ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews recent developments in the use of synthetic oligonucleotides to control gene expression in neuronal cells and the potential formulations to reach the brain. Brain pathologies affect a large number of individuals and have devastating repercussions in global health. The population ageing is expected to increase the incidence of brain diseases in the forthcoming years. One of the most exciting nucleic acid-based therapeutics used for downregulating gene expression is the antisense oligonucleotides. The application of these chimeras has proven to be also valuable in the treatment, diagnosis and imaging of brain tumours. Lipid spherical vesicles, such as liposomes, were first introduced in 1965, and since then they have been at the forefront of drug delivery science. Niosomes are another important class of vesicular systems similar to liposomes in which the phospholipids are substituted by non-ionic surfactants.
