title: Exosomes in neurologic and psychiatric disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purposes of this review were to discuss the role of exosomes in neurologic and psychiatric diseases and to propose future therapeutic approaches.
  
  
  METHODS
  PubMed was searched (2000-2014) using the terms exosomes, microvesicles, neurological disorders, psychiatric disorders, multivesicular bodies, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, prion disease, multiple sclerosis, schizophrenia, glioblastoma multiforme, and flavonoids.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Many cells of the nervous system have been reported to release exosomes that could have an active role in the function, development, and diseases of the CNS, such as Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, prion diseases, multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, and schizophrenia. In all of these diseases, exosomes are involved in the spread of "toxic" proteins that are mutated or "misfolded" and serve as templates for the formation of disease-producing oligomers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exosomes' simple structure and abilities to be incorporated into plasma membrane and to cross the blood-brain barrier allow for the opportunity to utilize them as delivery vehicles of drugs and genetic elements in the treatment of immune, psychiatric, and neurologic disorders. Flavonoids have emerged as unique, natural molecules with antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties. It would, therefore, be of interest to design flavonoid-containing exosomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Physiology and Pathobiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Irene
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tsilioni
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Physiology and Pathobiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Smaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Panagiotidou
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Physiology and Pathobiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Internal Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Psychiatry, Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts. Electronic address: theoharis.theoharides@tufts.edu.
authors.forename: Theoharis C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Theoharides
mesh_terms: D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000503:physiopathology; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000503:physiopathology; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D055354:Exosomes / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000503:physiopathology; D017096:Prion Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: exosomes; flavonoids; neurological disorders; psychiatric disorders