Mitohormesis and autophagic balance in Parkinson disease.

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder worldwide, affecting 2% of the population over 65 years. This number will continue to rise as the life expectancy increases. Aging is the most important risk factor for developing PD; nevertheless the precise mechanisms leading to the clinical presence of the disease remain largely unknown. The fact that the age at onset of PD importantly modifies the natural history of the disease raises significant questions on the biological link between them. However, it must be acknowledged that 98% of the elderly population will not develop PD, thus suggesting the existence of some kind of 'healthy aging'. Strikingly, for different reasons, aging is a variable rarely incorporated in most of experimental approaches in the study of PD.