Chapter title |
Signaling pathways relevant to cognition-enhancing drug targets.
|
---|---|
Chapter number | 3 |
Book title |
Cognitive Enhancement
|
Published in |
Handbook of experimental pharmacology, January 2015
|
DOI | 10.1007/978-3-319-16522-6_3 |
Pubmed ID | |
Book ISBNs |
978-3-31-916521-9, 978-3-31-916522-6
|
Authors |
Ménard, Caroline, Gaudreau, Pierrette, Quirion, Rémi, Caroline Ménard, Pierrette Gaudreau, Rémi Quirion |
Abstract |
Aging is generally associated with a certain cognitive decline. However, individual differences exist. While age-related memory deficits can be observed in humans and rodents in the absence of pathological conditions, some individuals maintain intact cognitive functions up to an advanced age. The mechanisms underlying learning and memory processes involve the recruitment of multiple signaling pathways and gene expression, leading to adaptative neuronal plasticity and long-lasting changes in brain circuitry. This chapter summarizes the current understanding of how these signaling cascades could be modulated by cognition-enhancing agents favoring memory formation and successful aging. It focuses on data obtained in rodents, particularly in the rat as it is the most common animal model studied in this field. First, we will discuss the role of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate and its receptors, downstream signaling effectors [e.g., calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), protein kinase C (PKC), extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB)], associated immediate early gene (e.g., Homer 1a, Arc and Zif268), and growth factors [insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)] in synaptic plasticity and memory formation. Second, the impact of the cholinergic system and related modulators on memory will be briefly reviewed. Finally, since dynorphin neuropeptides have recently been associated with memory impairments in aging, it is proposed as an attractive target to develop novel cognition-enhancing agents. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
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Unknown | 1 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 1 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Unknown | 58 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
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Student > Ph. D. Student | 12 | 21% |
Researcher | 10 | 17% |
Student > Master | 7 | 12% |
Other | 3 | 5% |
Student > Bachelor | 2 | 3% |
Other | 9 | 16% |
Unknown | 15 | 26% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
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Medicine and Dentistry | 9 | 16% |
Neuroscience | 8 | 14% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 4 | 7% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 4 | 7% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 4 | 7% |
Other | 12 | 21% |
Unknown | 17 | 29% |