Novel multi-target therapies for neurodegenerative diseases treatment

Due to the complex pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases, an innovative approach towards neuroprotection or neurorestoration may be the development of multifunctional pharmaceuticals. Such drugs target an array of pathological pathways, each of which is believed to contribute to the cascades that ultimately lead to neuronal cell death. To date, Professor Youdim and our research group are designing pluripotential non-toxic, brain-permeable iron-chelating drug candidates possessing diverse pharmacological properties that can act on multiple targets and pathological features ascribed to Parkinsons disease, Alzheimers disease (AD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The aim of my PhD thesis was to examine the potential therapeutic utility of these novel multi-target drugs in the treatment of AD, aged-related cognitive decline and ALS. This book discusses the multiple effects of these compounds, concerning their neuroprotective/neurorestorative molecular mechanisms in vivo and in vitro, including antioxidant and iron chelating activities, monoamine oxidase inhibition, and regulation of pro-survival signaling pathways, cell cycle and neurite outgrowth.