The Netrin-1/DCC guidance system: dopamine pathway maturation and psychiatric disorders emerging in adolescence.

Daniel E Vosberg, Marco Leyton, Cecilia Flores

Molecular psychiatry 2020 Feb

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Axon guidance molecules direct growing axons toward their targets, assembling the intricate wiring of the nervous system. One of these molecules, Netrin-1, and its receptor, DCC (deleted in colorectal cancer), has profound effects, in laboratory animals, on the adolescent expansion of mesocorticolimbic pathways, particularly dopamine. Now, a rapidly growing literature suggests that (1) these same alterations could occur in humans, and (2) genetic variants in Netrin-1 and DCC are associated with depression, schizophrenia, and substance use. Together, these findings provide compelling evidence that Netrin-1 and DCC influence mesocorticolimbic-related psychopathological states that emerge during adolescence.

Citation

Daniel E Vosberg, Marco Leyton, Cecilia Flores. The Netrin-1/DCC guidance system: dopamine pathway maturation and psychiatric disorders emerging in adolescence. Molecular psychiatry. 2020 Feb;25(2):297-307