ABSTRACT
As discussed by Przedborski et al. (1), neurodegenerative diseases refer to a group of neurological disorders with heterogeneous clinical and pathological expressions affecting specific groups of neurons in specific functional anatomic systems. Most arise for unknown reasons and progress in a relentless manner. To date several approved drugs do, to some extent, alleviate symptoms of several neurodegenerative diseases, but their chronic use is often associated with serious side effects, and none seems to stop or even slow the inexorable clinical worsening. It is thus not surprising to note that neurodegenerative diseases represent a growing scientific and medical challenge with far-reaching social, ethical, and financial implications.
