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Medicina
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Recent Advances in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases
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Recent Advances in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases

A special issue of Medicina (ISSN 1648-9144). This special issue belongs to the section "Neurology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 765

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Cristian Falup-Pecurariu

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Guest Editor
1. Department of Neurology, County Clinic Hospital, 500326 Brasov, Romania
2. Faculty of Medicine, Transilvania University, 500019 Brasov, Romania
Interests: movement disorders; Parkinson’s disease; stroke; neurodegenerative diseases; non-motor symptoms
Dr. Stefania Diaconu

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Guest Editor Assistant
1. Department of Neurology, County Clinic Hospital, 500326 Brasov, Romania
2. Faculty of Medicine, Transilvania University, 500019 Brasov, Romania
Interests: movement disorders; Parkinson’s disease; sleep disorders; Alzheimer’s disease

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There have been remarkable recent advancements in understanding and treating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Huntington’s disease (HD), disorders which pose a considerable burden to patients, caregivers, and healthcare systems. Novel neuroimaging techniques (such as PET scans and quantitative MRI modalities), as well as genetic testing and advancements in the use of biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid and blood-based proteins (such as tau and amyloid-beta), significantly contribute to diagnostic precision and disease staging. Wearable devices have been demonstrated to help clinicians to better characterize motor and non-motor symptoms of PD, offering real-time monitoring and enabling personalized treatment.

Emerging treatments such as the use of monoclonal antibodies, gene therapy, and cell-based therapies are being investigated for their potential to modify disease progression, and continuous efforts are being made to integrate these innovations into clinical applications.

In this context, we invite you to submit your research to this Special Issue of Medicina. The aim of this edition is to provide new insights into the epidemiology, pathophysiology, risk factors, diagnosis, and management of neurodegenerative diseases, including but not limited to AD, PD with motor and non-motor symptoms, Parkinsonism, ALS, and HD.

Authors are welcome to submit original articles; reports on novel treatment strategies and advances in decision making; clinical outcome and comparative studies; narrative, scoping, and systematic reviews; and meta-analyses.

Prof. Dr. Cristian Falup-Pecurariu
Guest Editor

Dr. Stefania Diaconu
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Medicina is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • motor symptoms
  • non-motor symptoms
  • Parkinsonism
  • amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
  • Huntington’s disease
  • biomarkers
  • disease modification
  • neuroimaging

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

19 pages, 710 KB  
Article
Beyond Motor Decline in ALS: Patient-Centered Insights into Non-Motor Manifestations
by Anca Moțățăianu, Sebastian Andone, Smaranda Maier, Rareș Chinezu, Medeea Roman, Mihai Dumitreasă, Rodica Bălașa and Ioana Ormenișan
Medicina 2025, 61(9), 1694; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina61091694 - 18 Sep 2025
Viewed by 592
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Traditionally regarded as a purely motor disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons. However, it is increasingly recognized as a condition with a broader clinical spectrum, [...] Read more.
Background and Objectives: Traditionally regarded as a purely motor disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the degeneration of upper and lower motor neurons. However, it is increasingly recognized as a condition with a broader clinical spectrum, encompassing a variety of non-motor symptoms (NMS) that significantly impact patients’ quality of life and may influence disease progression and prognosis. Materials and Methods: The study included 44 patients diagnosed with probable or definite ALS and 35 healthy controls (HC). Functional neurological status, non-motor manifestations, and cognitive and affective domains were evaluated using the revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R), the Non-Motor Symptoms Questionnaire (NMSQuest), the Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), respectively. Results: A majority of ALS patients exhibited non-motor symptoms (NMS). Significant associations were identified between specific NMS domains and ALSFRS-R subdomains: sleep disturbances were associated with lower fine motor, respiratory, and total scores; digestive symptoms with lower bulbar, respiratory, and total scores; cardiovascular symptoms with lower total scores; urinary symptoms with higher bulbar subscores and a significantly slower progression rate (ΔPR); and sensory symptoms with higher gross motor subscores. BDI scores were negatively correlated with respiratory and bulbar functions, whereas FAB scores showed positive correlations with both bulbar and total ALSFRS-R scores. Conclusions: Non-motor symptoms are highly prevalent in this ALS cohort. These symptoms do not consistently correlate with greater motor impairment, as urinary and somatosensory involvement may occur independently of functional decline. Cognitive, affective, and behavioral alterations co-exist with motor symptoms and are associated with poorer overall functional performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases)
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