title: Role of the Neuregulin Signaling Pathway in Nicotine Dependence and Co-morbid Disorders.
abstract: Smoking is currently the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and is responsible for over four million deaths annually worldwide. Therefore, there is a vast clinical unmet need with regards to therapeutics targeting smoking cessation. This is even more apparent when examining smokers co-morbid with psychiatric illness, as rates of smoking in this population are ~4× higher than in the general population. Examining common genetic and molecular signaling pathways impinging upon both smoking behavior and psychiatric illness will lead to a better understanding of co-morbid disorders and potential development of novel therapeutics. Studies have implicated the Neuregulin Signaling Pathway in the pathophysiology of a number of psychiatric illnesses. Additionally, recent studies have also shown an association between the Neuregulin Signaling Pathway and smoking behaviors. This review outlines basic mechanisms of the Neuregulin Signaling Pathway and how it may be exploited for precision medicine approaches in treating nicotine dependence and mental illness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, South Carolina College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Miranda L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Anu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loukola
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland; Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland FIMM, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Jaakko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaprio
authors.affiliation: Department of Drug Discovery and Biomedical Sciences, South Carolina College of Pharmacy, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, USA. Electronic address: jiturner@sccp.sc.edu.
authors.forename: Jill R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Turner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015897:Comorbidity; D006801:Humans; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D020880:Neuregulins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D020880:Neuregulins
keywords: Depression; ErbB4; NRG1; NRG3; Nicotine dependence; SNPs; Schizophrenia; Smoking cessation; Withdrawal