Recent Advances in the Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Diseases: Current Progress and Future Directions for Disease-Modifying Therapies

Dear Colleagues,

As life expectancy increases due to advances in medical care, humanity faces a new crisis associated with the growing aging population. This results in a corresponding increase in the prevalence of incurable neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington's disease, Multiple sclerosis, and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These diseases typically affect brain activity in the elderly by impairing their cognitive and behavioral functions. Notably, several pathogenic features—including specific neuronal loss, gliosis, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and gut dysfunction—tend to overlap in common neurodegenerative diseases. Despite advances in our understanding, the development of disease-modifying treatments that target the underlying molecular mechanisms of disease pathogenesis remains challenging; only a few symptomatic-modifying therapies are currently available for PD, but not disease-modifying therapies. Therefore, this Special Issue aims to explore the potential disease-modifying therapies related to the advancement of research on the neuropathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, with the goal of achieving significant breakthroughs in disease modeling and drug development. The original research articles and reviews focused on investigating the natural drug, neuroprotective signaling mechanisms, microglial-mediated neuroinflammation, and neuronal cell death, as well as the relationship between the gut–brain axis. We also invite you to submit research and review articles that focus on the relationship between physical exercise and neurodegenerative diseases. These articles should explore how different types of physical exercise regulate brain function and contribute to the prevention of neurodegenerative diseases, as well as how non-pharmacological therapeutic strategies can reduce disease progression through exercise interventions.

Dr. Rengasamy Balakrishnan
Dr. Balamuralikrishnan Balasubramanian
Guest Editors

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