Brain-derived neurotrophic factor–mammalian target of rapamycin pathway (BDNF–mTOR pathway)

The "BDNF/mTOR pathway" refers to a cellular signaling cascade rather than a single molecular target. It describes the interaction between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)—a neurotrophin essential for neuronal survival, growth, and synaptic plasticity—and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase complex. Upon binding to its high-affinity receptor TrkB on neurons, BDNF activates several intracellular pathways including PI3K/Akt, which in turn activates mTOR[2][4][5]. The mTOR complex then regulates protein synthesis by phosphorylating downstream effectors such as 4E-BP1 and p70S6 kinase[1][3]. This coordinated activity is crucial for processes like dendritic branching, local protein translation in neurons, synaptic plasticity, learning and memory formation[2][3][5]. Alterations or dysregulation of this pathway are implicated in various diseases including neurodegenerative disorders (such as Alzheimer’s disease), psychiatric conditions (like depression), multiple sclerosis, and certain cancers where aberrant growth factor signaling leads to uncontrolled cell proliferation[4][5][8]. However, "BDNF/mTOR pathway" is not itself a discrete therapeutic target but rather a description of interconnected molecular events involving two distinct proteins—BDNF (a ligand) and mTOR (a serine/threonine kinase). Each component can be considered an individual therapeutic target; drugs may act on TrkB receptors or directly inhibit/activate mTOR. Therefore: The entry "BDNF/mTOR pathway" is not a canonical name for any single molecule or receptor but denotes an important biological process involving multiple targets. If structured information about specific drug interactions or biomarkers is needed for either BDNF/TrkB or mTOR individually—as opposed to the combined “pathway”—those should be queried separately.

Other names

BDNF/mTOR signaling axisBDNF–TrkB–mTOR pathwaybrain-derived neurotrophic factor and mTOR signaling cascade