Naslov
Protein aggregation in major mental illness

Autori
Bradshaw, Nicholas J.

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Abstract book, 10th Student Congress of Neuroscience, Neuri 2021 / - , 2021, 43-43

Skup
10th Student Congress of Neuroscience

Mjesto i datum
Rijeka, Hrvatska, 23.04.2021. - 25.04.2021

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Plenarno

Vrsta recenzije
Domaća recenzija

Ključne riječi
Schizophrenia ; Protein aggregation

Sažetak
Major mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and major depressive disorder, are devastating conditions and are among the largest causes of disability, both regionally and internationally. This problem is made significantly worse by the lack of biological tests available to diagnose them, and the comparatively small range of effective medications to treat them. It is therefore vital that we gain a greater understanding of what the biological events are that underlie these conditions. The genetic background to these conditions has been thoroughly investigated but has proven to be highly complex, with few obvious targets for new drugs or therapies. We, and our collaboration partners, have therefore been attempting to complement this approach by also studying proteins involved in major mental illness. Specifically, we have been investigating the existence of misfolded protein aggregates in these disorders, comparable to similar neurotoxic aggregates in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Several proteins have now been identified that appear to specifically form aggregates in the brains of patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and/ or depression. These are all brain- expressed proteins that, when functioning normally, are involved in either synaptic function and/or neurodevelopment. In many instances, one isoform or variant of the protein readily forms aggregates in cell culture and/or animal models, while others do not. For several of the proteins, specific regions of the protein have been shown to be essential for aggregation. Work is now ongoing to determine how the aggregation of these proteins occurs, and what their consequences are for the normal function of neurons and the brain. While still at a comparatively early stage, the study of protein aggregation in mental illness is showing promise. Studies in larger brain collections, as well as further biochemical characterization of the proteins, are now required to determine their ultimate relevance for diagnosis and/or treatment of major mental illness.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Biologija, Biotehnologija, Interdisciplinarne biotehničke znanosti, Biotehnologija u biomedicini (prirodno područje, biomedicina i zdravstvo, biotehničko područje)

POVEZANOST RADA