Dysfunction in the gene , which encodes the voltage-gated sodium channel Na1.2, is strongly associated with neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability (ASD/ID). This dysfunction typically manifests in these disorders as a haploinsufficiency, where loss of one copy of a gene cannot be compensated for by the other allele.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are frontline treatments for serious mental illness. Often, individual patients benefit only from some SGAs and not others. The mechanisms underlying this unpredictability in treatment efficacy remain unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDopamine (DA) neurons are primarily concentrated in substantia nigra (SN) and ventral tegmental area (VTA). A subset of these neurons expresses the neurotensin receptor NTSR1 and its putative ligand neurotensin (Nts). NTSR1, a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), which classically activates Gαq/calcium signaling, is a potential route for modulating DA activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrefrontal cortex (PFC) is postulated to exert "top-down control" on information processing throughout the brain to promote specific behaviors. However, pathways mediating top-down control remain poorly understood. In particular, knowledge about direct prefrontal connections that might facilitate top-down control of hippocampal information processing remains sparse.
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