Impaired Secretion of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Neuropsychiatric Diseases

ABSTRACT

Recent studies have elucidated mechanisms of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) secretion, and impaired secretion of BDNF may be involved in the pathogenesis of several neuropsychiatric diseases. The huntingtin gene, for example, has been shown to regulate vesicular transport of BDNF, which may play a role in the neurodegeneration present in Huntington's disease. In animal studies, mice lacking calcium-dependent activator protein for secretion 2 (CADPS2), which is involved in the activity-dependent release of BDNF, showed several phenotypes including autistic behavior. A single nucleotide polymorphism that results in an amino-acid change (Val66Met) in the BDNF gene has been shown to cause a decline in the function of BDNF vesicular sorting and has been reported to be associated with behavioral and intermediate phenotypes (e.g., episodic memory) in humans. In this review, we introduce recent progress in the molecular mechanisms of BDNF secretion and discuss its possible role in the pathophysiology and treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases.