Abstract
Reelin is a glycoprotein that serves important roles both during development (regulation of neuronal migration and brain lamination) and in adulthood (maintenance of synaptic function). A number of neuropsychiatric disorders including autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, Alzheimer's disease and lissencephaly share a common feature of abnormal Reelin expression in the brain. Altered Reelin expression has been hypothesized to impair neuronal connectivity and synaptic plasticity, leading ultimately to the cognitive deficits present in these disorders. The mechanisms for abnormal Reelin expression in some of these disorders are currently unknown although possible explanations include early developmental insults, mutations, hypermethylation of the promoter for the Reelin gene (RELN), miRNA silencing of Reelin mRNA, FMRP underexpression and Reelin processing abnormalities. Increasing Reelin expression through pharmacological therapies may help ameliorate symptoms resulting from Reelin deficits. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Neurodevelopmental Disorders'.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 122-135 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Neuropharmacology |
| Volume | 68 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 2013 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Grant support by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development ( 5R01HD052074-01A2 ) and the National Institute of Mental Health ( 5R01MH086000-01A2 ) and the Minnesota Medical Foundation Alfred and Ingrid Lenz Harrison Initiative Fund to SHF is gratefully acknowledged. Dr. Fatemi has several United States patents (7341844) on the use of Reelin as a diagnostic marker in psychiatric disorders but has not derived any financial gains from these patents.
Keywords
- Alzheimer's disease
- Autism
- Bipolar disorder
- Lissencephaly
- Major depression
- Reelin
- Schizophrenia
- Treatment