Neurodegenerative Disease

<p>Neurodegenerative diseases are a heterogeneous largely age-related group of disorders characterised by the progressive degeneration or death of neurons in the central or peripheral nervous system. The prevalence of these diseases is increasing in part due to the ageing of the population with a consequent growing economic burden on healthcare systems. Although in some cases these diseases can be managed with treatments current therapies are mostly symptomatic do not address the underlying cause of the disease and have little or no effect on disease progression.</p><p>This Special Issue aims to provide an up-to-date overview of the progress made in research into neurodegenerative diseases from understanding the molecular basis to establishing more effective diagnostic tools to developing new therapies. Some papers focus on Alzheimer's disease Parkinson's disease motor neuron disease and Huntington's disease. Others address more general aspects of neurodegeneration ranging from the common mechanisms of cellular damage to the role of dietary effects on the nervous system. </p><p>Overall this Special Issue highlights the continuing efforts of the scientific community to unravel the molecular basis of disease onset and progression to achieve earlier diagnosis to identify novel therapeutic targets and ultimately to develop more effective therapies to counteract the progression of these still fatal diseases.</p>