The mammalian target of rapamycin（ mTOR） is a conserved srine/ threonine kinase， which reacts downstream 4E-BP and p70S6K under the control of upstream signal molecules Rheb and TSC1/2， and then affecting protein synthesis to regulate cell growth and proliferation. Autophagy is a self-protection mechanism of cells and the clearance of certain aggregate proteins in neurodegenerative diseases mainly relies on autophagy. Recent studies have indicated that neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease are associated with abnormalities in thyroid function， mTOR signaling pathway， and autophagy. Therefore， studies on thyroid function， mTOR pathway and autophagy can help to understand the mechanism of neurodegenerative diseases to prevent and treat the disease.