title: Invertebrate models of neurologic disease: insights into pathogenesis and therapy.
abstract: The search for cures of human diseases can be very slow, expensive, and serendipitous. Roughly five decades of basic research in a handful of model systems has revealed that most animals are quite similar to one another especially at the cellular and molecular levels. The commonalities allow one to use animal models to investigate human disease mechanisms. Here, we review contributions demonstrating the use of invertebrate models to investigate human neurodegenerative diseases. We conclude that the integration of fly and worm models into programs seeking to identify therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative disease can significantly speed progress toward finding cures for these devastating diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine, Gillespie 2121, Irvine, CA 92697-4260, USA. lmthomps@uci.edu
authors.forename: Leslie Michels
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: J Lawrence
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Marsh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology