Iturria-Medina Yasser, Evans Alan C
Montreal Neurological Institute Montreal, QC, Canada ; Ludmer Center for NeuroInformatics and Mental Health Montreal, QC, Canada.
Front Aging Neurosci. 2015 May 21;7:90. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2015.00090. eCollection 2015.
Increased brain connectivity, in all its variants, is often considered an evolutionary advantage by mediating complex sensorimotor function and higher cognitive faculties. Interaction among components at all spatial scales, including genes, proteins, neurons, local neuronal circuits and macroscopic brain regions, are indispensable for such vital functions. However, a growing body of evidence suggests that, from the microscopic to the macroscopic levels, such connections might also be a conduit for in intra-brain disease spreading. For instance, cell-to-cell misfolded proteins (MP) transmission and neuronal toxicity are prominent connectivity-mediated factors in aging and neurodegeneration. This article offers an overview of connectivity dysfunctions associated with neurodegeneration, with a specific focus on how these may be central to both normal aging and the neuropathologic degenerative progression.
大脑连通性的增强，无论其表现形式如何，通常都被视为一种进化优势，因为它能介导复杂的感觉运动功能和高级认知能力。包括基因、蛋白质、神经元、局部神经回路和宏观脑区在内的所有空间尺度上的组件之间的相互作用，对于这些重要功能而言都是不可或缺的。然而，越来越多的证据表明，从微观到宏观层面，这种连接也可能是脑内疾病传播的一个途径。例如，细胞间错误折叠蛋白（MP）的传播和神经元毒性是衰老和神经退行性变中由连通性介导的突出因素。本文概述了与神经退行性变相关的连通性功能障碍，特别关注这些功能障碍如何可能在正常衰老和神经病理退行性进展中都起着核心作用。
