Editorial: Preclinical research in neurodegenerative diseases: biochemical, pharmacological, and behavioral bases

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases affect a high percentage of older adults worldwide, and may become a public health issue. In the last century, the increase in the aging population has been accompanied by the development of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by dementia, cognitive impairment, and comorbidities with some psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression (Gammon, [4]). Age is a determinant of cognitive impairment, but other physical, biological, and psychological factors such as demographics, environment, genetics, lifestyle, stress, and nutrition also contribute to the etiology and severity of its symptoms (Domínguez and Barbagallo, [3]). Neurodegenerative diseases affect the functioning of specific brain structures that are involved in the development of neuropsychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Huntington's disease (HD), and late-onset multiple sclerosis (TMS) (Calabrese et al., [1]; Gitler et al., [6]). These conditions are accompanied by behavioral and cognitive changes (Karantzoulis and Galvin, [7]) that affect the quality of life of patients and their caregivers. In 2019, ~55 million people worldwide were reported to be living with some degree of dementia, and this number could increase to 83 million by 2030, and to more than 150 million by 2050 ([5], [5]). PD is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide. Recently, the number of people with PD has doubled to more than 6 million, making it the fastest-growing disease (Poewe et al., [10]). In contrast, Huntington's disease is characterized by excessive dopaminergic activity and decreased γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) function in the basal ganglia, which is associated with motor impairment, psychiatric disorders, and cognitive deficits (Poewe et al., [10]). Considering the high incidence of neurodegenerative diseases, there is a need to develop new tools to evaluate potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and to study the neurobiological basis underlying these diseases.