TABLE 1.
Common neurodegenerative diseases characterized by selective vulnerability.
| Disease | Prevalence | Main symptoms | Key brain regions affected | Main vulnerable neuronal subtypes | Pathological hallmarks (associated protein) | Therapies (symptomatic treatments) | Regenerative medicine cell-based approaches |
| Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) | ∼5M | Cognitive impairments in memory, language, and behavior | Hippocampus, Basal Forebrain, Locus coeruleus (pons), Cortex | Pyramidal neurons, Cholinergic neurons | Neurofibrillary tangles (tau); neuritic plaques (beta-amyloid & tau) | acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, memantine | Cholinergic neurons, GABAergic Inhibitory neurons |
| Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and Parkinson’s Disease with Dementia (PDD) |
∼1M | Tremor, stiffness, slow movements, autonomic dysfunction, sleep problems, cognitive decline | Substantia nigra (midbrain), locus coeruleus (pons), Cortex (especially the cingulate) | Dopaminergic neurons | Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites (alpha-synuclein) | Levodopa, COMT inhibitors, dopamine agonists, deep brain stimulation | Dopaminergic neurons |
| Huntington’s Disease (HD) |
∼30K | Uncontrolled movements (chorea), neuropsychiatric | Neostriatum, especially caudate (basal ganglia), cortex | Spiny neurons | Intranuclear & cytoplasmic neuronal inclusions (Htt) | Tetrabenazine, neuroleptics (off-label), antidepressants | Spiny neurons |
| Spinocerebellar Ataxias (SCAs) | ∼150K | Difficulty with walking and speech, lack of coordination | Cerebellum, brainstem, spinal cord (dorsal) | Purkinje neurons, pontine nuclei neurons | Intranuclear and cytoplasmic neuronal inclusions (various, e.g., ataxins) | Limited, physical therapy | Purkinje neurons |
| Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) | ∼20K | Progressive weakness and muscle atrophy | Spinal cord (ventral), brainstem (motor nuclei), and frontal cortex | Upper and lower motor neurons | TDP-43 positive cytoplasmic neuronal inclusions | Riluzole, edaravone | Lower motor neurons |