VEGF: a critical player in neurodegeneration
Erik Storkebaum, Peter Carmeliet
Erik Storkebaum, Peter Carmeliet
Published January 1, 2004
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2004;113(1):14-18. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI20682.
View: Text | PDF
Spotlight

VEGF: a critical player in neurodegeneration

Abstract

VEGF is a prototype angiogenic factor, but recent evidence indicates that this growth factor also has direct effects on neural cells. Abnormal regulation of VEGF expression has now been implicated in several neurodegenerative disorders, including motoneuron degeneration. This has stimulated an increasing interest in assessing the therapeutic potential of VEGF as a neuroprotective agent for such neurodegenerative disorders.

Authors

Erik Storkebaum, Peter Carmeliet

×

Figure 1

Options: View larger image (or click on image) Download as PowerPoint
Low VEGF levels cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Low VEGF levels imp...
Low VEGF levels cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Low VEGF levels impair spinal cord perfusion and cause chronic ischemia of motoneurons, but also deprive these cells of vital VEGF-dependent survival and neuroprotective signals. Both mechanisms result in adult-onset progressive degeneration of motoneurons, with associated muscle weakness, paralysis, and death — as is typical in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.