Autophagy at synapses in neurodegenerative diseases.

Autophagy is an essential process for maintaining cellular homeostasis, a critical process in all cell types. Because neurons are post-mitotic cells, maintaining cellular and functional homeostasis is more important in neurons than in other types of cells. Synapses are fundamental units needed for neural communication, and synapses with consistent protein quality are essential for neural functionality. Dysregulation of autophagy in neurons has been shown to be related to neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. This review describes the role of autophagy in the maintenance of synaptic functionality and the association between synaptic autophagy and neurodegenerative diseases.