Advances in Biomedical Research and Clinical Studies of Parkinson’s Disease and Atypical Parkinsonian Disorders

Dear Colleagues,

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in the older adult population. PD typically begins because of the loss of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain's substantia nigra pars compacta region. Lewy bodies, which are denatured aggregates of the protein a-synuclein, are found in these neuronal cells, the formation of which promotes dopaminergic neuronal cell dysfunction and death. PD typically presents as a movement disorder (symptoms including rigidity, slowness of movement, postural instability, and resting tremor). However, there are numerous comorbid non-motor symptoms in PD, including depression and psychosis, constipation, urinary disruption, and sleep disorders.

Parkinsonian syndromes (so-called “atypical parkinsonian disorders”) have been recognized as pathologically distinct, neurodegenerative conditions that mimic several of the symptoms of PD. The atypical parkinsonian syndromes are synucleinopathies and tauopathies, i.e., disorders characterized by the abnormal deposition of the proteins a-synuclein and tau, respectively. The site of deposition is correlated with the clinical features. Importantly, patients with these alternate conditions find their disease progression to carry greater and earlier morbidity and altered risks of mortality as compared to idiopathic PD. The atypical parkinsonian disorders include multiple system atrophy parkinsonian variant (MSA-P), progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD), dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLBs), and frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

This Topic on Parkinson’s disease and atypical parkinsonian disorders will provide an update of this complex neurodegenerative field, and it will offer the basis for future work in understanding these disorders. Manuscripts that include any aspect related to basic science models and complex systems (in vitro and in vivo), pathogenesis and the process(es) leading to disease (from prodrome to active disease), new genetic markers, new pharmaceutical drugs and targets, complementary and alternative medicine approaches, exercise/physical activity used as treatment and medicine, drug repurposing, clinical reports and studies, and reviews (systematic, meta-analysis, and narrative) will be considered appropriate for this Topic.

Dr. Frank C. Church
Dr. Stefania Brotini
Guest Editors

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