Table 1.
Neurodegenerative diseases (Bezprozvanny, 2009)
| Disease | Affected neurons | Age of onset | Sporadic/inherited | Genes | Drugs | Target | Effect | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AD | Neurons of the cortex and hippocampus | >65 | 95% sporadic, 5% inherited | APP PSEN1 PSEN2 | Namenda (Memantine) | Blocks NMDA-receptors, reduces toxicity | Moderately improves cognitive function | |||||
| Donepezil (Aricept), Galantamine (Razadyne), Rivastigmine (Exelon) | Inhibitors of acetylcholine esterase. Increase the amount of acetylcholine in the brain | Moderately improves cognitive function | ||||||||||
| PD | Dopaminergic neurons of the pars compacta of the substantia nigra | >65 | 95% sporadic, 5% inherited | Synucl, LRRK2, Parkin, PINK1, DJ-1 | L-Dopa (Levodopa) | Increases the amount of dopamine in the neurons of the substantia nigra | Symptomatic relief | |||||
| ALS | Motor neurons | 40–60 | 95% sporadic, 5% inherited | SOD1 | Riluzole (Rilutek) | Antiglutamate effect (activates the capture of glutamate, blocks the NMDAR receptor and Na-channels) | Increases life-span by a few months | |||||
| HD | Medium spiny neurons of the striatum | 40–50 | 100% inherited | Huntingtin | Tetrabenzine (Xenazine) | Antidopamine effect (inhibits VMAT, lowers the amount of excreted dopamine) | Reduces chorea | |||||
| SCA | Various regions of the brain involved in motor control | 40–50 | 100% inherited | Ataxins | None | None | None | |||||