Microglial Autophagy in the Context of Neurodegenerative Conditions

Changes in the function and activity of microglia in the brain, innate immune cells analogous to the macrophages present in the rest of the body, are known to be involved in the onset and progression of neurodegenerative conditions. Aging and neurodegeneration are associated with a growing presence of both senescent microglia and activated microglia Both of these states producing inflammatory signaling, contributing to the chronic, unresolved inflammation of brain tissue that is also characteristic of later life. Autophagy is the name given to a collection of cellular maintenance processes responsible for recycling damaged and unwanted proteins and structures within the cell. Autophagy is thought to decline in effectiveness with age, and this leads to a growing garbage catastrophe in cells, particularly in long-lived cells. Here, researchers discuss the connection between failing autophagy in immune cells such as microglia and trigger mechanisms such as the inflammasome that are responsible for a sizable fraction of inflammatory signaling. It may be that inflammation will prove to be the central pillar of neurodegeneration, but that inflammation has numerous contributing causes. Microglial autophagy in Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease Autophagy and its dysfunction are associated with a variety of human pathologies, including aging, neurodegenerative disease, heart disease, cancer, and metabolic diseases, such as diabetes. A plenty of drugs an...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs