Convergent pathogenic pathways in Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases: shared targets for drug development.
Neurodegenerative diseases, exemplified by Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease, are characterized by progressive neuropsychiatric dysfunction and loss of specific neuronal subtypes. Although there are differences in the exact sites of pathology, and the clinical profiles of these two conditions only partially overlap, considerable similarities in disease mechanisms and pathogenic pathways can be observed. These shared mechanisms raise the possibility of exploiting common therapeutic targets for drug development. As Huntington's disease has a monogenic cause, it is possible to accurately identify individuals who carry the Huntington's disease mutation but do not yet manifest symptoms. These individuals could act as a model for Alzheimer's disease to test therapeutic interventions that target shared pathogenic pathways.
Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Department of Medical Genetics, Child & Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, 950 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver, British Columbia                 V5Z 4H4, Canada.
Dagmar E
DE
Ehrnhoefer
Bibiana K Y
BK
Wong
Michael R
MR
Hayden
D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000639:trends; D055808:Drug Discovery / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism
D047428:Protein Kinase Inhibitors; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases