AUTHOR=Wilkins Heather M. , Carl Steven M. , Greenlief Alison C. S. , Festoff Barry W. , Swerdlow Russell H. 

TITLE=Bioenergetic Dysfunction and Inflammation in Alzheimer’s Disease: A Possible Connection

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=6

YEAR=2014

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2014.00311

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2014.00311

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=<p>Inflammation is observed in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) subject brains. Inflammation-relevant genes are increasingly implicated in AD genetic studies, and inflammatory cytokines to some extent even function as peripheral biomarkers. What underlies AD inflammation is unclear, but no “foreign” agent has been implicated. This suggests that internally produced damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMPs) molecules may drive inflammation in AD. A more complete characterization and understanding of AD-relevant DAMPs could advance our understanding of AD and suggest novel therapeutic strategies. In this review, we consider the possibility that mitochondria, intracellular organelles that resemble bacteria in many ways, trigger and maintain chronic inflammation in AD subjects. Data supporting the possible nexus between AD-associated bioenergetic dysfunction are discussed.</p>