DYRK1A and neurodegenerative disease: Although DYRK1A has been shown to have a protective effect against neuronal death, it also appears to be involved in neurodegenerative diseases including AD, Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Huntington’s disease (HD), and a link was found between DYRK1A and pro-inflammatory pathways that are activated in the brain of DS individuals and participate in the pathological mechanisms of neurodegenerative disorders.