ABSTRACT
Neurodegenerative diseases include a range of debilitating conditions of the central nervous system characterized by the progressive loss of neural tissues. Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder leading to loss of dopamine-producing brain cells and a progressive deterioration of motor function. Neurons of the central nervous system cannot regenerate after cell death and, as a consequence, once a neurodegenerative disease has manifested, significant neuronal loss and damage are already present. The finding that some related neurodegenerative diseases share common mechanisms suggests that the disorders may have similar targets for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Neurodegenerative disorders are different nervous system diseases characterized by the progressive loss of neuronal cells and tissues, without a possible regeneration process after the damage occurs. There was an increasing application of sequencing and genomic approaches for the study of neurodegenerative disorders that lead to the discovery of novel risk genes and peripheral biomarkers useful for the investigation disease mechanisms.
