%0 Journal Article
%T Zoom in on neurodegeneration
%A Guojun Bu
%A Huaxi Xu
%A Todd E Golde
%J Molecular Neurodegeneration
%D 2006
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1750-1326-1-1
%X We are proud to introduce you to a new home for neurodegeneration research, Molecular Neurodegeneration. Through the open-access format we plan to bring you the most timely and exciting research focusing on the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative disease processes and on potential therapeutic interventions for these devastating diseases. Molecular Neurodegeneration will also provide a forum to discuss and review the current research and foster creative thinking in this exciting field.The increased prevalence of certain age-associated neurodegenerative diseases is largely attributable to the increase in average lifespan among individuals who live in industrialized nations. From a patient perspective, diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are feared because of their slow and progressive nature and because there are no effective treatments or cures for these diseases. The economic and social burden of neurodegenerative diseases is huge and growing all too rapidly. We have made significant progress with respect to understanding certain aspects of neurodegenerative diseases. However, compared to our understanding of other human diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disorders, our knowledge on the mechanisms of neurodegeneration is still in its infancy. Indeed, for most neurodegenerative diseases, we can only guess as to why neurons ultimately die.Most existing scientific journals that publish research papers related to neurodegenerative diseases focus on the genetic epidemiology and pathological aspects of these diseases. Molecular Neurodegeneration will uniquely focus on the molecular and cellular aspects of the disease mechanisms, identification of potential therapeutic targets, and preclinical studies evaluating potential therapeutic interventions in model systems. Studies of the physiological and pathophysiological functions of cellular proteins contributing to neurodegeneration are strongly encoura
%U http://www.molecularneurodegeneration.com/content/1/1/1