Metal-Based Neurodegeneration: From Molecular Mechanisms to Therapeutic Strategies

As life expectancy increases in the developed world, so does the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases of the human brain. Metal-Based Neurodegeneration provides a molecular biology perspective of many of the neurodegenerative diseases which currently plague humankind, including: Alzheimer's Disease Parkinson's Disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease Familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Friedreich's ataxia Multiple sclerosis Wilson's disease Hallervorden-Spatz syndrome Huntington's disease In a dedicated chapter for each disease the characteristics of the disease are described along with the biochemical actors, including their normal, and pathological conformations. Emphasis is given on the role of metal-induced oxidative stress in the disease process, often resulting in the production of intracellular aggregates of the target proteins or peptides, including b-amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease, Lewy bodies in Parkinson's disease, prion protein (PrP) plaques in prion diseases and nuclear inclusions in Huntington's. Finally the authors discuss the progress that is being made in understanding the pathogenesis of the diseases and the identification of targets for their treatment.