Emerging evidence implicating a role for neurexins in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders

Abstract

Synaptopathies are brain disorders characterized by dysfunctional synapses, which are specialized junctions between neurons that are essential for the transmission of information. Synaptic dysfunction can occur due to mutations that alter the structure and function of synaptic components or abnormal expression levels of a synaptic protein. One class of synaptic proteins that are essential to their biology are cell adhesion proteins that connect the pre- and post-synaptic compartments. Neurexins are one type of synaptic cell adhesion molecule that have, recently, gained more pathological interest. Variants in both neurexins and their common binding partners, neuroligins, have been associated with several neuropsychiatric disorders. In this review, we summarize some of the key physiological functions of the neurexin protein family and the protein networks they are involved in. Furthermore, examination of published literature has implicated neurexins in both neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.