Meet the editors

Thomas Heinbockel, PhD, is Professor and Interim Chair in the Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, DC. Dr. Heinbockel's laboratory engages in multidisciplinary research to elucidate organizational principles of neural systems in the brain, specifically the limbic and olfactory system. His research has been directed at understanding brain mechanisms of information processing and their relation

to neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. His lab works also on translational projects, specifically the development of novel anti-epileptic drugs and pharmacotherapeutic treatment options for drug addiction. His lab analyzes drug actions at the epi and genetic levels using next-generation sequencing technology. Dr. Heinbockel studied biology at the Philipps-University, Marburg, Germany. His studies of the brain started during his MS thesis work at the Max-Planck-Institute for Behavioral Physiology, Starnberg/Seewiesen, Germany. Subsequently, he completed a PhD in Neuroscience at the University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA. After graduating, he was a Research Associate at the Institute of Physiology, Otto-von-Guericke-University School of Medicine, Magdeburg, Germany. Prior to his arrival at Howard University, Dr. Heinbockel held joint research faculty appointments in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology and the Department of Physiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. He still maintains an adjunct appointment in these departments.

Antonei B. Csoka, PhD is Associate Professor in the Department of Anatomy at Howard University, Washington, DC, where he directs the Epigenetics Laboratory. Dr. Csoka received his BS in Genetics from the University of Newcastle, UK, his MS in Molecular Pathology from the University of Leicester, UK, and his PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Debrecen, Hungary. He performed postdoctoral research at the University

of California, San Francisco, where he cloned the human hyaluronidase genes. At Brown University, he was a member of the team that identified the causative gene for Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (Progeria), a disease with many features of "accelerated aging." At Howard, Dr. Csoka is studying the role of cellular senescence in human aging and the role of epigenetics in pharmacology and neuroscience.

Contents

*by Manorama Patri*

*by Abdulbaki Agbas*

Alzheimer's Disease

*and Ottavio Arancio*

*by Thomas Heinbockel and Antonei B. Csoka*

*by Jole Fiorito, Shi-Xian Deng, Donald W. Landry* 

Synaptic Transmission and Amino Acid Neurotransmitters

Trends of Protein Aggregation in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Targeting the NO/cGMP/CREB Phosphorylation Signaling Pathway in

**Preface III**

**Chapter 1 1** Introductory Chapter: The Chemical Basis of Neural Function and Dysfunction

**Chapter 2 11**

**Chapter 3 23**

**Chapter 4 43**

## Contents


Preface

Neurochemistry is a vitally important academic discipline that contributes to our understanding of molecular, cellular, and medical neurobiology. As a field, neurochemistry focuses on the role of the chemical entities that build the nervous system, the function of neurons and glial cells in health and disease, aspects of cell metabolism and neurotransmission, and degenerative processes and aging of the nervous system. Accordingly, this book contains chapters on a variety of topics, written by experts in their respective fields. This book is a valuable resource for neurochemists and other scientists alike. In addition, it contributes to the training of current and future neurochemists and, hopefully, will lead us on the path to

In Chapter 1 ('Introductory Chapter: The Chemical Basis of Neural Function and Dysfunction'), Drs. Thomas Heinbockel and Antonei Csoka introduce the field of neurochemistry as a whole. Holistically it is concerned with the types, structures, and functions of the chemical components of the nervous system, and how the physiology of the nervous system is regulated by said chemicals. Neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease are often a consequence of changes in the body's neurochemistry. Medicine uses neurochemicals to alter brain function and treat disease. Neurochemists study how the components of the nervous system function during processes such as neural plasticity, neural development, and learning and memory formation, and how these components undergo changes during disease, neural dysfunction, and aging. The chapter also includes examples of how external and internal factors impact and modify

In Chapter 2 ('Synaptic Transmission and Amino Acid Neurotransmitters'), Dr. Manorama Patri reviews the role of amino acids acting as neurotransmitters in the brain. Amino acids, primarily glutamic acid, GABA, aspartic acid, and glycine are released from pre-synaptic nerve terminals in response to action potentials and cross the synaptic cleft to bind with specific receptors on the postsynaptic membrane to elicit responses. Interestingly, unlike the monoamine transmitters (5% of the total synapses in brain), glutamate and GABA are thought to account for at least 50% of the synapses. Also, glutamate and aspartate in particular provide the CNS with many functions essential for learning and memory, structural and

functional organisation, neural development, and neurodegeneration.

disease, including new studies and findings.

In Chapter 3 ('Trends of Protein Aggregation in Neurodegenerative Diseases') Dr. Abdulbaki Agbas introduces the reader to protein aggregations that occur in the brain and, thereby, cause neurodegenerative diseases. He outlines the nature of protein aggregation and proteolytic systems such as the proteasome and autophagosome in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Huntington disease, and prion

Finally, in Chapter 4 ('Targeting the NO/cGMP/CREB Phosphorylation Signaling

Pathway in Alzheimer's Disease'), Dr. Jole Fiorito and colleagues provide

curing some of the biggest challenges in human health.

neurochemistry.
