Neurogenerative Diseases - 6

inherited traits. Approximately 10% of Parkinson's,
Alzheimer's, and ALS cases are inherited.

folding, thereby forming small oligomeric or large
fibrillary aggregates..." leading to "...self-association,
elongation, and precipitation" within the brain.

Chemical exposure has been linked to the
occurrence of several NDDs, or syndromes that
closely resemble the sporadically arising disorders.
Evidence comes from studies of geographic areas
and professions. PD-ALS complex, which occurs
in certain tribal regions of Guam, is believed to be
caused by ingestion of the allegedly medicinal plant
Cycas circinalis, while ingestion of certain pyridine
derivatives causes a disease that is indistinguishable
from Parkinson's. However, no chemical "missing
link" has been uncovered for most cases of NDDs.

Should inflammatory processes turn out to be
the smoking gun in NDD progression, a host of
therapeutic options already exists. A great deal of
pharmacologic crosstalk has been exploited, for
example, in the use of steroidal and nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory compounds, organ-rejection
drug regimens, and biological immune modulators.
If this brief introduction has one take-home
lesson, it is that sufficient mystery still surrounds
our understanding of many NDDs. Moreover, the
existence of clear genetic and toxicologic etiologies
alongside apparently idiopathic NDDs, suggests
that, like many cancers, what appears to be a single
disease may in fact be several distinguishable
illnesses. Fortunately, the emergence of molecular
techniques
for
characterizing
biochemical
phenomena in living systems has progressed and
continues to develop rapidly, thereby compressing
what were once "normal" timelines for acquiring
basic knowledge and translating that information
into actionable therapies and diagnostics.

Inflammation has been a prime suspect in the
etiology of NDDs since the early 2000s. A 2017 article
noting the differential adaptive vs. innate immune
responses evident in Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and
multiple sclerosis observed that these immune
processes not only drive progression of these
diseases, but may serve as therapeutic targets. One
approach might involve suppression of immune
responses acting on the central nervous system,
while another may harness immunity to clearly
implicated biomolecular or cellular agents.
And what might those biochemical agents be?
A paper published online in late 2019, which will
appear in print in early 2020, notes the potential of
proteins that are either misfolded or which undergo
undesirable post-translational modifications to
become neurotoxic. The authors cite the classic
examples of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Lewy
body dementia, which are characterized by the
intra- or intercellular accumulation of proteins
in the central nervous system. These proteins
undergo "profound modifications in their structural

About the author
Angelo DePalma earned his Ph.D. in organic
chemistry from Stony Brook University and was
previously senior scientist at Schering-Plough.
He has written extensively on biotechnology,
biomanufacturing, medical devices, pharmaceutical
commerce, laboratory instrumentation, and
advanced materials.

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC151843/#__sec2title https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1566277201000196 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1566277201000196 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28872464 http://www.nrronline.org/article.asp?issn=1673-5374;year=2020;volume=15;issue=5;spage=850;epage=856;aulast=Ciccocioppo

Neurogenerative Diseases

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Neurogenerative Diseases