Neuroprotection by cAMP: Another brick in the wall.

Programmed cell death occurs in the nervous system both in normal development as well as in pathologic conditions, and is a key issue related to both brain repair and neurodegenerative diseases. Modulation of cell death in the nervous system may involve neurotrophic factors and other peptides, neurotransmitters and neuromodulators, that activate various signal transduction pathways, which in turn interact with the cell death execution machinery. Here we discuss the role of the second messenger cyclic adenosine 3'5'-monophosphate (cAMP) in cell death, and summarize current evidence that cAMP is a nodal point of neuroprotective signaling pathways.