Molecular signaling in the brain while the occurrence of affective disorders

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and the increasingly tense political situation in the world have led to an increase in the number of mood disorders. The occurrence of affective disorders is usually associated with neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, but modern trends are aimed at studying the involvement of neurotrophic factors in the mechanisms of mood disorders. This review was aimed to summarize and systematize knowledge about key neurotrophic factors and the molecular mechanisms of its relationships. The key metaboliс mechanisms of such proteins as brain-derived neutrophic factor (BDNF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), nerve growth factor (NGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) are considered. An analysis of individual molecular pathways was carried out, a complex diagram of a multiple cascade with interconnected reactions was compiled, including each factor. Key molecular targets have been choosen: nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enchancer of activated B-cells (Nf-kB) and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), and the review also presents candidates for the role of limiting factors for these molecular targets. For the Nf-kB cascade, p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) has been proposed as a limiting factor, for the CREB cascade - intracellular phospholipase C (PLC-γ), binary molecular switches (RAS-GTP), and protein kinase B (AKT).