Given the success of
Volume I of this Research Topic, we are pleased to announce the launch of Volume II: “Biomarkers and Pathogenesis of Alpha-Synuclein in Parkinson's Disease: Volume II”.
Alpha-synucleinopathies, including Parkinson’s disease (PD), dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple system atrophy (MSA), is a group of illnesses caused by chronic progressive neurodegeneration and loss of dopaminergic neurons in the brain. It is widely known that the aggregation and transmission of a-synuclein play essential roles in the development of a-synucleinopathies.
Though the detailed etiology and pathogenesis remain unclear. Multidimensional research including molecular biology, microbiology, neuroimaging, bioinformatics, epigenetics, and genetic engineering have been widely applied for both pre-clinical and clinical studies in order to clarify the molecular mechanisms and pursue potential therapeutic targets for PD. For instance, reliable biomarkers are supposed to predict early PD development, monitor PD progress, and distinguish it from other parkinsonian syndromes. Gut microbiota disturbance exacerbates a-synuclein deposition in PD. Abnormal functional connectivity and neurochemical dysfunction are also found in PD. Moreover, complex PD and/or other alpha-synucleinopathies have gene mutations, as well as epigenetic modifications on DNA.
The current research topic focuses on multidimensional research in the treatment of PD and its underlying mechanisms. Our main goal is to find valid biomarkers and possible pathogenesis of PD from the perspective of multidisciplinary studies, which is conducive to uncovering the novel mechanism of a-synucleinopathies and provides advanced experimental models for the treatment of PD.
In this context, we welcome original research articles, reviews, and mini-reviews based on the following topics:
• Clinical findings of new potential biomarkers in blood, saliva, urine, and CSF for PD and its related movement disorders.
• Clinical research about molecular imaging to detect functional brain connectivity for disease prediction or development.
• Basic research or clinical investigations about the immune dysfunction, microglia reaction, and neural inflammation that lead to a-synuclein aggregation and transmission in neural cells.
• Basic research about a-synuclein pathology caused by gene dysfunction tested in experiments to disclose the underlying mechanisms of PD and its related movement disorders.
• Early diagnostic methods or therapeutic potential for PD and its related movement disorders.