Neurotrophicfactorscompriseessentialsecretedproteinsthathaveseveralfunctionsinneuralandnon-neuraltissues,mediatingthedevelopment,survivalandmaintenanceofperipheralandcentralnervoussystem.Therefore,neurotrophicfactorissuehasbeenextensivelyinvestigatedintothecontextofneurodegenerativediseases.Alzheimer'sdiseaseandParkinson'sdiseaseshowchangesintheregulationofspecificneurotrophicfactorsandtheirreceptors,whichappeartobecriticalforneuronaldegeneration.Indeed,neurotrophicfactorspreventcelldeathindegenerativeprocessesandcanenhancethegrowthandfunctionofaffectedneuronsinthesedisorders.Basedonrecentreports,thisreviewdiscussesthemainfindingsrelatedtotheneurotrophicfactorsupport–mainlybrain-derivedneurotrophicfactorandglialcellline-derivedneurotrophicfactor–inthesurvival,proliferationandmaturationofaffectedneuronsinAlzheimer'sdiseaseandParkinson'sdiseaseaswellastheirputativeapplicationasnewtherapeuticapproachforthesediseasesmanagement.
