Title:Functional Roles of Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase in Neurodegenerative Diseases and Mood Disorders
Volume: 18
Issue: 10
Author(s): Chi H. Poon, Ka C. Tsui, Sze C. Chau, Pit S. Chong, Sylvia W.Y. Lui, Luca Aquili, Kah H. Wong and Lee W. Lim*
Affiliation:
- Neuromodulation Laboratory, School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR,China
Keywords:
Nitric oxide synthase, Alzheimer's disease, mood disorders, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease.
Abstract: Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) is well known for its involvement in the regulation of the
nervous, cardiovascular, and immune systems. Neuronal NOS (nNOS) is the most characterized
NOS among all the isoforms. It accounts for most of the production of nitric oxide (NO) in the nervous
system required for synaptic transmission and neuroplasticity. Previous studies have described
the localization of nNOS in specific brain regions of interest. There is substantial evidence
in the literature suggesting that nNOS signaling has significant involvement in several disease
pathologies. However, the association between brain nNOS expression profiles and disease remains
largely unknown. In this review, we attempt to delineate the contribution of nNOS signaling
in memory and mood disorders in order to achieve a better understanding of nNOS in disease modulation.