Neurodegenerative diseases

These diseases involve slow changes, leading gradually to neuronal dysfunction and death. Different neurodegenerative diseases affect different groups of neurons. For example, Alzheimer's disease affects mainly "higher" regions of the brain, notably the hippocampus and cerebral cortex, leading to problems of thought such as memory loss, whereas the many different motoneuron diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) affect mainly the neurons that influence muscle.

DBCM researchers are focusing on two main areas of neurodegenerative disease.

The role of non-neuronal cells in neurodegeneration

Proteomic analysis of protein dysfunction

Beta-amyloid deposition (green) and reactive gliosis (red) in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (blue: cell nuclei).