title: The role of GPCRs in neurodegenerative diseases: avenues for therapeutic intervention.
abstract: Neurodegenerative diseases represent a large group of neurological disorders with heterogeneous clinical and pathological profiles. The majority of current therapeutic strategies provide temporary symptomatic relief but do not target the underlying disease pathobiology and thus do not affect disease progression. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are among the most successful targets for therapeutic development of central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Many current clinical therapeutic agents act by targeting this class of receptors and downstream signaling pathways. Here, we review evidence that perturbation of GPCR function contributes to the pathophysiology of various neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Frontotemporal dementia, Vascular dementia, Parkinson's disease, and Huntington's disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Avenue, BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Yunhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Avenue, BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Todd
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Avenue, BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Avenue, BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3501 Fifth Avenue, BST3, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; KU Leuven Center for Human Genetics, Leuven 3000, Belgium. Electronic address: amantha@pitt.edu.
authors.forename: Amantha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thathiah
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018450:Disease Progression; D015195:Drug Design; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled