The Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is an important issue for public health. It often appears during the adolescence, and, among the related consequences, suicide is the second cause of death in this age group. Despite its social relevance, however, MDD is far to be understood, and there is some lack of information about its early […]
Author Archives: Luca Maggioni
38 posts published by Luca Maggioni
Disruption of active zone affects synaptic vesicles only partially
The active zones are specific sites of presynaptic terminals where the docking and the release of synaptic vesicles occur. They are complex, organized protein structures that anchor synaptic vesicles to the plasma membrane. Once bound to the active zone and docked to the plasma membrane, synaptic vesicles can properly respond to the changes of action […]
The iNTD project: an international network focused on scientific knowledge and clinical research in neurotransmitter related disorders
Neurotransmitters are a group of molecules responsible for the communication between neurons. Chemically, they can be amino acids, peptides, purines, and monoamines or biogenic amines. They are stored in the synaptic vesicles and are released after a nerve impulse, triggering an inhibitory or excitatory effect depending on the nature of the neurotransmitter or on the […]

Truncated glycine transporter 1 causes a novel subtype of NKH
Glycine is the simplest amino acid and a fundamental neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS). Its activity is mainly inhibitory in caudal regions of CNS, but it also has a co-agonist role at a specific subtype of glutamate receptors present throughout the CNS. Extracellular glycine levels are regulated by two types of transporters, called […]
First case of hyperglycinemia due to a glycine transporter dysfunction
Glycine is one of the 20 amino acids that constitute the structure of proteins. In addition to that, glycine takes an active part in the synthesis of other molecules such as serine, heme, purine, creatine, and glutathione. Also, it acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS). Two main control systems regulate […]