Prion-like mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases

Bess Frost, Marc I. Diamond

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

596 Scopus citations

Abstract

Many non-infectious neurodegenerative diseases are associated with the accumulation of fibrillar proteins. These diseases all exhibit features that are reminiscent of those of prionopathies, including phenotypic diversity and the propagation of pathology. Furthermore, emerging studies of amyloid-Β, α-synuclein and tau proteins implicated in common neurodegenerative diseases suggest that they share key biophysical and biochemical characteristics with prions. Propagation of protein misfolding in these diseases may therefore occur through mechanisms similar to those that underlie prion pathogenesis. If this hypothesis is verified in vivo, it will suggest new therapeutic strategies to block propagation of protein misfolding throughout the brain.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)155-159
Number of pages5
JournalNature Reviews Neuroscience
Volume11
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2010

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Prion-like mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this