The role of autophagy in axonal degeneration of the optic nerve

Different pathological conditions including glaucoma, optic neuritis, hereditary optic atrophy and traumatic injury lead to a degeneration of retinal ganglion cell axons in the optic nerve. Besides this clinical relevance, several experimental models employ the optic nerve as a model system to examine general mechanisms of axonal degeneration in the central nervous system.Several experimental studies have demonstrated that an activation of autophagy is a prominent feature of axonal degeneration in the optic nerve independent of the underlying pathological condition. However, the function of autophagy in axonal degeneration remains still unclear. Inhibition of autophagy was found to attenuate axonal degeneration within the first hours after optic nerve lesion. Other studies focusing on survival of retinal ganglion cells at later postlesional time points report contradicting results, where both inhibition and induction of autophagy were beneficial for survival, depending on the model system or examination time. Therefore, a more precise understanding of the role and the kinetics of autophagy in axonal degeneration is mandatory to develop new therapies for diseases of the optic nerve.Here, we review the literature on the pathophysiological role of autophagy in axonal degeneration in the optic nerve and discuss its implications for future therapeutic approaches in diseases of the eye and the central nervous system involving axonal degeneration.