Michael Chen, Sarah Williams, David Park
Autophagy is a critical cellular process that maintains homeostasis by degrading damaged organelles and misfolded proteins. This review examines the molecular mechanisms underlying autophagy dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's disease. We discuss recent advances in understanding the role of key autophagy regulators including mTOR, AMPK, and Beclin-1 in disease pathogenesis. Furthermore, we explore therapeutic strategies targeting autophagy pathways as potential treatments for neurodegeneration.