Mouse models of neurodegenerative disease: preclinical imaging and neurovascular component.

Neurodegenerative diseases represent great challenges for basic science and clinical medicine because of their prevalence, pathologies, lack of mechanism-based treatments, and impacts on individuals. Translational research might contribute to the study of neurodegenerative diseases. The mouse has become a key model for studying disease mechanisms that might recapitulate in part some aspects of the corresponding human diseases. Neurode- generative disorders are very complicated and multifacto- rial. This has to be taken in account when testing drugs. Most of the drugs screening in mice are very di cult to be interpretated and often useless. Mouse models could be condiderated a ‘pathway models’, rather than as models for the whole complicated construct that makes a human disease. Non-invasive in vivo imaging in mice has gained increasing interest in preclinical research in the last years thanks to the availability of high-resolution single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), high eld Magnetic resonance, Optical Imaging scanners and of highly speci c contrast agents. Behavioral test are useful tool to characterize di erent ani- mal models of neurodegenerative pathology. Furthermore, many authors have observed vascular pathological features associated to the di erent neurodegenerative disorders. Aim of this review is to focus on the di erent existing animal models of neurodegenerative disorders, describe behavioral tests and preclinical imaging techniques used for diagnose and describe the vascular pathological features associated to these diseases

Nanotechnology at the Rescue of Neurodegenerative Diseases: Tools for Early Diagnostic

Fundamental causes of neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) such as Alzheimer’s (AD) and Parkinson’s diseases (PD) remain a matter of debate, and the discovery of disease-modifying treatments represents a great challenge. Currently, patients with NDD have only access to actives intended to alleviate symptoms and not to target fundamental causes of the diseases. Meanwhile, in the last few years, a strong conviction has emerged from the clinical and fundamental research that an early diagnosis, even before any cognitive or motor symptoms, is the path toward improvement of the therapeutic course of these irreversible pathologies.</p