Molecular and Genetic Basis of Neurodegenerative Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases, frontotemporal dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, prion diseases, and peripheral neuropathies are a significant public health concern due to their increasing prevalence worldwide, but accurate, early diagnostics and effective treatment options remain limited. Identifying underlying mechanisms is a critical area of study for the identification of early biomarkers of disease and the development of effective preventative and therapeutic strategies. Although diverse in their histopathology and clinical symptoms, shared molecular pathways have been identified across many neurodegenerative disorders, often through rare inherited forms of disease or human genome-wide association studies (GWASs). These pathways include those that regulate protein folding, trafficking, and degradation; mitochondrial and ion homeostasis; oxidative and other cellular stress pathways; neuroinflammation; and synaptic signaling. Despite exciting advances, much remains to be learned about the underlying mechanisms by which these pathways contribute to neurodegeneration and the downstream effects that modulate disease pathogenesis and progression.

We are pleased to invite you to submit your work to this Special Issue of Biomolecules, which will focus on molecular, genetic, and genomic studies that provide insight into pathogenic mechanisms of neurodegeneration, biomarker discovery, and the identification and/or characterization of novel potential therapeutic targets. Basic and pre-clinical studies, in vitro research, and in vivo investigations using animal models are welcome.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following topics:

1. Novel insights into the genetic and molecular mechanisms of neurodegeneration;
2. Development of biomarkers for improved disease diagnostics;  
3. Investigations into disease-driving mechanisms or risk factors, such as inflammation, gene–environment interactions, and aging;
4. Identifying new genetic variants associated with neurodegenerative diseases and dissecting how they influence disease presentation;
5.  Novel treatment options based on molecular or biochemical targets;
6. Transmissibility assessments between species in infectious neurodegenerative diseases in which molecular genetics may modify species barriers;
7. Epigenetic modifications.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Teresa M. Gunn
Dr. Andrea Grindeland
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biomolecules is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• neurodegeneration
• neurodegenerative diseases
• protein misfolding
• protein trafficking
• mitochondrial dysfunction
• oxidative stress
• neuronal homeostasis
• neuroinflammation