ABSTRACT
The neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs), although they each have distinct clinical and pathological features, have a number of features in common (Table 16.1). NDDs include important causes of dementia and disorders of movement. They pose a major challenge particularly to the developed countries in which the population profile is aging as a consequence of an increasing life expectancy and a decreasing birth rate. As inroads are made into the prevention and treatment of other major causes of mortality, such as cancers and vascular disease, the NDDs are likely to become more common in an aging population. Consequently, there is a degree of urgency in understanding the pathogenesis of NDDs in order to devise rational strategies for treatment or prevention.
