Neurodegenerative Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases are defined as hereditary and sporadic conditions which are characterized by progressive nervous system dysfunction. All neurodegenerative disorders involve abnormal processing of neuronal proteins. The aberrant mechanism can entail a misfolding of proteins, altered post-translational modification of newly synthesized proteins, abnormal proteolytic cleavage, anomalous gene splicing, improper expression, or diminished clearance of degraded protein. Misprocessed proteins often accumulate because the cellular mechanisms for removing them are ineffective. These disorders are often associated with atrophy of the affected central or peripheral structures of the nervous system.

• Parkinson’s disease
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Huntington’s disease
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis