Linking Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s Disease

Figure 2

Possible link between α-synuclein, neuroinflammatory processes, and neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease. In the presence of specific α-synuclein conformations, microglia get activated and induce a complex immune response by increasing the expression of toll-like receptors and several proinflammatory mediators, which consequently activates peripheral immune cells like monocytes or T cells. These peripheral immune cells might actively contribute to neurodegeneration.