The Kynurenine Pathway in Traumatic Brain Injury: Implications for Psychiatric Outcomes.

ABSTRACT: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is an established risk factor for the development of psychiatric disorders, especially depression and anxiety. However, the mechanistic pathways underlying this risk remain unclear, limiting treatment options and hindering the identification of clinically useful biomarkers. One salient pathophysiological process implicated in both primary psychiatric disorders and TBI is inflammation. An important consequence of inflammation is the increased breakdown of tryptophan to kynurenine and, subsequently, the metabolism of kynurenine into several neuroactive metabolites, including the neurotoxic NMDA receptor agonist quinolinic acid and the neuroprotective NMDA receptor antagonist kynurenic acid. Here, we review studies of the kynurenine pathway (KP) in TBI and examine

SUBMITTER: Meier TB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8630076 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature