Homer proteins: implications for neuropsychiatric disorders

Homer proteins regulate signal transduction, synaptogenesis and receptor trafficking, in addition to maintaining and regulating extracellular glutamate levels in limbo–corticostriatal brain regions. Converging preclinical observations indicate a potential role for both immediate early gene Homer isoforms and constitutively expressed Homer isoforms in behavioral pathologies associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, such as addiction and/or alcoholism, depression, anxiety, epilepsy and schizophrenia.