Molecular and cellular mechanisms of selective vulnerability in neurodegenerative diseases

The selective vulnerability of specific neuronal subtypes is a hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases. In this Review, I summarize our current understanding of the brain regions and cell types that are selectively vulnerable in different neurodegenerative diseases and describe the proposed underlying cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous mechanisms. I highlight how recent methodological innovations — including single-cell transcriptomics, CRISPR-based screens and human cell-based models of disease — are enabling new breakthroughs in our understanding of selective vulnerability. An understanding of the molecular mechanisms that determine selective vulnerability and resilience would shed light on the key processes that drive neurodegeneration and point to potential therapeutic strategies to protect vulnerable cell populations. Selective vulnerability of particular neuronal cell types is a characteristic of neurodegenerative diseases. Martin Kampmann explores our current understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that lead to selective vulnerability in different diseases.