Search

Life expectancy is increasing worldwide, thus the incidence of neurodegenerative disorders (ND) such as Parkinson's (PD) and Alzheimer's (AD) diseases is on the rise. In the UK alone, ~700,000 people are suffering from these age-related disorders and this number is estimated to further increase by 2030, placing an enormous burden on healthcare. Several of these pathologies share the hallmark of protein misfolding, leading to neuronal dysfunction and ultimately cell death. Furthermore, a common characteristic of these disorders is the abnormal accumulation of protein aggregates/inclusions such as amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in AD and Lewy bodies in PD. Although the effect of accumulation of these insoluble proteins on molecular processes is still unclear, a view is emerging that compromised synaptic function may underlie the earliest symptoms of ND. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]