The causes of most neurodegenerative diseases are attributed to multiple genetic and environmental factors interacting with one another. Above all, inflammation in the nervous system has been implicated in many neurodegenerative diseases. Still, the roles of neuroinflammation in disease mechanisms and the triggers of inflammatory responses in disease-inflicted brain tissues seem to remain unclear. This review will examine previous studies that had been done from genetic, pathological and epidemiological perspectives. These studies assess the involvement of neuroinflammation in synucleinopathies, a group of neurodegenerative diseases that are characterized by deposition of α-synuclein aggregates such as Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy. The review will also discuss the role of α-synuclein aggregates in triggering inflammatory responses from glial cells. It is expected that a precise assessment of the roles and mechanisms of neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases will pave the way for the development of disease-modifying drugs.
Keywords: Parkinson's disease; eurodegeneration; inflammation; microglia; synuclein.
© 2016 International Society of Neuropathology.