What are they and what are their roles in Huntington's Disease?
Neurotrophic factors are proteins that promote the development, maintenance and survival of neurons in the brain. These factors have been shown to increase the function of nerve cells as well as protect diseased neurons from dying. There are often higher levels of neurotrophic factors in areas with local neuronal damage, meaning that neurotrophic factors might be involved in neuronal rescue and regeneration. A chronic absence of these essential proteins eventually leads to apoptosis, the death of specific populations of neurons in the brain.
There are four main families of neurotrophic factors:
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