BioCentury
ARTICLE | Strategy

Synaptic synopsis

October 24, 2013 7:00 AM UTC

The early promise that neurotransmitter research would unlock the door for neurological diseases has devolved into sagging interest from several pharmas following repeated failures in clinical trials. Now, genetic findings are pointing to new targets in the synapse and reawakening commercial interest in fields such as autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia and depression.

Although the behavioral features of those three conditions are quite dissimilar, new hypotheses about their origins suggest they all are diseases of connectivity. The common thread is synaptic dysfunction and disrupted communication between different brain regions...