title: Brain extracellular matrix in neurodegeneration.
abstract: The role of extracellular matrix (ECM) in neurological development, function and degeneration has evolved from a simplistic physical adhesion to a system of intricate cellular signaling. While most cells require ECM adhesion to survive, it is now clear that differentiated function is intimately dependent upon cellular interaction with the ECM. Therefore, it is not surprising that the ECM is increasingly found to be involved in the enigmatic process of neurodegeneration. Descriptive studies of human neurodegenerative disorders and experimental studies of animal models of neurodegeneration have begun to define potential mechanisms of ECM disruption that can lead to synaptic and neuronal loss.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pa., USA.
authors.forename: Dafna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bonneh-Barkay
authors.forename: Clayton A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Wiley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008251:Macaca; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases / Q000378:metabolism; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000473:pathology*; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator; D020782:Matrix Metalloproteinases