Elucidating the Neuroprotective Role of Teneurin C-terminal Associated Peptide (TCAP)-1

Résumé du livre

The physiology of neuroprotection includes the mechanisms and strategies utilized to guard against neuronal injury or degeneration in the central nervous system (CNS). Degenerative disorders may be generally classified as either acute, such as stroke or nervous system injury/trauma or chronic such as Parkinson's (PD) or Alzheimer's (AD) The goal of neuroprotection is to limit neuronal dysfunction and death after such injury and attempt to maintain the highest possible integrity of cellular interactions in the brain resulting in undisturbed neural function. There is a wide range of agents currently under investigation and some can potentially be used in more than one disorder, as many of the underlying mechanisms of damage to neural tissues, in both acute disorders and in chronic neurodegenerative diseases, are similar. These agents include: free radical trappers/scavengers, anti-excitotoxic agents, apoptosis/programmed cell death (PCD) inhibitors, anti-inflammatory agents, and neurotrophic factors. The objective of this research is to characterize a novel family of neuroprotective peptides, teneurin C-terminal associated peptide (TCAP), and to elucidate their protective mechanism.