Molecular analysis of TrkB:NMDA receptor interactions in the mouse brain

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Intercellular communication between nerve cells in the brain involves highly specialized regions of contact,termed synapses, between pre and post-synaptic neurons. It is here that there is an enrichment of receptors and signaling molecules that respond to neurotransmitters and growth factors that, in turn, can strengthen and/or weaken a particular synapse. The increase and/or loss of particular synapses underlies a process termed neuronal plasticity and it is this process that modulates neuronal activity and the process of learning and memory. Two different classes of cell surface receptors have been shown to serve important roles in learning and memory. First, the NMDA receptors which are activated by excitatory neurotransmitters in the brain (eg. glutamate) and, second, a receptor termed TrkB which responds to a growth factor termed brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Since these are 2 very different types of receptors, it is not well understood how they co-regulate this process.