Yoshihisa Kitamura (1), Takashi Taniguchi (1) and Shun Shimohama (2)
(1) Department of Neurobiology, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, Kyoto 607-8412,
Japan
(2) Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto
606-8507, Japan
Abstract: It is now generally accepted that massive neuronal
death due to oxidative stress is a common characteristic of brains in neurodegenerative
diseases. Recently, numerous apoptosis-regulating factors and multiple pathways
have been identified, and apoptotic cell death has been implicated in neuronal
loss in Alzheimer's disease. Although glial cells are more resistant to
oxidative stress than neurons, extensive oxidative stress seems to cause
apoptotic cell death in glial cells. In fact, signs of apoptosis are observed
in both neurons and glial cells in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's
disease. This review summarizes current findings regarding apoptotic processes
and discusses the possible involvement of apoptosis-regulating factors in
the pathology of Alzheimer's disease.
Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, Neuron, Glial cell, Apoptotic cell death