BDNF-based synaptic repair as a disease-modifying strategy for neurodegenerative diseases.

Lu, Bai; Nagappan, Guhan; Guan, Xiaoming; Nathan, Pradeep J; Wren, Paul · Nat Rev Neurosci · 2013

review · Level V

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Abstract

Increasing evidence suggests that synaptic dysfunction is a key pathophysiological hallmark in neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. Understanding the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in synaptic plasticity and synaptogenesis, the impact of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism in Alzheimer's disease-relevant endophenotypes - including episodic memory and hippocampal volume - and the technological progress in measuring synaptic changes in humans all pave the way for a 'synaptic repair' therapy for neurodegenerative diseases that targets pathophysiology rather than pathogenesis. This article reviews the key issues in translating BDNF biology into synaptic repair therapies.

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