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Updated: Aug 16, 2026

Using Live-Cell Imaging to Measure the Effects of Pathological Proteins on Axonal Transport in Primary Hippocampal Neurons
Published on: December 22, 2023
Alzheimer's disease: an intracellular movement disorder?
Xiongwei Zhu1, Paula I Moreira, Mark A Smith
1Institute of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, 2085 Adelbert Road, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
Abstract:
Axonal transport is essential for maintaining the structure and function of nerve cells. Deficient axonal transport has been implicated in several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). In addition to a disturbed cytoskeleton and other abnormalities observed in AD that are suggestive of axonal transport deficits, several AD-related proteins are implicated in the regulation of axonal transport. A recent study has demonstrated that the axonal transport deficit occurs early in the course of AD, preceding amyloid pathology substantially in mouse models of AD; more importantly, the study showed that reduced axonal transport leads to increased amyloid beta production and deposition. These data place axonal transport deficits at a central point in the pathogenesis of AD.
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