Telomere attrition is increased in various disorders and is therefore a potential biomarker for diagnosis and/or prognosis of these disorders. The contribution of telomere attrition in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders is yet to be fully elucidated. We are reviewing the current knowledge regarding the telomere biology in two common neurodegenerative disorders, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), and Parkinson’s disease (PD). Furthermore, we are discussing future prospective of telomere research in these disorders. The majority of studies reported consistent evidence of the accelerated telomere attrition in AD patients, possibly in association with elevated oxidative stress levels. On the other hand in PD, various studies reported contradictory evidence regarding telomere attrition. Consequently, due to the low specificity and sensitivity, the clinical benefit of telomere length as a biomarker of neurodegenerative disease development and progression is not yet recognized. Nevertheless, longitudinal studies in large carefully selected cohorts might provide further elucidation of the complex involvement of the telomeres in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases. Telomere length maintenance is a complex process characterized by environmental, genetic, and epigenetic determinants. Thus, in addition to the selection of the study cohort, also the selection of analytical methods and types of biological samples for evaluation of the telomere attrition is of utmost importance.

端粒磨损在各种疾病中增加，因此是用于这些疾病的诊断和/或预后的潜在生物标志物。端粒磨损在神经退行性疾病发病机制中的作用尚未完全阐明。我们正在回顾有关两种常见神经退行性疾病（阿尔茨海默病（AD）和帕金森病（PD））端粒生物学的最新知识。此外，我们正在讨论这些疾病的端粒研究的未来前景。大多数研究报告一致的证据表明 AD 患者端粒磨损加速，可能与氧化应激水平升高有关。另一方面，在 PD 中，各种研究报告了关于端粒磨损的相互矛盾的证据。因此，由于特异性和敏感性较低，端粒长度作为神经退行性疾病发生和进展的生物标志物的临床益处尚未得到认可。然而，在精心挑选的大型队列中进行的纵向研究可能会进一步阐明端粒在神经退行性疾病发病机制中的复杂参与。端粒长度维持是一个复杂的过程，其特征是环境、遗传和表观遗传决定因素。因此，除了研究队列的选择之外，用于评估端粒磨损的分析方法和生物样品类型的选择也至关重要。