Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 28, 2025

A Novel In Vitro Live-imaging Assay of Astrocyte-mediated Phagocytosis Using pH Indicator-conjugated Synaptosomes
Published on: February 5, 2018
The contribution of altered neuronal autophagy to neurodegeneration
Alessia Filippone1, Emanuela Esposito2, Deborah Mannino2
1Alzheimer's Center at Temple, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19140, USA; Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno D' Alcontres 31. 98166 Messina, Italy.
Abstract:
Defects in cellular functions related to altered protein homeostasis and associated progressive accumulation of pathological intracellular material is a critical process involved in the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Autophagy is an essential mechanism that ensures neuronal health by removing long-lived proteins or defective organelles and by doing so prevents cell toxicity and death within the central nervous system. Abundant evidence has shown that neuronal autophagy pathways are altered in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and traumas of the central nervous system including Spinal Cord Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury. In this review, we aimed to summarize the latest studies on the role that altered neuronal autophagy plays in brain health and these pathological conditions, and how this knowledge can be leveraged for the development of novel therapeutics against them.
Related Concept Videos
Autophagy
An autophagic pathway consists of a series of signaling events activated in response to diverse stress and physiological conditions such as food deprivation,...
Autophagic Cell Death
Autophagy and Apoptosis
Autophagy can activate apoptosis. In normal conditions, the autophagy activating protein Beclin-1 and...
Delivery Pathways to the Lysosome
Endocytosis
In endocytosis, the cell membrane takes up macromolecules and particles from the surrounding medium. Clathrin-mediated...
Neural Regulation
Alzheimer's Disease: Overview
The clinical diagnosis of AD hinges on the presence of memory and other cognitive impairments. Biomarkers, such as changes in Aβ...
Lysosomal Hydrolases

