Neurodegenerative Diseases: Neurobiology, Pathogenesis and Therapeutics
http://www.100md.com
《新英格兰医药杂志》
As the general population ages, we can expect the burden of neurodegenerative diseases to increase. Fortunately, recent research in the field puts us in an excellent position to ease this burden. Never before have we been better poised to develop treatments on the basis of the underlying causes of neurodegenerative diseases. These new treatments will promise not only relief from symptoms but also modification of the course of the disease. In the past dozen years, genes have been identified for the familial forms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (in 1993), Alzheimer's disease (in 1995), Parkinson's disease (in 1997), and hundreds of other neurologic diseases. Identification of these genes has given us the opportunity to re-create and study the mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases in cell-culture and animal models and to use the findings to develop pharmacologic and biologic therapies. Such therapies are now moving into clinical trials. One can easily predict that in 10 years, new treatments that have a large effect on these diseases will be available.
Research in this area is a moving target, difficult to capture in a book, but Beal and colleagues have made a worthy effort. The result is a good view, as of 2004, of the clinical and pathological features, pathophysiology, and prospects for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The book is a weighty and comprehensive overview with an all-star list of contributors. Some important recent developments are missing or underrepresented, including RNA interference, the newly discovered Parkinson's disease gene LRRK2, and the results of recent clinical trials. Such shortcomings are likely in any textbook. For information about recently discovered genes and genetic testing, the reader would do well to check Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) and GeneTests.org, and for information from clinical studies, ClinicalTrials.gov and journal reviews.
Nonetheless, Neurodegenerative Diseases is a good reference book for medical libraries, clinicians, and researchers who are new to the field. It may be particularly good as a textbook for students who need to get up to speed, for example, in a course on the biology of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the story of these diseases is still evolving rapidly, particularly with regard to therapeutic development. As solid as this book is, I am already looking forward to the sequel.
Kenneth Fischbeck, M.D.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Bethesda, MD 20892
kf@ninds.nih.gov(Edited by M. Flint Beal, )
Research in this area is a moving target, difficult to capture in a book, but Beal and colleagues have made a worthy effort. The result is a good view, as of 2004, of the clinical and pathological features, pathophysiology, and prospects for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The book is a weighty and comprehensive overview with an all-star list of contributors. Some important recent developments are missing or underrepresented, including RNA interference, the newly discovered Parkinson's disease gene LRRK2, and the results of recent clinical trials. Such shortcomings are likely in any textbook. For information about recently discovered genes and genetic testing, the reader would do well to check Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) and GeneTests.org, and for information from clinical studies, ClinicalTrials.gov and journal reviews.
Nonetheless, Neurodegenerative Diseases is a good reference book for medical libraries, clinicians, and researchers who are new to the field. It may be particularly good as a textbook for students who need to get up to speed, for example, in a course on the biology of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the story of these diseases is still evolving rapidly, particularly with regard to therapeutic development. As solid as this book is, I am already looking forward to the sequel.
Kenneth Fischbeck, M.D.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Bethesda, MD 20892
kf@ninds.nih.gov(Edited by M. Flint Beal, )