Ayooluwa Gabriel Ibiayoa, Luo‑Zhu Yangb, Ingrid Y. Liua*
aInstitute of Medical Sciences, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan, bDepartment of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan
Open Access funded by Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation
Abstract
Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a chronic psychotic disorder that profoundly alters an individual’s perception of reality, resulting in abnormal behavior, cognitive deficits, thought distortions, and disorientation in emotions. Many complicated factors can lead to SCZ, and investigations are ongoing to understand the neurobiological underpinnings of this condition. Presynaptic Netrin G1 and its cognate partner postsynaptic Netrin‑G‑Ligand‑1 (NGL‑1) have been implicated in SCZ. This review article emphasized the structure and expression of Netrin G1/NGL‑1 in the brain, its dysregulation in SCZ patients, and its role in synaptic plasticity, synaptic interaction, learning and memory, microglia neurotrophic activity, and possible signaling between Netrin G1/NGL‑1, postsynaptic density protein 95, and cyclin‑dependent kinase‑like 5 in synaptic morphogenesis. Pharmaceutical targets and the potential use of Netrin G1/NGL‑1 as treatment targets or biomarkers for SCZ were also discussed.
Keywords: Microglia, Netrin G1/Netrin‑G‑ligand‑1, Schizophrenia, Synaptic plasticity
