Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 20, 2026
11:14
Acute Brain Trauma in Mice Followed By Longitudinal Two-photon Imaging
Published on: April 6, 2014
13.0K
Autophagy in acute brain injury
Lorenzo Galluzzi1,2,3,4,5, José Manuel Bravo-San Pedro1,2,3,4,5, Klas Blomgren6
1Equipe 11 Labellisée Ligue Contre le Cancer, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, 75006 Paris, France.
Nature Reviews. Neuroscience
|June 4, 2016
Summary
Autophagy, a cellular recycling process, offers neuroprotection in some brain injuries but can cause cell death in others. Understanding its dual role is key for developing targeted neuroprotective therapies.
Area of Science:
- Cellular Biology
- Neuroscience
- Pathology
Background:
- Autophagy is a fundamental cellular process for degrading damaged components, crucial for maintaining cellular homeostasis.
- Neurons depend on efficient autophagy for stress response and survival.
- Autophagy's role in the central nervous system is complex and context-dependent.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the dual role of autophagy in acute non-infectious brain injury.
- To explore the context-specific impact of autophagy on neuroprotection and cell death.
- To evaluate the therapeutic potential of modulating autophagy for brain injury treatment.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and analysis of existing research on autophagy in various acute brain injury models.
- Dissection of the molecular mechanisms underlying autophagy-mediated neuroprotection and autosis.
- Examination of preclinical data on pharmacological modulators of autophagy.
Main Results:
- Autophagy demonstrates neuroprotective effects in conditions like methamphetamine intoxication, spinal cord injury, and subarachnoid hemorrhage.
- Conversely, autophagy can trigger a specific cell death pathway (autosis) contributing to injuries such as neonatal asphyxia.
- The outcome of autophagy in brain injury is highly dependent on the specific injury context and cellular environment.
Conclusions:
- Autophagy has a dichotomous role in acute brain injury, acting as both a protective and a detrimental mechanism.
- Targeting autophagy pharmacologically presents a promising therapeutic strategy for neuroprotection.
- Further research is needed to precisely control autophagy modulation for optimal clinical outcomes in brain injury.
Related Concept Videos
01:27Autophagy
6.0K
Autophagy is a self-digesting process by which a cell protects itself from threats both within and outside the cell, ranging from abnormal proteins to invading bacteria. In this process, obsolete components of the cell and invading microbes are degraded by hydrolytic enzymes active in an acidic environment of the lysosomal lumen.
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
6.0K
01:18Autophagic Cell Death
4.9K
Christian de Duve discovered “autophagy,” a process in which cellular components are engulfed by membrane-bound organelles called autophagosomes. The autophagosomes then fuse with lysosomes to digest the enclosed contents. Autophagy is generally activated in cells to prevent cell death. However, cell death is triggered when the damage is beyond repair.
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and...
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and...
4.9K
01:36Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome
10.4K
Eukaryotic cells use different mechanisms to eliminate toxic waste obsolete and worn-out substances. Lysosomes play a pivotal role in this, and hence, these substances are carried to the lysosome from other parts of the cell and extracellular space through different pathways. The most elaborately studied pathways to the lysosome are the endocytic pathways.
Endocytosis
In endocytosis, the cell membrane takes up macromolecules and particles from the surrounding medium. Clathrin-mediated...
Endocytosis
In endocytosis, the cell membrane takes up macromolecules and particles from the surrounding medium. Clathrin-mediated...
10.4K
01:15Neurogenesis and Regeneration of Nervous Tissue
2.0K
In the CNS, neurogenesis, the birth of new neurons from stem cells, is limited to the hippocampus in adults. In other regions of the brain and spinal cord, neurogenesis is almost non-existent due to inhibitory influences from neuroglia, especially oligodendrocytes, and the absence of growth-stimulating cues. The myelin produced by oligodendrocytes in the CNS inhibits neuronal regeneration. Furthermore, astrocytes proliferate rapidly after neuronal damage, forming scar tissue that physically...
2.0K