Autism is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by several behavioral presentations, such as impaired social interactions, stereotypic behaviors, limited social communications and restricted social interests. There is no curative therapeutic intervention for autism as there is no consensus regarding its pathogenesis. However emerging data suggests that oxidative stress and neuroinf...

Nervous system lesions are characterized by the loss of neuronal numbers and types. The neurotrophic factor levels in an injured tissue reflect their potential for regeneration. This hypothesis was investigated in olfactory bulb (OB), where olfactory tract was surgically transected disrupting neuronal migration and turnover. The effects were followed with quantification of mitral cells and thre...

In the developing vertebrate nervous system the survival of sensory neurons becomes dependent on neurotrophic factors when their axons reach their target fields, and the synthesis of nerve growth factor (NGF) by target field cells commences with the arrival of the earliest axons. The timing of NGF synthesis and the onset of neurotrophic factor dependence are not, however, reliant on innervation...

Dekan Summary BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) plays an important role in neuronal survival, growth and maintenance of several neuronal systems, serves as neurotransmitter modulator and participates in plasticity important for learning and memory. BDNF is widely expressed in the CNS, beginning early in development and extending throughout life. In the mammalian brain, it is most abundan...

The neuroprotective effect of the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor has been extensively studied in various toxic models of Parkinson's disease. However, it remains unclear whether this neurotrophic factor can protect against the toxicity induced by the aggregation-prone protein α-synuclein. Targeted overexpression of human wild-type α-synuclein in the nigrostriatal system, using aden...

BACKGROUND Depression is a serious psychiatric disorder that easily causes physical impairments and a high suicide rate. Monosialotetrahexosylganglioside is a crucial ganglioside for the central nervous system and has been reported to affect the function of the brain derived neurotrophic factor system. This study is aimed to evaluate whether monosialotetrahexosylganglioside has antidepressant-l...