Targeting autophagy in neurodegenerative diseases: From molecular mechanisms to clinical therapeutics

Many neurodegenerative diseases are associated with pathological aggregation of proteins in neurons. Autophagy is a natural self-cannibalization process that can act as a powerful mechanism to remove aged and damaged organelles as well as protein aggregates. It has been shown that promoting autophagy can attenuate or delay neurodegeneration by removing protein aggregates. In this paper, we will review the role of autophagy in Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's Disease (PD), and Huntington's Disease (HD) and discuss opportunities and challenges of targeting autophagy as a potential therapeutic avenue for treatment of these common neurodegenerative diseases.

Automated summary

Autophagy is a natural process that can remove aged and damaged organelles as well as protein aggregates, which has been shown to attenuate or delay neurodegeneration. Studying the role of autophagy in AD, PD, and HD can provide insights into the opportunities and challenges of targeting autophagy as a potential therapeutic avenue.