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Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias—Molecular Therapeutic Approaches

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2025 | Viewed by 3551

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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Although Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias are being intensively investigated, there is not yet a drug that efficiently interferes with disease pathogenesis. Most cases of AD are sporadic and less than 5%, among them carrying mutations that affect beta amyloid, are early‐onset familial AD that occur before the age of 65 years. Unfortunately, thus far, most of the newly developed drugs for AD treatment have failed in clinical trials. There is an urgent need for new therapies for treating dementias, particularly AD. Otherwise, this disease will continue to attack 5% of people aged over 65 and more than 40% of those aged over 85. Genetic risk factors, such as the presence of ApoE4 or mutations in inflammatory markers, such as TREM2, have been shown to affect disease development and progress. However, preventive approaches, such as maintaining good health (e.g., reducing cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors, enhancing physical and mental activities), seem to have a major impact on reducing disease incidence and delaying its onset. Many research approaches may be suitable for combating dementias, such as identifying disease-causing compounds (toxins), finding new targets, developing new drugs (mono/multi-target) by drug screening or by drug design, cell or organelle therapy, and device development, as well as other creative and innovative unconventional approaches.

This Special Issue will be dedicated to gathering novel therapeutic approaches to treat Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. We welcome submissions, including original papers and reviews, on these essential topics.

Prof. Dr. Hanna Rosenmann
Prof. Dr. Dan Frenkel
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • dementia
  • prevention of dementia
  • treatment of dementia
  • amyloid tangles
  • tauopathies
  • mild cognitive impairment
  • neurodegenerative pathways
  • toxic elements inducing dementia
  • drug screening
  • drug design
  • cell or organelle therapy
  • device development
  • neurodegeneration
  • neuroinflammation

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2537 KiB  
Article
Chronic Neuronal Hyperexcitation Exacerbates Tau Propagation in a Mouse Model of Tauopathy
by Itaru Nishida, Kaoru Yamada, Asami Sakamoto, Tomoko Wakabayashi and Takeshi Iwatsubo
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(16), 9004; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25169004 - 19 Aug 2024
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Abstract
The intracerebral spread of tau is a critical mechanism associated with functional decline in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other tauopathies. Recently, a hypothesis has emerged suggesting that tau propagation is linked to functional neuronal connections, specifically driven by neuronal hyperactivity. However, experimental validation [...] Read more.
The intracerebral spread of tau is a critical mechanism associated with functional decline in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other tauopathies. Recently, a hypothesis has emerged suggesting that tau propagation is linked to functional neuronal connections, specifically driven by neuronal hyperactivity. However, experimental validation of this hypothesis remains limited. In this study, we investigated how tau propagation from the entorhinal cortex to the hippocampus, the neuronal circuit most susceptible to tau pathology in AD, is affected by the selective stimulation of neuronal activity along this circuit. Using a mouse model of seed-induced propagation combined with optogenetics, we found that the chronic stimulation of this neuronal connection over a 4-week period resulted in a significant increase in insoluble tau accumulation in both the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus. Importantly, the ratio of tau accumulation in the hippocampus relative to that in the entorhinal cortex, serving as an indicator of transcellular spreading, was significantly higher in mice subjected to chronic stimulation. These results support the notion that abnormal neuronal activity promotes tau propagation, thereby implicating it in the progression of tauopathy. Full article
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Review

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23 pages, 3149 KiB  
Review
Targeting N-Methyl-d-Aspartate Receptors in Neurodegenerative Diseases
by Allison Carles, Aline Freyssin, Florent Perin-Dureau, Gilles Rubinstenn and Tangui Maurice
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(7), 3733; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25073733 - 27 Mar 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1938
Abstract
N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are the main class of ionotropic receptors for the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. They play a crucial role in the permeability of Ca2+ ions and excitatory neurotransmission in the brain. Being heteromeric receptors, they are composed of [...] Read more.
N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) are the main class of ionotropic receptors for the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate. They play a crucial role in the permeability of Ca2+ ions and excitatory neurotransmission in the brain. Being heteromeric receptors, they are composed of several subunits, including two obligatory GluN1 subunits (eight splice variants) and regulatory GluN2 (GluN2A~D) or GluN3 (GluN3A~B) subunits. Widely distributed in the brain, they regulate other neurotransmission systems and are therefore involved in essential functions such as synaptic transmission, learning and memory, plasticity, and excitotoxicity. The present review will detail the structure, composition, and localization of NMDARs, their role and regulation at the glutamatergic synapse, and their impact on cognitive processes and in neurodegenerative diseases (Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s disease). The pharmacology of different NMDAR antagonists and their therapeutic potentialities will be presented. In particular, a focus will be given on fluoroethylnormemantine (FENM), an investigational drug with very promising development as a neuroprotective agent in Alzheimer’s disease, in complement to its reported efficacy as a tomography radiotracer for NMDARs and an anxiolytic drug in post-traumatic stress disorder. Full article
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