ULK1 and Alzheimer disease: Dysfunctional ULK1 and downregulated BNIP3L in AD-affected brain lead to impaired mitophagy, which manifests in impaired initiation steps of the mitophagy process (reduced recruitment of activated LC3 to mitochondria) and an accumulation of structurally and functionally damaged mitochondria (reduced size, disorganized cristae and low ATP production) (Fang et al., 2019).