Protective effects of noradrenergic and neurotrophic signalling on neuronal complexity in vitro

Abstract

Neuronal atrophy and synaptic dysfunction are prevalent features of a range of neurological disorders. Degeneration of neurites and loss of synaptic connections often precede cell loss during neurodegeneration and the failure of neuronal regeneration and synaptic recovery is a significant obstacle in the treatment of neurodegenerative disease. Enhancement of neurite outgrowth and synaptogenesis is therefore a critical target in the development of novel therapeutic strategies for CNS disorders. Noradrenaline (NA) is a neurotransmitter that has notable neurotrophic and anti-inflammatory properties, primarily through action on glial cells. This thesis examined the effect ofstimulation of glial adrenoceptors and subsequent exposure of neurons to conditioned media (CM) on neurite outgrowth and co-localised expression of pre-synaptic synaptophysin and post-synaptic PSD-95 in primary cortical neurons.