Decoding Parkinson’s: Molecular Symphonies and Dysregulated Pathways
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 May 2026
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Parkinson’s disease (PD), one of the main neurodegenerative disorders, has both motor (tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, and postural instability) and non-motor (sleep and mood disorders, cognitive impairment, autonomic dysfunction, and others) symptoms. While the main neuropathological features of PD (neurodegeneration of the dopaminergic neurons at the substantia nigra compacta and the presence of Lewy bodies composed of alpha-synuclein aggregates) are well established, its etiopathogenesis is not well-known. The interplay of genetic and environmental factors could hypothetically lead to the dysregulation of multiple cellular pathways, including oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, neuroinflammation, deficiency of trophic factors, excitotoxicity, alterations in the mechanisms implicated in protein clearance, excitotoxicity, intracellular calcium accumulation, synaptic dysfunction, etc., which will finally result in neuronal and glial cell death. Because dysregulation of these pathways seems to occur before the onset of clinical symptoms, early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention aimed at correcting them could be important steps to improve the long-term progression of the disease.
This Special Issue aims to summarize the main molecular and dysregulated pathways implicated in PD and their interconnected mechanisms and to propose future therapeutic strategies based on these mechanisms to modify neurodegenerative processes.
Dr. Hortensia Alonso-Navarro
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- Parkinson’s disease
- neuropharmacology
- movement disorders
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