Ageing as a risk factor for neurodegenerative disease

Yujun Hou, Xiuli Dan, Mansi Babbar, Yong Wei, Steen G. Hasselbalch, Deborah L Croteau, Vilhelm A. Bohr

240 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Ageing is the primary risk factor for most neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer disease (AD) and Parkinson disease (PD). One in ten individuals aged ≥65 years has AD and its prevalence continues to increase with increasing age. Few or no effective treatments are available for ageing-related neurodegenerative diseases, which tend to progress in an irreversible manner and are associated with large socioeconomic and personal costs. This Review discusses the pathogenesis of AD, PD and other neurodegenerative diseases, and describes their associations with the nine biological hallmarks of ageing: genomic instability, telomere attrition, epigenetic alterations, loss of proteostasis, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, deregulated nutrient sensing, stem cell exhaustion and altered intercellular communication. The central biological mechanisms of ageing and their potential as targets of novel therapies for neurodegenerative diseases are also discussed, with potential therapies including NAD+ precursors, mitophagy inducers and inhibitors of cellular senescence.

Original languageEnglish
JournalNature Reviews. Neurology
Volume15
Issue number10
Pages (from-to)565-581
Number of pages17
ISSN1759-4758
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2019

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