Premature neuronal death is observed with a number of neurodegenerative
diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s
disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Although frankly
necrotic cells are observed in some instances, PCD has long been suspected
to play an important role in many neurodegenerative diseases. In recent
years, descriptive and experimental studies have begun to provide support
for this hypothesis (reviewed in References 198-200).
AD, one of the most intensively studied forms of neurodegeneration