NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES: INSIGHTS INTO EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES

Abstract

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) such as Alzheimer disease and Huntington disease, Parkinson disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are an emerging global health epidemic in which progressive loss of nerve cells and either mental or motor decay lead to. Such disorders cause great medical, social and economic costs on elderly populations due to which there is a great necessity of a quick method of diagnosing the disorder and effective treatment.This paper is based on an integrative research approach relating complex neuroimaging technologies, a biomarker panel, and genetic screening to early diagnosis, as well as the analysis of the new treatments and therapies like gene therapy, neuroprotection, and stem cell-based treatments. The approach used is a multi-modal detection and treatment which would promote better patient stratification and intervention efficacy.The outcomes indicate that biomarkers which include amyloid-beta, phosphorylated tau, alpha-synuclein and imaging tests such as MRI and PET can exhibit a high sensitivity of detecting preclinical stages of disease. Knowledge through genetic testing is also diagnostic, especially where there are inheritable diseases. In addition, the comparative review of the clinical outcomes of pharmacological therapies, gene-based treatment and cell therapy using the stem cell treatment against criteria reveals significant difference in treatment response with varying results given as promising and mixed results on disease type and stage of progression.The exploration has ended in a predication that, even though the current treatment approaches deal mainly with coping with symptoms, the future success of treatment rests on an earlier intervention using precision diagnostics and application of personalized medicine principles. Combining molecular diagnostics with programs of personalized interventions does not only have promise of changing disease progression but also improves patient quality of life. It is necessary to continue the research, collaboration and clinical verification of these innovations to convert into an accessible, lasting solution to those afflicted with neurodegenerative diseases.