International Journal of General Medicine (Jul 2023)
Regulatory Molecules of Synaptic Plasticity in Anxiety Disorder
Abstract
Zhongwei Sha, Jian Xu, Nana Li, Ou Li Department of Mental Diseases, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zhongwei Sha, Department of Mental Diseases, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 274 Middle Zhijiang Road, Zhabei, Shanghai, 200071, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 21-56639828, Email [email protected]: Synaptic plasticity is the capacity of synaptic transmission between neurons to be strengthened or weakened. There are many signal molecules accumulated in the presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes that can lead to the regulation of synaptic plasticity and involvement in numerous of neurological and psychiatric diseases, including anxiety disorder. However, the regulatory mechanisms of synaptic plasticity in the development of anxiety disorder have not been well summarized. This review mainly aims to discuss the biological functions and mechanisms of synaptic plasticity-related molecules in anxiety disorder, with a particular focus on the metabotropic glutamate receptors, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide–gated channels, and postsynaptic density 95. The summarized functions and mechanisms of synaptic plasticity-related molecules in anxiety will provide insight into novel neuroplasticity modifications for targeted therapy for anxiety.Keywords: synaptic plasticity, anxiety, mGluRs, BDNF, HCN, PSD95
