Propagation model of synucleinopathies

Abstract

α–synucleinopathy is a comprehensive concept of neurodegenerative diseases in which α–synuclein accumulates in neurons and glial cells, including Parkinson disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy. Recently, the “propagation hypothesis” has been supported in the pathogenesis of α–synucleinopathies, in which aggregated misfolded proteins are self–proliferating and propagate between cells, exerting cytotoxicity and causing disease progression. Studies using a propagation model of α–synucleinopathy have yielded results such as the relationship with peripheral immune cells and the reproduction of non–motor symptoms in PD, which are presented in this paper.