Figure 3.

The autophagy pathway is affected at different steps in the various types of dementias. AD is associated with a decreased expression of Beclin‐1 leading to impaired autophagy initiation in addition to inhibited autophagosome degradation. PD and DLB are characterized by an increase in mTor and a decrease in Atg7 expression. These alterations are predicted to result in deficient initiation of the autophagic process, but this has not been experimentally established. Rare forms of FTD are caused by CHMP2B and VCP mutations, which lead to impaired autophagosome maturation. The HIV protein, Nef, may block autophagosome maturation by interacting with Beclin‐1 leading to autophagy impairment in HIV‐associated dementia. Abbreviations: AD, Alzheimer's disease; PD, Parkinson's disease; DLB, dementia with Lewy bodies; FTD, frontotemporal dementia.