Abstract

Is testosterone perspective available for neurodegenerative diseases?

Author(s): Orcun Avsar

Neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease are increasingly spreading worldwide. Neuroinflammation, deposition of misfolded proteins, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and excitotoxicity are main biological processes in the development of neurodegeneration. Furthermore, noncoding RNAs, genetic mutations, and environmental factors are involved in the development of neurodegeneration. Recent advances in the knowledge of testosterone shows that the concentrations of testosterone might be effective in the pathogenesis of the neurodegenerative diseases and testosterone has been implicated in the modulation of dopaminergic system. It has been proposed that the degree of the oxidative stress identifies whether testosterone affects neuronal function negatively or positively. In other words, testosterone can be neurotoxic or neuroprotective according to the environment. In the light of several evidences, testosterone should be evaluated as a crucial factor for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases by clinicians.