Clinical use of biomarkers in neurodegenerative disorders / / topic editor Manuel Menéndez-González.

• Author: Manuel Menendez-Gonzalez
• TeilnehmendeR: Menéndez-González, Manuel,
• Place / Publishing House: Lausanne, Switzerland : : Frontiers Media SA,, 2014.; ©2014
• Year of Publication: 2014
• Language: English
• Series: Frontiers research topics
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (122 pages) :; illustrations; digital, PDF file(s).
• Notes: Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph
• Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references.
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: topic editor Manuel Menéndez-González.

The world has a rapidly ageing population. Neurodegenerative diseases (ND) are strongly linked with age, with older citizens more at risk. Therefore the prevalence of ND is increasing dramatically. The major problem with ND is its difficulty to be diagnosed early. The goal of biomarker characterization is to increase certainty that a person has or does not have underlying pathology. During last decades, many research projects where focused on research on biomarkers for ND and this research has blasted into hundreds of scientific articles. However, few studies assessed their use in real clinical practice conditions. This Frontiers Research Topic is focused in the use of biomarkers for neurodegenerative disorders in the clinical setting. Topics include the use of biomarkers in the differential diagnosis of ND, the use of biomarkers to assess the risk of conversion from preclinical conditions, the use of biomarkers to follow up of clinical conditions and studies comparing biomarkers. We challenge to publish studies not only for the more frequent and more studied ND (Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases), but also for other less known ND such as prion diseases, motor neurone diseases, Huntington’s disease, spinocerebellar ataxia or spinal muscular atrophy among others. Biomarkers are very different in nature - from neuroimaging techniques to molecular parameters to be determined in the biochemical laboratory-. We welcome manuscripts reporting all kind of biomarkers since we wish to join and show together studies from different domains and thus give a perspective throughout the whole spectrum of research on biomarkers for ND.