Clinical Management of Cognitive Disorders in Neurodegenerative Patients

Dear Colleagues,

A neurodegenerative disease is caused by the progressive loss of structure or function of neurons, in the process known as neurodegeneration. Neurodegeneration can be found in the brain at many different levels of neuronal circuitry, ranging from molecular to systemic. The symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases vary widely and can affect cognitive abilities, such as attention, learning, memory, perception, executive function, language, and social cognition, resulting in a decline in function that may occur over several years or several decades. For many individuals who develop cognitive impairment as a result of a neurodegenerative disease, symptoms will eventually progress far enough to be classified as a major neurocognitive disorder, or dementia. Due to the irreversible nature of the degeneration of the nervous tissue, the therapies for neurodegenerative disorders are aimed at slowing down the progress of degeneration and improving patients’ quality of life. The timely management of cognitive impairment has important prognostic and therapeutic implications. However, there remains a paucity of research on best practice recommendations to guide the development of interventions for cognitive and behavioral symptoms that form part of neurodegenerative diseases. The main approach to cognitive disorders combines pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions including comprehensive multidisciplinary rehabilitation.

Neurodegenerative diseases are extremely debilitating, increasingly common, and affect millions of people worldwide. Alternative and innovative treatment approaches for the management of cognitive problems are greatly needed in neurodegenerative diseases. We must improve our understanding of what causes neurodegenerative diseases and develop new approaches for treatment and prevention.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide scientific evidence for the latest and most advanced research in the clinical management of cognitive disorders in neurodegenerative patients. The potential contribution of new techniques and training in improving cognitive symptoms as well as quality of life is particularly underlined through this Special Issue.

We welcome contributions in the form of original research articles, reviews, and short communications.

Dr. Viviana Lo Buono
Guest Editor

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