Crutcher, K. A. (1986). The role of growth factors in neuronal development and plasticity. [Review] CRC Critical Reviews in Clinical Neurobiology, 2(3):297-333.
Abstract
The role of growth factors in the development of the nervous system,
as well as in injury-induced plasticity, is of great interest. A
neuronal growth factor is any substance that influences the growth
of neurons, but two general classes of factors exist: diffusible
substances and substrate-bound factors. Growth factors may affect
neuronal survival as well as the extent and rate of neurite
outgrowth in vitro. Although progress is slowly being made in the
identification and characterization of putative growth factors,
nerve growth factor (NGF) is the only identified molecule that
clearly influences neuronal growth in vivo. Furthermore, although
there are many examples of neuronal plasticity following injury, the
role of growth factors in such rearrangements remains to be
established. However, one model of collateral sprouting of axons
from the peripheral nervous system (PNS) into the central nervous
system (CNS) appears to involve the action of a growth factor with
properties similar to NGF. The identification of specific molecules
that affect neuronal growth should lead to an understanding of the
etiology of degenerative neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's
disease and, hopefully, to rational therapeutic approaches.
[References: 343]
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