Summary

Neurodegeneration refers to the progressive loss of neuron structure or function, which may eventually lead to cell death. Many neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and prion disease, are the results of neurodegenerative processes. Neurodegeneration can be found in many different levels of neuronal circuits in the brain, from molecules to systems. Since there is no known method to reverse the progressive degeneration of neurons, these diseases are considered incurable. Biomedical research has revealed many similarities between these diseases at the subcellular level, including atypical protein assembly (such as protein diseases) and induction of cell death. These similarities indicate that progress in the treatment of one neurodegenerative disease may also improve other diseases. This collection of entries aims to collect various medical research results related to neurodegeneration. We invite researchers to share their new results and ideas related to neurodegeneration.

Expand All
Entries
Topic Review
Ocular Alterations and Neurodegeneration of Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is one of the main neurodegenerative diseases worldwide. Unfortunately, AD shares many similarities with other dementias at early stages, which impedes an accurate premortem diagnosis. Therefore, it is urgent to find biomarkers to allow for early diagnosis of the disease. There is increasing scientific evidence highlighting the similarities between the eye and other structures of the CNS, suggesting that knowledge acquired in eye research could be useful for research and diagnosis of AD. For example, the retina and optic nerve are considered part of the central nervous system, and their damage can result in retrograde and anterograde axon degeneration, as well as abnormal protein aggregation. In the anterior eye segment, the aqueous humor and tear film may be comparable to the cerebrospinal fluid. Both fluids are enriched with molecules that can be potential neurodegenerative biomarkers. Indeed, the pathophysiology of AD, characterized by cerebral deposits of amyloid-beta (Aβ) and tau protein, is also present in the eyes of AD patients, besides numerous structural and functional changes observed in the structure of the eyes. Therefore, all this evidence suggests that ocular changes have the potential to be used as either predictive values for AD assessment or as diagnostic tools.
  • 621
  • 09 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Neuroprotection of Insulin-like Growth Factor-1
Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and its binding proteins and receptors are widely expressed in the central nervous system (CNS), proposing IGF-1-induced neurotrophic actions in normal growth, development, and maintenance. However, while there is convincing evidence that the IGF-1 system has specific endocrine roles in the CNS, the concept is emerging that IGF-I might be also important in disorders such as ischemic stroke, brain trauma, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, etc., by inducing neuroprotective effects towards glutamate-mediated excitotoxic signaling pathways. Research in rodent models has demonstrated rescue of pathophysiological and behavioral abnormalities when IGF-1 was administered by different routes, and several clinical studies have shown safety and promise of efficacy in neurological disorders of the CNS.
  • 551
  • 03 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Ferritinophagy and α-Synuclein
A major hallmark of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the fatal destruction of dopaminergic neurons within the substantia nigra pars compacta. This event is preceded by the formation of Lewy bodies, which are cytoplasmic inclusions composed of α-synuclein protein aggregates. A triad contribution of α-synuclein aggregation, iron accumulation, and mitochondrial dysfunction plague nigral neurons, yet the events underlying iron accumulation are poorly understood. Elevated intracellular iron concentrations up-regulate ferritin expression, an iron storage protein that provides cytoprotection against redox stress. The intrinsically disordered synaptic protein, α-synuclein, is the principal component of neuronal Lewy bodies (LB) and Lewy neurites (LN), which are cytoplasmic inclusions that hallmark α-synucleinopathies.
  • 507
  • 11 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Reminiscence Therapy in Depression Treatment in the Elderly
Reminiscence therapy is a mechanism to help someone remember events from their life. It is often used as a therapy tool for reducing depression, calming behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, or affecting mood of the elderly. Although its most common use is for the elderly and people affected with dementia or depression, it has also been used with people of all ages, including children. The reminiscing process can take place in a group or individually or by using technological devices such as mobile devices or robots. It is marked by remembering notable events from the past.
  • 685
  • 03 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Neurodegeneration in Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) remains a critical global burden, with 103.12 million individuals affected and an estimated increase to 160.5 million by 2045. It represents a common and preventable complication of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes affecting the adult working population. Neurodegeneration is a critical element of diabetic retinopathy pathogenesis. The neuronal cells’ apoptosis contributes to microvascular impairment and blood–retinal barrier breakdown.
  • 784
  • 03 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Polyadenylation in Animal Cells
During polyadenylation, a polyadenosine sequence-namely, a poly(A) tail-is added to the 3′ end of a transcript. Together with the removal of introns and the addition of a 5′ cap, polyadenylation constitutes a major step in pre-mRNA maturation. The polyadenylation process can be divided into two major steps: first, newly transcribed pre-mRNA is cleaved and its 3′ end is generated; then, a specific enzyme-poly(A) polymerase (PAP)-generates the poly(A) tail independently from the template, starting from the cleavage site.
  • 610
  • 03 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Artificial Intelligence in Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) represents most of the dementia cases and stands as the most common neurodegenerative disease. A shift from a curative to a preventive approach is imminent, and we are moving towards the application of personalized medicine, whereas we can shape the best clinical intervention for each patient at a given point. This new step in medicine requires the most recent tools and the analysis of huge amounts of data where the application of artificial intelligence (AI) plays a critical part in the depiction of disease-patient dynamics, critical to reach early/optimal diagnosis, monitoring and intervention. Predictive models and algorithms are the key elements in this innovative field. 
  • 681
  • 02 Mar 2022
Topic Review
Specific microRNAs Alter Autophagy and SCI Outcome
The treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) is currently a major challenge, with a severe lack of effective therapies for yielding meaningful improvements in function. Therefore, there is a great opportunity for the development of novel treatment strategies for SCI. The modulation of autophagy, a process by which a cell degrades and recycles unnecessary or harmful components (protein aggregates, organelles, etc.) to maintain cellular homeostasis and respond to a changing microenvironment, is thought to have potential for treating many neurodegenerative conditions, including SCI. The discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs), which are short ribonucleotide transcripts for targeting of specific messenger RNAs (mRNAs) for silencing, shows prevention of the translation of mRNAs to the corresponding proteins affecting various cellular processes, including autophagy. 
  • 384
  • 25 Feb 2022
Topic Review
MRI CNS Atrophy Pattern
MRI shows the three archetypal patterns of CNS volume loss underlying progressive ataxias in vivo, namely spinal atrophy (SA), cortical cerebellar atrophy (CCA) and olivopontocerebellar atrophy (OPCA). In line with the neuropathological discoveries of the XIX and XX centuries, MRI confirms today that there are three fundamental distribution patterns of CNS atrophy underlying progressive ataxias in vivo. They are SA, CCA and OPCA and can be inherited or acquired. Although the present trend driven by molecular genetics advances is to split progressive ataxias into hundreds of sometimes very rare conditions, a simple clumping of them according to the MRI-based CNS atrophy pattern is possible and might help diagnosis, possibly improve physiopathology understanding and may even cause future studies to rethink therapies for these uncommon but disabling diseases.
  • 561
  • 28 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Molecular Research of Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative dementia, affecting two-thirds of individuals with cognitive decline worldwide. Several links between vascular risk factors (VRF), neurovascular unit dysfunction (NVUd), blood-brain barrier breakdown (BBBb) and AD onset and progression in adulthood, suggesting a pathogenetic continuum between AD and vascular dementia. Shared pathways between AD, VRF, and NVUd/BBBb have also been found at the molecular level, underlining the strength of this association.
  • 606
  • 06 Apr 2022
  • Page
  • of
  • 49

Featured Entry Collections

>>