title: Towards universal therapeutics for memory disorders.
abstract: Evidence is accumulating that many memory disorders, including those due to neurodegenerative diseases, traumatic brain injury (TBI), vascular disease, or abnormal brain development, share common features of memory-related pathology. Structural and functional deficits of synapses are at the core of the underlying pathophysiology, constituting a critical point of convergence in memory disorders. Memory therapeutics that target synaptic loss and dysfunction - that is, to slow, halt, or reverse progression of the disorders at the level of synapses, via synaptogenic molecular cascades such as those of protein kinase C (PKC) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) - possess universal therapeutic value for many forms of memory disorder. They may be useful either as standalone interventions for patients with memory disorders or as adjuncts to drugs that target the underlying pathology.
authors.affiliation: Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, 8 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA. Electronic address: mksun@brni-jhu.org.
authors.forename: Miao-Kun
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, 8 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, 8 Medical Center Drive, Morgantown, WV 26505, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Alkon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013569:Synapses / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009435:Synaptic Transmission
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents
keywords: brain-derived neurotrophic factor; learning and memory; memory disorders; post-traumatic stress disorder; protein kinase C; stem cell