We study the degeneration problem for maximal Cohen-Macaulay modules and give
several examples of such degenerations. It is proved that such degenerations
over an even-dimensional simple hypersurface singularity of type $(A_n)$ are
given by extensions. We also prove that all extended degenerations of maximal
Cohen-Macaulay modules over a Cohen-Macaulay complete local algebra of finite
representation type are obtained by iteration of extended degenerations of
Auslander-Reiten sequences.
We propose to define the notion of abstract local cohomology functors. The
derived functors of the ordinary local cohomology functor with support in the
closed subset defined by an ideal and the generalized local cohomology functor
associated with a given pair of ideals are characterized as elements of the set
of all the abstract local cohomology functors.