In this chapter, you will learn about the roles of autophagy in neurons and glia, how mutations in core autophagy genes or in regulators of the autophagic machinery cause neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases, and how autophagy-enhancing strategies can act as potential treatments for neurodegeneration. You will learn how the post-mitotic nature of neurons and their high metabolic demands and morphology render them particularly vulnerable to impaired autophagic function. You will be able to recognise that autophagy is not only important for neurons but also for glia. You will learn how mutations in autophagic genes impair autophagic function and cause neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Finally, you will learn about strategies to enhance autophagy and their potential applications to neurodegenerative diseases. Overall, you will gain an understating of why neurons are critically vulnerable to impaired autophagy, how disease-associated mutations affect autophagy at different stages, and how it can be exploited in disease treatment by inducing the pathway or by selectively targeting its substrates.