Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is an age-associated neurodegenerative condition causing progressive and irreversible loss of cognitive function. There are many theories about the cause of AD. The most prominent and widely researched is the amyloid-beta protein accumulation, which disturbs cell function, and neurofibrillary tangles accumulation which disturbs synaptic transmission. Others include oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, metabolism imbalance, and autophagy, amongst many more. Yet after decades of developing treatments, patients can only rely on current medications to ease some of their symptoms. There are no treatments available that will either stop or slow down the progressive decline. This might be because AD is a multifactorial disease with multiple pathological pathways contributing to the decline. Because of the pathological complexity, non-coding RNA (ncRNA) mechanisms in AD recently attracted a lot of attention. Single ncRNA can regulate the expression of many genes across the CNS. This means that if ncRNA function is dysregulated, it can trigger multiple pathogenic pathways in the brain. A number of recent studies have already confirmed dysregulated expression of ncRNA’s in AD. Additionally, some studies indicate ncRNA analysis is a quick, cost-effective, and robust diagnostic method which can be used to discriminate between different forms of neurodegenerative disease. However, as this is a relatively novel approach to understanding mechanisms of AD pathology, there is still much to learn. This research topic aims to provide an overview of the latest developments in understanding ncRNA mechanisms causing AD pathology and their use in AD diagnosis.
We welcome a range of article types including, but not limiting to, original research, systematic review, mini review and methods.
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is an age-associated neurodegenerative condition causing progressive and irreversible loss of cognitive function. There are many theories about the cause of AD. The most prominent and widely researched is the amyloid-beta protein accumulation, which disturbs cell function, and neurofibrillary tangles accumulation which disturbs synaptic transmission. Others include oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, metabolism imbalance, and autophagy, amongst many more. Yet after decades of developing treatments, patients can only rely on current medications to ease some of their symptoms. There are no treatments available that will either stop or slow down the progressive decline. This might be because AD is a multifactorial disease with multiple pathological pathways contributing to the decline. Because of the pathological complexity, non-coding RNA (ncRNA) mechanisms in AD recently attracted a lot of attention. Single ncRNA can regulate the expression of many genes across the CNS. This means that if ncRNA function is dysregulated, it can trigger multiple pathogenic pathways in the brain. A number of recent studies have already confirmed dysregulated expression of ncRNA’s in AD. Additionally, some studies indicate ncRNA analysis is a quick, cost-effective, and robust diagnostic method which can be used to discriminate between different forms of neurodegenerative disease. However, as this is a relatively novel approach to understanding mechanisms of AD pathology, there is still much to learn. This research topic aims to provide an overview of the latest developments in understanding ncRNA mechanisms causing AD pathology and their use in AD diagnosis.
We welcome a range of article types including, but not limiting to, original research, systematic review, mini review and methods.
