Adenosine A2A receptor activation is determinant for BDNF actions upon GABA and glutamate release from rat hippocampal synaptosomes.

Adenosine, through A(2A) receptor (A(2A)R) activation, can act as a metamodulator, controlling the actions of other modulators, as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Most of the metamodulatory actions of adenosine in the hippocampus have been evaluated in excitatory synapses. However, adenosine and BDNF can also influence GABAergic transmission.

Dysregulation of TrkB Receptors and BDNF Function by Amyloid-β Peptide is Mediated by Calpain.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its high-affinity full-length (FL) receptor, TrkB-FL, play a central role in the nervous system by providing trophic support to neurons and regulating synaptic plasticity and memory. TrkB and BDNF signaling are impaired in Alzheimer's disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disease involving accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide. We recently showed that Aβ leads to a decrease of TrkB-FL receptor and to an increase of truncated TrkB receptors by an unknown mechanism.