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Neurological disorders

Thyroid hormone receptors and neuronal dysfunction

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 6, page 823 (2005)Cite this article

Thyroid hormone receptor α1 (TRα1) has been implicated in the neurological complications of hypothyroidism, but its exact role in neuronal development and adult brain function has not been clear. Now, Venero and colleagues have shed light on the role of unliganded TRα1 in causing anxiety, memory deficits and motor dysfunction.

In vertebrates, the binding of thyroid hormone to TRα and TRβ triggers many cellular reactions. But when the natural ligand, triiodothyronine (T3), is limiting, for example, in hypothyroidism, TRs form complexes with other proteins such as co-repressors, an interaction that suppresses basal level transcription of target genes that are normally induced by ligand-bound TRs. The apo-forms of TRs are implicated in the abnormal development of the brain during hypothyroidism, which leads to irreversible motor dysfunction and reduced mental capabilities.

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Venero, C. et al. Anxiety, memory impairment, and locomotor dysfunction caused by a mutant thyroid hormone receptor α1 can be ameliorated by T3 treatment. Genes Dev. 19, 2152–2163 (2005)

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  1. Samantha Barton
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Barton, S. Thyroid hormone receptors and neuronal dysfunction. Nat Rev Neurosci 6, 823 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1795

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