Margolis R L, Chuang D M, Post R M
Biological Psychiatry Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD.
Biol Psychiatry. 1994 Jun 15;35(12):946-56. doi: 10.1016/0006-3223(94)91241-6.
Programmed cell death, sometimes referred to as apoptosis, occurs through an active process requiring new gene transcription, in contrast to the passive cell death produced by metabolic toxins. Programmed cell death is an essential part of normal development, particularly in the nervous system. Spatial, temporal, or quantitative errors in the stimuli that initiate programmed cell death, or errors within the programmed cell death pathway itself, can result in an abnormal number of neurons and pathological neural development. Excesses and deficits in neuronal numbers have now been observed not only in typical neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases, but also in several neurodevelopmental disorders, including schizophrenia and autism. Recent investigations into the mechanisms of cell death during C. elegans neurodevelopment thymocyte negative selection, and withdrawal of sympathetic ganglion cells trophic support provides intriguing clues to the etiology and pathophysiology of these neuropsychiatric disorders.
程序性细胞死亡，有时也称为凋亡，是通过一个需要新基因转录的活跃过程发生的，这与代谢毒素导致的被动性细胞死亡形成对比。程序性细胞死亡是正常发育的一个重要部分，尤其是在神经系统中。启动程序性细胞死亡的刺激在空间、时间或数量上出现错误，或者程序性细胞死亡途径本身出现错误，都可能导致神经元数量异常和神经发育病理变化。现在已经观察到，不仅在典型的神经退行性疾病如阿尔茨海默病和亨廷顿病中，而且在包括精神分裂症和自闭症在内的几种神经发育障碍中，都存在神经元数量的过多或过少情况。最近对秀丽隐杆线虫神经发育过程中胸腺细胞阴性选择期间的细胞死亡机制，以及交感神经节细胞营养支持的撤回的研究，为这些神经精神疾病的病因和病理生理学提供了有趣的线索。
