Neurodegenerative Diseases

 

Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease

Parkinson’s Disease

The clinical features of PD are primarily motor related

Patients with Parkinson’s may also develop dementia

The primary pathology of PD is a loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra

Animal models of PD have strengths and limitations

Pharmacological treatments for PD are primarily symptomatic, not disease altering

There are several unmet needs in PD diagnosis and treatment

Alzheimer’s Disease

AD is defined by several pathological cellular disturbances

There are several behavioral, health, and genetic risk factors for AD

Alzheimer’s disease cannot be definitively diagnosed until postmortem analysis

Several different animal models contribute to our understanding of AD

Symptomatic treatments are available, and several others are under study for slowing disease progression

Box 20.1 The Cutting Edge Alzheimer’s Disease: It’s all in your gut???

Other Major Neurodegenerative Diseases

Huntington’s Disease

Symptoms

Only symptomatic treatments are available for HD; none alter disease progression

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

The symptoms and disease progression in ALS are devastating

The loss of motor neurons in ALS is complicated and poorly understood

Two medications exist that are approved for ALS treatment

Multiple Sclerosis

The symptoms of MS are variable and unpredictable

Diagnosis

Causes of MS

Treatments fall into several categories for MS and can be very effective

Box 20.2 Pharmacology in Action Can We Repair or Replace Myelin?