ABSTRACT
Among the major classes of macromolecules, glycans are the most diversified macromolecules, playing broad-spectrum roles in the development, growth, functioning, or survival of the organism. The role of glycans has been significantly recognized in neural cell development and the adult nervous system in the last decade. The diversity in the structure of these glycans and their involvement in diverse functions such as cell migration, neurite outgrowth and fasciculation, synapses formation, stabilization, and modulation of synaptic efficacy increase their importance in the nervous system. The importance of glycan in neurological functioning is well evident; inborn error in glycosylation results in psychomotor difficulties, mental retardation, and other neurodegenerative disorders. The current chapter documents present an understanding of the functional roles of these glycans in neurode-generation to explore their roles in pathological manifestation of disease and intervention in disease treatment.
