DNA damage can trigger neurons to self-destruct

Over the past decade, researchers at WashU Medicine have established that a molecule called SARM1 is a central trigger in the loss of axons, the vital wiring of the nervous system.

Axon loss is characteristic of many neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's disease, glaucoma and peripheral neuropathies, including those caused by common chemotherapies. ...