Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Apr;12(4):549-557.
doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.205084.

Neurotrophic factors in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases: implications for pathogenesis and therapy

Tuane Bazanella Sampaio  1   2 , Anne Suely Savall  2 , Maria Eduarda Ziani Gutierrez  2 , Simone Pinton  2
Affiliations
Review

Neurotrophic factors in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases: implications for pathogenesis and therapy

Tuane Bazanella Sampaio et al. Neural Regen Res. 2017 Apr.

Abstract

Neurotrophic factors comprise essential secreted proteins that have several functions in neural and non-neural tissues, mediating the development, survival and maintenance of peripheral and central nervous system. Therefore, neurotrophic factor issue has been extensively investigated into the context of neurodegenerative diseases. Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease show changes in the regulation of specific neurotrophic factors and their receptors, which appear to be critical for neuronal degeneration. Indeed, neurotrophic factors prevent cell death in degenerative processes and can enhance the growth and function of affected neurons in these disorders. Based on recent reports, this review discusses the main findings related to the neurotrophic factor support - mainly brain-derived neurotrophic factor and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor - in the survival, proliferation and maturation of affected neurons in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease as well as their putative application as new therapeutic approach for these diseases management.

Keywords: BDNF; CDNF; GDNF; NGF; neurodegenerative diseases; treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: None declared.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Aebischer P, Schluep M, Deglon N, Joseph JM, Hirt L, Heyd B, Goddard M, Hammang JP, Zurn AD, Kato AC, Regli F, Baetge EE. Intrathecal delivery of CNTF using encapsulated genetically modified xenogeneic cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients. Nat Med. 1996;2:696–699. - PubMed
    1. Airaksinen MS, Saarma M. The GDNF family: signalling, biological functions and therapeutic value. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2002;3:383–394. - PubMed
    1. Airavaara M, Shen H, Kuo CC, Peranen J, Saarma M, Hoffer B, Wang Y. Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor reduces ischemic brain injury and promotes behavioral recovery in rats. J Comp Neurol. 2009;515:116–124. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Allen SJ, Watson JJ, Dawbarn D. The neurotrophins and their role in Alzheimer's disease. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2011;9:559–573. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Altar CA, Cai N, Bliven T, Juhasz M, Conner JM, Acheson AL, Lindsay RM, Wiegand SJ. Anterograde transport of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and its role in the brain. Nature. 1997;389:856–860. - PubMed