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Calcium Signalling in Neurological Disorders

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Calcium Signaling: From Physiology to Diseases

Abstract

Neurotransmitters are broadly classified as excitatory neurotransmitters and inhibitory neurotransmitters based on their function. Ca2+ has a fundamental role in the neuronal physiology and brain function by governing the synthesis and secretion of neurotransmitters. The intracellular Ca2+ concentration is not only important for the release of neurotransmitters but also essential for the regulation of their action potential in postsynaptic membranes. Ca2+ signalling has been implicated in almost all neural activities including neural cell membrane excitability, synaptic transmission, synaptogenesis and dendrite development and most importantly in learning, memory processing and storage. Molecular studies found that the Ca2+-dependent astrocyte hyperactivity is associated with the development of many neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington’s disease (HD), fragile X syndrome (FXS) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). In addition, persistent Ca2+ waves in astrocytes in acute conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury and epilepsy cause neurological problems by increasing gliotransmitter (glutamate and ATP)-induced neural cell death. Although the secretion of neurotransmitters is normal, the impairment of Ca2+ activity-dependent responders is also associated with the development and progression of several neurodegenerative diseases. In this chapter, we focus on regulatory function of calcium in neurological disorders.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, Rayalaseema University, Kurnool, AP, India

    Senthilkumar Rajagopal

  2. Center for Developmental Cardiology, Institute of Translational Medicine, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China

    Murugavel Ponnusamy

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  1. Senthilkumar Rajagopal
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  2. Murugavel Ponnusamy
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Rajagopal, S., Ponnusamy, M. (2017). Calcium Signalling in Neurological Disorders. In: Calcium Signaling: From Physiology to Diseases. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5160-9_4

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