查看文章

Neurodegenerative disorders remain a major burden for our society, affecting millions of people worldwide. Due to the symptomatic nature of current treatments without affecting the underlying cause of the disease, these disorders present an ongoing clinical challenge. Extensive research efforts demonstrate the important impact of molecular mechanisms in driving the primary pathological aspects of neurodegenerative diseases and the need for g reater understanding to facilitate targeted drug development. This Special Issue collects six reviews, five original research articles and one communication in order to provide new insights in the molecular mechanisms that underlie neurodegenerative disorders.

The first entry is an elaborate review of signal transduction mediated by Toll-like receptors (TLRs) on the resident macrophages of the central nervous system (CNS) and neurons bridge immune system response to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. A critical evaluation of several studies from animal models and humans highlights the important role of TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, TLR7, and TLR9 in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD)[1].