The potential therapeutic effect of BDNF on GABAergic neuroplasticity dysfunction in late-life anxiety / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

ABSTRACT

Late-life anxiety has a high prevalence and usually co-morbidity with cerebral-and cardiovascular diseases which in turn increases the disability and mortality in old people.The pathology of late-life anxiety is difference from adult with the character of GABAergic neuroplasticity dysfunction.The therapeutic strategy presently can only alleviate the anxious symptom but not ameliorate the neuroplasticity.Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a critical signaling molecule which regulates the GABAergic neuroplasticity,reduction of BDNF along with aging can induce GABAergic dysfunction which contributes to late-life anxiety.BDNF may exert anxiolytic effects by restoring the GABAergic plasticity and can be a potential therapeutic strategy of late-life anxiety.