Neuronal pentraxins as biomarkers of synaptic activity: from physiological functions to pathological changes in neurodegeneration.

ABSTRACT: The diagnosis of neurodegenerative disorders is often challenging due to the lack of diagnostic tools, comorbidities and shared pathological manifestations. Synaptic dysfunction is an early pathological event in many neurodegenerative disorders, but the underpinning mechanisms are still poorly characterised. Reliable quantification of synaptic damage is crucial to understand the pathophysiology of neurodegeneration, to track disease status and to obtain prognostic information. Neuronal pentraxins (NPTXs) are extracellular scaffolding proteins emerging as potential biomarkers of synaptic dysfunction in neurodegeneration. They are a family of proteins involved in homeostatic synaptic plasticity by recruiting post-synaptic receptors into synapses. Recent research investigates the dynamic chan

SUBMITTER: Gomez de San Jose N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8866268 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature