The Brain-Derived Neurotrofic Factor (BDNF) is one of the most important neurotrophins in the brain and it is suggested influences the activity of the serotonergic, noradrenergic and dopaminergic pathways. In the last few years, it has been hypothesized that BDNF level is related with depression and sleep. Several studies show that depressive subjects present low levels of BDNF in the brain. Po...

T he field of neurotrophin biology has made great advances in recent years to include a greater understanding of signaling pathways and broader understanding of the diverse biological roles of these molecules. This review will focus primarily on the nerve growth factor family of neurotrophins and how recent descriptions of the molecular function of both the ligands and the receptors have helped...

Developmental axon competition plays a key role in sculpting neural circuitry. Here, we have asked how activity and neurotrophins could interact to select one axon over another. Using compartmented cultures of sympathetic neurons, we show that, in the presence of NGF, local depolarization confers a competitive growth advantage on the depolarized axon collaterals and at the same time disadvantag...

Neuronal activity and neurotrophins play a central role in the formation, maintenance, and plasticity of dendritic arbors. Here, we show that neuronal activity, mediated by electrical stimulation, KCl depolarization, or cholinergic receptor activation, promotes reversible dendrite formation in sympathetic neurons and that this effect is enhanced by NGF. Activity-dependent dendrite formation is ...

Small regulatory RNAs, such as miRNAs, are increasingly being recognized not only as regulators of developmental processes but contributors to pathological states. The number of miRNAs determined experimentally to be involved in Parkinson's disease (PD) development and progression is small and includes regulators of pathologic proteins, neurotrophic factors, and xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes....

Trafficking of trophic factors in axons can occur in a retrograde and anterograde direction. Recent findings bring further support for a vesicle-based process for retrograde transport but raise new questions that need to be pursued. Unraveling the exact mechanisms that account for retrograde transport of neurotrophins and their receptors will reveal the cellular requirements for propagating tro...

The proper development of axon terminal arbors and their recognition of target neurons depend, in part, on neuronal activity. Neurotrophins are attractive candidate signals to participate in activity-dependent development and refinement of neuronal connectivity. In the visual system, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been shown to modulate the elaboration and refinement of axonal arb...

Significant progress has been made in understanding the neurobiological mechanisms through which exercise protects and restores the brain. In this feature review, we integrate animal and human research, examining physical activity effects across multiple levels of description (neurons up to inter-regional pathways). We evaluate the influence of exercise on hippocampal structure and function, ad...

The neurotrophic factors brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) have been shown to promote excitatory and inhibitory synapse development. However, a quantitative analysis of their influence on connectivity has proven in general difficult to achieve. In this work we use a novel experimental approach based on percolation concepts that provides a quantification of the a...

Exercise is a well-recognized facet of modern living; however, the threat of sedentary lifestyle is ever increasing with the arrival of the technological period. Although the beneficial effects of exercise to the health and function of the brain have been accepted by the scientific and medical community, much remains to be achieved to understand its mechanisms of action. With the advent of mode...