Tuesday, 10 September 2013

Molecular and Cellular Biology of Neuroprotection in the CNS

The adult mammalian brain is not well equipped for self-repair. Although neuronal loss reinstalls parts of the molecular machinery that is essential for neuronal development, other factors and processes actively impede regeneration of the damaged brain. Many therapeutic efforts thus aim to promote or inhibit these endogenous pathways. In addition, more radical approaches appear on the horizon, such as replacement of lost neurons with grafted tissue.

Neurorepair, however, is not the topic of this book. Here, we go one step back in the sequence of events that lead eventually to the demise of a neuronal population. This book focuses on the precious period when an initial damaging event evolves into a vast loss of neurons. The time frame might be hours to days in acute brain injury or months to years in chronic neurodegenerative diseases. Given the limited capacity of regeneration, protecting neurons that are on the brink of death is a major challenge for basic and clinical neuroscience, with implications for a broad spectrum of neurological and psychiatric diseases, ranging from stroke and brain trauma to Parkinson´s and Alzheimer´s disease. In recent years, rapid progress has been made in unravelling many of the cellular and molecular players in neuronal death and survival. However, as the field develops into more and more specialized branches, the notion of common pathogenic pathways of neuronal loss might get buried under the wealth of novel data. Thus it seems a timely endeavor to provide an overview on the most exciting recent developments in neuroprotective signaling and experimental neuroprotection.

This book brings together experts from cellular and molecular neurobiology, neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, neuropharmacology, neuroimmunology and neurology. It is my hope that the book serves as a reference text for both basic neuroscientists and clinicians, offering a fresh look at many (certainly not all) of the highly intertwined processes that determine the fate of CNS neurons in the face of acute or chronic insults.

The book is written mostly from the viewpoint of the basic scientist who works at the cellular and molecular level, but who also develops and tests new hypotheses using animal models of acute and chronic brain injury. Although many of the new findings hold promise for therapeutic interventions, their translation into clinically relevant neuroprotective strategies is still in its infancy. If this book helps to bridge this gap, it will certainly be worth the effort.

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