brain-derived neurotrophic factor (bdnf), which is structurally similar to nerve growth factor is produced in the hippocampus and is one of the factors that is reduced by age due to lack of activity. reduced bdnf has effects on memory, learning and cognition, behavioral disorders, food intake and energy metabolism that can be compensated with exercise and the incidence of alzheimer can be preve...

Although neurotrophic factors have been implicated in several forms of neuroplasticity, little is known concerning their potential role in spinal plasticity. Cervical dorsal rhizotomy (CDR) enhances serotonin terminal density near (spinal) phrenic motoneurons and serotonin-dependent long-term facilitation of phrenic motor output (Kinkead et al., 1998). We tested the hypothesis that selected neu...

Background: Ionizing radiation causes cognitive impairment in adult brain. However, the effects of various irradiation protocols with fractionated fixed total dose on hippocampal function have not yet been studied. Materials and Methods: Fractionated whole brain irradiation with a total dose of 36 Gy was performed according to the following protocols: 2Gy-18 fractions (2Gy*18), 4Gy-9 fraction (...

We found that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-induced phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and Akt in cerebellar granule neurons was specifically potentiated by LPC. LPC also augmented the BDNF-induced phosphorylation of TrkB, the receptor for BDNF. In TrkB-transfected CHO-K1 cells, LPC potentiated BDNF-induced MAPK phosphorylation. These results suggest that LPC ...

The primary sensory neurons that respond to noxious stimulation and project to the spinal cord are known to fall into two distinct groups: one sensitive to nerve growth factor and the other sensitive to glial cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor. There is currently considerable interest in the ways in which these factors may regulate nociceptor properties. Recently, however, it has emerged tha...

PURPOSE To examine the effects of transplanting retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells transduced with neurotrophic factor genes into the subretinal space of rats. METHODS RPE cells were transduced with plasmids carrying the cDNAs of Axokine (ciliary neurotrophic factor [CNTF]; Sumitomo Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan), brain derived-neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and basic fibroblast gr...

PURPOSE To investigate neurotrophic growth factors and corresponding receptors in human and rabbit corneal epithelium and stroma. METHODS Transcription of nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin 3 (NT-3), NT-4, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell line- derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), and receptors Trk A-E, was investigated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactio...

The clinical application of doxorubicin (Dox) is limited by its adverse effect of cardiotoxicity. Previous studies have suggested the cardioprotective effect of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). We hypothesize that BDNF could protect against Dox-induced cardiotoxicity. Sprague Dawley rats were injected with Dox (2.5 mg/kg, 3 times/week, i.p.), in the presence or absence of recombinant B...