glutamate tagged posts

IGF-1R Regulates Short-Term Synaptic Facilitation under Physiological and AD-Related Conditions

Researchers find IGF-1 receptor, “master” lifespan regulator, plays critically important role regulating the transfer of information within neural circuits. They hope their findings can be used to indicate a new direction for therapy used to treat patients in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

The research reveals IGF-1R as a differential regulator of 2 different modes of transmission – spontaneous and evoked – in hippocampal circuits of the brain. “We know that IGF-1R signaling controls growth, development and lifespan, but its role in AD has remained controversial,” said Dr. Slutsky...

Dopamine-dependent long term depression of mediated transmission profoundly disrupts normal synaptic transmission between hippocampus and PFC. These results show how dopaminergic activation induces long-term hypofunction of NMDARs, which can contribute to disordered functional connectivity, a characteristic that is a hallmark of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. Credit: https://neurowiki2012.wikispaces.com/file/view/Reward_circuit.jpg/315908202/Reward_circuit.jpg

New research reveals mechanisms that trigger disruption in the brain’s communication channels linked to symptoms in psychiatric disorders. This research could have important implications for treating symptoms of brain disorders.

Many of our everyday cognitive functions such as learning and memory rely on normal communic...