The Role Of Autophagy In The Pathogenesis Of Alzheimer’s Disease

Autophagy is a dynamic cellular pathway involved in the turnover ofproteins, protein complexes, and organelles through lysosomaldegradation. Cytoplasmic components are enclosed by double-membraneautophagosomes，which subsequently fuse with lysosomes for degradation.The integrity of postmitotic neurons is heavily dependent on high basalautophagy compared to non-neuronal cells as misfolded proteins anddamaged organelles cannot be diluted through cell division. Defects inautophagy affect the intercellular communication and subsequently,contribute to neurodegeneration. These observations have provokedcontroversy regarding whether the increase in autophagosomes observedin the degenerating neurons play a protective role or instead contribute topathogenic neuronal cell death. It is still unknown what factors maydetermine whether active autophagy is beneficial or pathogenic duringneurodegeneration.In this review, we consider both the normal andpathophysiological roles of neuronal autophagy and its potentialtherapeutic implications for common neurodegenerative diseases.