Looking backward to move forward: early detection of neurodegenerative disorders.
Early detection of neurodegenerative disorders would provide clues to the underlying pathobiology of these diseases and would enable more effective diagnosis and treatment of patients. Recent advances in molecular neuroscience have begun to provide the tools to detect diseases like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and others early in their course and potentially even before the development of clinical manifestations of disease. These genetic, imaging, clinical, and biochemical tools are being validated in a number of studies. Early detection of these slowly progressive diseases offers the promise of presymptomatic diagnosis and, ultimately, of disease-modifying medications for use early in disease and during the presymptomatic period.
Department of Neurology and Alzheimer Disease Research Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. DeKoskyST@upmc.edu
Steven T
ST
DeKosky
Kenneth
K
Marek
D000375:Aging; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis*; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism; D005819:Genetic Markers; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008568:Memory; D009154:Mutation; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors
D015415:Biomarkers; D005819:Genetic Markers; D004298:Dopamine