Neurotrophins: New Players, Clinical Uses?

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Abstract
The elucidation within the past few years of a wide array of neurotrophic growth factors has been one of the important advances in the neurosciences. These factors are small proteins that exert powerful growth, differentiation, and tropic effects on specific neuron types via specific receptors and their signaling pathways. These characteristics have generated ex citement within the clinical fields of neurology and psychiatry because therapeutic oppor tunities exist in nearly all areas. Currently, the clinical trials are for neurodegenerative dis eases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer's-type dementia. However, preclinical studies span across afflictions as diverse as epilepsy, drug addiction, and de pression. This Update briefly describes the general characteristics of the neurotrophic fac tors and discusses some of the potential clinical uses. The Neuroscientist 1:119-122,1995