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All neurotrophic factors - related to the better known nerve growth factor (English acronym: NGF) - are stimulants of nerve growth that are found in the central portion as well as in the peripheries.
BDNF, whose transcription is encoded by a specific and homonymous gene, was first isolated from pig brains in 1982 by Yves-Alain Barde and Hans Thoenen.
and synapses belonging to the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral (SNP).In the brain, neurotrophic growth factor is active in the hippocampus, cortex and basal forebrain - areas that are vital for learning, memory and higher thinking. Furthermore, it seems to be expressed also in the retina, kidneys, prostate, motor neurons, skeletal muscles and it is also present in saliva.
BDNF is very important for long-term memory. Although in mammals the vast majority of neurons in the brain are formed during intrauterine development (before birth), parts of the adult organ retain the ability to grow new neurons from neural stem cells, thanks to a process known as neurogenesis. BDNF is one of the most active neurotrophins in stimulating and controlling neurogenesis.
An observation on mice revealed that those deficient in BDNF showed defects in the development of the brain - with an increase in the number of sympathetic neurons - and of the sensory nervous system - which affects coordination, balance, hearing, taste. and respiration - and typically died soon after birth, suggesting that BDNF plays an important role in normal neural development.Other important neurotrophins structurally related to BDNF are: NT-3, NT-4 and NGF.
Neurotrophic growth factor is produced in the endoplasmic reticulum and secreted by dense nucleus vesicles; then it binds to carboxypeptidase E (CPE). The breaking of this link could be the cause of the complications related to the insufficiency of BDNF.
on the surface of cells that are able to respond to this growth factor, TrkB (pronounced "Track B") and LNGFR (for the low-affinity nerve growth factor receptor, also known as p75).
BDNF can also modulate the activity of various neurotransmitter receptors, including the alpha-7 nicotinic receptor. Brain neurotrophic factor has also been shown to interact with the relin signaling chain, decreasing its expression as it develops in cells. by Cajal-Retzius.
have been shown to dramatically (up to three times) increase BDNF synthesis in the human brain, a phenomenon that is partly responsible for training-induced neurogenesis and improvements in cognitive function.Niacin (vitamin PP or B3) also appears to upregulate the expression of BDNF and tropomyosin kinase B (TrkB).
, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, Rett's syndrome and dementia, as well as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
An increased level of BDNF can induce reactions similar to opioid dependence when expressed in the ventral tegmental area in rats.
In 2002, all clinical trials in which neurotrophic growth factor was administered directly to the central nervous system (CNS) in humans in the presence of various neurodegenerative diseases were unsuccessful.
