TY - JOUR AU - Kermani, Pouneh AU - Hempstead, Barbara PY - 2019 M3 - Review TI - BDNF Actions in the Cardiovascular System: Roles in Development, Adulthood and Response to Injury JO - Frontiers in Physiology UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2019.00455 VL - 10 SN - 1664-042X N2 - The actions of BDNF (Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor) in regulating neuronal development and modulating synaptic activity have been extensively studied and well established. Equally important roles for this growth factor have been uncovered in the cardiovascular system, through the examination of gene targeted animals to define critical actions in development, and to the unexpected roles of BDNF in modulating the response of the heart and vasculature to injury. Here we review the compartmentally distinct realm of cardiac myocytes, vascular smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and hematopoietic cells, focusing upon the actions of BDNF to modulate contractility, migration, neoangiogenesis, apoptosis and survival. These studies indicate that BDNF is an important growth factor which directs the response of the cardiovascular system to acute and chronic injury. ER -