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Review
. 2017 Jul 26;18(8):1627.
doi: 10.3390/ijms18081627.

Potential Role of Microtubule Stabilizing Agents in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Sara Anna Bonini  1 , Andrea Mastinu  2 , Giulia Ferrari-Toninelli  3 , Maurizio Memo  4
Affiliations
Review

Potential Role of Microtubule Stabilizing Agents in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Sara Anna Bonini et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are characterized by neuroanatomical abnormalities indicative of corticogenesis disturbances. At the basis of NDDs cortical abnormalities, the principal developmental processes involved are cellular proliferation, migration and differentiation. NDDs are also considered "synaptic disorders" since accumulating evidence suggests that NDDs are developmental brain misconnection syndromes characterized by altered connectivity in local circuits and between brain regions. Microtubules and microtubule-associated proteins play a fundamental role in the regulation of basic neurodevelopmental processes, such as neuronal polarization and migration, neuronal branching and synaptogenesis. Here, the role of microtubule dynamics will be elucidated in regulating several neurodevelopmental steps. Furthermore, the correlation between abnormalities in microtubule dynamics and some NDDs will be described. Finally, we will discuss the potential use of microtubule stabilizing agents as a new pharmacological intervention for NDDs treatment.

Keywords: brain malformation; microtubule; microtubule stabilizing agents; neurodevelopmental disorders.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Scheme of MTs dynamics and trafficking.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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