The effects of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) on cocaine-seeking are brain region-specific. Infusion of BDNF into subcortical structures, like the nucleus accumbens and ventral tegmental area, enhances cocaine-induced behavioral sensitization and cocaine-seeking. Conversely, repeated administration of BDNF antiserum into the nucleus accumbens during chronic cocaine self-administration...

Neurotrophic support to peripheral sensory neurons is provided by 2 factors of related sequence, NGF and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). NGF is present in peripheral target tissues, while BDNF has only been reported in the CNS. We now report the biological characterization and molecular cloning of a cDNA for BDNF from human platelets. BDNF in human platelets has biological activities ...

Nerve growth factor (NGF) was discovered in the early 1950s due to its trophic (survivaland growth-promoting) effects on sensory and sympathetic neurons (LeviMontalcini and Hamburger, 1951). In 1982, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), the second member of the “neurotrophin” family of neurotrophic factors, was shown to promote survival of a subpopulation of dorsal root ganglion neurons, a...

Increasing evidence over the last two decades has indicated that the pathophysiology of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and the action of antidepressants both involve Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a major neuronal growth factor in the brain. MDD is a complex disorder that results from genetic and environmental influences, singly or in combination. This article reviews the current kn...

Methods. Retinal ischemia was induced in Lewis albino rats by increasing intraocular pressure to 160 mm Hg for 90 minutes. The agents or buffer controls were injected intravitreally at different times, either before or after the ischemic insult, and the postischemic survival time was either 7 or 14 days. The degree of retinal damage was assessed from plastic-embedded sections by cytologic analy...

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a neurotrophin that regulates neuronal survival and growth during development. Effects of BDNF on neuronal transmission in the hippocampus, cortex, cerebellum and basal forebrain are important for learning and memory processes [1]. Reduced BDNF may affect synaptic efficiency and connectivity in schizophrenia that is hypothesized to underpin signs and ...

Neuregulins (NRGs) are expressed in spinal cord motor neurons and accumulate at the neuromuscular junction where they may increase the synthesis of postsynaptic acetylcholine receptors and voltage-gated sodium channels. We demonstrate here that NRG expression is selectively increased in rat ventral spinal cord neurons at approximately the time that nerve-muscle synapses first form. A rapid incr...

This article reviews recent studies that have examined differences and similarities in the neurotrophic growth factor requirements of neural crest- and neural placode-derived sensory neurons of the developing chick embryo. From in vitro experiments using both explant and dissociated, neuron-enriched cultures of spinal and cranial nerve sensory neurons, it has been established that only sensory ...