-Synuclein is an abundant presynaptic brain protein, misfolding, aggregation and fibrillation of which are implicated as critical factors in several neurodegenerative diseases. The list of the well-known synucleinopathies includes such devastating disorders as Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body variant of Alzheimer’s disease, diffuse Lewy body disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atr...

The prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD), increases with age, and the number of affected patients is expected to increase worldwide in the next decades. Accurately understanding the etiopathogenic mechanisms of these diseases is a crucial step for developing disease-modifying drugs able to preclude their emergence or at least sl...

Neurodegenerative diseases are amongst the most costly and devastating diseases, both to patients as well as to their families. This year will mark the 100th anniversary of the first case description of what we now call Alzheimer’s disease, the most common neurodegenerative disease. This special time provides a unique opportunity for us to reflect on howmuch we have learned and yet to also appr...

The following review examines the role of calcium in promoting the in vitro and in vivo activation of transglutaminases in neurodegenerative disorders. Diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease exhibit increased transglutaminase activity and rises in intracellular calcium concentrations, which may be related. The aberrant activation of transglutaminase b...

This special issue includes fifteen reviews and two original research articles by leading scientists in the fields of neu-ropathology, biochemistry, and cell biology, dealing with the role of protein aggregation and prion-like propagation of protein misfolding in neurodegenerative diseases. In the review article " Breaking the code of amyloid-í µí»½ oli-gomers, " available at the following link...

As a part of the central nervous system, the retina may reflect both physiological processes and abnormalities related to pathologies that affect the brain. Amyloidosis due to the accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) was initially regarded as a specific and exclusive characteristic of neurodegenerative alterations seen in the brain of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. More recently, it was discov...

Nitric oxide (NO) free radical as a major signaling molecule in nervous systems has been shown to have close relationship with neurodegenerative diseases. The results about the relation of NO and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and stroke in recent years are reviewed. Particularly, the results of antioxidants and NO in neurodegenerative dis...

Up to date, almost all researchers consider that there is still no effective therapy for neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) and therefore, these diseases are incurable. However, since May 1998, we know that a progressive ischemia in the medial temporal lobes and subcommissural regions can cause Alzheimer's disease; because, in contrast to this, its revascularization by means of omental tissue ca...

Neuronal homeostasis depends on the proper functioning of different quality control systems. All intracellular components are subjected to continuous turnover through the coordinated synthesis, degradation and recycling of their constituent elements. Autophagy is the catabolic mechanism by which intracellular cytosolic components, including proteins, organelles, aggregates and any other intrace...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Abnormalities of oculomotor control accompany the pathological changes underlying many neurodegenerative diseases. Clinical examination of eye movements can contribute to differential diagnosis, whereas quantitative laboratory measures can provide detailed insight into the disease process. In this review of eye movements in neurodegenerative disease, we summarise recent empiri...