Long Road to Ruin: Noradrenergic Dysfunction in Neurodegenerative Disease

A unique combination of neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, and physiology render LC neurons vulnerable to insults and degeneration. The LC is among the earliest sites of detectable pathology in AD (tau) and PD (α-synuclein), and may seed the development of aberrant protein aggregates in interconnected brain regions. In both AD and PD, LC neurons display dysfunction, fiber degeneration, and cell death. LC dysfunction and degeneration likely contribute...