The Neuronal Glutamate Transporter EAAT3 in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Angélica P Escobar; Jens R Wendland; Andrés E Chávez; Pablo R Moya

doi:10.3389/fphar.2019.01362

The Neuronal Glutamate Transporter EAAT3 in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Front Pharmacol. 2019 Nov 15:10:1362. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2019.01362. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Angélica P Escobar¹, Jens R Wendland¹, Andrés E Chávez¹, Pablo R Moya^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia de Valparaíso CINV, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaíso, Chile.
² Instituto de Fisiología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Valparaíso, Valparaiso, Chile.

Abstract

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a heterogeneous psychiatric disorder affecting 1%-3% of the population worldwide. About half of OCD afflicted individuals do not respond to currently available pharmacotherapy, which is mainly based on serotonin reuptake inhibition. Therefore, there is a critical need to search novel and improved therapeutic targets to treat this devastating disorder. In recent years, accumulating evidence has supported the glutamatergic hypothesis of OCD, and particularly pointing a potential role for the neuronal glutamate transporter EAAT3. This mini-review summarizes recent findings regarding the neurobiological basis of OCD, with an emphasis on the glutamatergic neurotransmission and EAAT3 as a key player in OCD etiology.

Keywords: EAAT3; NMDAR; OCD; SLC1A1; animal model; glutamate transporter; obsessive-compulsive disorder; synaptic function.

Publication types

Review