CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets (Formerly Current Drug Targets - CNS & Neurological Disorders) - Volume 13, Issue 5, 2014

Evolution rarely ‘designs’ important molecular devices only for one purpose. In fact, the same device is often used in different biological processes. The roles of Wnt signaling clearly illustrate this notion. Although, Wnt signaling has been best known as a master regulator in diverse developmental processes, emerging evidence reveals critical functions of Wnt signaling in the adult nervous system. In this thematic issue of Wnt Signal Read More

Wnt signaling pathways play important roles in various developmental and oncogenic processes. In the nervous system, Wnt signaling regulates neuronal morphogenesis and synaptic differentiation. Disturbance of Wnt signaling is implicated in the pathogenesis of neurological diseases. Recent studies indicate that Wnt signaling in neurons is closely coupled to synaptic activation, and that the activity-regulated Wnt signali Read More

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes a progressive decline of mental and cognitive processes such as memory, judgment and reasoning. We proposed earlier that a sustained loss of function of Wnt/β- catenin signaling components underlies the onset and progression of the disease. Here, we discuss recent data on the involvement of Wnt/b-catenin signaling on amyloid precursor protein (A Read More

The Wnt signaling pathway is one of the crucial signaling pathways that regulate many aspects of central nervous system. In this review, we tempt to depict an overall picture of the Wnt signaling with its multitude of roles in schizophrenia. If the Wnt signaling pathway plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia as we suggest, a better understanding of the Wnt pathway might contribute to developing new and more Read More

Mounting attention is being focused on the canonical Wnt signaling pathway which has been implicated in the pathogenesis of autism in some our and other recent studies. The canonical Wnt pathway is involved in cell proliferation, differentiation and migration, especially during nervous system development. Given its various functions, dysfunction of the canonical Wnt pathway may exert adverse effects on neurodevelopment an Read More

Binge eating disorder (BED) has limited therapeutic options. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a modulation technique of cortical excitability that has shown good results in treating certain psychiatric disorders by correcting dysfunctional cortical regions. We hypothesize that rTMS could be an alternative therapy for BED through potential modulation action on frontostriatal abnormalities and dopaminergic Read More

The etiology of migraine, a neurological disorder, has still not been clearly established, although it may be categorized as a headache disorder with specific characteristics such as focal neurological symptoms preceding or accompanying the headache. Many researchers have suggested genetic predisposition as one of the underlying causes of migraine. An insight into the various pathophysiological mechanisms such as the role o Read More

Microglia, the brain’s resident macrophages, contribute to immune surveillance and the response to disease and injury. These immune cells play a dual role in the nervous system, having both neurotoxic and neuroprotective effects. Activation of microglia results in the production of inflammatory molecules and neurotoxic factors that often cause or contribute to neurodegenerative diseases. Inhibition of neurotoxic m Read More

Stroke-induced immunosuppression (SIIS) leads to severe complications in stroke patients, including an increased risk of infections. However, functional alterations of T lymphocytes during SIIS are poorly described in acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We aimed to characterize Ca2+ influx kinetics in major lymphocyte subsets (CD4, Th1, Th2, CD8) in AIS patients without infection 6 hours and one week after the CNS insult. W Read More

The post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is defined as a severe anxiety disorder that develops after exposure to an event with actual, threatened, or perceived death or serious injury, or a threat to the physical integrity of oneself or others that results in significant psychological trauma. Moreover, the ability of people to handle acute severe stress experiences varies among individuals. Depending on the underlying person Read More

In many psychiatric, neurodegenerative and systemic inflammatory disorders circadian melatonin is decreased whilst melatonin enzymes and melatonin receptors are genetic susceptibility factors. Treatment with melatonin is useful in a diverse range of medical conditions, including bipolar disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, depression and fibromyalgia. Decreased melatonin effects are classically attributed to lost pineal producti Read More

Migraine is a neurovascular disease that has classically been attributed to multifactorial aetiologies, with genetic components and environmental interactions considered the main influence. Genes such as flavoenzyme 5, 10- methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), especially the C677T variant, have been associated with elevated plasma homocysteine levels. This elevation in homocysteine results in an array of metabolic Read More

Twenty years ago the alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) was thought to be vestigial with little biological relevance, but in recent years it has emerged as a functional target with ubiquitous localization and biological roles. In the last decade more than two thousand manuscripts have been published unraveling the multi-dimensional complexity of this target, the heterogeneity of its genetic variants, the spectrum of tra Read More

Neuropathic pain is a chronic disability associated with a dysfunction of the nervous system, initiated by a primary lesion or disease. Even after resolution of the initiating pathology, neuropathic pain often persists, leading to a significantly diminished quality of life. A vast literature has documented alterations in the expression and distribution of various pain-related proteins in the peripheral nervous system following inj Read More

Total bakkenolides is the major component of the rhizome of Petasites trichinous Franch.. In this study, we investigated its neuroprotective effects in a rat transient focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion model, and in an in vitro cerebral ischemia model, oxygen-glucose deprivation of cultured nerve cells. Oral administration of total bakkenolides immediately after reperfusion at doses of 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg markedly reduced brain inf Read More

The accumulation and aggregation of misfolded proteins can be highly cytotoxic and may underlie several human degenerative diseases characterized by neuronal inclusions such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, prion-like and polyglutamine repeat diseases. In this context small heat shock proteins, molecular chaperones known to be induced by cell stress, play a fundamental role by facilitating folding of nascent polypeptide Read More

The prion protein (PrP) is currently one of the most studied molecules in the neurosciences. It is the main cause of a group of neurological diseases collectively called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies that severely affect both humans and a variety of mammals. Much effort has been directed to understanding the molecular basis of PrP activity, both in physiological and pathological terms. In this context, identification Read More

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with the development of dementia. It has been established that the pathological hallmarks of neurofibrillary tau protein tangles and senile β-amyloid protein plaques lead to degeneration of neurons via inflammatory pathways. The progressive death of neurons, primarily cholinergic, results in a gradual and fatal decline of cognitive abilities and memor Read More