Resveratrol: new avenues for a natural compound in neuroprotection.

This review summarizes the effects of resveratrol in neurodegenerative diseases and speculates on the direction the field will take in the immediate future. In particular, we emphasize studies on the effects of resveratrol on new pathways related to neurodegenerative diseases such as inflammatory processes, mitochondrial biogenesis and its control through gamma coactivator 1-α (PGC1α), and the role of the tandem sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in neurodegeneration and in neurohormesis. While not all reported results are free from controversy, the demographic shift toward an older population makes compounds with this broad spectrum of potential clinical applications particularly interesting.