoa and plants. In insects and mammals it is involved in cell-to-cell communications in various neuronal and non-neuronal tissues. The discovery of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) as the main receptors involved in rapid cholinergic neurotransmissio Read More

Deficits in neuroplasticity are hypothesized to underlie the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD): the effectiveness of antidepressants is thought to be related to the normalization of disrupted synaptic transmission and neurogenesis. The cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signaling cascade has received considerable attention for its role in neuroplasticity and MDD. However compon Read More