DKK1 is scarcely found in normal brain, but upregulation of DKK1 precedes neuronal death in models of neurodegenerative diseases (Caricasole et al., 2004[9]; Rosi et al., 2010[51]) and ischemic neuronal death (Cappuccio et al., 2005[7]). Here, DKK1 is linked to neurodegenerative disease.