BDNF acts by attaching to receptors on the tips, or nerve terminals, and on the cell body of nerve cells. The signal from BDNF is then carried through the axon to the cell body where it tells the cell what to do. (For more information on HD neurobiology, click here.) In the brain, BDNF is released by either a nerve cell or a support cell, such as an astrocyte, and then binds to a receptor on a nearby nerve cell. This binding results in the production of a signal which is transported to the nucleus of the receiving nerve cell. There, it prompts the increased production of proteins associated with nerve cell survival and function.
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Last Modified: 12-28-05
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