mTOR-dependent signalling in Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Neurodegeneration and neurofibrillary degeneration are the two main pathological mechanisms of cognitive impairments in Alzheimer's disease [AD]. It is not clear what factors determine the fates of neurons during the progress of the disease. Emerging evidence has suggested that mTOR-dependent signalling is involved in the two types of degeneration in AD brains. This review focuses on the roles of mTOR-dependent signalling in the pathogenesis of AD. It summarizes the recent advancements in the understanding of its roles in neu-rodegeneration and neurofibrillary degeneration, as well as the evidence achieved when mTOR-related signalling components were tested as potential biomarkers of cognitive impairments in the clinical diagnosis of AD. © 2008 The Authors.