Autophagy Of The Nervous System: Cellular Self-Digestion In Neurons And Neurological Diseases

Zhenyu Yue (Editor), Charleen T. Chu (Editor)

What is autophagy? Why would neurons or other brain cells digest parts of themselves through autophagy? How can autophagy save the lives of cells under some conditions, but act as a culprit or accomplice to cell death in others? How does dysfunction of autophagy contribute to neurological diseases and can it be repaired or restored? This book addresses these questions and provides an expert view of the emerging concepts in autophagy research, focusing on autophagic processes and regulation in neurons. Current experimental evidence for both evolutionarily conserved and specialized regulatory mechanisms for autophagy in the mammalian nervous system will be presented. Advances in our understanding of the complex interplay of autophagy induction and downregulation will be discussed in relation to the critical balance needed to modulate neuroprotection versus neurodegeneration in the context of neurological diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, ischemic-hypoxic and lysosomal diseases.

Winco Online Medical Books