“…One such molecule is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a neurotrophin that regulates various neuronal functions via activation of tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB) (Reichardt, 2006). For instance, BDNF potentiates (Kang and Schuman, 1995;Carmignoto et al, 1997) or inhibits (Tanaka et al, 1997;Frerking et al, 1998;Clark et al, 2011) synaptic transmission, enhances long-term potentiation, a cellular substrate for learning and memory (Minichiello et al, 1999), promotes synapse formation (Vicario-Abejó n et al, 1998), and changes the number and volume of dendritic spines (Orefice et al, 2013). These synaptic effects may contribute to the overall effect of BDNF on neuronal survival, differentiation, axonal branching, and dendritic growth (Huang and Reichardt, 2001;Park and Poo, 2013).…”