The Adenosinergic Signaling: A Complex but Promising Therapeutic Target for Alzheimer's Disease

Front Neurosci. 2018 Aug 3:12:520. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00520. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder in elderly people. AD is characterized by a progressive cognitive decline and it is neuropathologically defined by two hallmarks: extracellular deposits of aggregated β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides and intraneuronal fibrillar aggregates of hyper- and abnormally phosphorylated Tau proteins. AD results from multiple genetic and environmental risk factors. Epidemiological studies reported beneficial effects of caffeine, a non-selective adenosine receptors antagonist. In the present review, we discuss the impact of caffeine and of adenosinergic system modulation on AD, in terms of pathology and therapeutics.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease; adenosine; adenosine receptors; caffeine; memory.

Publication types

  • Review