The role of autophagy in Alzheimer’s disease

Autophagy is a key pathway to clear cellular abnormal protein aggregates, and is essential for protein homeostasis and neuronal health. Several studies have shown autophagy deficits may occur in early stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Regarding to Alzheimer’s disease, autophagy itself plays an important role in generation and metabolism of β-amyloid (Aβ), assembling of tau and thus its dysfunction may lead to the progress or aggravate of AD. By considering all published evidences, autophagy may be considered as a new target for developing AD targeted drugs. So far, a number of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-dependent and independent autophagy modulators have been identified to have positive effects in AD treatment. In this review, we summarized the latest progress supporting the role for autophagy deficits in AD, and the potential therapeutic effects of autophagy modulators in AD. Correspondence to: Miao sun, Department of Neuroscience and cell biology, RWJMSRutgers, 675 hoes lane west, Piscataway, NJ, USA, 08854, Email: sunm2@ rwjms.rutgers.edu