Department of Molecular Medicine and Neuroscience Translational Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA; email:
Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA.
Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 2021 Jan 6;61:701-721. doi: 10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-032320-015420. Epub 2020 Sep 30.
Excitatory/inhibitory (E/I) balance, defined as the balance between excitation and inhibition of synaptic activity in a neuronal network, accounts in part for the normal functioning of the brain, controlling, for example, normal spike rate. In many pathological conditions, this fine balance is perturbed, leading to excessive or diminished excitation relative to inhibition, termed E/I imbalance, reflected in network dysfunction. E/I imbalance has emerged as a contributor to neurological disorders that occur particularly at the extremes of life, including autism spectrum disorder and Alzheimer's disease, pointing to the vulnerability of neuronal networks at these critical life stages. Hence, it is important to develop approaches to rebalance neural networks. In this review, we describe emerging therapies that can normalize the E/I ratio or the underlying abnormality that contributes to the imbalance in electrical activity, thus improving neurological function in these maladies.
兴奋性/抑制性（E/I）平衡是指神经网络中突触活动的兴奋和抑制之间的平衡，它部分解释了大脑的正常功能，例如控制正常的尖峰率。在许多病理条件下，这种精细的平衡被打乱，导致相对于抑制的兴奋过度或减弱，称为 E/I 失衡，反映在网络功能障碍中。E/I 失衡已成为发生在生命极端时期的神经紊乱的一个促成因素，包括自闭症谱系障碍和阿尔茨海默病，这表明神经元网络在这些关键生命阶段很脆弱。因此，开发重新平衡神经网络的方法很重要。在这篇综述中，我们描述了新兴的治疗方法，这些方法可以使 E/I 比率或导致电活动失衡的潜在异常正常化，从而改善这些疾病的神经功能。
