CK2-dependent SK channel dysfunction as contributor to neuronal hyperexcitability in Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Neuronal hyperexcitability in the cortex and hippocampus represents an early event in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In a recent study, Blankenship and colleagues reported that in a mouse of AD, ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons are also hyperexcitable, and this hyperexcitability is due to casein kinase 2 (CK2)-dependent SK channel dysfunction, adding new insights into the underlying mechanisms of aberrant neuronal properties in AD.

Keywords: circuit pathology; dopamine neuron; ion channel; memory; neurodegeneration; ventral tegmental area.