Recent advance of aquaporin-4 in neurodegenerative diseases / 中华神经科杂志

ABSTRACT

Neurodegenerative disease is a type of disease characterized by the progressive loss of neurons, the cause of which is not clear. Aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is a member of the aquaporin family, which plays an important role in maintaining water homeostasis in the brain. In recent years, researchers found that AQP4 has the functions of draining brain metabolic wastes and participating in material exchange through the glmphatic system. This review aims to summarize the current researches of AQP4 in the pathogenesis and progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson′s disease and Alzheimer′s disease, and to propose future research directions.