title: Therapeutic actions of translocator protein (18 kDa) ligands in experimental models of psychiatric disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.
abstract: Translocator protein (TSPO) is an 18kDa protein located at contact sites between the outer and the inner mitochondrial membrane. Numerous studies have associated TSPO with the translocation of cholesterol across the aqueous mitochondrial intermembrane space and the regulation of steroidogenesis, as well as with the control of some other mitochondrial functions, such as mitochondrial respiration, mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening, apoptosis and cell proliferation. In the brain, changes in TSPO expression occur in several neuropathological conditions including neurodegenerative diseases and psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, TSPO ligands have been shown to promote neuroprotection in animal models of brain pathology. At least in some cases, the mechanisms of neuroprotection are associated with modifications in brain steroidogenesis. In addition, regulation of neuroinflammation seems to be a common mechanism in the neuroprotective actions of TSPO ligands in different animal models of brain pathology.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Interação Neuro-Humoral, Department of Physiology, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Rua Sarmento Leite, 500, CEP 90050-170 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Cajal Institute, CSIC, Avenida Doctor Arce, 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: brunoarbo@gmail.com.
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Arbo
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Neurofisiologia Cognitiva e do Desenvolvimento, Department of Physiology, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Rua Sarmento Leite, 500, CEP 90050-170 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Benetti
authors.affiliation: Cajal Institute, CSIC, Avenida Doctor Arce, 37, 28002 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Garcia-Segura
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Interação Neuro-Humoral, Department of Physiology, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Rua Sarmento Leite, 500, CEP 90050-170 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D008024:Ligands; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D018079:Receptors, GABA / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008024:Ligands; D018079:Receptors, GABA; C499229:TSPO protein, human
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; Anxiety; Neuroprotection; PBR; Steroidogenesis; Traumatic brain injury