Autophagy and hippocampal neuronal injury

Autophagy is a specific universal biological phenomenon in eukaryotic cells, which is characterized by cytoplasmic vacuoles in the process of degrading cellular contents in lysosomes. The hippocampus plays an important role in higher nervous activities such as emotional integration, cognition, and memory. As an area closely related to learning and memory functions of the brain, the hippocampus is particularly sensitive to injuries caused by various reasons. Autophagy has certain links with a variety of causes of hippocampal neuronal injury. This short review discusses and summarizes this correlation with a focus on the possible role of autophagy and mechanisms in it. The current correlation between autophagy and hippocampal neuronal injury has not been completely determined by the general public alike. Further studies are needed to determine special effects of autophagy on hippocampal neuronal injury, which might accelerate the development of therapeutic interventions in hippocampal neuronal injury in many neurological disorders.