Role of Growth Factors and Apoptosis Proteins in Cognitive Disorder Development in Patients with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive neuromuscular disease; it occurs due to a mutation in the dystrophin protein gene; as a result, the protein is not synthesized and muscle tissue dies. On the one hand, we can say that this disease has been sufficiently studied; however, it is still incurable, and there are a number of issues remaining unclear in terms of the development of progressive dementia as a symptom in 30% of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. We conducted a study at the intersection of molecular genetic, neurological, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent patients’ blood tests and experiments in organotypic culture, which allowed us to determine important points in the development of cognitive disorders in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and identify a significant effect of growth factor concentration in patients. The chapter will present data on neurotrophic regulation in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (by the best-studied neurotrophins), demonstrate special aspects of neuron-myocyte interaction, and broaden the understanding of the role of apoptosis and synthase proteins in the development of this disease. We would like to highlight the importance of prognostic criteria for the development of cognitive impairment and possible therapeutic measures to prevent progressive dementia