Neuropharmacology

Biography

Biography: Mariagrazia Grilli

Abstract

Although the role of adult hippocampal neurogenesis remains to be fully elucidated, a vast array of data suggest that this process is involved in cognitive and emotional functions and deregulated in various neuropsychiatric disorders, including major depression. An intriguing area of interest for pharmacologists is the influence of psychoactive drugs on adult neurogenesis. In particular, several authors have contributed to the idea that antidepressant-induced increase in hippocampal neurogenesis is required for at least some of the drug behavioural effects in rodent and primate models. Altogether these data have led to the hypothesis that the positive modulatory effect of antidepressants on hippocampal neurogenesis may, at least in part, contribute to the therapeutic effects of antidepressants in patients. Among molecular participants which could regulate adult neurogenesis the NF-κB family of transcription factors has been receiving particular attention from our and other laboratories. In particular, our recent data supported the idea that the NF-κB signalling pathway may play an important regulatory role in adult hippocampal neurogenesis both in physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Furthermore we discovered that NF-κB signalling may be potentially involved in mediating the novel proneurogenic and antidepressive-like activity of some clinically relevant drugs, including α2δ ligands and acetyl-L-carnitine. The potential implications of these findings on our current understanding of the process of adult neurogenesis in physiological and pathological conditions and on the search for novel antidepressants will be discussed.