Prevention and Clinical Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease
A special issue of Healthcare (ISSN 2227-9032).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2022) | Viewed by 4593
Special Issue Editor
Interests: Alzheimer's disease; dementia; amyloid; Tau; Biomarkers; small molecules; natural products; biophenols; Mediterranean diet
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial disease in the elderly population, spreading at the global level, without specific treatment and cure. Clinically, AD is the most common form of dementia (50–70% of dementia cases), followed by vascular dementia (15–20%). Three decades ago, the involvement of amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau peptides in the pathophysiological mechanism of AD was put forward through the amyloid hypothesis. Lately, this theory has been criticised and challenged based on molecular studies. However, most of the neuronal damage in AD patients is due to these specific proteins which drive AD symptoms, including memory loss, behavioural changes, and cognitive issues. Mounting evidence suggests that free radicals, oxidative stress, pro-inflammatory cytokines and neurotoxic agents are directly or indirectly involved in the pathogenesis of AD. Currently, AD diagnosis is based on the determination of Aβ and tau levels in patients’ cerebrospinal fluid in combination with mental status assessment and neuroimaging. The investigation of new biomarkers is in its preliminary stage, and extensive trials are required to confirm their diagnostic validity in AD patients. As of now, there are no specific treatment and cure for AD. The search for molecules with less adverse effects than the available drugs has led researchers to investigate novel low-molecular-weight hybrid compounds of either synthetic or natural origin. Extensive research has been focused on natural products. In particular, biophenols have shown promising properties, being able to reduce AD pathogenesis in both in vitro and in vivo models.
Despite these advancements, a high rate of failure in drug trials on AD prevention and treatment has been observed, which is frustrating and causes delays in the development of new therapies for AD. Lifestyle changes, including dietary modification (adopting the Mediterranean diet or the MIND diet) and mild to moderate exercise, have shown promising results in the elderly population, including AD patients. In short, future drug candidates should be designed keeping in mind several aspects that are essential for their efficacy: ability to cross the blood–brain barrier, high bioavailability, and few side effects. This Special Issue, invites manuscripts (research, review, opinion and case studies) improving the current understanding, clinical prevention and treatment perspective of AD through the investigation of new biomarkers, the properties of Aβ and tau peptides, the role of enzymes and genetic mutations.
Dr. Syed Haris Omar
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 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
- Dementia
- Amyloid and tau peptide
- Biomarkers
- Cerebraspinal Fluids
- Neuroimaging
- Mediterranean diet
- Natural products
- Prevention
