Abstract

Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) is important in the nucleolus and nuclear organization of human cells. Defective rDNA repeat maintenance has been reported to be closely associated with neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia, depression, suicide, etc. However, there has not been a comprehensive review on the role of rDNA in these disorders. In this review, we have summarized the role of rDNA in major neurological disorders to sort out the correlation between rDNA and neurological diseases and provided insights for therapy with rDNA as a target.

Keywords: Ribosomal DNA, neurological disorders, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson's disease, ALS-FTD, depression, suicide.