Neurodegeneration
Neurodegenerative disease (Greek νέυρο-, néuro-, "nerval" and Latin dēgenerāre, "to decline" or "to worsen") is a condition which affects brain function. Neurodegenerative diseases result from deterioration of neurons which over time will lead to neurodegeneration and disabilities resulting from this. They are divided into two groups:
- conditions causing problems with movements
- conditions affecting memory and conditions related to dementia
Infectious proteins called prions are pathogens that result in the degeneration of the central nervous system.
Mammals that have transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, which is a disease where a spongy like deterioration of the brain occurs, causes an abnormal form of the prion protein. Normally, prions are not a problem in the body because they ban be broken down by heat and specific chemicals.
Normal proteins are in the shape of coiled alpha helices. When a normal protein undergoes continuous endoplasmic reticulum stress (unfolding and refolding of the helices) it results in an abnormal prion which is mostly a flat beta sheet. Once there is one abnormal prion, a domino effect takes place where prions in the brain will cause normal proteins to become abnormal prions. These mutated prions cause cell death which will result in neurodegenerative diseases such as those listed below.
In recent studies it has been found that Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), a food additive, can result in neurodegenerative diseases. MSG causes lesions at specific locations in the brain of laboratory animals as well as concomitant proliferations of neuroendocrine dysfunction. Glutamic acid, where MSG is a source of, has no been identified as a neurotransmitter which transmits impulses. These neurotransmitters develop specific types of neurodegenerative diseases.
List of neurodegenerative diseases
- Alexander disease
- Alper's disease
- Alzheimer's disease
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- Ataxia telangiectasia
- Batten disease (also known as Spielmeyer-Vogt-Sjogren-Batten disease)
- Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)
- Canavan disease
- Cockayne syndrome
- Corticobasal degeneration
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
- Huntington disease
- HIV-associated dementia
- Kennedy's disease
- Krabbe disease
- Lewy body dementia
- Machado-Joseph disease (Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3)
- Multiple sclerosis
- Multiple System Atrophy
- Parkinson disease
- Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease
- Pick's disease
- Primary lateral sclerosis
- Refsum's disease
- Sandhoff disease
- Schilder's disease
- Schizophrenia
- Spielmeyer-Vogt-Sjogren-Batten disease (also known as Batten disease)
- Spinocerebellar ataxia (multiple types with varying characteristics)
- Spinal muscular atrophy
- Steele-Richardson-Olszewski disease
- Tabes dorsalis
As of today there are no treatments or cures for Neurodegenerative diseases that can stop or slow the process of this degenerative disease.
See also
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References:
HOPES http://www.stanford.edu
Brigham and Womens Hospital. Lansberry Researchsite http://lansbury.bwh.harvard.edu/index.html
National Center for Biotechnology Information. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Massachusetts General Hospital http://adams.mgh.harvard.edu/