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Expanding the Toolkit for In Vivo Imaging of Axonal Transport
Published on: December 23, 2021
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Axonal transport and neurological disease
James N Sleigh1,2, Alexander M Rossor1, Alexander D Fellows1
1Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.
Nature Reviews. Neurology
|September 28, 2019
Summary
Axonal transport, essential for nerve health, involves motor proteins moving cargoes along microtubules. Disruptions are linked to neurological diseases, but their exact role in nerve pathology is debated.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Axonal transport is crucial for neuronal development, function, and survival.
- Motor proteins, adaptors, and microtubules are key components of axonal transport.
- Mutations in these components and general cargo trafficking disruptions are linked to neurological diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review current evidence on the role of axonal transport defects in neurological disease pathogenesis.
- To clarify whether axonal transport impairments are causative, contributing, or consequential to neuronal degeneration.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent human studies.
- Analysis of in vivo experimental data.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests a significant role for axonal transport perturbations in neurological disease.
- The precise contribution of these defects to neuronal pathology is still under investigation.
Conclusions:
- Perturbations in axonal transport are increasingly recognized as integral to the pathogenesis of neurological disorders.
- Further research is needed to fully elucidate the causative or contributing roles of these transport defects.
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