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Updated: Apr 7, 2026

Telomerase Activity in the Various Regions of Mouse Brain: Non-Radioactive Telomerase Repeat Amplification Protocol TRAP Assay
Published on: September 2, 2014
Telomerase activation as a possible mechanism of action for psychopharmacological interventions
Francesco S Bersani1, Daniel Lindqvist2, Synthia H Mellon3
1Department of Psychiatry, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA; Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Abstract:
Originally studied in relation to aging and cancer research, telomerase is now also investigated in relation to psychiatric disorders and treatments. Based on emerging clinical and preclinical data, we hypothesise that telomerase activation could represent a novel element mediating the mechanism of action of certain psychopharmacological interventions (e.g. antidepressants, lithium and antipsychotics). The modulation of intracellular Wnt/β-catenin or PI3K/Akt signalling pathways, the interaction with BDNF and 5-HT, and the antioxidant properties could represent possible mechanisms by which the different types of psychiatric medications could modulate telomerase activity. The potential of telomerase in promoting cellular survival and/or function in the brain and in the periphery could, in turn, represent a neurobiological substrate through which the enzyme can mediate the therapeutic effect of such interventions.
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