Models of neurodegeneration, such as alpha-synucleinopathy and brain samples from patients with Lewy Body disease, show that ATG7 is downregulated, reflecting reduced and defective autophagy, and endogenously raising ATG7 by a lentiviral delivery decreases the levels of alpha-synuclein and mitigates neurodegeneration (Crews et al., 2010). Here, ATG7 is linked to Lewy body dementia.