Peripheral dysfunctions in neurodegenerative diseases: Mechanisms and contribution to pathogenesis

Abstract

Neurodegenerative disorders (NDD) – Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis – affect about 10% of the elderly population worldwide, which makes them one of the most important medical and social problems. Numerous literature data confirm that NDD are related not only to CNS dysfunction, but also to dysregulation and pathological changes in peripheral tissues (neuromuscular synapses, skeletal, and cardiac muscles). These peripheral disorders may be important in the NDD pathogenesis by contributing to the pathological processes that directly lead to disability and death of patients (atrophy and paralysis of skeletal muscle, myocardial infarction, etc.). Notably, the pathology of neuromuscular and cardiovascular systems in NDD is currently underestimated und insufficiently studied, but it is not merely a “reflection” of degenerative changes in the nervous system, being rather a separate aspect of the pathogenesis of NDD. Several studies showed that peripheral dysfunctions in NDD can be either primary and/or reinforce degeneration in CNS, which further increases their importance in the development of the disease. In this paper, we reviewed the available literature data on the peripheral dysfunctions in NDD and their contribution to NDD pathogenesis.

Keywords

• neurodegenerative diseases
• alzheimer's disease
• neuromuscular system
• peripheral dysfunction